SANI,,,TRIP OF A LIFETIME OR TRIP FROM HELL,,

[iep_kruger]

Hi there,,,,

like they say,,,been there got the tshirt,,,actually i really did get a tshirt

i got a phone call from someone i havent heard from in more than 20 years and we quickly found out we both just bought bikes and that we wanna do the outdoors cow trailing thingie,,,they are 3 palls all with brandnew gs bm's who had never ventureed of the hiway yet but wanted to tackle sani and lesotho,,i had a Africa Twin,,,so i advertised my intentions on this site under planning a ride and soon got a heap of info from the other wd which put my mind to rest up to a point,,,so i met the rest of the posse and yes they are all newbie bike  riders and yes they shouldnt attempt such a trip so quickly,,,even with my mx background and some enduro riding zillions years ago i was rather scepticall,,,but fools tread and i didnt want to sound like the ninny,,,and so we agreed to go,,,we had one meeting, decided not to take sleeping, eating or food stuff with , only cash and plastic,,,we discussed rain suits, extra tubes, a satelite phone (in case) and even a pair of speedo swimming goggles (dont ask me why)

so on sunday 9 dec with a bleak and overcast day i left my home in harties and met up with the rest of the clan in Pretoria,,,last minute checks and photos and at 08h00 am we left along the N1 to N3, stopping for breakfast at Engen one stop Villiers,,,,

then we turned of and made for Reitz,,some nice sweeping ride with some potholes starting to get us used to picking a good line to ride in,,,petrol at Reitz except for me as i wanted to see how far can i go on a tank (bm's have computers) and alas for some reason my petrol tap was already on reserve and when i ran out of juice i really did run out of juice,,,much to the dismay of myself,,,so about 4 kms from Fourieberg i stopped,,,solid,,,,we got some petrol and so we limped into Fouriesburg where we will stay the nite,,,,

so i unpacked and promptly made friends with the barman,,,after 2 savanahs my friends tell me we gonna take a ride and like the cavalry we mount and its off to Clarens, Golden Gate ands somma just riding everywhere around the Drakensberg,,,,a fast ride especially for the beemers,,,my AT battled to keep up but then i did see more scenery

that nite we rechecked,,,had a great feast at the Fouriesberg hotel andd slept

day one stats:
total kms:  552 of which 379 was between Pta and Fouriesberg
total stopping time: 2h00
moving time: 3h50
average speed : 64.4 km/h which shows you doesnt how much you speed you dont really make time up,,,,

tommorrow i'll add day two,,,,,like i said i'll add the photos later

 

[iep_kruger]

day two:
bungalow bill wakes us up at 5,,,just as well i,ve been awake since 4 with anticipation,,,we saddle up the horses,,,have quick coffee and we race to calendons poort border post which opens at 6,,,

no sweat, slight paperwork and a R5 tax and we hit the road jack!!!its off tyo Leribe (lovely ben schoeman hiway) and left to Mahobong,,,the scenery is breathtaking, its a great day and the bikes are purring from contenment,,,we streak through Pitseng and then its uphill to the top of the mountains and at Lejone we have our prepacked breakfast the hotel packed us,,,its very cold but crisp and we look back at where we/ve been,,,this must be the stairway to heaven and the taxis are small way down yonder,,,,

just a little bit forward and we will see our first sight of Katse dam,,,,
we finish breakfast, drive on  and soon see Katse dam,,,its a huge dam and we stay next to it all the time and at one stage we cross it,,,what a sight,,,just after the bridge we have a choice wether to carry on with the tar or take a service dirt road all along the dam,,,,of course we opt for  the service road,,,good choice and this is where we see the lesotho people, their children, donkeys, horses, dogs and sheep,,,everybody is friendly especially the children that wave you on,,,i did pack sweets but it was too much schlepp to take it out while riding,,,thought i keep them for later,,,but the road is good, slighly gravel and ruts which at one stage make one GS slide from underneath,,,nothing serious but great amazedment to some kids who just happened to be there,,,,miles and miles of glorius roads taking you through most amazing scenery,,,this is what a breakfast run should be like ,,,we love eating up the kms and every corner brings a new suprise,,,we encounter some taxis and some people on ponies  but the rest is open road,,,,,,,at the bottom of Katse we we say goodbye to the last of the tarroads and we wiggle our way up and down mountains and switching back and forth with sweeping turns with the most amazing water features that would put Safailand to shame,,,,everywhere the hills glisten with water and little fountains and waterfalls are everywhere,,,,,,,we do 57 kms of this and end up at Thaba Tseka where we get petrol ,,,now we wont see petrol again for half a day,,,we set of to Mohlanapeng and through to Taung where we turn left towards Thaba Phafane which is just a name for nogga moerse nice mounyain and miles and miles of glorius gravel roads,,,its hot and we stash the thermal linings and ride with our jackets open,,,,,we get our first sightings of the mighty Orange river  and somewhere just before Linakeng we need to cross the Orange on a low water bridge,,,the last part of the bridge collapsed and the water is rushing knee deep over it and underfoot its full of holes and we struggle to walk acxross,,,we have to make a decision,,,i suppose in my younger days i would just have wheelied my bike across but im wiser now,,,besides we nearly have R400k of motorbikes,,,i scout down the river looking for a better and wider place to cross only to find some cars that have recently been swepted off that same bridge,,,they had the same idea as us,,,,we revert to the map,,,we can go back and do a detour of  120km of 4x4 tracks and at the same time a dark cloud looms overhead,,,the gs bikers are worried their bikes get full of mud,,,,so we all come up with plans and gratefully accept one and he offers to sacrifice his bike first,,,it entails we 4 guys litterally carry every bike across,,,we make it with the brandnew gs adventure,,,then another gs and then the africa twin and lastly we do the last one with onlookers sitting like vultures watching us ,,,,this takes up 2 whole hours but we are soaked in our boots and riding pants,,,

we push on and go towards Tabang/ St James(neither have petrol) and just before Mokhotlong i need to get petrol and head of to town whikle my brothers wait at the Sani turnoff,,,there,s petrol but no electricity and no one has a handpump jobbie so i turn back and head towards the last stretch to Sani,,,somewherfe i realise i have my goal in sight and being there and the stress of a day,s riding decide to stop at the first spaza and celebrate with my first quart of Maluti beer,,,much to the amazement of the town and the other travellers at the inn,,,

after another quart of maluti i have a song in my heart and sing loudly in my helmet heading on the last 40 kms towards Sani top,,,the road is glorius, the birds are signing, i love my life and where i am and every turn is utter amazement of beauty against a rugged landscape,,,i do several stream crossings, see some amazsing water featuresm even some waterfalls,,,its hot and im tempted to strip naked and swim or stand underneath a waterfall,,,

but onwards i ride following my brothers wheel tracks,,,i can see its been raining and i wonder how the GS guys must be hating mud on their bikes,,,then it suddenly gets dark and the cloiuds are menacing and a quitness and icy cold feeling descends upon my stairway to heaven,,,,here i am, lekker getrek  wearing shorts, mx boots and a tshirt,,,i get to the top and its freezing,,,i don my jacket with its thermal inner but decide the bike engine is warm enough for my legs,,,i meet a tall dark man wrapped in maluti blanket asking for food,,,i give him whatever padkos i still have left in exchange for a weather report,,,im freezing my butt of and he just nonchalantly shruggs it off as just another day at work,,,he herds a herd of about 400 sheep,,,the whole valley is speckled with tufts of sheep,,,anyway i press forward and then it rains,,,not hard  just enough to mist up your glasses,,,im thinking maybe now is the time for me to don those speedo swimming glasses but still dont understand the logic ,,,so i just wipe the water off every time with my glove,,,i go through amazing mountains and see herds and herds of sheep being chased into these barns to protect them against the cold,,

,i ride through a herd of wild horses  and then the soft rain turns into sleet,,,just for a few minutes,,,,i think,,,this is summer and in the last 8 kms i had 4 seasons in one,,,,but i love this,,,im still following the GS tracks and see that my brothers havent slipped or fallen in the mud,,,,i stop to photograph a kodak moment of sheep, the mountain and the rainbow,,,kids watching me undoing layers of clothing and gloves but still wearing rugby shorts,,,i give them the last of the sweets and its onto my horse yet again,,,its dark and everywhere i see smoke coming out of basuoto huts,,,then i see the chalet and my friends waiting at the inn with steaming hot gluhwein made with redwine and whisky and rum heated up in mugs full,,,,this is the best sight all day,,,i am happy and sad at the same time,,,happy that i made it and sad its over,,,my friends embrace me and we all do back slapping while sipping gluwein,,,this is the higest pub in africa,,,i promised my self a double jack daniels and soda and walk into the bar with 30 germans tourist all snuggled up to the fire,,,in walks this  neanderthal man dressed like the michelin man, with hemet, gloves and reflective clothing but still in his rugby shorts and mx boots demanding a jack and soda and lots of ice while standing with a gluhwein,,,i dont care,,,,this is my moment,,,so again i go out this time charged with another gluhwein and still clutching the jack and we tell strories and i laugh at seeing the GS all covered in mud,,,,i take photos and go back into the bar and sit amongst the germans still checking me out armed with yet a another glkuhwein,,,i make small chatter with the innkeeper and see i have cellphone coverage,,,so i take some photos and mms them to everyone i know,,,,im sitting at  the highest bar in africa,,,i survived brokeback mountain and boy does my backside hurt,,,

i park and the innkeeper gives me bowls of steaming soup, warm baked bread and heaps of veggies and cottage pie,,,i eat like a horse,,,my brothers as well but they go back and fall asleep in their beds with their clothes on,,,,i sit sipping gluhwein and at 10 o clock unbeknown to me the generator stops and all electricity stops,,,so with my dronkgat i ride my bike down to the backpacker hut and see my buddies bikes but i battle to stay standing and see the logfire and make me a bed right in front of the fire and so i sleep,,,,,

stats for the day:
total kms 378
stopped time 4h13
moving time 08h30
elevation 2874
overall averege speed 31.2 km/h

 

[iep_kruger]

day three:

i wake up several times and see the fire is down, then i put logs on and sleep another 2 hours,,,its morning and bungalow bill finds me sleeping in front of the logfire in the lounge,,i charm myself n cup of coffee from some farmers wife in a landrover,,,we pack,,,take some group photos and pay the innkeeper,,,then its down Sani which is challenging,,,i remembered reading other wd reports saying the pass is cary but i refrain from calling its scary as it kinda scares you off,,,so im sticking with challenging hoping that one day everyone will ride Sani pass if just once in their lifes

its steep and yes loose rocks and challenging (again) ,,,its all you hoped for and more,,,brakes dont work especially ABS from the gs.s,,,the switch it off,,,,i ride down in 1st gear grinding the honda gearbox against the incline while fluttering over my front and back brakes,,,the going is painstakingly slow and daunting,,,at one stage the engines dies and i nearly loose it  over loose rocks carreering over the side as brakes are useless over these loose rocks,,,but i manage to hit a rut square with my front wheel,,,everybody forgets to take photos and me included as you are totally focussed  on staying on the road,,,you inch yourself all along the switchbacksall the time looking down to there where the road is still i thin line,

,,,we meet some taxis coming up,,,some landcruisers and landdies,,,,no bikes,,,,then the road becomes powdery and we leave the rocks and it levels out to a slight down hill far too soon and we head towards the border,,,,once again border no problem and we enter RSA and not long we meet the construction group and machinery thats bringing the tar road,,,luckily i voted a huge NO!!! at the questionaire at the border post wether they should tar the road and allow mainstream tourist into the country,,,i still say no but i cant help think about every basuto nan thats asked me for food as he's hungry,,,,its difficult but im thankfull i saw it raw as nature intended,,,we get to Himeville and of course the first thing the GS does is has his bike sprayed with a hi pressure hose,,,the rest dont, we're proud of our mud and we head to Himeville arms where all good rides either start or end,,,but theu only serve coffee or tea and we flash over to underberg and have a breakfast for a king,,,everyone is chatting on phones and we have to push to Harrissmith,,,3 of us  opt to do the bulwer bveat road and then stay on all the alternate roads and avoid the tollroads,,,one bro has to meet his wife in Harrissmith and he opts the toll road,,,the rest of us just follow the sweeps and now the AT is loving accelerating over the hills and through the sweeps,,,its like its saying thanx for riding on tar again,,,we ride past hundreds of little dorpies, restaurants and stopping places,,,,its so much better than riding the N3 and at Harrismith i decide to push on to home while my buddies opted to stay behind,,,we greet this time as brothers and no longer strangers and more back slapping,,, i stay of the hiway and somewhere near Heidelberg i jump onto the road and wind it to pta,,,,very scary driving on the hiway,,,give me lesotho anytime,,,

but i make it and i know in my heart im a better person and that a part of me wjill always stay in Lesotho,,,i sjhall be back,,,soon

Sani pass/ brokeback mountain,,,eitherway your backside hurts

what next????

without a shadow of doubt of course its bigger brother

KILOMANDJARO

who,s coming with????


stats for the day:

kms travelled 780 kms
moving time 9h06
stopping time 04h32
average speed  57.2 kms/h (dont ask me how that works ,,,i hardly never went under 120km/h?????)

 

[Brassmonkey]

Awesomeness. One day... Not too long now...