Kigali, Rwanda to Entebbe, Uganda

Hi! I can’t believe we’ve already been on the go for 4 weeks today!
I’ll try to update you on what we’ve been up to since the last update. After our long stop in Kigali, we rode out of Rwanda via the less popular border in the North West. We were only just getting used to the luxury of tar roads, only to find the connecting road on the Ugandan side to be much like what we had experienced on the W. border of Tanzania. Having that said, the road was excellent for biking, packed with hair pin bend turns, as well as dramatic sheer drop-offs. Vegetation was different from Rwanda and we were riding through thick equatorial forests on our way to the prominent Lake Bunyoni, meaning “place of many little birds”. We found a terraced campsite on the edge of the lake and stayed a few days before moving north. One of the biggest attractions in the area is the tracking of the rare Silver Back Gorilla’s to which the Bwindi Impenetrable Nat Park which is home to half of the surviving population, at the ludicrous cost of $500!! Far too expensive. We decided we’d take the 4x4 route through the Bwindi…and just maybe we’d spot one. Well, we weren’t so fortunate but we did see a large primate of some sort briefly, before it scrambled off into the thick forest. The Bwindi route took us to Queen Elizabeth national park, where we joined a public road running through the middle of it. The vegetation changed drastically from the equatorial forest to wide open, flat savannah with straight roads. We rode through thousands of butterflies fluttering all over the show. We also spotted some mammals: a couple of buffalo and a herd of Ugandan Cob, which look very similar to our impala.

Soon after our exit of the Park we crossed into the N. Hemisphere .



This was all on our way to the Magestic Rwenzoris (the highest mountain range in Africa) – Jo’s uploaded a pic below. We didn’t take the time to summit the peak of 5109m…I’ll have to do that on my return to Uganda one day.
We then rode through from the Rwenzoris to Jinja . We thought that the trip would be fairly effortless and quick…but once again were proven to be a little optimistic on our predictions of how quickly we would progress along the route. We had to clear out of the way of mad truck/bus drivers who continue to disregard motorbikes on the road - yikes! We moved well up until Kampala, where we were stalled – we were given directions at one of the petrol stations which directed us right through the middle of the taxi rank. It was absolute chaos, navigating through all the taxis, boda-boda’s (motorbike taxis that are ever popular and unpredictable) as well as people, and then also moving in what appeared to be the opposite direction of everything else…
Finally we got to Jinja, the source of the Nile.


A group a school children watch a local rafter take a grade 4 rapid with a Gerry Can.


We watched one of the locals do a grade 4 rapid on a Gerry Can – Jo was keen to try it out but that didn’t materialize. We signed up with Equator rafting company for a trip down the river. Jo and I were at the front of the raft and hit the first rapid at a bit of an angle, I was sure the raft had flipped! I was hanging onto the safety rope of the boat, but was not in the boat. When I surfaced, I was surprised to find the raft still righted and most of the crew still in position! Adrenaline pumping! We rafted another 30 km before we ended off with a massive grade 5 rapid called ‘The Bad Place’. In really was a blast and pitty it had to come to an end.

We’ve been staying in Entebbe for the weekend with Carl Black and his family, who I know from TWR in Swaziland. He’s now working with another mission, AIM. We’ve been having a good time here, catching up, relaxing and even caught up on one of the big Ice Hockey matches between Toronto and Chicago.
It not all play here, we will spend this afternoon prepping the bikes and planning our route to Ethiopia. There is only one option for the section through Seredupi, Marsabit and Moyale – the isolated north of Kenya. Petrol will most likely be a little scarce, and we are also not sure how active the bandits in the region are, so we might have to join a convoy for part of the route. We’ll appreciate your prayers as we move through this area towards the end of the week.

Till next time.
Adios 

Kibali, Rwanda, na Entebbe, Uganda

Status update:
- Valle = steeds 3 – 2 vir Stav
- Totale Km afgele = +/- 5800 kms (Offroad = +/- 1600 kms)
- Tyd spandeer op die ysterperde = 92 uur
- Tyd spandeer by grensposte = 17.5 uur
- Siektes en kwale = geen (Afrika luiheid het ons al ‘n paar keer getref)
- Huidige posisie: Entebbe, Uganda (13 Julie)
- Volgende bestemming: Kenya, maar oppad na Addis, Ethiopie (die trip sal seker omtrent 5/6 dae neem. Harde ry wat voorle!)


Hoesit oesit! Yip, daar is weer ‘n kort tydjie wat afgeknyp kan word vir ‘n vinnige toer update. Tans rus ons uit vir die volgende rowwe ‘stretch’ by Carl Black en sy gesin wat betrokke is by die sending organisasie AIM hier in Uganda. Dis wonderlik om by ‘n huis verwelkom te word van tyd tot tyd so tussen deur die swerwery en tent opslaan!

There is two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. -Albert Einstein-


Elk geval, dit gaan nog goed, bitter goed. Die afgelope 10 dae in Uganda was regtig wonderlik met asemrowende berge, woude, mere, offroad paaie en avontuurlustige bedrywighede. Ons het die aaneenlopende heuwels van Rwanda gegroet met ‘n agterpaadjie wat verby die land se vulkane en gorilla park verby loop. Die Uganda grenspos was rustig en teen 14:30 was doanne en immigration se ‘officials’ steeds op lunch! Ten minste het hulle ons, soos die res van Uganda, vriendelik ontvang toe hulle teen 15:00 weer deure oopmaak. Die enigste minder vriendelike afdeling van die land is hulle bus en trok drywers teenoor motorfietse...

Motorfiets taxi’s, of eerder Boda-Boda’s soos hulle hier beter bekend staan, is ongelooflik gewild en orals. Die 80-125cc fietsies gebou deur die Indiers dra tot 3 passasiers of word gelaai met vragte van oor die 100kg – wat ongelooflik is want ek is seker met 30/40kg gelaai en voel vrek swaar op my 650cc! Hierdie outjies is die werkdonkies van Afrika en hulle bestuurders sonder vrees! Maar ongelukkig handhaaf hul slegs ‘n maks van 50km/h en word net soos ‘n trapfiets op die paaie deur die groter motors hanteer. Dit beteken dat ‘n motorfiets, ons sin inkluis, geen padregte het nie! Wat beteken, meer direk: “van die pad af of word getrap!”. Ons loop dus lig en kry goeie oefening vir Ethiopie wat blykbaar nog erger is…


Nieteenstaande ons niebestaande padreg, is Uganda nog net ongelooflik gewees! Ons het al ontspan by die feetjie meer, Bunyoni, met die motorfietse gekruis deur die ‘Ondeurganklike bos’, Bwendi (waar oor die helfte van die wereld se berggorillas hulle huisves) en die hoogste bergreeks in Afrika se rante geklouter – dis nou die majesteuse Rwenzori’s! Die mense is vriendelik en verwelkomend en behandel ons 2 vuil bikers soos supersterre. Almal wil ‘n foto he – die dames met ons en die manne met die bikes  Ek voel nogal ‘n bietjie soos Ewan McGregor…

How could drops of water know themselves to be a river? Yet the river flows on. -Antoine De Saint-Exupery-


Ons laaste stop voor die Entebbe was Jinja, die sogenaamde oorsprong van die Victoria of wit nyl. Hier is daar een ding wat almal trek – om die nyl te ‘white water raft’! Dit het ons ook dan gedoen. Die rivier is magtig, die water baie, die visarende volop, die rapids groot en dit alles is ‘n perfekte kombinasie en medium vir die pomp van adrenalien! Dit was vrek cool gewees!

Al mag alles soos vet prêt en wille rondtoer klink, is dit ook meer as dit. Afrika se wildheid en mense raak mens. Die grootheid van sy probleme verstom my en maak my mismoedig. En my eie kleinheid en hulpeloosheid om te beinvloed besef ek net meer en meer… Maar tussendeur die warboel van emosie en geskommelde drome is God. God het lief en is goed. Hy het ‘n plan en roeping vir ons elkeen se lewens en ek glo elke oomblik dat Hy nooit die liefdevolle mense van Afrika sal agterlaat nie! Ek glo steeds daar is lig (en ons moet dit wees) vir sogenaamde ‘donker Afrika’…

Ek sluit eers af. Ons diens vandag ons ysterdonkies en sal more die lang pad na Addis Ababa, Ethiopie, begin aandurf. Blykbaar is noordelike Kenya se paaie van die rofste wat ons kan verwag op die trip en is daar boonop stropers (of Bandit) aktiviteit met gedeeltes. Bid asb saam vir ons veiligheid.

Seengroete!

From Mazabuka, Zambia, to Kigali, Rwanda

Greetings from Kigali Rwanda!

Much has happened since the last posting we made in Mazabuka, Zambia while we were taking a much needed 2 day break , having travelled solidly for almost a week. Little did we know the roads that we had been travelling on up to that point were like a highway compared to the roads further north.

One of the highlights was our 2 night stay, right on the Lake Tanganyika, the place we stayed at (lake Tanganyika lodge) was very remote and we followed a windy 4x4 rocky track which both tested and built our off road biking skills! The lodge is right on the lake edge which gave us the most amazing campsite from which to view the sunset across the lake. At night we had brilliant canopy of stars above ..-and spotted a number of shooting stars which was quite special. This would be our last in Zambia before entering into Tanzania…

The section of road that we travelled on through the western side of Tanzania was particularly tough – both physically and mentally demanding. We saw absolutely no tar for 1000 km, we frequently had to slow down to navigate the sandy stretches of road which were very humbling. Riding through the sandy parts requires skill and is made more challenging with the 2 side pannears that I carry. I’ve come off on two occations , losing balance whilst moving through thick sand...lesson learned and new respect gained for the off road!

We found that the poor road conditions in the west of Tan didn’t put breaks on
the truck drivers moving on our route. Trucks and 4x4’s for that matter would move through at about 100 km per hour kicking up a dust storm– we quickly learned to make way early for the trucks, even if they were on ‘our’ side of the road. Riding after sunset has not been an option on the dusty roads and we had to bushcamp on 2 occations. The 2nd campsite was stunning, we road about 200m off of the main route and set up tent on a hill overlooking a plain of tall yellow grass... for the stretch through Tan which was approx 1000km we saw running water once. As you can imagine both Jo and I were layered in red dust (i’ll upload the evidence)




We finally reached some respectable tar on 30th June, which took us over the Rosuma river and falls, and through the rolling hills of Rwanda and into the capital of Kigali, where we have been resting out and catching up on the recent genocide tragedy which has scarred the Rwandan country – it makes me realise how grateful we South Africans should be with how smooth the changeover of governments was back in 1994..

I better be off, I still need to finish of my packing – we are leaving shortly for the Ugandan border.
Till then take care.

Van Mazabuka tot Kigali, Rwanda

Aangesien die ervaring meer persoonlik is, en gevoel en emosie belangrik is met die weergee, gaan ek en Duane eerder apart updates maak. Anders word dit effe maklik ‘n emosielose roete oordra aksie, waarvoor ek minder lus is. So, eerder, sal elke ysterperd soldaat net ‘n kort ‘executive update’ van persoonlike hoogtepunte meedeel. Hier volg myne:

Status – vir albei van ons:

- Valle = 5, 3-2 met Stav wat voorloop (sand is ‘n euwel, maar gelukkig lig daarvan afgekom)
- Km afgele = +/- 4500
- Tyd spandeer op die ysterperde = 72 uur
- Tyd spandeer by grensposte = 15 uur
- Siektes en kwale = geen (‘n paar muskiete het ons al bygekom, maar ons vertrou die outjies was onbesmet en andersins dat die teenmiddels effektief is)
- Huidige posisie: Kigali, Rwanda (2 Julie)
- Volgende bestemming: Uganda (wil omtrent 10 dae hier spandeer en op die nyl river raft, ‘n park besoek en op ‘n safari boottrip gaan, moontlik chimps gaan soek ens)
- Vel begin die Afrika son absorbeer en begin ‘n mooi tan vang

Ons het nogal vinnig deur die res van Zambie beweeg. Twee mooi plekke oornag – ‘n privaat park in die middel van nerens en by ‘n verlate resort op lake Tanyanika wat baie mooi was. Tot en met Tanyanika was die pad nog redelik teer (vol gate, maar teer nietemin), maar die pad op teen die weste van Tanzanie kan werklik bekend staan as die ‘road less travelled by’ – hierdie keer nie deur Frost nie, maar deur die waaghalsige soldate.

Wat kan mens se. Vir 2 manne wat nog eintlik net Sani pas as offroad ervaring het was die 1000km se aanhoudende diepsand, klippe en gate ‘n groot fisiese en sigiese toets. Flip, ek het nie geweet sand is so vrek moeilik op ‘n bike nie! Op hierdie stuk pad swoeg mens heeldag op die fiets aan sowat 200km per dag. Dis belaglik, maar lekker. Dis net jy en die grondpad. 2 van die 4 aande het ons gebushcamp.
Die 1e het die donker ons gevang en het ons moes aanklop by ‘n local boer vir slaapplek. Vrek, die Tanzaniese platteland is vriendelik! Hulle het ons absoluut verwelkom, vir ons tee en brood gegee en ons het die volgende oggend ‘n 2 uur lange begeleide toer van die plaas en al sy werke gekry! Was so great om die trotsheid van die mense se harde hande arbeid te kon ervaar.

Die 2de bushcamp was net so amazing. Ons het letterlik met die bikes die pad verlaat in die bos in. ‘n Hele Afrika landskap was net ons sin! Die watertafel was so hoog dat mens kon grou vir grondwater, wat ons toe gefilter en gebruik het. Het werklik soos ‘n camelman gevoel... vrek cool!



Tans is ons dan in Rwanda. Die land van opeenlopende gras heuwels, die mees digbevolkste land in Afrika met sy 1m posttrauma weeskinders wat die mees onlangste genocide in die geskiedenis se repurkussies ervaar. Tog is die mense vriendelik, die plek ongelooflik skoon en die atmosfeer nie te swaar nie. Ons eet onsself dik aan vars vrugte en was in ons onherkenbare vuil toestand verwelkom deur ‘n engelse gesin waar die oom werk vir ‘n NGO. Was lekker om met die mense te kuier en beter insig oor die land te kry. Die plek klim nogal vinnig in mens se hart in – veral met al die kinders wat so orals is...

Elk geval. Ek kan net se dat alles nog great is, die Kawasakie homself nog mooi gedra en dat my kop lekker besig is met ‘n spul nuwe gedagtes en ervarings. Die Here is goed en seen ons dusver met wonderlike mense... Selfs die tye wat hard is is nog lekker. So, ek kan net se: ma, moenie worry nie!

From Durban/Pta to Mazabuka (Zambia)

Status updates:

km covered = 1748
riding time = 19 hrs
border time = 3 hrs
packing time = 9 hrs
breakdowns = 0
ailments = 0
bike falls = 0

Not all who wonder are lost. -JRR Tolkien-

OK, so here is our first post en route... Ons het uiteindelik ons perde opgesaal en begin ry! But before we could get going, lots of admin had to be done and it was necessary to tie the loose ends. Duane scrambled to finish off at work, servicing his bike and pack, while I took a whole week off to sort out our visas, vehicle import papers, medication and to move out of the flat. I hate admin and after this, I hate it more...

Though all is well that ends well. Duane left Durban on Sunday morning (14th) for Blue bull land. He was ridden out by 3 mates, one of which has done a similar trip and given us loads of tips. (Thanks Andrew!) On Monday eve we watched a Confed cup match at Loffies with friends before we celebrated our youth on the 16th of June by taking on the long journey into the unknown. Here, too, we had a farewell breakfast with lots of emotion.


Myself and Duane found ourselves being highly stressed and tense about the whole thing as we drove off. I think the greatness of the whole trip (and also the privelage thereof) only hit at this moment. Leaving late, our first day's ride was short and we only made Potties (Potgietersrus/Mokopane) - after doing an extra 100km from missing a turn!

We didn't do much better on day 2, as we got up late, took forever and a day to pack (yes Andrew, even after your warning, we have way too much stuff!! You will be glad to know that thus far we have shedded 4 shirts, 2 shorts, 3 pairs of socks, a soccer ball and some soap. Next may be one of our tents...), and queing hours at GAPSA to sort out Duane's credit card. We only got through the Botswana border at 4pm, while our intended place of stay was another 270km away.


The soldate concurred to push on, but were abrubtly halted by a random shopkeeper at the Caltex just after the border crossing. Little did we know that the shopkeeper, Clinton, has done the Roof of Africa something like 12 times (it is like the Cape Epic of off-road motocross), has his own BMW off-road adventure company, and is probabably the most experienced biker we have ever heard of! Clinton willingly shared biking tips ranging from the recovering a drowned engine to how to handle border officials (without paying our African brothers excessive amounts of money unduly). I think his advise and stories continued for about an hour non-stop and quadrupled our bike knowledge instantly. Clinton also provided us with accommodation and advised us to start early the next day. To scared to disobey, we mechanically agreed while attempting to be best mean bikers we could be.

Equipped with our new knowledge unabound, the rest of Botswana was smooth sailing. We have covered our set route effortlessly, bunnyhopping potholes and swerving between wild animals such as elephants, buck and giraffs with elegance and precision.

Crossing the Great Zambezi by pontoon, we dismounted on the Zambian bank. Here, we were received eagerly by hasslers and border official (and friends of border officials), all, of course, very interested in having a possible cut of some $. After getting 5 different forms and paying various levies, entered Zambia and, shortly afterwards the town of Livingstone, I presume.


The Victoria falls are still majestic. As our Zambian friends put it; when you are close to the falls, it makes you feel alive. And that, friends, I think, is truly how we feel - alive. The journey on a ysterperd is indescribable. You feel close and part of all you enter and pass.

Currently, we find ourselves in Mazabuka (just south of Lusaka), on the Ilovo sugar estate staying with the Stratherns (friends of Duane). We will rest tomorrow and continue on Monday. Will keep you posted.

The Journey Begins

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. -Walt Disney-

Hierdie is dan die begin. Vir die wat nie weet nie, dis nou die begin van my en Duane se 3.5 maande avontuur op ons ysterperde. Ons beplan om die 16de Junie te vertrek en ‘n lus oor die Afrika kontinent deur Botswana, Zambia, Wes Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopie, weer Kenya, oos Tanzanie en Mosambiek te doen.

Hoekom? My beste antwoord is: ‘want ons kan’. Daar is niks wat ons keer nie, so hoekom nie? ‘Nou of nooit’, ‘midlife crises’, ‘avontuurlustig’… is die krete wat ek weergee, maar dalk is dit ook meer as dit, ek weet nie. Hoekom sal mens jouself ontwortel vir rondswerf? Die antwoord ontwyk my, maar ek hou van ‘want ons kan’, al is dit effe Obama agtig. Ek kan wel se dat die motorfiets avontuur wel ‘n droom is van ons wat ons nou gaan verwesenlik. Dit was gedeeltelik geinspireer deur die fliek motorcycle diaries… as jy dit nog nie gekyk het nie, maak ‘n plan!

Net prêt? Ons gaan wel nie net speel nie, en het ‘n hele klomp mense gekontak wie my en Duane se ouers ken. As deel van die ervaring sou ons graag die ‘local’ mense persoonlik wil ervaar en ook sien waarmee mense in Afrika besig is. Ons albei se droom is om nog betrokke te raak en ‘n bydra te lewer, maak nie saak hoe klein nie.

Oor die blog… Vele het gevra dat hulle wil ‘track’ hou met die motorfiets toer en al die gebeure. Ander wat ons in die wereld in gebring het, en nog ander wat ons baie lief het (nieuitsluitend die wat ons die wereld ingebring het nie), is werklik bekommerd. So ons skryf dus vir julle; vriende, ma’s en familie. Dan skryf mens seker ook vir mens self. ‘n Dagboek of so iets. Maar ‘n troetel dagboek naampie soos ‘Little kitty’ is onaanvaarbaar. Ons is immers ouens – nee mans! – op bikes, menende tough ens… Kom ons noem dit eerder niks en kyk wat word dit. Ons sal ‘dit’ dan ook so gereeld as moontlik doen, waar moontlik. We shall also mix our tales, as Duane is for English and me is for Afrikaans. We shall alternate and the updates may be unrelated, so deal with it.

He has the deed half done who has made a beginning. -Horace-

Die voorbereiding… OK, dis nou genoeg vir ‘n inleiding en agtergrond. As ‘n eerste entry tot die dit wil ek gou raak aan ons voorbereidings proses. Baie mense het al so iets aangepak en dus is dit heel doenbaar. Dit beteken wel nie dat dit nie vrek GROOT is vir ons nie! Ons vat albei unpaid leave (yip, baie geseend om dit te kan doen), trek die handrem op en parkeer ons lewens, en klim op onbekende en ongetemde ysterperde. Dit wil se dat nie een van ons nog van te vore bike gery, gefix of iets van geweet het nie!

Dus was alles dusver ‘n goeie leerskool vir ons twee cubicle junkies. Ons moes oplees en rond vra en vir ‘n slag self bietjie hande vuil maak (meisies love mos gries onder die naels!). Dis heeltemal iets anders, fisies, en daarom ook lekker!

Ons het selfs ‘n test-run Sani pas uit gevat. Albei ek en Stav gee toe dat ons meer gekry het as waarvoor ons ‘gebargain’ het! Dit was tegnies moeilik en ons het beide ons valle ingekry. Nie te min, was dit ongelooflik! Ek kan nie die adrenalien gevoel teen die berge uit beskryf nie, maar dit was great! Die Drakensberg landskap, die kameraderie, die opstaan na die val, die Sani pas stempel in die paspoort en die koue bier by die hoogste pub in Afrika is alles saam ‘n wenner kombinasie. Die trippie het my die nodige selfversekering gegee vir wat voorle en was ‘n goeie adrenalien inspuiting vir dit wat nog kom! Flip, ek kan nie wag nie!

Tot met ons vertrek le daar nog ‘n hele paar reelings voor. Dis versekering, visas, spares, tool kits, medikasie en first aid, inentings, kamp gereedskap, op pak en trek, UNISA studies uitsorteer, en nog ‘n paar ander goedjies. En ek love mos admin en is so goed daarmee… My sakke voel verder asof hulle gate in het met al die uitgawes, maar ek glo dit gaan die moeite werd wees! Ek kan nie wag nie!

Ek weet wel alreeds een ding, en dit is dat ek nie so iets alleen sal wil doen nie. ‘n Dag alleen op die fiets Sani pas toe was lank genoeg. Mens moet sulke goed met mense deel en ek is dankbaar vir Duane en dat ek die vooreg het om so iets saam met ‘n goeie vriend te kan doen. Ek is nogal bly dat ek nie soos die outjie van ‘Into the wild’ moes maande swerf, riviere kruis, in Alaska se gebergtes moes invlug, myself vergiftig en, heelaas, doodgaan van die honger om dit te besef nie  Ek is seker ek en Duane gaan nog diep bande bou.

Nou ja, dis dan al vir eers. Ons sal weer skryf.

Die ysterperd soldate

The Creation of "RidingThoughAfrica"

The journey begins.