ALLAWYN
Pack Dog
I don't want to hijack Ross Ridle's thread but in line with the conversation on his topic, the following happened to me in Lesotho while spectating the Roof.
It also gives me an opportunity to thank those who assisted me.
I was riding on the new tar between Roma and Ramabantla on the Thursday, around 14H00. Going over a hill looking ahead quite far, as the road opened up, I took in the surroundings as all of us would riding in rural Africa.
No villages, no stray animals, people or any threats next to the road. To my right an embankment with a deep furrow what will become a culvert as the road was recently tarred.
On my left 3 terraces with fresh uncompact gravel that leads to an abyss.
In front of me 2 taxis, one traveling in the same direction, the other one in the opposite direction, towards me. A quick subconscious calculation made me realise that with the speed all three vehicles were traveling, including me, I will pass both taxis, without adjusting my speed with room/distance to spare.
Then it happened........ both taxis stopped in the road and started chatting to one another. As mentioned before, no options of the road on the left or right.
SOOOOOO emergency braking only thing to do. I hit the taxi(at the reduced speed) on its left corner brake/back light, sideways as my bike's back wheel while locking up started to slide to the right. I took the impact with my right shoulder and then I became airborne and fell on my left shoulder with an already broken collarbone which is supported by a metal plate.
To cut this long story short, I was extremely DEMOER in, pardon my French, and stayed like that for a long time, even after I got arrested and it became clear that I was going to spend the night in jail in order to defend myself in court the next day. Apparently there are no laws in Lesotho that says two taxis cannot stop in the middle of the road, blocking it completely. Remember, it happened in open country, no buildings, houses or villages. But the law says, apparently that I am not allowed to crash into them while blocking the road!!!!!!!!!
After SGB talked some sense into me I paid the taxi driver an amount that satisfied him, the only depraved, damaged bearing party, according to Lesotho's laws.
I was subsequently released, later that evening.
Moral of this long story, have all your papers, licences, bike licences in order, like the normal person should have. By saying expect the unexpected is really an understatement, I am 52 years old, have travelled Africa extensively, on bike and by 4 X 4, I live in Tzaneen, I travel through Nkowankowa every day of my life, twice. I have never experienced anything like above mentioned, two taxis traveling at normal speed and stopping dead in the road, to chat, is or was not in my frame of reference, so to speak.
You will be in a foreign Africa country ALWAYS be the guilty party.
I will never, definitely in Lesotho, travel faster than the national speed limit, being 50km, on those glorious new tar roads. SGB said, travel the back roads, absolutely yes, only tar if necessary and not faster than 50.
I will go back to Lesotho next year, and the years after, spectating or if my shoulder recovers soon enough as a competitor.
Thanks to Frank who witnessed the whole sad episode (Tiffie on the forum) and Leonard from EXR CONTRUCKTION. The company that is building that road.
They stood by me until I was eventually released by the Police, and assisted me with their local knowledge of the Police and other important matters.
RAD MOTO, Dave Griffith by name, as the big boss he took out his spanners, assisted by Shaun Jubber from the spares department and put my biker together again, working more than five hours to get it on the road!!!!! I am still riding it in the same condition; actually I received the new parts by courier today, thanks Shaun!!!
SGB for talking sense into my thick skull, and preventing me getting another new Africa experience, (sleeping in a cell in Roma). Izak Duvenhage, Gert Bekker, HP Freak and other friends, for being my friend and saw to it that I was capable of enjoying the rest of the weekend.
Like someone said before, all’s well that ends well, see you in Lesotho next year!!!!
It also gives me an opportunity to thank those who assisted me.
I was riding on the new tar between Roma and Ramabantla on the Thursday, around 14H00. Going over a hill looking ahead quite far, as the road opened up, I took in the surroundings as all of us would riding in rural Africa.
No villages, no stray animals, people or any threats next to the road. To my right an embankment with a deep furrow what will become a culvert as the road was recently tarred.
On my left 3 terraces with fresh uncompact gravel that leads to an abyss.
In front of me 2 taxis, one traveling in the same direction, the other one in the opposite direction, towards me. A quick subconscious calculation made me realise that with the speed all three vehicles were traveling, including me, I will pass both taxis, without adjusting my speed with room/distance to spare.
Then it happened........ both taxis stopped in the road and started chatting to one another. As mentioned before, no options of the road on the left or right.
SOOOOOO emergency braking only thing to do. I hit the taxi(at the reduced speed) on its left corner brake/back light, sideways as my bike's back wheel while locking up started to slide to the right. I took the impact with my right shoulder and then I became airborne and fell on my left shoulder with an already broken collarbone which is supported by a metal plate.
To cut this long story short, I was extremely DEMOER in, pardon my French, and stayed like that for a long time, even after I got arrested and it became clear that I was going to spend the night in jail in order to defend myself in court the next day. Apparently there are no laws in Lesotho that says two taxis cannot stop in the middle of the road, blocking it completely. Remember, it happened in open country, no buildings, houses or villages. But the law says, apparently that I am not allowed to crash into them while blocking the road!!!!!!!!!
After SGB talked some sense into me I paid the taxi driver an amount that satisfied him, the only depraved, damaged bearing party, according to Lesotho's laws.
I was subsequently released, later that evening.
Moral of this long story, have all your papers, licences, bike licences in order, like the normal person should have. By saying expect the unexpected is really an understatement, I am 52 years old, have travelled Africa extensively, on bike and by 4 X 4, I live in Tzaneen, I travel through Nkowankowa every day of my life, twice. I have never experienced anything like above mentioned, two taxis traveling at normal speed and stopping dead in the road, to chat, is or was not in my frame of reference, so to speak.
You will be in a foreign Africa country ALWAYS be the guilty party.
I will never, definitely in Lesotho, travel faster than the national speed limit, being 50km, on those glorious new tar roads. SGB said, travel the back roads, absolutely yes, only tar if necessary and not faster than 50.
I will go back to Lesotho next year, and the years after, spectating or if my shoulder recovers soon enough as a competitor.
Thanks to Frank who witnessed the whole sad episode (Tiffie on the forum) and Leonard from EXR CONTRUCKTION. The company that is building that road.
They stood by me until I was eventually released by the Police, and assisted me with their local knowledge of the Police and other important matters.
RAD MOTO, Dave Griffith by name, as the big boss he took out his spanners, assisted by Shaun Jubber from the spares department and put my biker together again, working more than five hours to get it on the road!!!!! I am still riding it in the same condition; actually I received the new parts by courier today, thanks Shaun!!!
SGB for talking sense into my thick skull, and preventing me getting another new Africa experience, (sleeping in a cell in Roma). Izak Duvenhage, Gert Bekker, HP Freak and other friends, for being my friend and saw to it that I was capable of enjoying the rest of the weekend.
Like someone said before, all’s well that ends well, see you in Lesotho next year!!!!
