Oct 16 2016

Beautiful Botswana

While we have decided to visit Botswana and Namibia by 4×4 on this part of our trip, our time is limited (4×4 hire is not cheap!) and there are so many places to see, we have to compromise. Namibia being trickier to visit and wilder and Botswana easier and more popular with tourists, you can guess what choice we make: we decide to follow our friend Martin’s advice and concentrate on Namibia. We are very lucky he has travelled around Namibia extensively and has given us many tips on places not to miss. We will therefore push through Botswana quite quickly.

Botswana has the unmistakable feel of Africa that we remember: maybe it is because of the heat, or just cultural, but everything moves ever so slowly. People dawdle then stop, and they drive the same way, suddenly stopping or slowing down, even in the middle of a main road. We noticed the difference with places in SE Asia where there people rush around everywhere, mopeds, taxis and cars everywhere. Here, people walk, dawdle. We have seen few bicycles, 2 motorbikes only. They must walk incredible distances!! But then we have also seen a handful of ridiculously fast BMW and Mercedes cars…

Animals eat along the road side, another sign of the current drought. So many bush pigs, goats, donkeys, cows, horses. How apt our common English expressions are: greedy pig, don’t be an ass, silly goat, silly cow, cheeky monkey.

Our first night in Botswana is full of mixed feelings. We see our first African setting sun, simply stunning, as we arrive at our first camp. “Woodlands” outside Francistown is fully booked we are told so we will have to take a chalet or take our chance looking for somewhere else… I am sure sheets in a brothel are cleaner than the ones in the chalet… Double rip off – luckily, it was the only time this happened to us so definitely not a reflection on the country. It is fine as we wanted to practice setting up our pop up tent anyway and we pass with flying colours!! Our first night under canvas. We are happy.

Because we decided to push through Botswana, we were not going to visit Makgadikgadi but it was too tempting not to. I really wanted to see giant baobabs. We turn off the main road outside Gweta and head south but when the track got smaller and narrower and sand got deeper and deeper so we turned back. Some kms later when we saw another sign for Makgadikgadi and couldn’t resist. The lovely lady at the gate cannot give us an entry or camping permit as she doesn’t have the book but allows us in, asking us to pay when we exit at the far end of the park. We have a great chat with her, enjoying her sense of humour and friendlness, before setting off.

Makgadikgadi, Botswana

Njuca camp doesn’t have the view we had hoped for so we continue. We get to test our and the car’s skills in some 30kms long deep sand stretches, having to change into L4W a couple of times. We’ll get better at this driving over time…

We arrive at Khumaga Wildlife camp outside Mababe. A very basic and quiet camp. What a lucky find. There are 2 other 4×4 there and we pick our spot. Perfect!!!

Khumaga wildlife camp, Botswana

I am in my element. Our ‘neighbours’ Kim and Dave give us a few more tips on places to see, and even help us test our compressor as the have the same model as ours. We are now ready to tackle the sand roads coming up.

The next morning, we drive down to the river and see wilderbeast, kudu, impala all grazing on the grass along the river bank. There can’t be an crocodiles there as it would be too dangerous and there must be heaps of elephants based on all the fresh (massive) droppings around – we must start getting up earlier…

Khumaga wildlife camp, Botswana

I would happily stay longer but Namibia is calling. Next Stop is Maun for supplies and see if we can visit Moremi or Savuti even ever so briefly. On the way, we see numerous road signs: danger! Elephants! This time, we see more than droppings. We decide to make a short detour to a lodge we had been told about by fellow travellers – the Elephant Sands Lodge. Those poor elephants are surrounded by fancy lodges around a man made water filled trough. Too sad.

In Maun, we go to a couple of places, KRL and Botswana Footprints, to check on accommodation: Moremi, Savuti and Linyanti parks are all booked out but Dijara outside Moremi and recommended by Kim and Dave at the previous camp is available. Perfect. We book 4 nights.

Dijara was our type of camping site – quiet, huge secluded campsites, clean outdoor shower and toilet, great views and so much wildlife. Each camping spot was designed to allow game to move freely to and from the river. Eating outside or simply sitting and enjoying our surroundings, we were constantly scanning for wildlife. We have a huge tree for shade humming with bees as the tree is laden with small purple flowers. Not sure how many of those flowers we ate and drank!! Getting too close to the water’s edge was not a good idea because of crocs and hippos. Spot the hippo in the next photo:

Spot the hippo, Dijara camp, Botswana

Our campsite, Dijara, Botswana

Dijara camp, Botswana

Our shower at Dijara, Botswana

At Dijara camp, Botswana

Another gorgeous sunset, Botswana

I amused myself at making note of each new sound as the night was falling, while we were safely in our roof top tent for the night:

Ticky tic
Tic tic tic
Grrrr–grrrr–
Gzzzz zzz gzzzz zzz
Gurrr gurrr
Woohoo woohoo
Grruh grruh
Splosh splosh
Whoah whoah
Grrroah grrroah
Bombombombombombom
Wheeoo wooee

It is amazing how quickly silence falls, frogs and insects stop when larger animals approach the water. The noise of elephants splashing in the water really made me laugh. A better reaction than the sight of the destruction of trees made by those amazing animals…

The next evening, we meet a young French couple, Roxane and François, who needed help pumping a tyre that had deflated a lot as their compressor was playing up. Well, it turned out that it wasn’t just playing up, it was literally burning and melting. And they had more than one problem: their sat phone was not working nor was their fridge. They were heading basically the same way as us but 2 days earlier than us, to Kasane, via Savuti first for them but Kasane for us as we had been told in Maun that all accommodation in Savuti was booked out. The road to Savuti was going to be slow with deep sand stretches. And they only have an 80l tank of fuel of which they have already used half. Feeling we had a duty of care not to let them take that road alone, we decided to cut our 4 day stay at Dijara short and offer to follow them the next day. We decided we wanted to leave by 7am as it was going to be a long day for us, and not having any accommodation booked, we wanted to arrive by mid afternoon. 7am, our friends announce they have another problem, the tyre is flat and needs changing. We leave a little later than we had hoped but the road is a lot easier than expected: being at the end of the dry season, with temperatures of around 40 during the day, the sand is deep and hot and we are told at the gate to take the Marsh road instead. So easy!!! We bid farewell to R&F and off they go to register for their campground. Our journey to Savuti being delayed and slower than had we been alone, we thought pushing onto Kasana was going to be too much for us so we decide to try our chance at staying in the park too. No, it is fully booked. Luckily for us R&F overheard and offer to share their campground with us. Very sweet! And very lucky as I had wanted to visit Savuti, renowned for its lions.

R&F set up their tent and all 4 of us set of for an early evening game viewing drive around the park in our car. I will let the photos do the talking:

Savuti, Botswana

After a relaxing evening with R&F, hearing the hyenas closing in on us and seeing their eyes in our torch light, sleeping to the sound of numerous hyenas and other animals, and we set off together again at 7am. We start our days early as the sun comes up and heats up fast. They will be turning off short of Kasane and we’ll look for a camp site there. On our way out of Savuti, we come across this:

Savuti, Botswana

We have been constantly amazed at how well animals are camouflaged. Spotted this one on our way to Kasane:

Chobe, Botswana

Wild camping is not allowed in Botswana apparently. We decide to try our luck at the Chobe Safari Lodge camping which was recommended to us. They have vacancies in the camp site, and lodging. We weaken and chose to stay in a rondavel!

We think our bodies have been craving for something different to tinned fish and chopped raw vegetable salad!! The lunch buffet is calling. It is funny to see how we both piled our plates with the same options: chicken, cooked vegetables and pasta. Anthony finds a bread roll too, I take a bite and it reminds me of our holidays in Spain when I was little but I resist … until “bugger that” comes out of my mouth, I get up and get my own.

We bump into the same French family traveling with their 2 young kids whom we first met in Maun and enjoy an evening drink at their camp. It is nice meeting like minded travelers. While we’ve enjoyed the different experiences of traveling in 4×4 and the air conditioning during the 40 degree days, we do miss the accessibility to locals that traveling on bikes provides, the physicality of riding bikes, the ‘wind in the hair’ and the road courtesy accorded to bikes. But we couldn’t have travelled on most of the roads we’ve travelled on as they mostly go through national parks.

A great week in Botswana which we will remember fondly and the cleanest country ever visited, I think. Too many photos missing here but the internet is too slow for now. And I hope the photos I have tried to include here come out but the internet speed prevents me from seeing the finished post, so here it goes anyway. Next, Namibia…

– Anne

Oct 8 2016

2 x 2 to 4×4

We are exchanging our 2 wheel rides for a shared 4×4. We will ride side by side rather than singly for the next seven weeks. We have packed our riding gear away and fly from Cape Town to Johannesburg where we are picked up and whisked off to Bushlore’s offices http://www.bushlore.com where we are acquainted with our Hilux 4×4. Whereas I am a novice at this 4×4 world, Anne has spent 11 years travelling ‘out bush’ in Australia and has a good idea of what to check for when collecting a 4×4 vehicle for bush travel. She tests the air-conditioning and discovers a new filter is needed. The old one is torn and filled with dirt and sand. Always check the air-conditioning is fully functional in hot climates! As we head up the highway towards Pretoria a steering wheel wobble occurs above 90km / 55 ml per hour. Unbalanced tyres! Back we go and leave with five brand new Cooper off road tyres! As it was close to closing time this was their quickest option, a bonus for us. Everything else is fine and we are happy and set to go.

Our Toyota Hilux loaded and read to depart.

Our Toyota Hilux loaded and ready to depart.

We have decided to stay in Pretoria overnight as we have a number of activities we need to complete before going ‘bush’, and have booked a guest house close to the main N1 highway. Here we encounter something I had only read about, communities that have legally closed off public roads for security purposes. The only entrances are through manned or automatic gates. Either a reflection on the state of security or insecurity here.

Security gate on public road

Toll roads now abound in Johannesburg and Pretoria, which are part of Guateng Province. The tolls are on freeway infrastructure that has been around for decades. We heard that the Western Cape Province would not accept tolls on existing freeways and this may affect the allocation of funds to them for new roads. In our experience road tolls normally only apply to new infrastructure.

Having completed almost all the tasks and spent another night in Pretoria we are off. Our route takes us north up the N1 toll road to Mopokane, then north west to the Botswana border at Groblersbrug/Martin’s Drift. The crossing was quick and easy with little paperwork and we on our way. We had heard that the police in Botswana are vigilant regarding speeding and regular radar traps confirm the fact. No, we obeyed the signs so no tickets for us.

This region has suffered from drought for the last few years and the fields we pass are devoid of grass for animal feed. This is reflected by the number of animals, mostly domestic but some wild, seeking the small amount grass found by roadside making driving more ‘interesting’ that one would like. If the animal is eating, we are probably ok, if not then slow down.

We cover over 630km and make our planned destination of Francistown. Our Botswana safari begins tomorrow.

– Anthony

PS: Anthony kindly omitted to mention that we returned to the 4×4 hire place a second time as I forgot my iPad in the luggage we left behind until our return. Aarrgghh!! – Anne

PPS: Anne spent six hours uploading a few photos, definitely no more blog entries until next month.

Oct 6 2016

Friendships – renewed and reconnected

While we always visit family and friends while in Europe but some friendships had slipped between our fingers over time. This can happen for a variety of reasons, passage of time, losing touch when moving or being a poor communicator, like me. While you would think that into today’s modern connected world it would be easy to keep on touch, our friendships predate this and not everyone is on Facebook and some surnames change with time. As we were planning to spend time in both the UK and South Africa we decided to make a concerted effort to reconnect or renew friendships with those people that we remember fondly.

Catching up with our old friend Eugene in Tunbridge Wells, UK

34 years since we saw Richard – felt like yesterday

Bob, Marina and Tara

Finally reconnected with Elizabeth, at her exhibition, 100 Geographies

With Martin and Karen

With Joan

Brian and Yvonne

We are pleased to say that all those we renewed or reconnected with still had the same ‘essence’ or spirit that we knew from years past. While we cannot say what the future holds, we hope that each one of them enjoyed meeting again as much as we did. Long may the friendships continue.

– Anne and Anthony

Oct 3 2016

Déjà vu and memories

”Putt’ ‘putt’ ‘putt’ ‘putt’ the unmistakable sound of three single cylinder Royal Enfield motorcycles idling fill the morning air – takes me back to our journey on Royal Enfields through NE India and Bhutan in 2009, where this sound greeted us each morning as we prepared for the day’s ride there.

We are in Welgelegen, a suburb of Cape Town where we have been staying Bob, an old friend from our time here in 1983 – 1985, his wife Marina and their daughter Tara. We have been enjoying their wonderful hospitality since our arrival via Maputo a few days ago. Today we will be back in the saddle, only days after riding Streak and Storm back from Spain into storage. Bob has arranged a five day adventure up the Cape Garden Route to Knysna for the three of us.

Cape Town has been unseasonably cold and we are wrapped up warmly for our departure. Traffic is light as we head east towards the jagged peaks of the Borland mountains we once knew so well and rode through on many weekends when we lived in Cape Town. This is a slightly strange journey as we are seeing so much again that we have forgotten over time, so what is new, revived memories or just déjà vu?

We are soon heading up Du Toitskloof pass which, until the opening of the Huguenot Tunnel in the late 1980’s, was the main route connecting Cape Town with the interior and beyond to Johannesburg. The road has much less traffic as the tunnel takes 7 miles or 11 kilometres off the journey. It is spectacular scenery on both sides of the pass.

Du Toitskloof Pass, South Africa

Down du Toitskloof Pass, South Africa

I recall once when Anne, Bob and I were riding up Du Toitskloof pass: first Anne, then Bob were blown by the strong wind towards the edge of the road, I crossed into the oncoming lane and was blown back to where I started from. It pays to be a follower sometimes!

We quickly reach Worcester, where we leave the busy N1 behind and take the more tranquil R60. We are heading for the R62 which is known as Cape Route 62. This has become an inland tourist route linking the eastern and western cape. Thirty years ago, this was a road connecting farming communities, today a thriving tourist industry has grown up alongside the traditional farming, witnessed by our stay in Calitzdorp on the first night with its boutique guest houses, coffee shops and restaurants. This has rejuvenated many of these small country towns.

Bob with his Royal Endfields in Calitzdorp, South Africa

Western Cape vineyards, South Africa

Little Karoo, South Africa

An interesting feature of major South African roads is a wide well built hard shoulder which allows one to move over for faster traffic on two way roads, allowing for better traffic flow. In 95% of cases of our moving over, we are the 2slowspeeds, two flashes of emergency lights thank each of us in turn. A good idea I think, so take note all you roads planners, wide well built hard shoulders please.

Morning tea on our way to George, South Africa

Eden district, South Africa

4Passes, outside George, South Africa

En route to Knysna, we visit the Railway Museum in George. The converted goods shed holds an large array steam engines including a number of impressive Garrett’s with a 4-8-2+2-8-4 wheel configuration that I used to watch as a teenager in Pietermaritzburg, producing clouds of smoke as they climbed up the hills to the east and west on the branch lines. A large rail layout holds our attention, just insert five Rand to watch the trains go round. I could stay all day if I had more coins!

Boys watching model trains go round and round, George Railway Museum.

Visited another train museum, George, South Africa

You may have noticed the careful placement of the Royal Enfield’s in some of the photographs. These modern classics attracted attention wherever we stopped. So different from today’s large sleek tourers, with just a small bag strapped to the back for five days’ travel. Bob has an interest in a Cape Town motorcycle dealership, so we suggested a few promotional photos should be taken which have ended up in the blog.

As we travelled from George to Knysna, I noticed that virtually all the smaller houses in areas that would have previously been called townships have solar hot water. There has been a concerted effort to provide more people with sanitation, water, power and housing in the last 20 years and this is one example of how this has been delivered. I was surprised at the growth in so many of the towns along the coast. I understand a combination of retirees and overseas buyers has led to significant development. I hope this does not end up spoiling the Garden Route.

Nature’s Valley, east of Knysna, South Africa

In Knysna, as we enjoy a cold beer before dinner at a local pub, we are joined by a young guy keen to show us a length of large diameter plastic drainpipe? Ah no, not drain pipe but a handmade potato canon. Fuelled by hairspray, with a built in electronic ignition system he proudly aims over the building some 30 meters, 100 feet away and ‘bang’. The projectile blasts into, not over, the building. ‘Needs more hairspray’. As we wait with trepidation for a repeat performance, wondering what the strain tolerances are on the various joints, we are saved by his friends who encourage him to return the canon to the car. Minutes later, a lance of flame from the car park, more hairspray no doubt, sends another projectile into the night. We make note not to chose a restaurant in his line of sight but did like the carefree attitude he had.

Woolfdogs sanctuary, Plettenberg Bay, South Africa

Overberg district, South Africa

Our return ride to Cape Town took us through a wheat belt in harvest in spring. I had forgotten about winter wheat, something we learnt in Geography at school. Hermanus, has grown to be unrecognisable and not our kind of place, but we did see three Southern Right Whales close inshore from the car park.

Loving this road, Kleinmond, South Africa

Neither my inadequate words or Anne’s photos can fully capture the view we had riding along Faure Marine Drive on the eastern side of False Bay looking over the blue ocean to a series of mountains and plains stretch in a horseshoe shape to Cape Point. We knew we loved this region to ride when we lived here and the last five days has confirmed that fact.

Boland Mountain, South Africa

We covered over 1300km on some great motorcycles. Our second tour on a Royal Enfield, thanks Bob for organising such a great trip.

The rest of our time in Cape Town was spent reconnecting with several old friends. This deserves a separate blog post which will follow.

We now leave for Johannesburg and the next stage of this trip to Botswana and Namibia. Given the remote locations we will be visiting and the lack of internet I am afraid you will have to make do with blog reruns for the next month. We will resume regaling you with our tales in early November.

– Anthony

Sep 25 2016

From Spain to Africa

We are off to Africa! Sitting aboard our Ethiopian Airlines A350 at London’s Heathrow airport after a whirlwind three days of returning Streak and Storm to storage, repacking and saying goodbye to family and old friends we had reconnected with on this trip. Our thanks to all of them for their generous hospitality. We now have a few hours to reflect on our Spanish adventure and future plans.

We had a wonderful time, as I hope our posts conveyed, but our preparation and packing was woeful. However our easy going approach to preparing for Spain taught us a few lessons. Firstly that we had to rediscover our efficient packing and minimalist travel style from the RTW trip. Like most things without practice, we loose that edge. We also needed to replace worn and tired equipment that had given 15 months of sterling service. This included helmet linings, camera batteries and that temporary brake fluid reservoir fix of Anne’s that gave up the ghost in Normandy. We had at least replaced the helmet lining, better fit, and visors, such a clear world out there, before our departure.

Our focus now turns to Africa as the moving map scrolls southward, names familiar to us slide below. In September 1982 we set off on a journey together that took us from Cairo to Cape Town hitch-hiking over nine months. Luxor, Wadi Halfa, Khartoum, Juba and Nairobi, where we lived for a couple of months, all evoke memories of sights, sounds and scents that filled our amazing adventure, which undertaken before mass tourism and the internet. Those of you familiar with the Lonely Plant travel guides may have come across their Thorn tree travel forum where people post travel questions. In 1982 this was a real thorn tree at the Thorn Tree cafe in Nairobi where notes were pinned to the trunk! While times have changed, our love of Africa has not. As we watch the thin line of light from the east transform into a spectacular red and orange sunrise, we are drawn closer to past adventures.

Sunrise over Africa

In Addis Ababa our journey then takes a slight detour, our non-stop flight to Cape Town has been rerouted via Maputo in Mozambique. This is probably for operational efficiency, but notification of the change only arrived by email the morning of our departure and the email did not clearly mention the stopover or advanced departure time in an obvious way. Announcements both before and on the flight left one none the wiser as to the first stop, Maputo or Cape Town. Maputo won and there one gentleman, a travel agent no less, disembarked thinking he was in Cape Town even though I had told him there was no Table Mountain here! While he quickly returned to our aircraft, it’s a timely reminder to keep checking one’s travel details.

The onward flight to Cape Town took us across more familiar territory, the flat expanse of the Eastern Transvaal region, now called Mpumalanga covered in those small fluffy white clouds so typical of the region that I remember from my childhood when I lived here. Onward over the Free State towards Western Province and finally descending into Cape Town where we strained our eyes for recognition of the mountains, towns and roads we were so familiar with some 30 odd years ago when we lived here. The city has grown out further than we had imagined, but Table mountain stands majestically above it all, unchanged from when we lived close in the suburb of Tamboerskloof with a superb view of the mountain out of our kitchen window.

Table mountain and Cape Town

As the plane’s wheels touch down, we know we have two adventure filled months ahead of us. While we will not have Streak and Storm accompanying us, we will still be on the road providing our armchair followers a close up view of both our motorbiking: yes we have a short motorcycle adventure here as well as 4WD travels to Botswana and Namibia. Friends we have not seen in decades wait in Arrivals for us, the next chapter of 2slowspeeds.com is about to be written.

– Anthony

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