Malawi and Busted !!!!

[tour]

the place where we finely stopped turned out to be another blessing in disguise. so while harold was drifting into a state of euphoria i set out to scout out our little haven for the night. what i found was really cool.there was a river with sandy beach and some shade. what more would you want while in africa???

so while harold was lying in the shade trying not to freak out too much, thoughts of malaria in his head. a few local lads rocked up out of no where as there always does. we try in our best sign language to find out if it would be alright to stay there fot the night. luckily there is 1 lad that says it is cool and that we will not offend any one.

now this will be our first official bushcamp, so the nerves are a bit high on my side and harold 's too, well he was hoping to just not die during the evening. so after a bit more time of scouting the area went ahead to set up camp.it took me about 2 hours to get the bikes to where we wanted to set up camp. thick riversand and rocks with big loaded bikes was hard, also the very hot climate made me sweat alot.

 

[tour]

so now and again things happen for a reason that we cannot explain at the time but thankfully do teach us things..
now we were slightly nervous,harold maybe not but i was for sure. in the bush far from home with no one to hear you scream. how studip was I. because this was a place of more lessons to be taught to us. we spend the rest of the day just hangin with these guys. only 1 dude could speak some english. we were as big of an amusement for them as they were for us. all my stupid fears had luckily left me and harold was feeling better.

we would later start to collect wood and everyone started helping, harold started the bierbrood and we drank one each as harold was feeling much better as the sun was setting. the time spend there that day will stay in my memory for a long time. sorry but i cannot explain it too much because the words are just not there. at some stage during the evening all the guys got up and went there own way.

we found out that these guys make a living catching fish with nets and that some one comes by boat to collect it. there was a lot of staring and laughs. also they have seen white guys pass on the road maybe 4 times in the last couple of years but never stopped there for the nite so we were something of interest for them as many of them had never interacted with a white guy before. they were surprised at how similar we all were. there was also 2 bikes that had passed here in the wet season which they helped to pass the river. maybe metaljockey??? that first caterpillar on the riverbank looked all to familiar when we started this road. damn we were not the first.... and also respect for doing this section in the wet. we just thought no way.

 

[superfoxi]

:thumleft: LEKKA! I want more!!

 

[tour]

must tell you all one thing. i slept like a baby that nite. the next morning we woke to another glorias day, and luckily my friend harold was feeling tip top. strange those 24 hour virusses... :laughing4: so we were stoked. all safe and all healthy. but we didn't just pack up and go, no way could we just leave this awesome place so soon. so after a cuppa espresso we decided to pack up and then go for a walk to see wot is lying around here. our new friends were also around real early. they didn't like our espresso so much. tea was more their thing. so we had arranged with the guys for some fish as you cannot get fresher than this. so harold and myself rolled a fatty and went exploring by foot. must admit that a i was slightly weary still to be leaving all of my possesions right there in clear si9ght as we were wandering off. but our new friends never touched anything.

so after a wake and bake, we walked to the begining of the lagoon. we were just chillen there when from the other side we saw this little maroko paddling our way. so after a long time this man in a red t shirt paddles right up to us. stands there with the biggest smile and just greets us. so we are all smiles and do alot of waving and greeting. he then turns around and paddles back, now this is a rather far distance to paddle to just say high. but that is wot he did. we were now truely loving it more and more. never have i experienced people that are so friendly. and after half an hour he reached the other side again where he was greeted with cheers from his companians. so right there and then we shouted more greetings from our side of the lagoon to be echoed with more laughter and haloooos from them. how cool was that. now we where really in it. we didnt want to leave. so after getting back to our camp our young fiends rocked up with 2 kariba bream almost still kicking so we gutted them and had lekker fish braai for breaky. one of the guys wife also showed up to check out what these 2 okes on the bikes were doin. she was very shy but loved our little braai grid. didnt like the espresso either.

 

[tour]

so after breakfast of kariba bream and italian espresso. we decided to head off. our hearts were heavy with sadness of leaving this spot but there was still so much more to see. damn we have only just done 30 km of 270. now to get the bikes out again and onto the road, well sort of a road. this took us some time and a few falls, harold has now no more wind shield.
and it was getting hot again. luckily we could get water here out of the river. so after drinking about a liter each just getting the bikes outta here we were slightly concerned but not too much as this is africa and she will provide. now it was about midday by the time we crossed the river. and only to be met by rocks... oh yes it was hot and we were drinking lots but we were ready for adventure and whatever will come our way. now at this stage we were in heaven. 2 good mates 2 cool bikes running really well and the complete unknown waiting for us. now the road was disappearing rapidly. single track 2 spoor and some places sommer no track. i must admit when there is no more road left and still more than 200km left to go to the next petrol and water and civilisation you do start to doubt your decisions. so after 5 km of really cool crossings and riding through dongas and the most amazing landscape something happened which we thought could not and would not happen. As our friend mike aka superfoxi told us during one of our pre trip fixing and getting the red lady ready "


"It is not like your bike will ever be pissing oil everywhere"

so the next bit of the story is not mine to tell. this is for moloko to render his version

 

[superfoxi]

"It is not like your bike will ever be pissing oil everywhere"

Uuups... did I say that? : Baad karma...!

 

[Moloko]

Hey superfoxi, before we give you more let me show you some more photos. When i woke up the next morning, about 3 hours before rudi opens his eyes, i went for a short walk. It was beautiful...

 

[Moloko]

Here rudi was braaing the briem he was talking about earlier (taking pointers from the local on how to cook fish i might add  :laughing4


And how i list my screen...  :-\

 

[Moloko]

some more pictures of that glorious morning...

 

[Moloko]

...

 

[Ian in Great Brak River]

Brilliant stuff guys....!!

 

[tour]

yhahaha that last one of me lying over is very funny. wot you cant see or hear is my finger caught between the clutch and the handlebar. and me screaming like a little girl cause some fuel was leaking. in hindsight i should of waited more patiently for harold to take more pics. that was a good spot for some comedy  :laughing4:

that was at 14;00 and 5 mins before...

 

[CAR6850]

Great RR guys :thumleft:

 

[Moloko]

yhahaha that last one of me lying over is very funny. wot you cant see or hear is my finger caught between the clutch and the handlebar. and me screaming like a little girl cause some fuel was leaking. in hindsight i should of waited more patiently for harold to take more pics. that was a good spot for some comedy  :laughing4:

that was at 14;00 and 5 mins before...

Yup, about 5 minutes before we drove over some serious rocks. I waiter for tour and saw him taking a moerse knock on the bash plate. I told him to check it out, however, when he looked back all i could see was his eyes locked below my bash plate.

Something you never want to hear in uncharted Zambia "**** your oil is gushing out of your engine".

So i closed the fuel taps, put the bike on its side and started the clean and repair process. Pratley Steel is compulsory DS gear... almost as important as a helmet.

Photos will best explain:

 

[Moloko]

Cleaned the crack with petrol and sand paper... built up the cracks with layers of pratley steel. We decided not to take any chances and stay right there in the bush while the pratley sets.

Rudi found us a great possy while i was repairing the crack so all i had to do was to focus on the repairs. O, and our water was running very low... more of that a bit later.

O, and always pack some fizzers... when days are dark those puppies will turn any frown upside down  :thumleft:

 

[Moloko]

... the Ten was back in business...

 

[AntonW]

Sweet guys.

 

[Metaljockey]

Lovely stuff! That last river had very nearly forced us to turn around. What month of the year did you pass through there?

That is a hell of a place to break an engine casing, you won't get help out there in a hurry. Also it looks to me like you are heading down a dead end road?

That route is The ****.

 

[Moloko]

We went through early july... and before we left we had a look at what you guys did, which is f@rking ensane. The road was not on the map or GPS so we really did not have a clue where we were riding. Only when we saw the damaged digger Rudi realised that we might be on that same road. And yes... it is the ****!!!

Anyway, after i fixed the crack in the engine casing we made a fire and started to ration our water. It was hot and about 18h00 - i had about 500ml and rudi a bit more than that. It had to last us through the night and into the next day - what time we did not know.

Our camp spot was perfect in every sense... F-all in all directions.

 

[tour]

it was i bit of a worry the water problem, we had more brandy than water  :laughing4: not beeing able to drink as we didn't know when next we could get water made things worst. even though are bodies was okay and not really in need of any we were craving it cause it was so little. well luckily we had 1 more beer specially left over for harold's famous bier broodjie. so that nite we feasted like kings in the middle of no where  :ricky:

as the  sun came up the next day our thirst was gone how wierd we thought. yeah be weary of your mind, hehehe
so we then decided without a doubt that we had to use some water for espresso as no day can start without it. yeah we are coffee whores  >

so after packing and loving the day we saw this kid with a red t shirt checking us from the distance, so we waved hallo  and it got returned. we waved again and he came a little closer. so after about 15 mins of waving and coming closer there was 3 boys near us and we knew if they had water then we could possibly also get some... yeah we were saved... but now how the hell to ask for water as amansi doesn't mean **** in zambia. but after a while of talking with the hands and all sorts of hand gestures we got if right and we were on the path. okay so the magic hand sign for water in i think the most of africa is

an up and down movement with your hand or hands like priming a pump.  :ricky:

for here and in many rural areas they have wells that work by hand pump. so if ever you get stuck without water just gooi your hands up and down like that. o it was quite a comedy of errors till we got to that stage tho.

so off we set on our bikes with these kids leading the way. now as it started getting really rough and we were halfway up this hill with dongas on the left and the right they stopped us and gestured us onto a little footspoor going away from the lake and the "road". o yes we have not really seen the lake for some time now but new it was there. it was a standing joke as for the whole 270 kms you never really see the lake,

so after about another km going in the wrong direction we get to a few hutts, i mean there is nothing only people really amazed at wot these kids have dragged back. kids running away. so we stop the engines and s this old mama comes out of her straw hutt with this dirty old plastic bak with water, inside was a koppie even dirtier. man was that the bestest cup of water that i had ever had in my life. we figured if harold didnt die yesterday we could handle a nother day of mysterious disseases.

so a bit further we went with almost every one in tow to the main village that was also very small. there we got to the well and filled our water supply after drinking our fill. then an old madala come out and he spoke some english. we then made sure that everybody knew that this boy with the red t shirt saved our lifes.

we were then pointed awy from the lake again with a reassurance that, that is the right direction to ciavonga. we were not so sure but we followed anyway...