Splash
Race Dog
My year was to end with a trip to Swaziland which was originally planned for earlier in the year. As a last minute decision, it turned out rather well. It was well organizer, as one would expect.
We booked in the Foresters Arms Hotel for three days which allowed for some extensive riding. We got to see the length and breadth of the country. Tracks were laid out which made navigating easy. We did not slavishly follow the directions given by our GPSâ??s and did a bit of exploring ourselves as well.
We left early to get to the hotel at a reasonable hour. We were still in time for breakfast which was our first taste of the hotels excellent food. I stuffed myself daily with seven course diners. It felt like being a tourist and I enjoyed the luxury of the hotel. Tour busses arrived with foreigners. It was most enjoyable to hear different languages spoken. I guess they were going on to Kruger which we could not do with bikes. We had other plans.
On day one most of the riding was north on good roads with some time to get the feel of Swaziland. We did some riding through villages on hill sides with the pungent smell of cattle being ever present. Speed was not an issue but agility on the bike was required. We also did a steep hill climb to get the adrenaline going. Remarkably, we did not have any difficulty with mud but that was to change later on in the trip. We got back to the hotel feeling rather good about the riding and decided to call it a day and spend a little time relaxing. Nothing like a good bath, some coffee and to watch the sun set. The evening was filled with eating which included a double helping of desert. Life can be so good some times.
Our second day was to be our long trip which involved crossing the entire country. One cannot say that too often, we crossed a whole country in one day. The most remarkable think is that the hotel was at 1300m and we ended up at 300m. The change in scenery was dramatic with long passes from pine forests to bushveld. We had to average 60kms per hour to get the route finished which made for some fast flat sections. By the end of the day, I had done more than a far share of riding. The route was always interesting which made it enjoyable. We did a section on a narrow road with very sharp corners and blind rises. It kept me awake. On another section, in the distance we could see a hill with a steep road on it. We could not resist trying it. I think a person with a grader decided he needed to level a cattle track because it was aggressively steep. On the higher parts dust was not a problem but on the low lying plains I had to leave a big gap so as not eat dust. At one point we stopped at a wide river which was dotted with people washing and playing in the water. A social gathering which was great to see.
The next morning brought with it a new world. It was raining. My rain suit was taken out. We now found a world full of mud. Surprisingly, it was not intimidating and made the forest tracks a little more interesting. For some variety we did a 4x4 track which was not difficult but took one into the mountains on tracks and away from settlements. I did struggle on one slope that was smooth rock but with a layer of water to make traction difficult. I had to get going after a stop which always gets the heart pumping. The night before we had been warned about a road that was closed which we did not take much notice of until we found the said road. We manage to get an alternative route around but not after trying to cross it first. We soon discovered that our bikes were a little on the heavy side to ride on soft sand and we had to pull and push our way back to the road. At around lunch time after feeling our away around the forests which were now covered in mist we headed back to a warm bath, dry clothes and as usual, some strong coffee. A bus load of Germans must have rectified the strength of the coffee. The afternoon brought no relief from rain and I spent my time reading a bike magazine. What else would one do?
Having lost some riding time, we got going the next day before breakfast for exploring a little without a GPS track to follow. I was faced with a steep slope but covered in slime. I got a little way up and slid to a stop. It was not possible to get the bike going again and I had to roll back to the bottom and try it again. My heart was pounding. With some guidance and a clear line to follow I attacked with some momentum and did not back off the throttle until I was at the top. Not big deal after all. Breakfast was not to be missed and we needed to get going back home so our ride end much too soon.
This was foremost a holiday with a bike as entertainment. A pleasant change of focus. It felt good to be in another country and was spoilt by the riding not to mention the food.
We booked in the Foresters Arms Hotel for three days which allowed for some extensive riding. We got to see the length and breadth of the country. Tracks were laid out which made navigating easy. We did not slavishly follow the directions given by our GPSâ??s and did a bit of exploring ourselves as well.
We left early to get to the hotel at a reasonable hour. We were still in time for breakfast which was our first taste of the hotels excellent food. I stuffed myself daily with seven course diners. It felt like being a tourist and I enjoyed the luxury of the hotel. Tour busses arrived with foreigners. It was most enjoyable to hear different languages spoken. I guess they were going on to Kruger which we could not do with bikes. We had other plans.
On day one most of the riding was north on good roads with some time to get the feel of Swaziland. We did some riding through villages on hill sides with the pungent smell of cattle being ever present. Speed was not an issue but agility on the bike was required. We also did a steep hill climb to get the adrenaline going. Remarkably, we did not have any difficulty with mud but that was to change later on in the trip. We got back to the hotel feeling rather good about the riding and decided to call it a day and spend a little time relaxing. Nothing like a good bath, some coffee and to watch the sun set. The evening was filled with eating which included a double helping of desert. Life can be so good some times.
Our second day was to be our long trip which involved crossing the entire country. One cannot say that too often, we crossed a whole country in one day. The most remarkable think is that the hotel was at 1300m and we ended up at 300m. The change in scenery was dramatic with long passes from pine forests to bushveld. We had to average 60kms per hour to get the route finished which made for some fast flat sections. By the end of the day, I had done more than a far share of riding. The route was always interesting which made it enjoyable. We did a section on a narrow road with very sharp corners and blind rises. It kept me awake. On another section, in the distance we could see a hill with a steep road on it. We could not resist trying it. I think a person with a grader decided he needed to level a cattle track because it was aggressively steep. On the higher parts dust was not a problem but on the low lying plains I had to leave a big gap so as not eat dust. At one point we stopped at a wide river which was dotted with people washing and playing in the water. A social gathering which was great to see.
The next morning brought with it a new world. It was raining. My rain suit was taken out. We now found a world full of mud. Surprisingly, it was not intimidating and made the forest tracks a little more interesting. For some variety we did a 4x4 track which was not difficult but took one into the mountains on tracks and away from settlements. I did struggle on one slope that was smooth rock but with a layer of water to make traction difficult. I had to get going after a stop which always gets the heart pumping. The night before we had been warned about a road that was closed which we did not take much notice of until we found the said road. We manage to get an alternative route around but not after trying to cross it first. We soon discovered that our bikes were a little on the heavy side to ride on soft sand and we had to pull and push our way back to the road. At around lunch time after feeling our away around the forests which were now covered in mist we headed back to a warm bath, dry clothes and as usual, some strong coffee. A bus load of Germans must have rectified the strength of the coffee. The afternoon brought no relief from rain and I spent my time reading a bike magazine. What else would one do?
Having lost some riding time, we got going the next day before breakfast for exploring a little without a GPS track to follow. I was faced with a steep slope but covered in slime. I got a little way up and slid to a stop. It was not possible to get the bike going again and I had to roll back to the bottom and try it again. My heart was pounding. With some guidance and a clear line to follow I attacked with some momentum and did not back off the throttle until I was at the top. Not big deal after all. Breakfast was not to be missed and we needed to get going back home so our ride end much too soon.
This was foremost a holiday with a bike as entertainment. A pleasant change of focus. It felt good to be in another country and was spoilt by the riding not to mention the food.
- nice one Splash :thumleft:
