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Joburg to Nairobi
  • Stephen Prendergast
  • Stephen Prendergast

Joburg to Nairobi

Et 121-dagers eventyr av Stephen. Les mer
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  • Reisens start
    5. august 2024
    Stephen PrendergastJoburg to NairobiReisende

    En route

    5. august 2024, Qatar ☀️ 40 °C

    Overland. Best way to travel. Overland by bike. We'll that's almost perfect.

    New city, long flights. Overnighting in Qatar reminded me of Shiraz or Yazd in Iran. Monotone, sandy hues and oppressive heat. That was a trip.

    QatarAirways was a great service. I prebooked preferred seats. And managed a whole row to myself despite a moderately full plane. Probably because row 17 is directly behind the parent row, and yes it was in use. Fortunately well behaved junior and excellent ANC buds took care of most of that and I managed some useful zzzs, albeit a little compressed even with all 3 seats in play. As expected I sampled the available Dewars whisky. Acceptable but was expecting JW Black on Qatar. Doha Hammad airport is huge and opulent. And sooo air-conditioned.

    I taxied to a nearby hotel and after a quick Lao around the block at midnight, I tried to catch some zzzzs.

    Arriving back at the airport at 6.15 am I grabbed a salad for breakfast, went device shopping - to replace the tablet I'd left by the door upon departure - and chilled in the massive arcade that is duty free.

    A longish bus trip to some distant stand nestling the plane saw us on board 30 minutes late, and on our way to Johannesburg.    Les mer

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    Johannesburg / Jozi / Egoli

    5. august 2024, Sør-Afrika ⛅ 17 °C

    Guy, aka The Shuttle Guy, collected me from the airport and we wrangled the bike box and gear box into his van.

    My BnB is comfortable, well situated in the safer northern parts round Sandton and efficiently run by my host Ronel. After a few emails addressing my intended arrival, and here's how to get in, I was greeted by her in person and walked through the unit. No worries.

    Got settled in and then started working on a proper sleep pattern.
    The next morning an earlyish start involved an Uber into Rosebank with its large mall, several mobile services, and the starting terminus for the City sightseeing bus, a whole bucket of sites in a single day.
    I jumped off at the Mandela Foundation site and started to deboard at the Apartheid museum, but closed on Tuesdays, bugger.
    Back at Rosebank lunched at a corner Greek eatery, excellent, and then grabbed some supplies and resolved the missing phone data - from my original visit.
    Dived into the gear box back at the bnb and sorted out some of the on bike logistics. Pretty good day 1.    Les mer

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    13

    Soweto

    7. august 2024, Sør-Afrika ☀️ 19 °C

    It was time to get at least some biking in and a half day Soweto bike tour seemed in order.
    The SOuth WEstern TOwnships were constructed to provide cheap labour for the nearby mining industry, eventually being the principal location for settlement of black people. Originally a worker only accommodation it grew into a central location for the black population, during the Apartheid years. Most of us know about the violent uprisings of Soweto. A much deeper story underlines that, ranging from the labour element, the male only encampments, rampant migration from the neighboring areas and the harsh and authoritarian control of the white government. The ANC was born much earlier in Bloemfontein, several hundred km away, but came to flourish in the poor conditions and unrest in Soweto. Mandela, Tambo, Tutu and many others led the fight for equality and justice. They are revered in Soweto.
    Conditions are still very poor in many parts. Families live in small likely unsanitary housing, roading is a mix of deteriorating tarseal, gravel and dirt and public facilities are sparse. Poor economic conditions, and rampant corruption are also impacting Soweto.
    We rode for 4 hours around the area with its many important sites, Mandela first house. Tutu's house both on the same street. Various locations marking events, mainly violent like Sharpeville, or historic structures. It was enlightening, similar to other impoverished communities I have experienced, this time resulting from the more explicit implementation of the racist policies of the white government.
    As the tour concluded we experienced the inevitable poverty souveniring. Trinkets, pictures, fabric items, all designed to extract a few dollars. Boys no older than 11 or 12 asking for money for their siblings/family or themselves. With the 40+ percent unemployment in Soweto it's hard to see a good outcome. As I left in an Uber the power to the area was cut off. Young men emerged onto the street and were blocking main road exit junctions with concrete and tyres, later to be set alight. The driver manoeuvred through the small piles and detoured round the larger before we rejoined the traffic flow in areas with operating street lights. Much longer might have meant several hours of waiting for the unrest to end before the roads were usable.    Les mer

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    Road trip to Kruger Park

    8. august 2024, Sør-Afrika 🌙 18 °C

    Johannesburg is a very large city, and so the prospect of renting a car wasn't thrilling me. But it was the best way to cover some biggish distance in a wandering manner. Well, apart from the obvious. Marloth park sits on the edge of South Africa's biggest national park. More affordable than lodges inside the park, or the more luxurious destinations in the middle, Marloth had sufficient facilities to support a few days of activities in areas with good animal life. Being close to Kruger National Park it was an easy decision to make it work.
    The local Europcar sorted out a brand new 1.4 Corolla, 67 kms at pickup and I jumped onto the motorway in not much worse than Auckland traffic. Fortunately 30 years of driving a manual paid dividends, despite the lack of recent experience.
    Azlu service centre at the 2.5 hr mark provides a game enclosure backdrop, sorting out the lunch scenario. I could see my original route covering the famous Panorama Route was going to ambitious. I wasn't comfortable at the 120km/hr speed limit in the nimble Toyota and the road and traffic had deteriorated. A smaller diversion through Dullstroon and Sabie at the bottom end of the scenic panorama trail seemed achievable though. It was still so long journey, the latter part on fairly pot hole scattered tarmac resulting in last minute swerves and deviations resembling a tightly constructed race circuit. Eventually I turned off just as darkness settled and had a wash board enduring 6 km to the hostel. A couple of days of game drives inside Kruger Park included a long Saturday culminating in a productive sunset safari. I spotted hippos, white rhino. Leopards, hyenas, elephants, monkeys, water buffalo and the ever-present impala, the food supply for the cats. The scale is phenomenal and you'd easily spend 2 weeks of you covered all of the park. Alas, not this time.
    My accommodation in Marloth was a 20 minute drive from Crocodile Bridge gate. The bridge spanning a good water hole attracting a range of game, including lions. We just missed them, back far enough in the queue at the entrance despite our 5 am start. More chances in the months ahead as I work north towards Nairobi.    Les mer

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    Final Johannesburg days

    12.–16. aug. 2024, Sør-Afrika 🌙 15 °C

    The trek back to Johannesburg stayed largely on the main route, saving some time. The 120km/hr speed limit was more like an advisory, with 40% of the traffic easily above that. Fortunately the motorway was in reasonable shape. The haze from the coal burning was pretty evident, with few clear spots across the route over the Drakensberg ranges. Originally a riding target, but passed up as a very challenging start, and a long way off course. Such as it was.
    Back to Ronel's slightly familiar bnb, where I reassembled the Pugsley, disgorged the gear trove and braved the Johannesburg streets and byways to shake down the reassembly. A couple of steep grassy climbs reminded me it was 1500 masl, 30x my usual NZ riding altitude.
    A repeat the following day wasn't much better but covered a wider area 4 good bike shops including 1 where I was treated to decent coffee, and contained a pretty desirable Hope Pro4 single speed hub. I'd been looking for one for a couple of years. The irony. Not this time it seems.
    These few days included a trip to Braamfontein. The base for Wits University and it's highly regarded museum, which unfortunately was undergoing renovation, so not much on offer. The nearby Origin Centre was a great primer fit the next days destination. The Cradle of humankind, probably the most important paleoanthropological site in the world, tracing millions of years of evolution.    Les mer

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    Cradle onwards

    15. august 2024, Sør-Afrika ☀️ 13 °C

    Guy, the shuttle Guy, rocked up just before 7 and after a bit of vehicle shuffling to establish access to the storage containing my bike it was all loaded and we headed to Bidon Bistro in the Cradle of Humankind reserve. Bidon Bistro is a big cycling meeting place. Up to 500 cyclists on weekends. Just a few today. As I was doing some adjustments, Garth rocked up for a chat, which turned into a few videos. The concept of starting at his Bistro to ride to Nairobi was pretty novel. A little later than intended I set off for Maropeng. Here you can engage in a tour through paelological history. A little rushed, at 2 pm I set off for another 45km to Brits where Andre was waiting at his bnb , Smapers, as my first night's stop. As I dropped down into the Hartbeespoort dam I knew I was on the backfoot. Flagging down a bakkie (ute) before the long climb was the logical option. First attempt resulted in 2 middle aged woman returning from a shopping trip. Helpfully they had better success and a few minutes later I was loaded and heading to Brits for the last 25km. Carl & Carl generously went out of their way to deliver me to Smapers. Andre took over and upgraded my stay to help with my rest. Thanks !
    Next morning set out to locate the more direct route through to Rustenburg for night 2. The rail service road was functional but with a poor surface. Slicing through lush farmland the large irrigation canals distributed their contents to the towering irrigators. It was here I must have broken the saddle tension bolt, under the seat. The saddle lost its structure, sagging and twisting at the slightest bump. Rideable. But not long distance. Arriving in Rustenburg I located my accommodation and a pack of hose clamps to try and effect a temporary fix. No joy. On top of that my room had a solar powered flood light which had no obvious off switch. The remote had been sequestered in a cupboard next door !! Leading me to pull it off the beam to which it was mounted and stuff it in the wardrobe. Happily, the pizza I scoffed for dinner came with a free beer, which by then was most welcome. Next morning I spent the first couple of hours at Cycle Zone trying new saddles. Not much profit from that so I determined to continue on, in search of a fix, maybe in Gabarone. Caught the All Black result as I departed town. I knew things were on the way up.    Les mer

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    Brits, Boschoek and Swartruggens

    18. august 2024, Sør-Afrika ☀️ 26 °C

    After a later start , due to saddle hunting, I followed the bike map app route through some pretty marginal trail area, intersecting with the highway to Sin City on the outskirts of town. Sticking to the route I crossed over and joined a local eco trail, through bush and mixed sand and dirt. No one else in sight, it was a quiet 20 minutes to avoid 10 minutes of highway. It ended at a locked gate, fortunately low enough to enable a lift over, minus gear. A further 10 minutes and back on the highway I'd just taken time to miss. That's life.
    As I sat outside the supermarket at Boshoek I, foolishly, gifted my pastry to a guy collecting bottles from the area. Immediately realizing the mistake, I started hunting for a place to stay. As I was doing that Lappies wandered up and started chatting. Shortly after we were getting a few beers and heading back home to meet his wife Ronel. We talked, as Ronel and Lappies cooked a substantial dinner and I washed and settled into a spare bedroom. Great folk, as have been all but a single Johannesburg big city moment , in South Africa.
    Next morning Lappies and I walked down to the supermarket, I jumped on the N4 to the Swartruggens junction.
    After 5 few ks a left sweep delivered me to the western access road. It is surrounded by vast fenced and gated scrub/bush enclosures. Game safaris clearly big business in this area. Some ornate ironwork, as well, as giant animal statues, at most entrances. Not much sign of game. Fabulous expansive landscapes and eroded rock and sandstone hillside dominating the horizon.
    Being Sunday, most businesses were closed. The road was also largely traffic free till midday. The infamous Sun City was in these parts, but more northerly than my directly westerly route. Rolling hills once again reminded me about the extras I was probably unnecessarily carting. The folding chair and newly acquired folding table, 2kgs or theresbouts as well as the extra clothing more appropriate for ongoing safaris, which could happen in all of the upcoming countries.
    It wasn't a long ride, but the temperature was climbing. Afterr 30 km I stopped into a closed roadside shop, set back about 200 meters and found some shade to shelter from the beating sun. Out popped a late 50s gent wondering what I was doing. Bike diplomacy swung into action and I ended up getting gifted a bottle of chilled water and some coke for my troubles. I've yet to have an angry word or an off hand encounter in my travels so far. If only the driving was the same.
    Rolling into Swartruggens I skipped the set prices, single hotel , skipped the, cash only, cheaper option and found a quiet bnb on the town edge, cheapest of all. I'd had my first Wimpys, a chain burger joint, and grabbed some other food at the local supermarket. Being Sunday beer was not available. Although one of the local bars was pumping.    Les mer

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    11

    Groot-Marico where the saddle is fixed

    19. august 2024, Sør-Afrika ☀️ 27 °C

    Very peaceful at the Hadid bnb, and only 40 km to Groot Marico meant a relaxed start.
    After yesterday's scorching road bash I'd lined up some back roads off the main highway. At least after the first 5 or so km of road to access them.
    Prepped a little 'gratuity' , away from the wallet, to avoid any greediness, and braved the highway toll booths. As it turned out there was squeeze through space on the etag lane and so I obliged. I didn't expect to revisit Swartruggens anytime soon.
    Some great rolling dirt roads which suitably extended the riding. The rural estate is heavily fenced to contain both wildlife and stock. Very little unfenced field was visible. And the game farms particularly have ostentatious animal figurines at the gate, or forming part of the steelwork. First stop in town was the restaurant , run by Stephen, who served up some wurst, pap and salad. I chose a chocolate shake to chase it. It was leisurely. Angela's bnb is the locsl guest house and Id booked a couple of nights. Ed who owns it is super helpful, and a recovering cyclist so was happy to chip in on route suggestions drawing on his time in Botswana. Everyone suggested I meet Colin. He also toured, extensively. Importantly he was the brains behind the locally manufactured Qubeka bikes. https://m.youtube.com/user/QhubekaBikes . Version 30 is being finalized to convert all the bolts over to 13mm to simplify village based maintenance. Colin also smashed out an improved version of my saddle tensioner, restoring the saddle back to operational status.
    Had agreat night at the local pub and the next night was invited to a birthday meal held at Ed's by a couple of his longer term residents. Super tasty South Indian cuisine. Mooched the neighbours on the second day and visited RiverStill a rural bnb & venue run by Jacque, ensconced in the Marico biosphere. I'd come back for a longer stay one year !    Les mer

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    Malachite Bush camp
    Malachite Bush camp

    Crossing the border

    21. august 2024, Sør-Afrika ☀️ 28 °C

    Departing Groot-Marico the previous day I'd headed for the camp at the dam 14km away which was described as a nice camping spot. Correctly. However even with a later start it was just after 12 when I arrived. Nope, couldn't just lounge after the last few days. There was a smallish safari camp another 30km along that was worth a look. Around 4 pm I rocked up outside the locked gate and phoned in. The owner was on holiday in Namaqaland, out of Capetown. Several hundred km south. However the caretaker could open up if required. It was I decided. Heading down the track to the small chalets I saw 3 large giraffe grazing on the surrounding trees. They scattered upon my approach. Eerily quiet I slept pretty well getting up at 6 am to get an early start for the 120km to Gaborone.
    My first overland border in 7 years, since the Great Divide, where I crossed from Canada into the US.
    39 km of the dirt took me onto the largely shoulder free highway to the border. Without much traffic it was pretty conventional riding.
    The final 33km into Gaborone was on well sealed avenues, reaching the outskirts in good time. My first attempt at accommodation was a dismal failure. Budget friendly, in a difficult to locate area, and with no signage. Owner also absent, but a good guy, some loitering "guests" informed me. I decided it wasn't for me and headed off to a close by and more traditional guesthouse, with its own list of deficiencies which were in opposition to its ostentatious decoration and other facilities. Time being of the essence I signed up unloaded and went looking for a meal. Ended up nearby at the Caltex , where chicken & chips were on offer.    Les mer

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    Gaborone - day 2

    23. august 2024, Botswana ☀️ 24 °C

    I'd got in touch with Hamish via email early Friday. We have a mutual friend who provided the oil. Part of the kiwi diaspora, he'd been in Gabs for most of 2 decades. As a long-time resident of Gaborone he generously offered accommodation and a chance to sort out my new phone sim. Wrapping in a trip to the national agricultural event, akin to the NZ fielddays, just smaller.
    The grunt to get into Botswana on Thursday provided opportunity to spend the Friday off the bike.
    After meeting the currently at home family members I moved into the available bedroom and worked out what I needed to do before a Saturday departure.
    The Ag show dished up a bunch of giant beef, Bulls and cows, as well as some of the local snake varieties. There were also various equipment agricultural and military on display.
    It turned out the sim card seller at the border had also registered the sim to himself, so I got a new one I could use for the mobile money scenario which is reasonably established across the various countries. You use your mobile to send funds to other people as payment, avoiding the need for cash. Friday concluded with a Braai, my first since arrival.    Les mer

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    Medie, off the main route

    24. august 2024, Botswana 🌙 10 °C

    Winding out of Gaborone early morning involved a series of dirt roads reminiscent of the central asian, think Uzbek, Turkmen or Tajik, neighborhoods nestled around the metropolitan centre's, falling outside the central district. Sealed arterials stretch towards onwards destinations, with predominantly poor roading fpr the final kilometres as houses become more simple and the neighborhoods poorer. At least electricity and water seem to extend outward for a greater distance. The outskirts gradually blend into plots, some with livestock or small cropping areas. I discover this because my routing tool, Bikemap, wanders the more obscure options. Even when selecting smooth or roadbike preferences. Some deviations span kms to skip a 250m stretch of multilane road.
    The town of Lentsweletau arrived in time for lunch. A nearby food shack was recommended by the local pool sharks, potting balls furiously in an outdoor lean to. Pool has remained a keenly spent pastime with tables in most neighborhoods. Many next to the local bar.
    Next stop Medie. This took me almost equidistant between the 2 sealed road options through to Boatlaname and then the much larger Serowe. Medie is one of the smaller settlements, more rural and with basic services. It was a mine support settlement with a substantial open pit mine just to the north. This resulted in a pretty dusty last few hours as the large coal carriers rumbled the mixed gravel and sand roads towards Gabs and then to South Africa or elsewhere. Water and electricity supplied by 1 or 2 , sometimes 4, wire overhead lines and 50 - 100 m3 elevated water towers shrouded in square metallic paneling, presumably offering some critter protection as well as reflecting the strong sunlight.
    Stopping at the local bar I wandered across to a nearby multi dwelling property to ask about camping on their fenced plot. After some discussion with an early 20s young man, over wandered his older sister who offered a quiet spot outside or the option to sleep on the tiled floor of her brother's house, largely complete but needing interior work. It included working shower and toilet. As a mine worker the brother was on day 4 of a 4 x 4 rotation. Departing as I unpacked, he would be home at 6am the next morning from his nightshift. Indoor camping is always a come option and as the rowdy bar music drifted across the road I burrowed into my sleeping bag.    Les mer

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    Abandoned route to Boatlaname

    25. august 2024, Botswana ☀️ 28 °C

    After a fretful sleep, first one on my Neoair this trip, I opened up the front door for my host as he returned from night shift at 6 am. The lounge floor a reasonable option, which was initially going to be a tent.
    Getting an early start at 6.30 I got on the road to Boatlaname, 73 km via the minor roads. 22 km north was Kwengeng, and getting there was a bit of a slog as more of the road surface was covered in sand and corrugations. Around 10.30 I passed the cut road, similar to a firebreak or forestry road. It was plan b if as suggested the northern road was in poor condition. This was confirmed by a farm assistant in a decent sized Hilux at a stop at the big (small) shop in Kwengeng. This one at least had cold drinks. Rolling back 1km to the cut road I was in reasonable shape, legs ok and good supply of fluids. The expected 15km route back to a sealed road via 'the cut' I estimated at 90 minutes.
    Noting the deep sandy nature I lodged onto the car tracks. Clearly not heavily used, these narrowed and deepened before the first km ended. By which time I was alternating the walking/pushing and riding The next km continued that theme and after 45 minutes I pulled the pin. It had become unrideable and was also quite tiring with the sand sucking forward momentum to a stop. Even with tyres at a very low pressure to generate float progress was just above glacial. I was also running out of energy with a light breakfast and as yet no lunch. I accepted this route wasn't going to work out and coaxed the bike back to the direction we came from. At 1 pm I started the trek back to Medie in search of food and a 2nd night at the same house. Covering the 22km a little faster it was just after 3 when I rolled into the outskirts. Tired, hungry and needing rest. It had been a big day already. Grabbing a shop meal of fried chicken, coleslaw, beetroot on macaroni I sat in the shade and demolished my late lunch.    Les mer

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    Mary & hubbie Nelson , likes loud political speeches
    Mary & hubbie Nelson , likes loud political speeches1

    Riding to Shoshong

    27. august 2024, Botswana ☀️ 33 °C

    After yesterday's haul I counted on being on seal to bump me through the next 100km where I could next get accommodation, Shoshong. No climbs of any consequence lay ahead, in fact I expected the same gentle up & down.
    For a change I dug the muesli out of my food section and added milk I'd bought last night. And whizzed up coffee, which I'd been skipping in favour of faster departure.
    The morning was already hot, 18 C and not a cloud to be seen. I thanked Mary who'd tried to find me meal last night, I'd made a 2 minute noodle/pasta delight as the concilation prize.
    Checklist went along the lines of room clear, bags closed, bottles filled, bags loaded, glasses and cap and gloves in position, room clear. Helmet on and I left. Pretty obvious legs still tired so would be a slower pace, but on tar so quite doable. At 20km passed through Otse, which had a number of food stalls in place for the day. A good sign surely for the 40km distant settlement of Kodibeleng. That would be the lunch stop 60% done to Shosong. At 40km I was noticeably slower, then the roadsign popped up with 18 to go. I realized my first calc of 53 km was a little short. By this time my legs, were twingeing and I was feeling quite tired. I rolled into Kodibeleng, located the shop just to be told no restaurants or stalls until 23km further along. I decided to park up and try my luck with getting a ride the remaining distance. The next 4 hours was spent sitting outside the shop, in shade. 1 guy who worked for the government looked like he could do it, once he'd done a few more jobs and checked with the boss. He didn't come back. At 5.30 pm a truck rolled in. It was the shop resupply driven by the Dad and accompanied by hi 20 something son , Lewis. Up for a chat we got on well. Careful not to waste a good crisis I asked about camping on the generous concrete porch. Didn't take papa long to give assent. And I could use the kitchen for tonight's delight, as well as a shower, which was a welcome bucket wash. Quick tent setup and off to the kitchen. It was bit well lit for a cracker sleep but adequate enough for a 6 am rise as the staff arrived and opened up. No point diverting to Shoshong today, so I set off for Moiyabana further along.    Les mer

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    1Housekeeper Mary, hubbie Nelson at guesthouse

    Destination Sorje

    27. august 2024, Botswana ☀️ 29 °C

    Nothing like a setback to shake up the attitude. Up from the interior camp a second day in a row, I was moving by 6.30 am.
    With the help of the house owner I'd gone out to the through road to Hatsalarladit. Google had it as an incomplete road, incorrectly. This was a longer version of yesterday's cut road. Just on better sand.
    After 3 hrs of mixed progress and little solid surface I hit Hatsalarladit, and replenished. It was sealed from there to Boatlaname with a few settlements along the way. Like much of Botswana the gradient changes were fairly minor, some over several km. The runs downhill after these were a joy. At 4pm I got to Boatlaname after an earlier midday stop to drop out of the high 30s sun. Deciding to push on for the guesthouse in Sorje a further 20 km the mainly downhill stretch happened the arrival.
    Despite a valiant effort by the housekeeper no-one in town was doing meals and I dived into my food bag for Mac & noodles. Beer was available though. Mary's husband arrived and blasted out the ruling party campaign speeches from his car radio, more of which I expect as the election in October draws close.    Les mer

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    She wanted a photo, I had to bluetooth it to her daughters phone.

    School yard campout

    29. august 2024, Botswana ☀️ 28 °C

    Plenty of small % climbs in the first couple of hours, which started in fresh temps. My plan was to knock out 50 ish km and break. A few more rocks in the landscape, but still pretty arid. And more signs of semi commercial farming. I got to Mosolotshane and a helpful lunch stop. There was 3.5 hrs or so of riding to Moiyabana where I'd be scrounging a camp spot. The 1-2% climbs continued, with a decent glide into Moiyabana. Camping at the schools was a trick others had played previously. So I sniffed one out on Googke, near the exit to the town. Camped at primary school once principal had been summoned and got another bucket wash and simple meal from the head teacher. Water especially seems to be subject to some sort of supply failure, resulting in waterless basins, baths or toilets. Sometimes the whole house, or the settlement's storage tank just runs out. Whilst awaiting dinner I reconfigured her tv to get it working properly which impressed her kids 😂 Good leg 2 for today.Les mer

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    12

    Moiyabana to Serowe

    30. august 2024, Botswana 🌬 19 °C

    Broke camp just before 6, to depart the school where I camped before the kids arrived. Mornings start chilly this far north. With about 60km to the next stop, head down. Some punchy rises meant the kms didn't quite fly buy as they had previously. But eventually I got there. Serowe is what I'd call a regional caiptal, much larger than the surrounding settlements. It took a bit to find the closest restaurant. Turns out I'd missed the pretty obvious window coverings on the first hunt. A great plate of food for NZ$4. Bloody tasty. I went back the following day. A hunt through the booking sites and I landed at Lenste lodge, one of the cheaper spots. I booked 3 nights, to ensure I was in a place that also screened the ABs game from Ellis Park.Les mer

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    Destination... not Khama Sanctuary

    3. september 2024, Botswana ☀️ 26 °C

    No rush to depart today, after 3 nights in Serowe doing not much. It was useful break following a few longer days. Lentswe Lodge has seen a few guests in its time and it's rustic nature was evident, if not somewhat quirky. Started by the Adair's father, and expanded over the years. He was now welcoming a range of guests. Close to one of the local shopping centers and what was my goto restaurant. The bike needed a little tyre love after a seemingly endless bunch of thorns took to the rim and carcas. Fortunately sealant quarterised those punctures upon extraction. I'd hung around the final day to watch th he ABs. Maybe I shouldn't have.
    Getting in touch with the Rhino sanctuary was proving challenging. After some useful email on Friday, they'd gone dark over the weekend, including via phone. As I got ready to set out a local guy rang around and managed to get a call back. I'd need to front P380 ($45) to camp overnight, including a transport fee as cycling was not permitted. I could only do a game drive the following morning, evenings were operated on a group basis. The morning tour would be P900 ($110). This was a theme that would continue into the week.
    I figured arriving on site might change that if they had unused capacity. As I headed up the road in the following hours I checked the nearby Kokoro camp site. Yep could do, P120.00 . I was asked to stay for the in flight lunch as they closed out a weekend of dirt bike racing. I aquiesced. When I got to the sanctuary disappointingly they was no movement on the original position. Pausing, I decided to continue on as I didn't want the burden of a late morning start the following day. I set sail for further up the road. The sanctuary ran for soothe 1.5 - 2 km along the road frontage with watch towers staffed with armed guards to dissuade poaching.    Les mer

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    2Spar ready to go eats1

    Letlhakane

    4. september 2024, Botswana ☀️ 27 °C

    I was venturing into diamond country this far north. I'd already seen a large sign on a junction indicating 160km inland on 4wd roads to one mine, and to call ahead. Not sure if that was for security purposes or search and rescue. The town of Letlhakane had a long strip entrance layered with little tin shops, various food stalls and ubiquitous tyre repair yards. It also had a shiny western style mall with Spar and Nando's and Debonairs a regional pizza chain. Serene Rest guesthouse provided welcome respite, at a reasonable P450 and a friendly hostess. I just needed some cash to finalize that. After a late lunchtime meal on arrival I settled for a supermarket ready to go for dinner. Like a buffet they load up a dish with rice, stew and 2 salads. Then wrap it in a plastic wrap and stick a fork under the pricing label. P30 is about usual, and it's my quick dinner goto, along with many locals.
    The plan from here was to cross the pans to Nata. These are large salt beds formed via evaporation dating back millions of years. It was a challenging concept, less so on paper. In the flesh I realized that the lack of shelter, the blazing sun and the isolation weren't a great combination. 300km further up the road was the town of Maun, launchpad to Okavango Delta. This is an inland Delta ever the water doesn't flow into the sea. Instead it evaporates or absorbs into the ground. Lots of wildlife and verdant landscape as the water from further north flowed down. As a significant natural feature it was also a massive tourism area. One of those places edger they provide prices in USD as if some tourists can't do currency conversion.
    Target than another 300km I settled on a bus stint, bringing the bike along was going to be possible on the big bus !    Les mer

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  • Stephen PrendergastJoburg to NairobiReisende
    GPX

    Maun to Motopi

    6. september 2024, Botswana ☀️ 32 °C

    Rolled put of Maun at 7.30. Glad to be back on the road. I'm not a great fan of the tourist launching points and Maun was certainly that.
    A pretty straight run saw me clicking over 50 km by 10.15. I was also feeling a little uncomfortable on the saddle. It seems even after 1000+ km the battle between my ass and the saddle continued. Relatively ok wearing bib shorts, padded lycra with shoulder straps, I couldn't seem to crack the no padding version .
    At the veterinary gate it was a quick shoe bath and a cold drink at the nearby street stall. At km 75 a bloke in the relaunched retro land-rover pulled alongside as I rode along a short parallel. He was a Brit with all the appearance of a swashbuckling guide from a Hollywood epic. Did I know about the elephants ? They'd broken some of the water piping up ahead and were close to the road. I knew this would be in one section of this road from an earlier conversation. Up ahead it seems. We had a brief chat, he advised on flagging a car down and using it as cover if they were hanging around the road when I arrived. Fortunately I was planning on turning off just prior to overnight in Motopi, before a longer day through the upcoming Makgadikgadi National Park. Where there were many more. And other creatures every Botswanain warned me endlessly about. The extreme caution about wildlife is part of their national psyche, well beyond the actual dangerous events evidenced. The South Africans had taken the control and fence and monetise option for the same circumstances. Resulting in endless game lodges. Botswana with a much smaller population created large unfenced national parks.
    Turning off the main highway I noticed a wet area by a pipe riser on my left. Looking to the right about 15m away in the bush were 4 flappy ears and most of one elephant visible. Stationary, which was just as well as I'd not been as vigilant since encountering the Brit. No photo stop on this occasion. About 200m into town I noticed what looked like a government building with a few withers outside chatting. Looking like a useful camp spot I rolled over and enquired about an overnight stay. Turns out it was the engineering office of the roading depot, privately run, but I was welcome to stay, and partake in the outdoor toilet and shower facilities as well. That was that. I beelined to the local eatery for a late lunch and returned to setup camp.    Les mer

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  • Stephen PrendergastJoburg to NairobiReisende
    21221GPX

    Makadigkadi Pans

    7. september 2024, Botswana ☀️ 13 °C

    Hot on the road, straight away 2 elephants. A good sign. Until one walked towards the road as I approached. Didn't stop for photos. Zebras up next then nothing for ages. Plenty of sign of elephants removing water pipe covers to get into the water pipes. I'd been warned many times and yesterday about the elephants so was on high alert. Apart from a solitary gazelle that was it for the morning. It took another 5 hours before my next encounter. Dumbo was grazing the tree from the shade, in the heat of the day. About 5 m from the road. As I approached on the opposite side he swiveled and eyed me up. Once again an approaching car distracted him. Snapped a few shots but no Nat Geo for them. At around 4 pm and 100km done I was down to my last 500 ml of fluids, without an obvious refill scenario. And I could feel the early signs of cramp. I flagged down a truck driver, holding up the water bottle. He warned it might be a little salty - just what was required. Heading off again I made another 2 km before I got hit with a decent calf/hamstring cramp combo. Ugh ! I was down to walking until I could ride again it seems. A few minutes later a lovely couple from Gaborone stopped and offered me a ride. It was pretty clear the bike wasn't going to fit so they continued on. 2 minutes later they returned and were determined to help me out. I got the wheels off and bags in the car and ended up sitting on the frame, holding the door closed against the bike, which was still too big. However we made it to Gweta Lodge about 20 km away, where thankful and happy I managed to get a room for an acceptable rate. Beer was also welcome.Les mer

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    Gweta then Nata

    9. september 2024, Botswana ☀️ 35 °C

    I booked an extra night at the well appointed Gweta Lodge. It was comfy, meals and bar available and they gave me a decent rate. About $60/night. That's pretty good for this style of accommodation and only a little more than in town guesthouses in Botswana. Of course meals and a couple of beers not included, but still around $100 per night. My legs were still feeling the 2 hot long days from Maun so another day before the next 100km was sensible. I met Kate & Jarrod a 30s Aus/Nz couple from Melbourne. Kate invited me to sit with them at dinner, rather than no mates Nigel. With them was Sam their Zimbabwean safari guide. I spent dinner answering Kate's questions about my travels. They were 1 week into a safari experience covering Zimbabwe and Botswana.
    Earlier in the day I'd wandered the small central town block, got a local feed of chicken & chips from a food stall and had the cheapest haircut I can remember, P20 or $2.50. I'd also spoken with a couple from Japan who were 4 months into a 2 year community development volunteering stint, to help rural development. Similar to NZs VSA programme. I'd considered an overnight sleepout at Ntwetwe pan as a tour from Gweta Lodge. For pretty basic arrangements it was substantially overpriced. I could achieve a similar outcome just finding a quiet spot along the road. Might not experience the meerkats which are roaming around but I could give that a miss. That might have under considered the night time wild life consideration. I did wonder if that, like the persistent questioning about fear of wild animals, was overstated too.
    Waking early the next morning, I again rode into a moderate NE headwind. Instead of the usual 17 - 18km/hr it was 13 - 14, sometimes 11. Pretty straightforward route, same main highway until the little town of Zoroga at 60km. The sole shop only did drinks and junk food so I grabbed the local version of Red Bull, 1.5L of water and entertained the local kids. Not too many white people stop, obviously. No real wildlife, not counting livestock, horses or donkeys. I did traverse the area of the Ntwetwe pans, and then onto Nata at km 100.
    Rupert the owner at Nata's Eselbe camp was a Cape to Cairo group favourite. A very chill Botswanian with some South African/Botswana heritage and UK family. Had a cool dinner with him and German companion Gudie. Got a tent upgrade for camping prices and once sorted mossies, via my net, reasonable slumber.    Les mer

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    Heading to Kasane

    11. september 2024, Botswana ⛅ 34 °C

    Needing a few days of snacks Rupert kindly offered to run me into the local Choppies. They are a good sized African chain akin to a downmarket New World. Spar is the largest of the several chains. We jumped into his beach buggy and motored the 4 km to the shop. That in itself was a treat. After some pfaffing around, we headed back me with supplies and Rupert with a birthday present for his companion Gudie. At 55km the nearby Elephant Sands lodge proved sufficient distance in the heat. I grabbed a campsite soon to be joined by a tour group of 30 internationals who were doing a supported ride, complete with truck hauling all their gear including camp kitchen. With the earlier arrival of an Intrepid overland bus/truck, and another group of similar approach, the camp had filled up quite substantially.
    After a few hours elephant viewing and chatting to a couple of younger South Africans with 4x4 setups and young family it was time to turn in. Of note in 1 additional group was a gent who was wearing his Chiefs jersey.    Les mer

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    Chobe

    14. september 2024, Namibia ☀️ 18 °C

    "The only river in Africa that connects 4 countries."
    Peace, the guide running the Chobe river boat trip, informed us, as we drifted away from the riverside jetty. The boat trip had been advised by Rupert at Nata. A great recommendation.
    The day had started at 6.45 that morning as I arrived at reception for a scheduled game drive inside the Chobe park. Everyone else was already on the safari vehicle so I jumped on and our guide Lots gave me the short briefing before getting us on the road. I'd joined on to a German tour group who were nearing the end of their time in Africa. The chilly morning air welcome comfort after a very warm night. Chobe was one of the must do parks and was certainly that. In Kruger I'd been in a more standard SUV rather than the open sided safari vehicle. Most of these are the venerable Landcruiser chassis with a standard 4x3 rear seating capsule.
    Through the Sedudu Gate onto pretty sandy track, which the favoured Goodrich tyres handle without difficulty. This was a great couple of hours observing fish eagles, kudu, hippos, elephants, Impala and a distant pair of lions. I'd been disappointed not to see lions in Kruger. It was great to see them here, if only fleetingly. Coffee and biscuits were served at a stop that gave views across the park, and was the designated safe disembarcation point. Free of wildlife.
    On the boat trip later that day it was quite a different experience as buffalo and elephants swam across the river, crossing the border into Namibia in the process. The crocs were mainly on the banks basking in the late afternoon sun. It was the hippos who seemed to remain in the water with their submarine like behaviour as their nostrils, ears and eyes variously dissappear to later reappear as they move around. I organised to get dropped in town for a meal. I'd been invited by a group of South African overlanders to dine with them at the Lodge buffet the previous night, but didn't feel like either eating by myself surrounded by larger groups, or the prospect of being the novel guest which comes with a stream of questions. Theyd also very unexpectedly picked up my dinner and drinks bill. Dinner was a really friendly moment I hadn't expected to experience. With the South Africans being overlanders as well, it was easy to lean on common themes which made it a more relaxed experience. The tour groups are less similar. Pleasant but just different enough to need more effort to deal with language, some cultural differences and the challenges that my limited german posed when other conversations became dominant.    Les mer

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    Dr Livingstone ?

    15. september 2024, Zambia ☀️ 37 °C

    I left Kasane & Chobe in good spirits. The safari experience injected some excitement into my stop, and I'd been pretty comfortable in the Kwalape Lodge. Not super posh but spacious and easy with plenty of shade. The days on the bike are draining with the hot weather.
    The Kazangula bridge is a wonderful piece of engineering. It spans the waters where Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe meet. However it curves to avoid the latter due to a border dispute about the actual border line.
    I missed the sole opportunity to jump on the sidewalk on the approach thinking a second would appear before the bridge proper. No chance and after 1 squeezy truck event I hopped onto the concrete rail bed in the middle. It was a great sight looking East & West up the waterways.
    Immigration and customs proved simple each way and beyond the friendly border guards and officials it was a pretty quiet Zambia morning. Unfortunately the only ATM was broken so I was left with not a lot of Botswana notes until my stop at Livingstone.
    At the 50km mark I managed some street hustling and bought drinks from a little shop bar, doing some forex as part of the purchase. The roads were narrower and much more unpleasant due to the high volume of trucks and the practice of overtaking each other using all of the road. This meant they'd drive at you flicking their lights and sounding the horn. I was continually pushed off the road. It was the same when being passed, very close passes almost regardless of opposing traffic. I nutted off at several drivers with one in particular lucky to avoid a lobbed water bottle.
    Eventually arriving in Livingstone I began the dance to get a new sim, some local currency and a feed without losing my shirt. Narrowly avoided that fate as the atms were all out of order. The money trade skimmed an extra $4. The sim dude lied through his teeth about data package costs trying for double charge, and shrugged after I checked whilst he was getting some change. And I'm not going to discuss the pizza which was up there with a spaghetti version made famous by Bill English.
    I headed off to the tent camp run by the local Cape to Cairo WhatsApp personality expecting a friendly face and hospitality. She was away guiding, and seemed hands off despite pumping the camp frequently. The lone guest I settled in and was soon joined by a mid 30 ish Brit/SA couple who were overlanding in a 4x4 before settling in Nairobi in time for the new year. She would be returning and he was taking up a new position from his previous Vienna location, their original target which had become Nairobi. Athena and Alek were great company for a couple of days and I joined them heading out to Victoria Falls.
    By now I was aware of some stomach issues brewing from the previous day. It may not have been the pizza, but !    Les mer

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