Nov 22 2016

Four and a half months

We set off from the Wild Coast heading for somewhere north of Durban, our destination is Swaziland. This quickly changes as two facts come to light. The first is that we are almost up to 10,000 km or 6,200 miles on this trip and under the terms of the rental agreement we need to have the vehicle serviced, the second is when we finally get onto a freeway with a 120km maximum speed limit after a few weeks on slow roads, our wheel balance has gone again, 105km per hour is our new top speed.

New plan, we will go to Johannesburg on a more direct route. After a short stop north of Durban, Anne finds a spot to stay in the Drakensburg en route to Johannesburg, and yes it’s another world heritage site for us. We have our last night in the 4×4 that has been our home for the last 7 weeks, and after all the sun in Namibia and Botswana we are treated to a mountain evening storm with hail, but we keep warm and dry.

Last night camping in the Drakensburg

The majestic Drakensburg

It seems hard to imagine as we come to the end of this trip that we have been away for four and a half months. Ordinations, Christenings, Motorcycle and 4×4 trips and family and friends have filled our time from Europe to Africa. As we start to wind down and prepare to give everything a good clean to pass the eagle eyed Australian Customs inspection, we have a little time to reflect on what we have seen and done.

This is the first time in decades that we have paid more than a fleeting visit to South Africa. In reflecting on what we have seen, we note the progress in the provision of sewerage, water and power to many homes, but also the deterioration of existing infastructure. How does one balance out the respective benefits of allocating finite resources? I certainly do not know. What one can hope for, is the on-going robust democratic process (yes, it is a democratic process even if there are massive corruption problems everywhere), a strong press (we were pleasantly surprised to see how brutally open the press is in its criticism of the corruption and nepotism) and the optimism we found in young people who have grown up only knowing the ‘rainbow nation’ to tackle the challenges facing South Africa. While the corruption, level of violence and run down feel are all palpable and undeniable issues, we choose to remember and believe the optimistic young generation we met will one day manage to swing the pendulum to a more equitable balance.

We have enjoyed this varied trip, and found it interesting to compare our motorcycle and 4×4 trips. While the 4×4 provides comfort and space to carry more ‘stuff’, we have no doubt that our preferred method of travel is motorcycle. The primary reason is the connection we have with people on the motorcycle just does not exist when you are in a car/4×4. We feel a strong sense of separation from the world around us in our 4×4, so while we were able to visit places not accessible by motorbike , it is not our preferred form of travel.

So we sign off wishing our followers a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, we do not know what 2017 holds, but I am sure we will be back on the road somewhere.

– Anne & Anthony

Nov 18 2016

Family

As we roll down the R617 towards my cousins’ place in Howick, the mists close around us, creating a white and green landscape so different from the brown landscape and blue sky we had been used to in the preceding months. Quite a change and while cold for us, it was refreshing. We arrive at my cousin Jeff and his wife Fen’s place late in the afternoon having started in South Africa, crossed Lesotho and re-entered South Africa in a day!

Jeff is the son of my uncle Basil who passed away recently, so our reunion after five years was tinged with a little sadness. Over the next couple of days, we relaxed with family, their kids Sarah and Sam, my sister Tansy arrived from the UK so with my aunt Maggie and cousin Tina we had quite a family gathering to celebrate Sarah’s birthday.

Nelson Mandela had been on the run from the South African apartheid government for 17 months, before he was captured on August 5, 1962, on the small country road (R103) just outside Howick in KwaZulu-Natal where Anthony’s cousins live. He was at the time posing as a chauffeur named David Motsamayi with a fellow ANC comrade Cecil Williams in the passenger seat.

Mandela’s capture marked the start of his 27-year imprisonment after the famed Rivonia Treason Trial and the journey that he would later call ‘the long walk to freedom’.

The sculpture below was designed by artist Marco Ciafanelli, assisted by architect Jeremy Rose and unveiled to commemorate the 50th anniversary of this event. From a distance and from the road, the sculpture appears like a set of 50 metal poles but as you approach from the ‘long’ path from the apartheid museum, Mandela’s face slowly emerges.

Although the history records list Mandela as one of the world’s most famous political prisoner and the first president of democratic South Africa, he is so much more than that to me: a true leader and a man I have enormous admiration for, especially in the way he and FW de Clerk worked on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. How lucky was the world that he was captured and not killed…

Nelson Mandela capture site monument

Jeff and Fen had taken time off work and arranged for all of us to travel to a cottage on the mouth of the Msikaba river, an area which they have stayed over the years with their family. This is a remote location with the nearest town over an hour away. Bring everything with you, no nipping out to the shops for something one forgets! The cottage is fitted with gas lights, if you want electricity, take your car battery out for the alternate lights. We get to experience for the first time a paraffin powered shower, when running sounds like a plane taking off, but it does provide a steady stream of hot water, we really enjoy this quasi camping with the comfort of a cottage not a tent. Our type of holiday.

Paraffin shower

We are located up the hill overlooking the estuary where the river meets the sea and force of nature can been seen as the waves pound the shore. The aptly named ‘Wild Coast’ has claimed many a ship over the years. I recall as a teenager watching a costal cargo ship hit by a single wave front on entering Durban harbour with its bow section bent down by 5%!

Tansy, Jeff and Fen

Anthony and Auntie Maggie

Fen and Anne

The wild coast is wild.

Jeff and Fen

We say goodbye to our family and head off up the coast for the last few days of this trip. Next week we will be home.

– Anthony

Nov 9 2016

Down the Sani Pass

It is an early start for us today as we are headed to the Sani Pass which closes at 4pm at the latest (weather permitting). After a stunning day at Kiera lodge for Anthony’s birthday, we wake up to black skies and heavy rain so we are glad we are up and away early. Let’s hope they don’t close the pass because of the weather. We leave Gérard behind to snooze a little longer in the hope the skies will clear for him. This is our final goodbye, until we meet up again one day somewhere.

We cross into Lesotho in no time, the border procedure being simplified from their documented 4 step process to a quick single window visit, a stamp in the passport and a friendly goodbye. We decide to cross Lesotho in a day because of my altitude sickness problem – no time to linger and sightsee this time (lucky we visited Lesotho back in 1983). Anthony does all the driving while I concentrate on keeping my head and ears clear. The road is good and takes us through some stunning scenery and a number of extremely steep hills – 1:6!! Then suddenly we get to a long section of road built by the Chinese. We come across road construction equipment just left beside the road. We don’t know the details of the commercial agreements between the Chinese and the various African countries, but it seems such a shame and a waste that all the road constructions in Africa are performed by temporarily imported Chinese labour, not local. There could have been skills transfer in addition to simply a new road. The road is beautifully built, with wide breakdown/walking/standing/selling hard shoulder and deep storm water/sitting/walking channels. Like so often, roads are used like wide pavements with no concept of or consideration for passing vehicles… Terrifying at times…

Road traffic in Lesotho

Cold and wet in Lesotho today

Up through a number of passes, Mahlasela Pass at 3222 meters, Tlaeng Pass at 3225 metres, past Afriski, southern Africa’s highest ski resort, and we get to the Lesotho border and top of the Sani pass. This road is well known amongst hikers, motorcyclists and 4 wheel drivers as an interesting challenge, aka one of the most dangerous or insane roads! First a stop in the highest pub in Africa at 2874m to have a look at the road and valley below. This is where we saw a tv with the announcement Trump had won the US election.

After the horrendous news of Trump, it is heartwarming to see this sign at the Lesotho border:

Lesotho border sign

The Sani Pass road is a gravel road that starts right on the South Africa side of the border and goes from 2876 metres to 1544 metres in just over 9 kms. It requires a 4×4, or motorcycle if you are brave enough, to navigate its rough surface and steep inclines especially at the top. For anyone interested in its precice location, look for a road between Mokhotlong in Lesotho and Underberg in KwaZulu-Natal. You need to look at the photos carefully to see the hairpin bends and I can assure you it is steeper than the photos show. We are grateful it is not raining or snowing!

A slight understatement for the Sani Pass

Sani Pass, South Africa

Blue arrow = crash barrier?

Sani Pass, South Africa

We make it safely to the bottom thanks to Anthony excellent steady driving before the heavens opened up again, the weather gods being on our side again.

Bottom of the Sani Pass, South Africa

A late lunch in a local pub before we make it to Anthony’s cousins and aunt for a few days, just north of Pietermaritzburg. A bit of family time next.

– Anne

Nov 8 2016

Birthdays and ‘boys’

During the Horizons Unlimited event we met Philippe, Gérard and Juan, three riders from Europe who we discovered were heading in the same direction for the next day or so. We decided that we would travel together towards Lesotho. After lunch on Sunday the riders departed first and we followed watching the grey storm clouds gathering in our direction of travel. Sometimes it’s good to be in an enclosed vehicle, just kidding, we will take our chances with the elements, let me just adjust the heating and aircon….

We agreed to meet in Petrus Styen, a small town with limited accommodations. We arrive expecting the ‘boys’ to be there, but no sign of them. We are concerned, given the weather that our ‘children’, as we now refer to them as, are lost, but maybe they found a more interesting route or different destination. We get settled in ready for a fine dinner of biscuits and cold meats, washed down with good red wine and they arrive. We must have taken different routes although both had a large dirt component. An advantage of a 4×4 over a motorbike is storage! We can carry more food and drink, so dinner for all is available.

Our ‘children’ have turned up and need accommodation

Anne has booked a surprise location for my birthday on the 8 November, the Kiara lodge, outside Clarens, close to the Golden Gate Highlands National Park, which I have never visited. We invite our new friends, and they accept, to join us for a pre birthday dinner there. We offer to lighten their loads as they plan some dirt road riding to Clarens. Bags quickly loaded and we become the ‘support vehicle’ following their twists and turns on good dirt roads. We are a little envious as we watch them ride through some great countryside. We are offered the opportunity to ride, but without any safety gear, thanks, but no thanks.

Dirt roads in the Free State

Dinner is a fine South African ‘braai’, or ‘barbie’ as we say at home. It is great to cook with wood again – in Australia we use gas at home. Wood is so much more interesting to cook with, well for me anyway.

Philippe, Juan and Gérard celebrating Anthony’s birthday

Anthony’s birthday, Clarens, South Africa

Anne has chosen the location well as usual, we have wonderful views which the photos do better justice than I can with my mere words. We travel into the National Park on two occasions, the lighting and scenery is spectacular. What a wonderful way to spend a birthday, I have now spent the last four birthdays on different continents, where will I be in 2017?

Golden Gate Highlands National Park

Black, not blue wildebeast

Newborn baby feeding

Stripes on the green

Panoramic view of the Golden gate highlands

Majestic stormclouds gathering in the mountains.

– Anthony

Nov 8 2016

Donald Trump wins: predicted by 2slowspeeds?

All the pundits said Clinton.

We woke to this news and like many others assumed that Hilary Clinton would win. However while in Washington DC in August 2015, I posted a blog entry on 25 August 2015 called ‘The Nation’s Capital’

White House and Trump coming in 2016

Predicting the future….in August 2015!

You can say you saw it first on 2slowspeeds.com in 2015!

– Anthony

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: