Lunch in Lamberts Bay with Napoleon, Analise and family, such enjoyable company and hospitable people. They made my time in Lamberts Bay so enjoyable.
Last border crossing
First night in Sth Africa
South Africa
6/12/2015 Amanzi River Camp Henkries turnoff
D75, T6.5, Av11.70, max55, 49,912 14,014
Moderate winds and hot
I got away from the camp about 0800 and said goodbye to Shane, Johann and Colleen had already left for Cape town to have a break before Xmas.
Shane decided to ride the 10km to Noordoewer with me on his mountain bike. He also had a ride on my bike to see what it felt like on a loaded touring bike. He got off to a wobbly start.
We stopped at the basically provisioned store there. Here bread was bought. I still had a good supply of food from Aussenkehr Spar.
We said our goodbyes, I had a lot to thank him for.
A stop was made at the Engen gas station to fill up my fuel bottle. It was then a few km to Namibi immigration where I got stamped out hten across the river to RSA immigration. I got the patrol booth guy to take a pic of me. He was not supposed to but did anyway.
I will never forget my time here in Namibia firstly with Cal and Ben, then with Phil from Belguim.
Our last two weeks in Swakopmund with Rita and Willie was such a great way to finish off our time together.
Then all the farmers and road users who assisted me with places to stay and water along the way will always be remembered.
The desert in Namib desert in Namibia was such a unique place to be on a bicycle. It is so accessible, on minute you are in a town and 3km away you are back in the dryness of the Namib. That it extends all the way to the coast makes it so special. The sight of Oryx on open rocky plantless valleys is a sight to behold, seeing mountain zebra also amongst the barren rocky terrain is also seemingly unreal.
That this desert had terrain other than flatness makes for such interesting landscapes. The evenings were shrouded in stars in numbers only ever seen near Ayers rock in Australia.
My thanks goes to all those people who shared their lives with me whilst in Namibia.
It was no hassle getting through the RSA immigration, though I did make sure they gave me three months here in their country.
Make sure when entering Namibia they give you three months. They only gave me two and Cal and Ben 1 month each. A bit odd but a good way of raising revenue, it cost $AU43for an extension in Luderitz.
It was great to be cruising along a good asphalt road, there was aslow but steady climb out of the Orange valley water shed, This went on all afternoon. The scenery was still best described as desert country. They had new reat areas along the roadside every 20-30km. A stop was made at one to have sardines and some cereal energy drink.
There wasasteady south west wind blowing as usual, it was cooling and was not really a head wind but did slow down progress/.
The fencing was very close to the roads edge so the opportunities for camping were limited as there was also little vegetation other than shrubs.
Once nearly out of water I stopped at another rest area and walked back to its entrance and waved down a truck with a water bottle in my hand. The second semi pulled in. The driver and I had a good chat, he was on his way from Angola to pick up hake to haul back there.
He had a water tank on the side of the trailer, all my bottles and the bladder were filled.
He also gave me some oranges. These were eaten on the spot, all six of them.
The main road users were the guys hauling grapes from Aussenkehr .
There were a few cars, all were travelling at fast speeds.
At 1800, a turnoff was found. I headed in here and parked the bike to have a look around a dry creek bed not far up the dirt rod.
It was blowing hard. The need to get out of the wind was important, so was the need not to be seen.
A spot just in the lee of an eroded wall of sand was ideal.
Anyway I got spotted by passing car. I wandered over to have a chat with the carful of coloured people as they are called. They were happy for me to camp here.
The coloured people here are very different from the other African people encountered in the northern countries. They have in many cases lighter hair end come in all shapes and sizes.
In Southern Africa, the term Coloureds (also known as Bruinmense or Kleurlinge) is an ethnic label for people of mixed ethnic origin who possess ancestry from Europe, Asia, and various Khoisan and Bantu ethnic groups of southern Africa. Not all Coloured people share the same ethnic background. As a result, Coloured people can possess a variety of different features. [3][4] Besides the extensive combining of these diverse heritages in the Western Cape — in which a distinctive Cape Coloured and affiliated Cape Malay culture developed — in other parts of Southern Africa, their development has usually been the result of the meeting of two distinct groups. Genetic studies suggest the group has the highest levels of mixed ancestry in the world. However, the maternal (female) contribution to the Coloured population, measured by mitochondrial DNA studies, was found to come mostly from the Khoisan population. Ref:Wikipedia
As usual the wind died off in the evening.
My back is still giving me a few pains, this is something I need to watch, it is ok whilst riding. Occasionally some Ibuprofen is taken, it is not wanted to allow this to become a habit.
There were almost no animal tracks in the sand so a good nights sleep was assured. I was surprised at the number of vehicles using the road. No others noticed me here.
7/12/2015 Camp Henkries turnoff, N7 to Springbok
D66, T4, Av16.34, max54, 49,978 14,080
Moderate winds and hot
I was up before daylight, and on the road by 0630, no one was about as I pushed the bike back through the sand to the road.
It was lucky I had stopped here as the road now wound through rolling hills some quite long.
There was roadworks at many sections. This was great as they allowed me to ride on the unused half of the road. The countryside is now slightly more vegetated but with few trees. Í arrived in Springbok at 1200.
The main purpose of stopping here was to courier my NZ passport application to Pretoria so as a new one could be collected in Cape Town when I get there.
I booked a room in the Springbok Lodge which was quite expensive but comfortable.
I had filled out all the forms for the renewal in Swakopmund so it was just a matter of ringing Pretoria to check my application was correct. The lodge owner a helpful guy let more use his fax machine.
All was good it would get in the last diplomatic package going to Wellington and iwould receive it in January at Johanns and Colleens house in Cape town who kindly let me have it posted there. I found a courier in Springbok who could get it to Pretoria in two days.
The postage system is not reliable here, so I am told.
I cooked up a great steak and vege dish in the room.
8/12/2015 Springbok to Kamieskop
D71, T5, Av13.74, max46, 50,049 14,151
Moderate winds and hot
This morning I got the documents away with a courier and finally left town about 1200. I also bought a sm card from MTN. Two gig of data for a month cost 160 Rand.
On the way out of town the wind started blowing and I was feeling a little less than motivated.
I stopped at a caravan a couple of km out of town on the left. In here they were less than interested in my custom and could not even give me a shady sight. I might add that there were no other guests in the place. So I rode on. In hindsight the kms covered today were a bonus.
The hills continued all afternoon. It was just a matter of just plodding long.
There were more road works. It was well organised with good traffic control. The shoulder was really non existent some trucks passed at very close quarters. I am used to this now and just keep my line and hang on.
I got to Kamieskop and turned off into town. Here I bought two icy cold cokes from the general store.
It is great to be able to buy coke in glass again, it tastes so much better. Namibia only had cans and plastic. Needless to say little coke was drunk there.
In town I rode up to a small unmaned caravan park. In here my front tyre was repaired. Sometimes riding on the firm dirt shoulder on the way here, a piece of wire or thorn must have caused the problem.
This was repaired in the caravan park, which really was just a dirt area inside a fence with a small ablution building and a few taps.
One thing there was here was thousands of vicious ants all over the ground. They soon latched onto my feet and would not leave me alone. Their bites were quite painful. Cream was applied which kept them at bay for awhile. I was committed to changing the tyre.
I left here as no one turned up and went next door to the police station where they kindly let me camp there behind the offices. It was agreat spot out of the wind, on concrete with water close by. A great pasta was prepared. It was easy to fall asleep feeling totally safe. However I locked the bike as I always do. It makes me sleep better!!. I will not book a hotel room unless I can put the bike in the room, for the same reason.
9/12/2015 Kamieskop to Rubbish camp, N7
D88, T5.6, Av14.88, max48, 50,138 14,239
Moderate winds and hot
As expected a great nights sleep was enjoyed. I did use the internet very early in the morning it seems to the only time that it has any speed.
I was on the road by 0730.
Again it was more hills, infact hill after hill. I got to Garies and stopped here at the supermarket for two hours and ate a can of peaches, some chicken and just rested. Leaving here a stop was made at the health clinic to get some Ibuprofen.
I got water in the town, though locals said it tasted bad and they only used it for cooking. Some was taken anyway.
The road was more of the same. All this country now is ablaze with wild flowers in august through to October. There is quite a variety of vegetation. There were some great new rest areas along the road. A stop was made at two of these to get some shade and have a bite to eat. My bread and crunchy peanut butter is a saviour. Sardines as usual are eaten. I had a pear with me also.
The hills had slowly drained me all day. Near 1700, I started looking for water and a camp. A concrete water tank was seen off the road. Here I topped up all my bottles and bladder. The water was quite salty, with my thirst it did not matter.
Some guys were driving out of the property on a track. I wandered over to see them. Asking if I could camp in an old quarry across the paddock they said they to were trespassing but said the owner probably would not care. That was enough fro me I was finished for the day.
Iwheeled the bike over to the dug out area. Here a sleep was enjoyed for an hour in a shady area.
I sleep on the shawl cloth I bought in Zambia that is also layed out to put my kitchen items on when camping. It is very light and handy.
As the sun went down, I moved the bike over to a better area out of sight of the road. In this hollow was a dump of old steel and aluminium rip top cans. They must have been 40 years old or more. It bought back memories of drinking from these.
The water was so bad, I started feeling a bit off. It was decided just to have baked beans for dinner. No water needed!
I was in the tent early. It was a nice cool night to be in the sleeping bag.
10/12/2015 Rubbish camp, N7 to Nuwerus, Hardeveld lodge
D43, T2.6, Av14.33, max41, 50,180 14,282
Calm and mild
On waking, a dew was covering everything, the tent was quite wet on the outside. I t has been a long time since this has been experienced.
My two coffees hid the salty water flavour a little but it still could be tasted. I moved the bike out of the hollow without the gear on it. My back was still a little sore. It needed to be rested. Ever since pushing on the D707 it has been noticeable.
Out on the road, about 10km on some guys were parked in a rest area. They were from a copper mine nearby. They kindly gave me some decent water. It was so nice to have a good large drink of this.
The road had now levelled out a little and a good shoulder was present. Soon I arrived at Bitterfontein. Here some drinks and food were enjoyed at the gas station. A young guy on a BMW 850 bike pulled in. He said he had dropped his 200 odd kg machine 4 times in sandy back roads near the coast.
I was going to travel some of these roads but pleased now itvwas decided not to. The dirt roads here in Namibia are quite different from those in Namibia.
It was another 20km to Nuwerus. Patrick and Rachel had said the owners of the Hardeveld lodge really liked having cyclists stay. Even though it was early I pulled in to enquire. They were the nicest people. kobus and his wife Fay were so accommodating. I put my tent up under a garage awning. They had a dining room and a great lounge full of interesting books bout Africa and adventure stories. It was one of those places where I felt totally at ease and things did not have to be packed up all the time.
They were keen gardeners, there was an apricot tree full of the sweetest ripe fruit, they said help myself, they were so nice.
I decided to stop here for a couple of days just to rest up and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere here. There was also a small swimming pool.
The internet even worked with some speed.
10-13/12/2015 Nuwerus, Hardeveld lodge Strandfontein Municipal Camp Ground
D85, 50,265 14,367
Sou westers
Before leaving here this morning, I said to Kobus that it would be great to come back should reasonable accommodation not be found in Lamberts Bay.
I took a full load of the sweet rainwater from the tank. The gravel began about 1km from town.
The road was easy riding, though there were some soft patches, in one of these I nearly came off.
At the intersection with the tar, my rear tyre was found to be going down so a repair was made here.
There were little road runner tortoises on the road in quite a few places. I stopped to take them off the road. Some ore trucks were using the road, these little tortoises had no chance.
Another flat tyre was repaired just outside Lutzville, again burs were the cause. Once in Lutzville, a stop was made at the Engen gas station. Here a few pies and drinks were enjoyed. There were coloured children outside the shop who were very annoying asking for money all the time. I said to the guy behind the counter to tell them to leave me alone. He said they were on drugs and alcohol. It was a sad situation.
On leaving some 3km out of town, low and behold my rear tyre was flat again. Luckily I had bought lots of this brand of patches called Tip Top in Windhoek.
They are a German patch and adhere perfectly to the tube.
The road from Lutzville was dead straight and climbed very slowly. By now the afternoon wind had picked up and was head on. The landscape was featureless.
There were absolutely no opportunities for camping. It was quite difficult cycling into the relentless wind. Then surprisingly the coast came into view. A small town could be seen in the distance.
I got here to a tidy line of Chilean date palms leading into the town.
It was the holiday village of Strandfontein. It was easy to see it was a holiday area for white South Africans. The housing was modern and the town very tidy.
Once in the bayside community I went to the municipal campground and spoke to some campers. I stopped and chatted with them and enjoyed a beer. They told me to go down to the foreshore camp area.
Here a vacant site was found. The people next door said it was fine to camp there.
The campground was so much like NZ campgrounds in summer. People were settled in for xmas with children in groups and everyone in a very relaxed holiday state.
The big difference was that many of the sites had shade cloth fences around them for privacy. The South Africans love their camping and have everything that open and shuts at their campsites. I feel they are even better equipped than Aussies. The camper trailers and off road set ups here are so well designed.
It was the kind of campsite where people had friends here who they saw once a year and enjoyed it immensely.
The woman next door said I could use their ablution room, so a great shower was enjoyed.
I cooked up a great pasta, that a few people mentioned they could smell.
The campsite overlooked a beautiful bay with blue water. There was only one or two people in the water.
The ocean here is very cold due to the Benguela current, this northward flowing current carries very cold upwelled water from 200-300m depths in the Atlantic ocean along the west coast of South Africa. This current plays a huge role in all the weather and landscape in the west of South Africa and Namibia.
The evening air was even quite cool but very comfortable compared to the hot airs just close by at Nuwerus.
14/12/2015 Strandefontein to Lamberts Bay
D51, T3.2, Av14.51, max37, 50,316 14,333
Sou westers
I had the usual breakfast, though before getting out of the tent, a man whom I had briefly met last night from the other camp next door came over to say hi. Napoleon had a 2010 bottle of Cab Sav as a gift. This was very kind of him.
Once I was up we had a chat. I told him I was looking for a flat or some similar accommodation in Lamberts Bay till after the new year.
He gave me the number of his son in laws father in Lamberts Bay.
The road from here took me to Dorinbaai, here was a winery right on the rocks at the waters edge. This is apparently the closest winery in the world to the ocean, I would believe it, any closer and it would be in the water.
Before getting here, a small wounded antelope limped from the bushes on the roadside. It was a beautiful little animal with huge ears for collecting sound.
It went a short distance and stopped. Sadly, it would son become Jackal food. Even sadder is that these animals mate for life. It was a Red Duiker.
The coast here is lined with kelp along the shores.
From here, the road took me along the gravel road that followed the rail track. It is closed to public cars.
This was great riding along here with very few vehicles. A huge train passed, it must have been 3km long and had empty wagons. It was used for hauling iron ore and was an electric system.
As usual, the sou westers impeded movement somewhat. The good thing about them they are always cool coming off the Atlantic that is so cold due to the Benguela current.
On arrival in Lamberts Bay, a visit was made to the information office. Here, I asked after accommodation that was not really holiday lodging. Sheena the girl there was really helpful. She phoned around and found an elderly lady that had aself contained flat at the back of her house. Sheen guided me there. It was perfect, nice and quiet, fully self contained and ony 15 minutes walk from the Spar supermarket and the beach.
It was unreal to have my own little place and carry on like most other people do around a house. Especially cooking some different food.
15/12/2015-5/1/2016 Lamberts Bay
Fine days, windy afternoons and calm mornings
Up to 30°C, cool comfortable evenings
It was great to know that I could rest up here without a worry in the world for a few weeks. When travelling like this, easter and xmas always pose problems finding reasonable safe accommodation.
The town is a seaside resort with a permanent population. There are lovely beaches here and surfers ride a wave known as Yoyos my side of town.
After being here a couple of days, Napoleon rang up to see if I would like to spend a couple of days with him on the vineyard.
This was a great way to fill in a few days. I hitched over. We had a fun and interesting time together. He showed me through the winery and the wine making process. The evening was spent drinking his wine and eating goat off the braai.
I hitched back over without problems. It is about 60km to Vredendal. A visit to the dentist was also made.
There is a large crayfish fishery here. I enjoy being on the water, so wandered down to the docks to see if I could go out with one of the boats.
They safety officer said it was no problems.
On the Sunday at 1200, we headed down to Elands Bay to set the traps off the headland. There was a crew of five guys plus the skipper. It was great to be on the water.
We got in about 1700, it was arranged for me to be back on the docks at 0200 in the morning. I was here then and we headed out to lift the 48 traps. The place was thick with crayfish, all our traps had dozens in them. However, most were small and thrown back.
We ended up getting 600kg. On the way home, we cooked up a few fish and had a great nosh up of crayfish. We were back in the harbour by 0900.
Ens, the skipper said he could take me down to Cape Town, there were some things I needed to do.
It was a four hour trip in his small ute.
He kindly took me to the airport where I wanted to find the exact cost of putting a bike on a flight to Istanbul.
Turkish Airlines turned out to be the most cost effective. Ben and Cal had to dump gear at Joburg airport because of the ridiculous excess baggage fees charged by Emirates.
A direct flight with Turkish Airlines was booked.
Back in the city, I bought a new camera, my old one has seen better days. It was bought over a year ago in Uruguay and used lmost every day since. So it has done well.
I gave the old one to Cara, Uris daughter. She has been using it relentlessly. This is great as it is worth nothing to sell.
After much research, a Canon G7X was bought. I t has a good sized sensor, a better zoom than its competitors and is still small enough to put in my pocket.
I also needed new thongs. These were bought down at Victoria wharf. Without promoting brands, the plain Crocs have lasted a year walking on some rough surfaces here in Africa and South America. The same style were bought. I also bought some lightweight leather Skechers that can be used cycling and worn-out.
My runners to were nearly worn-out. These were bought in La Paz a long time ago.
I stayed a couple of nights at the Cape Town backpackers.
A bus was caught back to Clan William and then I hitched back to Lamberts Bay.
The ride in the bukkie from Clan William was hair raisng. The driver had three of us in the covered tray area. He was doing between 160 and 170km/hour.
I dare not look at the road. Though, the small glimpse I had saw straight roads and few cars. This eased my thoughts somewhat. After 40km, I was pleased to get out. A family picked me up from here and delivered me to the door at a much more respectable speed.
The next day Napoleon rang up to see if I would like to spend Xmas day with his family at Strandfontein in the campground. This was so kind of Annalise and him.
Their son in law Uri, was an arborist from the UK. I was looking forward to meeting him.
On Christmas eve about 1200, I headed off with some beer, a load of fresh corn, some wine and a few gifts.
It was nice to be riding with a tail wind for a change.
It took less than three hours to ride along the rail road.
Once over there I set my tent up on their site.
Two days were spent here with everyone. Christmas day was such a great time. Annalise and Omar cooked up such a lovely meal for everyone. Lots of great meats and salads.
It was such an enjoyable day. That afternoon Uri and I walked down to Oliphant River. It was a long walk along the beach north.
We walked along behind the dunes on the way back. It was an 8-10km stroll. It certainly burnt off all our feasting. A couple gave us a lift for the last two kilometres.
The next day I rode back to Lamberts. It had been just like a family xmas at home, such was the hospitality shown to me by Napoleon and everyone.
It was a leisurely ride back to Lamberts, I got a lift for the last 10km.
I took some brandy down to Ems on the James Archer. He was going to sea again on the Tuesday to pick up the traps.
I was down at the docks at 0200, there was quite a swell running. The catch was not so good but it was good way to fill in the day.
I was totally worn out when I got home and slept most of the day.
On the Wednesday before the new year we all had lunch at Isabellas on the water at the docks.. Napoleon had his combi micro bus out it was great cruising around town in this.
It was like we were out from a retirement village for an tour.
It was a long enjoyable seafood lunch. The company of Napoleon, Annalise, Uri, Deone Sean and Anilda with Omar has made my time here so enjoyable and kept any boredom away.
New years afternoon was spent on Bird Island looking at the Gannet colony and taking a few pics.
New Years Eve was spent in my little abode. I was very happy just to be here. There was no need to be with other people. I was very content.
The afternoon had been very still and consequently the next morning, new years day was shrouded in the sea fog.
6/12/2015 Amanzi River Camp Henkries turnoff
D75, T6.5, Av11.70, max55, 49,912 14,014
Moderate winds and hot
I got away from the camp about 0800 and said goodbye to Shane, Johann and Colleen had already left for Cape town to have a break before Xmas.
Shane decided to ride the 10km to Noordoewer with me on his mountain bike. He also had a ride on my bike to see what it felt like on a loaded touring bike. He got off to a wobbly start.
We stopped at the basically provisioned store there. Here bread was bought. I still had a good supply of food from Aussenkehr Spar.
We said our goodbyes, I had a lot to thank him for.
A stop was made at the Engen gas station to fill up my fuel bottle. It was then a few km to Namibi immigration where I got stamped out hten across the river to RSA immigration. I got the patrol booth guy to take a pic of me. He was not supposed to but did anyway.
I will never forget my time here in Namibia firstly with Cal and Ben, then with Phil from Belguim.
Our last two weeks in Swakopmund with Rita and Willie was such a great way to finish off our time together.
Then all the farmers and road users who assisted me with places to stay and water along the way will always be remembered.
The desert in Namib desert in Namibia was such a unique place to be on a bicycle. It is so accessible, on minute you are in a town and 3km away you are back in the dryness of the Namib. That it extends all the way to the coast makes it so special. The sight of Oryx on open rocky plantless valleys is a sight to behold, seeing mountain zebra also amongst the barren rocky terrain is also seemingly unreal.
That this desert had terrain other than flatness makes for such interesting landscapes. The evenings were shrouded in stars in numbers only ever seen near Ayers rock in Australia.
My thanks goes to all those people who shared their lives with me whilst in Namibia.
It was no hassle getting through the RSA immigration, though I did make sure they gave me three months here in their country.
Make sure when entering Namibia they give you three months. They only gave me two and Cal and Ben 1 month each. A bit odd but a good way of raising revenue, it cost $AU43for an extension in Luderitz.
It was great to be cruising along a good asphalt road, there was aslow but steady climb out of the Orange valley water shed, This went on all afternoon. The scenery was still best described as desert country. They had new reat areas along the roadside every 20-30km. A stop was made at one to have sardines and some cereal energy drink.
There wasasteady south west wind blowing as usual, it was cooling and was not really a head wind but did slow down progress/.
The fencing was very close to the roads edge so the opportunities for camping were limited as there was also little vegetation other than shrubs.
Once nearly out of water I stopped at another rest area and walked back to its entrance and waved down a truck with a water bottle in my hand. The second semi pulled in. The driver and I had a good chat, he was on his way from Angola to pick up hake to haul back there.
He had a water tank on the side of the trailer, all my bottles and the bladder were filled.
He also gave me some oranges. These were eaten on the spot, all six of them.
The main road users were the guys hauling grapes from Aussenkehr .
There were a few cars, all were travelling at fast speeds.
At 1800, a turnoff was found. I headed in here and parked the bike to have a look around a dry creek bed not far up the dirt rod.
It was blowing hard. The need to get out of the wind was important, so was the need not to be seen.
A spot just in the lee of an eroded wall of sand was ideal.
Anyway I got spotted by passing car. I wandered over to have a chat with the carful of coloured people as they are called. They were happy for me to camp here.
The coloured people here are very different from the other African people encountered in the northern countries. They have in many cases lighter hair end come in all shapes and sizes.
In Southern Africa, the term Coloureds (also known as Bruinmense or Kleurlinge) is an ethnic label for people of mixed ethnic origin who possess ancestry from Europe, Asia, and various Khoisan and Bantu ethnic groups of southern Africa. Not all Coloured people share the same ethnic background. As a result, Coloured people can possess a variety of different features. [3][4] Besides the extensive combining of these diverse heritages in the Western Cape — in which a distinctive Cape Coloured and affiliated Cape Malay culture developed — in other parts of Southern Africa, their development has usually been the result of the meeting of two distinct groups. Genetic studies suggest the group has the highest levels of mixed ancestry in the world. However, the maternal (female) contribution to the Coloured population, measured by mitochondrial DNA studies, was found to come mostly from the Khoisan population. Ref:Wikipedia
As usual the wind died off in the evening.
My back is still giving me a few pains, this is something I need to watch, it is ok whilst riding. Occasionally some Ibuprofen is taken, it is not wanted to allow this to become a habit.
There were almost no animal tracks in the sand so a good nights sleep was assured. I was surprised at the number of vehicles using the road. No others noticed me here.
7/12/2015 Camp Henkries turnoff, N7 to Springbok
D66, T4, Av16.34, max54, 49,978 14,080
Moderate winds and hot
I was up before daylight, and on the road by 0630, no one was about as I pushed the bike back through the sand to the road.
It was lucky I had stopped here as the road now wound through rolling hills some quite long.
There was roadworks at many sections. This was great as they allowed me to ride on the unused half of the road. The countryside is now slightly more vegetated but with few trees. Í arrived in Springbok at 1200.
The main purpose of stopping here was to courier my NZ passport application to Pretoria so as a new one could be collected in Cape Town when I get there.
I booked a room in the Springbok Lodge which was quite expensive but comfortable.
I had filled out all the forms for the renewal in Swakopmund so it was just a matter of ringing Pretoria to check my application was correct. The lodge owner a helpful guy let more use his fax machine.
All was good it would get in the last diplomatic package going to Wellington and iwould receive it in January at Johanns and Colleens house in Cape town who kindly let me have it posted there. I found a courier in Springbok who could get it to Pretoria in two days.
The postage system is not reliable here, so I am told.
I cooked up a great steak and vege dish in the room.
8/12/2015 Springbok to Kamieskop
D71, T5, Av13.74, max46, 50,049 14,151
Moderate winds and hot
This morning I got the documents away with a courier and finally left town about 1200. I also bought a sm card from MTN. Two gig of data for a month cost 160 Rand.
On the way out of town the wind started blowing and I was feeling a little less than motivated.
I stopped at a caravan a couple of km out of town on the left. In here they were less than interested in my custom and could not even give me a shady sight. I might add that there were no other guests in the place. So I rode on. In hindsight the kms covered today were a bonus.
The hills continued all afternoon. It was just a matter of just plodding long.
There were more road works. It was well organised with good traffic control. The shoulder was really non existent some trucks passed at very close quarters. I am used to this now and just keep my line and hang on.
I got to Kamieskop and turned off into town. Here I bought two icy cold cokes from the general store.
It is great to be able to buy coke in glass again, it tastes so much better. Namibia only had cans and plastic. Needless to say little coke was drunk there.
In town I rode up to a small unmaned caravan park. In here my front tyre was repaired. Sometimes riding on the firm dirt shoulder on the way here, a piece of wire or thorn must have caused the problem.
This was repaired in the caravan park, which really was just a dirt area inside a fence with a small ablution building and a few taps.
One thing there was here was thousands of vicious ants all over the ground. They soon latched onto my feet and would not leave me alone. Their bites were quite painful. Cream was applied which kept them at bay for awhile. I was committed to changing the tyre.
I left here as no one turned up and went next door to the police station where they kindly let me camp there behind the offices. It was agreat spot out of the wind, on concrete with water close by. A great pasta was prepared. It was easy to fall asleep feeling totally safe. However I locked the bike as I always do. It makes me sleep better!!. I will not book a hotel room unless I can put the bike in the room, for the same reason.
9/12/2015 Kamieskop to Rubbish camp, N7
D88, T5.6, Av14.88, max48, 50,138 14,239
Moderate winds and hot
As expected a great nights sleep was enjoyed. I did use the internet very early in the morning it seems to the only time that it has any speed.
I was on the road by 0730.
Again it was more hills, infact hill after hill. I got to Garies and stopped here at the supermarket for two hours and ate a can of peaches, some chicken and just rested. Leaving here a stop was made at the health clinic to get some Ibuprofen.
I got water in the town, though locals said it tasted bad and they only used it for cooking. Some was taken anyway.
The road was more of the same. All this country now is ablaze with wild flowers in august through to October. There is quite a variety of vegetation. There were some great new rest areas along the road. A stop was made at two of these to get some shade and have a bite to eat. My bread and crunchy peanut butter is a saviour. Sardines as usual are eaten. I had a pear with me also.
The hills had slowly drained me all day. Near 1700, I started looking for water and a camp. A concrete water tank was seen off the road. Here I topped up all my bottles and bladder. The water was quite salty, with my thirst it did not matter.
Some guys were driving out of the property on a track. I wandered over to see them. Asking if I could camp in an old quarry across the paddock they said they to were trespassing but said the owner probably would not care. That was enough fro me I was finished for the day.
Iwheeled the bike over to the dug out area. Here a sleep was enjoyed for an hour in a shady area.
I sleep on the shawl cloth I bought in Zambia that is also layed out to put my kitchen items on when camping. It is very light and handy.
As the sun went down, I moved the bike over to a better area out of sight of the road. In this hollow was a dump of old steel and aluminium rip top cans. They must have been 40 years old or more. It bought back memories of drinking from these.
The water was so bad, I started feeling a bit off. It was decided just to have baked beans for dinner. No water needed!
I was in the tent early. It was a nice cool night to be in the sleeping bag.
10/12/2015 Rubbish camp, N7 to Nuwerus, Hardeveld lodge
D43, T2.6, Av14.33, max41, 50,180 14,282
Calm and mild
On waking, a dew was covering everything, the tent was quite wet on the outside. I t has been a long time since this has been experienced.
My two coffees hid the salty water flavour a little but it still could be tasted. I moved the bike out of the hollow without the gear on it. My back was still a little sore. It needed to be rested. Ever since pushing on the D707 it has been noticeable.
Out on the road, about 10km on some guys were parked in a rest area. They were from a copper mine nearby. They kindly gave me some decent water. It was so nice to have a good large drink of this.
The road had now levelled out a little and a good shoulder was present. Soon I arrived at Bitterfontein. Here some drinks and food were enjoyed at the gas station. A young guy on a BMW 850 bike pulled in. He said he had dropped his 200 odd kg machine 4 times in sandy back roads near the coast.
I was going to travel some of these roads but pleased now itvwas decided not to. The dirt roads here in Namibia are quite different from those in Namibia.
It was another 20km to Nuwerus. Patrick and Rachel had said the owners of the Hardeveld lodge really liked having cyclists stay. Even though it was early I pulled in to enquire. They were the nicest people. kobus and his wife Fay were so accommodating. I put my tent up under a garage awning. They had a dining room and a great lounge full of interesting books bout Africa and adventure stories. It was one of those places where I felt totally at ease and things did not have to be packed up all the time.
They were keen gardeners, there was an apricot tree full of the sweetest ripe fruit, they said help myself, they were so nice.
I decided to stop here for a couple of days just to rest up and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere here. There was also a small swimming pool.
The internet even worked with some speed.
10-13/12/2015 Nuwerus, Hardeveld lodge Strandfontein Municipal Camp Ground
D85, 50,265 14,367
Sou westers
Before leaving here this morning, I said to Kobus that it would be great to come back should reasonable accommodation not be found in Lamberts Bay.
I took a full load of the sweet rainwater from the tank. The gravel began about 1km from town.
The road was easy riding, though there were some soft patches, in one of these I nearly came off.
At the intersection with the tar, my rear tyre was found to be going down so a repair was made here.
There were little road runner tortoises on the road in quite a few places. I stopped to take them off the road. Some ore trucks were using the road, these little tortoises had no chance.
Another flat tyre was repaired just outside Lutzville, again burs were the cause. Once in Lutzville, a stop was made at the Engen gas station. Here a few pies and drinks were enjoyed. There were coloured children outside the shop who were very annoying asking for money all the time. I said to the guy behind the counter to tell them to leave me alone. He said they were on drugs and alcohol. It was a sad situation.
On leaving some 3km out of town, low and behold my rear tyre was flat again. Luckily I had bought lots of this brand of patches called Tip Top in Windhoek.
They are a German patch and adhere perfectly to the tube.
The road from Lutzville was dead straight and climbed very slowly. By now the afternoon wind had picked up and was head on. The landscape was featureless.
There were absolutely no opportunities for camping. It was quite difficult cycling into the relentless wind. Then surprisingly the coast came into view. A small town could be seen in the distance.
I got here to a tidy line of Chilean date palms leading into the town.
It was the holiday village of Strandfontein. It was easy to see it was a holiday area for white South Africans. The housing was modern and the town very tidy.
Once in the bayside community I went to the municipal campground and spoke to some campers. I stopped and chatted with them and enjoyed a beer. They told me to go down to the foreshore camp area.
Here a vacant site was found. The people next door said it was fine to camp there.
The campground was so much like NZ campgrounds in summer. People were settled in for xmas with children in groups and everyone in a very relaxed holiday state.
The big difference was that many of the sites had shade cloth fences around them for privacy. The South Africans love their camping and have everything that open and shuts at their campsites. I feel they are even better equipped than Aussies. The camper trailers and off road set ups here are so well designed.
It was the kind of campsite where people had friends here who they saw once a year and enjoyed it immensely.
The woman next door said I could use their ablution room, so a great shower was enjoyed.
I cooked up a great pasta, that a few people mentioned they could smell.
The campsite overlooked a beautiful bay with blue water. There was only one or two people in the water.
The ocean here is very cold due to the Benguela current, this northward flowing current carries very cold upwelled water from 200-300m depths in the Atlantic ocean along the west coast of South Africa. This current plays a huge role in all the weather and landscape in the west of South Africa and Namibia.
The evening air was even quite cool but very comfortable compared to the hot airs just close by at Nuwerus.
14/12/2015 Strandefontein to Lamberts Bay
D51, T3.2, Av14.51, max37, 50,316 14,333
Sou westers
I had the usual breakfast, though before getting out of the tent, a man whom I had briefly met last night from the other camp next door came over to say hi. Napoleon had a 2010 bottle of Cab Sav as a gift. This was very kind of him.
Once I was up we had a chat. I told him I was looking for a flat or some similar accommodation in Lamberts Bay till after the new year.
He gave me the number of his son in laws father in Lamberts Bay.
The road from here took me to Dorinbaai, here was a winery right on the rocks at the waters edge. This is apparently the closest winery in the world to the ocean, I would believe it, any closer and it would be in the water.
Before getting here, a small wounded antelope limped from the bushes on the roadside. It was a beautiful little animal with huge ears for collecting sound.
It went a short distance and stopped. Sadly, it would son become Jackal food. Even sadder is that these animals mate for life. It was a Red Duiker.
The coast here is lined with kelp along the shores.
From here, the road took me along the gravel road that followed the rail track. It is closed to public cars.
This was great riding along here with very few vehicles. A huge train passed, it must have been 3km long and had empty wagons. It was used for hauling iron ore and was an electric system.
As usual, the sou westers impeded movement somewhat. The good thing about them they are always cool coming off the Atlantic that is so cold due to the Benguela current.
On arrival in Lamberts Bay, a visit was made to the information office. Here, I asked after accommodation that was not really holiday lodging. Sheena the girl there was really helpful. She phoned around and found an elderly lady that had aself contained flat at the back of her house. Sheen guided me there. It was perfect, nice and quiet, fully self contained and ony 15 minutes walk from the Spar supermarket and the beach.
It was unreal to have my own little place and carry on like most other people do around a house. Especially cooking some different food.
15/12/2015-5/1/2016 Lamberts Bay
Fine days, windy afternoons and calm mornings
Up to 30°C, cool comfortable evenings
It was great to know that I could rest up here without a worry in the world for a few weeks. When travelling like this, easter and xmas always pose problems finding reasonable safe accommodation.
The town is a seaside resort with a permanent population. There are lovely beaches here and surfers ride a wave known as Yoyos my side of town.
After being here a couple of days, Napoleon rang up to see if I would like to spend a couple of days with him on the vineyard.
This was a great way to fill in a few days. I hitched over. We had a fun and interesting time together. He showed me through the winery and the wine making process. The evening was spent drinking his wine and eating goat off the braai.
I hitched back over without problems. It is about 60km to Vredendal. A visit to the dentist was also made.
There is a large crayfish fishery here. I enjoy being on the water, so wandered down to the docks to see if I could go out with one of the boats.
They safety officer said it was no problems.
On the Sunday at 1200, we headed down to Elands Bay to set the traps off the headland. There was a crew of five guys plus the skipper. It was great to be on the water.
We got in about 1700, it was arranged for me to be back on the docks at 0200 in the morning. I was here then and we headed out to lift the 48 traps. The place was thick with crayfish, all our traps had dozens in them. However, most were small and thrown back.
We ended up getting 600kg. On the way home, we cooked up a few fish and had a great nosh up of crayfish. We were back in the harbour by 0900.
Ens, the skipper said he could take me down to Cape Town, there were some things I needed to do.
It was a four hour trip in his small ute.
He kindly took me to the airport where I wanted to find the exact cost of putting a bike on a flight to Istanbul.
Turkish Airlines turned out to be the most cost effective. Ben and Cal had to dump gear at Joburg airport because of the ridiculous excess baggage fees charged by Emirates.
A direct flight with Turkish Airlines was booked.
Back in the city, I bought a new camera, my old one has seen better days. It was bought over a year ago in Uruguay and used lmost every day since. So it has done well.
I gave the old one to Cara, Uris daughter. She has been using it relentlessly. This is great as it is worth nothing to sell.
After much research, a Canon G7X was bought. I t has a good sized sensor, a better zoom than its competitors and is still small enough to put in my pocket.
I also needed new thongs. These were bought down at Victoria wharf. Without promoting brands, the plain Crocs have lasted a year walking on some rough surfaces here in Africa and South America. The same style were bought. I also bought some lightweight leather Skechers that can be used cycling and worn-out.
My runners to were nearly worn-out. These were bought in La Paz a long time ago.
I stayed a couple of nights at the Cape Town backpackers.
A bus was caught back to Clan William and then I hitched back to Lamberts Bay.
The ride in the bukkie from Clan William was hair raisng. The driver had three of us in the covered tray area. He was doing between 160 and 170km/hour.
I dare not look at the road. Though, the small glimpse I had saw straight roads and few cars. This eased my thoughts somewhat. After 40km, I was pleased to get out. A family picked me up from here and delivered me to the door at a much more respectable speed.
The next day Napoleon rang up to see if I would like to spend Xmas day with his family at Strandfontein in the campground. This was so kind of Annalise and him.
Their son in law Uri, was an arborist from the UK. I was looking forward to meeting him.
On Christmas eve about 1200, I headed off with some beer, a load of fresh corn, some wine and a few gifts.
It was nice to be riding with a tail wind for a change.
It took less than three hours to ride along the rail road.
Once over there I set my tent up on their site.
Two days were spent here with everyone. Christmas day was such a great time. Annalise and Omar cooked up such a lovely meal for everyone. Lots of great meats and salads.
It was such an enjoyable day. That afternoon Uri and I walked down to Oliphant River. It was a long walk along the beach north.
We walked along behind the dunes on the way back. It was an 8-10km stroll. It certainly burnt off all our feasting. A couple gave us a lift for the last two kilometres.
The next day I rode back to Lamberts. It had been just like a family xmas at home, such was the hospitality shown to me by Napoleon and everyone.
It was a leisurely ride back to Lamberts, I got a lift for the last 10km.
I took some brandy down to Ems on the James Archer. He was going to sea again on the Tuesday to pick up the traps.
I was down at the docks at 0200, there was quite a swell running. The catch was not so good but it was good way to fill in the day.
I was totally worn out when I got home and slept most of the day.
On the Wednesday before the new year we all had lunch at Isabellas on the water at the docks.. Napoleon had his combi micro bus out it was great cruising around town in this.
It was like we were out from a retirement village for an tour.
It was a long enjoyable seafood lunch. The company of Napoleon, Annalise, Uri, Deone Sean and Anilda with Omar has made my time here so enjoyable and kept any boredom away.
New years afternoon was spent on Bird Island looking at the Gannet colony and taking a few pics.
New Years Eve was spent in my little abode. I was very happy just to be here. There was no need to be with other people. I was very content.
The afternoon had been very still and consequently the next morning, new years day was shrouded in the sea fog.
Typical terrain once out of the Orange River valley
Third night SA, campsites are not always as desired. The road to Springbok offered few secluded sites.
At Kobus lodge, Nuwerus, a must stop for cyclists. Between the birds, fruit fly and myself, the race to eat the most of these to die for Apricots was won by myself!!
Strandfontein from Napoleons camp
South Africans love their camping, here a brilliant foot friendly tent peg design used almost exclusively.
Vredendahl is a wine producing area, a bottle of Napoleons brew he kindly gave to me. Stranfontein
home cooked!! I was looking forward to a few weeks of my own cooking and even a bit of house work in my little flat in Lamberts Bay
Busy tortoises at Napoleons place
Really interesting that a Kudu can look up through the tunnel in his symmetrical antlers and see the white tip of the antler so he can direct it during sparring.
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This lovely little Red Diuker had been hit by a cayr and hobbled out of the roadside bushes. Sadly they mate for life. A Jackal will end his misery at some point. So many animals that get hit by cars just make it off the road and die in the grasses along side. These fate is revealed by the roadside smells as I travel.
The iron ore train on the way to Saldanha
My little mate at Lamberts Bay
Napoleon and I had a great day just mucking bout at his winery.
Napoleons Boerbull, incredibly powerful dogs, me a bit hungover from a late night and good wine at Napoleons place
Heading down to Napoleons and Analises for Xmas day. My panniers were loaded with fresh corn some wine and a few gifts. Dooringbaai
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setting the pots off Elands Bay.
Talented fishermen. Onboard entertainment for the passage back to port at Lamberts Bay.
very early morning off Elands Bay with the cray fleet.
Xmas day at Strandfontein with Napoleon and Analise and their family. Such an enjoyable time in great company.
my campsite over xmas at Strandfontein.
The Benguela current casting its spell on a calm Lamberts Bay morning
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Yuri, with his new pooper scooper. No this is what is used to move coals around the braai.
It was great to have my own kitchen for a time.
Yoyos , Lamberts Bay.
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Some 560kg of crayfish landed and back at port.
I'm happy with my new Canon G7X camera. These compacts usually last about a year and a half due to constant vibration and dirt particles causing problems.
view from my kitchen window, Lamberts bay. The iron ore train would cross the bridge in the background 3 times a day. it was maybe 2-3 km long.
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Gannet colony, aptly named,Bird Island Lamberts Bay
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Marine vacuum cleaners, part of the diamond fleet, Lamberts Bay
northern beach, Lamberts Bay. The water due to the Benguela Current was freezing. About 10-12 degrees.
Lamberts Bay new years day.
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Elands Bay, old fish processing facilities
Bruno and Annick, good company for two days.
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Second to last day on the road after a year out from Cairo.
