Swaziland - fully charged!

[Marnus]

The dam night ride

The Sunday morning we started packing.  We didn't have a place to stay yet, but there were options.  After another hearty Bulembu Breakfast, and Martin fixing the first of two punctures we would encounter on the trip, we secured the last of our luggage and decided to work our way towards Maguga Dam.  We would check out the accommodation and rates, and if it didn't work out, we would start following up on some other places we'd stumbled upon.

Tubeless tyres are soooo easy.

And since biking is about the journey more than the destination, we took another bunch of forestry roads towards the dam.  We would take it easy, because with the loaded bikes, we couldn't be nearly as adventurous as the previous day.  We ended up on a track snaking up and over a mountain, overgrown with grass and with no real visible tracks.

The road less travelled

We connected with civilisation on the other side and took the tar roads further towards the dam.  Just before the dam, there is a lookout point where we stopped to take it all in.  We stopped once more on the dam wall to get a closer look.  It is quite unusual in its design with a large sloping runoff with a nice ramp at the end.  We speculated that this would make a schweet venue for some x-games where crazy people would rocket down on their skateboards and BMX's and launch some big ramps off the ledge into the water below.  None of us were going to try it though!

Stopping at the lookout point.

There are a couple of these huts that seem to be curio shops, but none were open.  Perhaps only in high season?

The view towards the dam wall

The rest of the dam

Group photo - Quintin, Drix, Daleen, Martin, Deon and I

Son & dad

The dam wall up close and impersonal

X-games, yeah!

Eye candy

We headed off to Maguga Lodge to check if they would be able to accommodate us, and whether we would be able to afford them.  Once again the friendliness was abundant and we came to mutal agreement that the logde would be our shelter for the last 2 nights.  After checking in, Drix performed his last battery swap.  He was heading back to attend to some work commitments the next day.  

Our home(s) for 2 days.  Martin & Daleen stayed in the rondavel on the right, or rather half of it, and the 3 boys parked in the double-decker in the back.

After seeing him off, we realised that we were still somewhat exhausted from the previous day and decided an afternoon nap was the right thing to do.  We would meet up again at 16:00 to take a leisurely ride around the dam... just to justify the huge dinner we were planning on having in the restaurant that evening.  As with most good plans, this one got changed, and by 17:00 we finally convinced each other to get back in our gear and take a quick ride.  We are afterall here to ride

We would start off with some 4x4 track very close to the lodge entrance and work our way clockwise around the dam.  After negotiating two gates, we realised that we would really be earning our food that night.  (Side note: Drix took a big bag of tennis balls and hand it out on the rare occasion that kids wanted sweets.  He would rather give a gift that would last more than 2 minutes.  So minus a tennis ball or two for toll, we were on our way.)

This track was rather technical and even though we were making good speed, we were not even half way on the gravel section when it started turning dark.  It was either turn back and do it all over again with a little less light, or push on until we find the nearest big road and hack it back to the dam.  Logic did not prevail and we pushed on.  It would probably have made more sense riding a 'familiar' road back than tackle a completely unknown road in total darkness, but the GPS showed a yellow road some way ahead and that usually means some sort of secondary road, right?

Right at the start of our quick round-the-dam trip.

Little did we know - should have turned around for a beer, but would have missed an adventure!

So we pushed on.  At some point you are still racing against the light, until you realise that it's not getting any darker anymore and that safety becomes the new priority.  Heck, we even relaxed to the point where we would stop for a smoke break in the darkness, admiring the very last shimmers of light on the horizon.  We didn't really realise an improvement on the yellow road, mostly becuase it was just as poor as the last part of the 4x4 trail.  Lots of ruts, unexpected climbs followed by more unexpected turns.  

We started encountering some traffic, which was a good thing, because it meant that we were going towards a busier area.  All the while I was hoping that nobody would fall or something - it was afterall my idea.  Daleen was going like a pro up front and soon enough we reached a tarred road that would take us back to the lodge.  Not a single incident, spill or fall.  Hell, it seems that we ride better at night!  It was an awesome sight coming down the twisty tarred road and seeing the dam lights down below.

I'll see if I can throw in a video clip, but Daleen may have a grossly underexposed picture or two to post

After a nice shower and some (more) apologies from my side for this unexpected adventure, we met up at the restaurant for some well-deserved refreshment.  Some Sebebe beer and a mother of a Maguga burger later, we departed on our second trip for the night - the one to dreamland.

One major burger for the mighty hungry.

To good times!

Next up: How far to go for a beer?

 

[Marnus]

Gmmmmpf.....fanks virrie invite Marnus!  :deal:

Hahaha, ek dog jou verlof is laaaaankal op!  atch: :ricky:

 

[DD650]

We had a leisurely start the next morning with even some washing done. Well, not so much washing as trying to get our socks and stuff dry from the previous day!  

Wash day!

Before we left Bulembu and their very friendly staff, we first inspected the lodge rooms to be prepared for our next visit. We also had to support their charity by buying some of their very pure honey. The Swazi charity Bulembu Ministries Swaziland bought the town of Bulembu with the aim to care for HIV orphans and become self-sustainable with the honey they produce as well as tourism and timber amongst other. This is really a worthy cause and you can read more at www.bulembu.org or to assist them in any way.

We eventually left the friendly Bulembu people and were on our way on the road much less (or hardly ever  :mwink: ) travelled. It was a real adventure finding the road and lots of fun on these forest “roads”.

Even though we were riding in the shade most of the time it was very hot as the humidity was quite high! Time for water and snacks to build up our energy again.

Some of the beautiful Swaziland flora.

We made our way to the Maguga dam and had a quick stop at the lookout point.

What a great group to experience such and adventure with!

The dam was much bigger than what I thought it would be.

Arriving at Maguga Dam lodge Marnus went to the reception to negotiate accommodation and prices for us for the next two days. Thanks Marnus, this was a great place to stay!

I had some time to play while waiting for Marnus to sort out our accommodation. Some of the scenery from the reception area.

The view from our rondavel! We could lie on our bed and admire the views over the dam.

I didn’t quite feel like going riding again after our nap, but Marnus eventually convinced us and boy, am I glad we gave in to the pressure! It was such an adventure. We were only 30m from the Lodge gate when we had to face the 4x4 track. I battled about the first 100m or so to get my mojo, but from there it was pure adrenalin and loads of fun! Thanks again Marnus for dragging us with on this superb night ride! It was for sure one of the highlights of the weekend and something we will never forget!!!

The big yellow road on the GPS never realized and we stayed on a offroad track until we got to the tar road again. Our planned quick clockwise route around the dam turned into an anticlockwise little track in the dark.

Man, it was fun, fun, fun!!!   :ricky: :ricky: :ricky:

We finally made it back to the lodge and a great dinner with even greater company and stunning views of the dam at night.

We eventually retired for the night – once again very tired, but content and already looking forward to the next day.

 

[White Rhino]

Awsomeness :thumleft:

 

[[email protected]]

Great Stuff  :thumleft:

 

[Marnus]

How far to go for a beer?

Waking up the next morning, reality started kicking in again - we would only have one day of riding left, before heading back home.  This place has so much to offer and our time here is too short.  Deon is not known for getting up early in the morning.  He recons time is important when you're on holiday - sleeping time and eating time!  On the rare occasion he would get up early, take a picture or two of the sunrise over the dam and then go back to bed, until about the time the rest of us are already on our way to go eat breakfast.

Early morning dew

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

The route for the day would zig zag south east into central Swaziland - some nice Tracks4Africa tracks with a couple of warnings - should be interesting.  After breakfast we took to the tar road and turned off onto the gravel some distance past the dam wall.  There were signs advertising some rock paintings, so we thought we'd check it out.  Arriving at the spot, it was clear that Swaziland's tourism industry is still very much in its infancy.  We tried talking to some kids to find out how far to walk and after about 10 minutes one of the guides showed up.  We learned that it would be quite a distance - not really what our boots were made for, so we decided to take a rock painting picture of Deon before carrying on to the day's route.

Personalised modern rock art

Starting out on the track

It took some time for everyone to get into the groove again.  Some minor I'm-ok-the-bike-just-fell-over moments and we were soon decending into a valley and making our way up a mountain track.  We stopped for a moment at one of the huts far up in the mountain.  It was washing day and in stark contrast with the rather dull buildings, the washing line was proudly displaying its bounty.  The childrens' clothes immediately reminded me of my own two waiting at home for my safe return.

Rest stop

This nasty made her web high up across our path - any lower and she would have been on me!

We were finally on top of the mountain and were treated by the most beautiful 2-spoor track running on its summit.  It made for some very fine riding.  The road led us back down the other side of the mountain in a more inhabited area.  This was probably also contributing to the poor condition of the road.  Plenty of erosion damage and loose rocky sections, but we were soon back down into a valley.  It was now warming up and the humidity was sticky.  We stopped at a small shop for cold drinks and I was surprised at the neatness and order inside.  If ever I saw someone taking pride in their work, it was this shopkeeper (Daleen may have a pic or two!).  We decided to take an alternative route to cut out a bit more of the technical stuff.  We were afterall starting to make a habit out of riding in the dark...

On top of the mountain

We took a very nice gravel highway hugging the Komati river and it joined one of the tar highways.  Now I've been hearing a lot about the House on Fire, but satisfying my curiosity would involve quite a bit of tar south towards Manzini.  So the group reached agreement and we were giving it gas on the tar.  A little bit of wind and the odd speedbump and traffic made it a tiring journey, but soon enough we stopped at a garage for fuel.  Martin noticed a nail in Daleen's rear tyre and before you could say 'tubeless', the puncture was repaired and we were on our way again.  Making our way through traffic on the highway was very unsatisfying, up to the point where I missed a turn-off and we had to backtrack a bit.  We arrived at the House on Fire and immediately sat down for a round of beers (or two).  I should have spent more time exploring the place, but the sun was racing across the sky, and we were getting hungry.  We were there between lunch and dinner and the kitchen had nothing to offer us.  So much for that place   But probably the most touristy thing I've seen in Swaziland.

House on Fire

We worked our way back north on the tar again, stopping at the huge Sebebe rock - apparently the biggest granite outcrop in the world.

I wonder how many kitchen counter tops you can get from this baby!

All our tar riding for the day was rewarded by a nice (as in keep your concentration) gravel road from Mbabane back to Maguga dam.  Arriving back at the lodge, we were starved, so after showers and some Captain & Coke to prime the system, we dug into dinner as if there was no tomorrow.  We retired for the evening, knowing that the next morning it's going to be packing up and heading back home.

The road back to Maguga Dam

The next morning we had our last buffet breakfast at the restaurant and left towards Piggs Peak for our last cheap fuel.  From there we took the now familiar road back to Bulembu, where Quintin stopped to buy some honey.  We were waiting for the rest, but realised that they went directly to the border, so we chased after them and stamped out and back into the good old RSA.  We decided to take the road towards Baberton.  This road is any biker's dream - it must have been the most awesome tar road I've ever ridden.  Ever!

The same sun that shines on Pretoria, but nicer!

The road to Baberton did a good job of cleaning the tyres

More roads waiting to be ridden

Ready for the stretch back home

We soon found our long-tar-road rythm again and stopped at Machadodorp for lunch at a biker-friendly spot for a great cheese burger and beer.  We filled up at the garage - they didn't have 95, so I took 93 - something that would soon enough come back to haunt me.  We were back on the N4 and realised that something was wrong - even with the long weekend vacation makers heading back, the highway couldn't be THAT busy?  The traffic was backed up for kilometers.  We had to resort to lane splitting with full luggage and it was taking all our concentration not to remove car mirrors and stuff in the process.  At Middelburg the highway was closed.  I asked one of the guys what was up and he said some fuel tanker crashed further up ahead and the fuel was baking in the sun - they didn't want to take a chance of that mess going up in a bang as people were going past.

Always time for some R&R

So we were directed with the other million cars through Middelburg.  Just then, my bike started losing power.  It wouldn't even keep an idle.  We stopped and troubleshooted - everything from dirty filters, to fuel pump to vacuumes were considered.  Mostly because the other potential problems were too complicated to fix (lazy + tired), we settled on a fuel issue and decided to go into Middelburg to find some better fuel.  I took a head start and were soon warned by oncoming traffic that the cops were trapping up ahead, so I took it easy (I later learned that Martin and Quintin wasn't...). 

The first garage didn't have 95, so I waited outside, when it dawned upon me that there was some fuel map setting thing that you had to change when running the bike on 93, but I couldn't remember the details.  I phoned my wife to read through the manual, but she was having difficulty with the technicalities of reading bike manuals...  At least I knew what the cause was.  With the lower octane fuel, and our slow speed lane splitting in the hot afternoon was making her run too lean.

We found another garage and I tried to drain whatever 93 I could and filled up with 95.  That was just what the doctor ordered, so we were on our way again, the sun starting to hang very low on the horizon.  We stopped just before the last toll gate before Pretoria and said our goodbye's before scattering back to our own realities and homes and families.

This was one of the few bike trips standing out above the rest.  A great group of friends, an awesome place to visit and ride, and no challenge too big or small for us to overcome together.  Until next time... Swaziland, here we come!!

 

[KnopKop]

Flippen awesome ou maat, ek is baie jaloers!!!!

:biggrin:

 

[Just Blip It!]

Well done Marnus, great ride report! Said it many times, Swaziland is the best riding in the world! Beautiful gravel roads of varied challenge, awesome scenery, friendly people, hardly any fences or private property, great places to stay and plenty of beer! Whatelse does a biker need!!??

 

[Marnus]

Whatelse does a biker need!!??

Only more of the same  >


Ja Knopkop - I missed you - you would have had a JOL!  Next time buddy!

 

[GStry]

Fantastic, Swaziland is on my list.  :thumleft:

 

[letsgofishing]

Really nice trip - well done!!

 

[DD650]

Our final day of riding in Swaziland – I was feeling both excited about what may lie ahead for the day, but also sad knowing it is the last day. Our first stop Nsangwini Rock art. We weren’t in the mood to do the 20min hike to the rock paintings, but Quintin at least posed for a photo to show we were there.

Nice roads waiting once again.

Time for our first stop, once more it was very humid and hot, but we always had a nice view and beautiful flora to keep us company!

And sometimes not so nice spiders as well. This one was huge, about the size of my hand.

Not sure if this was agreed before the time, but all the men were dressed in blue today.  :biggrin:

The ride on top of the mountain was just awesome! The road to the top.

Down the mountain was a bit trickier with some loose rocky sections, but still great fun! A shady and sandy spot for a snack and drink. One of the locals stopped here to have a chat and was very proud of his beautiful country. You can see children playing in the road in the distance in front of the bikes. Not once did one of them approach us to ask for sweets or anything. They were just happy playing in the sand. The Swaziland people are just great!

And some time to play again.

We stopped here for a nice cold drink and Marnus told me I just had to go and see for myself how clean, tidy and orderly this little shop is. I was pleasantly surprised!

The proud owner. Just look at the shelves behind her! All tidy, orderly and full.

I had lots of fun on the last bit of dirt highway as we could go nice and fast, even around the corners. Every now and then we caught a glimpse of the canal and river next to us and the rest was just very scenic bushveld type flora. Stunning!

The tar road on the other hand was suddenly utterly boring and felt extremely long! Luckily Martin saw the nail in my tyre and before Marnus and Deon could finish their smoke, the puncture was fixed!

The stop at the House on Fire was quite interesting, but a proper visit would have to wait for a next time. We thought we were taking a boring tar road back to the lodge again but the tar suddenly ended and we were treated with another awesome dirt road all the way back to the lodge, with only the last 10km tar road again.

Sebebe rock.

A quick drink in the bar before we would shower and have dinner.

At least this time we made it back to the lodge before it was completely dark! 

We had one last dinner together and then it was off to bed – once again tired, but happy!

We woke up early the next morning, in time to watch the sunrise.

Some last pictures of the lodge before we left.

Packing for the long road home.

We arrived in Bulembu and weren’t sure to which shop Marnus and Quintin went to buy honey, so Deon said he would go and look at the lodge and we should carry on to the border post so long in case they are already there. The border post was once again extremely quiet and the officials very friendly and helpful. We were stamped out within 10 minutes and back in the good old RSA with the rest of the gang shortly behind us.

One last look at Swaziland.

Deon doing a final check on the road we want to take.

I agree Marnus, the road to Barberton was loads of fun and for sure the most fun I have had on a tar road in a long time! I even managed to scrape my footpegs twice on this road!

We will have to come and ride these roads one day.

Quintin doing his pose.

Even the road to Machadodorp was still fun and not too busy.

Marnus doing his cowboy impression at the bar in Machadodorp.  :thumleft:

One last drink together.

We were eagerly offering to tow the KTM but Marnus was adamant it would not be necessary.  >

The traffic from the N4 and through Middelburg was horrible, but we all made it home safely. We arrived at our house with the very last bit of light – very tired, but with tons of memories of an absolutely awesome, outstanding, exciting and memorable trip! Definitely one of the best ever!!! Thank you to everyone for the ideas, routes, planning, laughs, conversations, helping hands and advice and all the adventures that made this trip so special! You guys were great! Especially to Martin – you are the best riding buddy ever and it is great to share this with you!

As Marnus said….  Until next time... Swaziland, here we come!!

 

[DD650]

Said it many times, Swaziland is the best riding in the world! Beautiful gravel roads of varied challenge, awesome scenery, friendly people, hardly any fences or private property, great places to stay and plenty of beer! Whatelse does a biker need!!??

You summed it up very well JBI! Can't wait to return to Swaziland!

 

[SuperDave]

Lekker Marnus en company! 
Julle het 'n behoorlik "ball" gehad!  :thumleft: :thumleft: :thumleft:

Dankie virrie pics en RR...!
Excellent!!  ;D

 

[Carrots]

Lekker man en dankie vir die deel!  :thumleft: