krazy-eyes
Race Dog
we left here on saturday afternoon, about 30 minutes past 12. the plan was to get across the border before night fall.
a quick gaze at the map will indicate that we intended to go through at maartins drift, head up to and over the makgadigadi pans, go west and back down. but in reality we ended up continuing north all the way to kasane, camping alongside the spectacular chobe river. then back down via nata and francistown.
leaving my house:
the waterberg north of thabazimbi:
me and nikki:
crossing the limpopo (sorry for the blur):
the 1st night:
the groundsheet proved invaluable for packing the gear everyday. no matter how dusty/sandy/muddy, your stuff stays clean:
the second night was spent at khama rhino sanctuary. expensive as hell, and they dont allow you further than the campsites if on a bike. but you have to get to the campsite 1st, and by then you dont care anymore...
nikki feeding the squirrels and hornbills...well, trying anyway. these campsites are truly amazing, and despite paying almost R200 for us to spend the night, i can highly reccomend it:
sky shot:
setting off towards the gate of the reserve along 2km of dreaded sand:
pumping the wheels after deflating them the previous day. this guy was kind enuf to lend his pump and elbow grease. it went quick though:
deflating again at letlhlakane for the 130 km we were to travel across the pans to khubu island, and up to gweta:
nikki enjoying an icecream for old times sake:
nikki posing in the shade. it must have been 35 degrees celcius at this point:
sand, sand, glorious thick sand, lucky for nikki, she landed on top of me - nice and soft, especially around the waist area:
finally, after tumbling off a couple of times in the 15km of intermittend sand, we got to the hard-pack of the pans. what a sight; 130km of nothing...:
we met some people being guided across the pans in their own vehicles. they simply could not believe that we could fit everything onto a bike for two people for 10 days. they thought we were "hardcore", but i wouldnt have it any other way:
the most awesome roads. these roads are fringed with golden-white grass. the two tracks are made up of a hard surface sprinkled with white sand - simply a pleasure on two wheels. at times i imagined myself to be alfie on the dakar:
on top of things:
my second most favorite photo of the trip. it captures the feeling of late afternoon botswana perfectly. the 1st thing we would do after arriving at a new camp is unroll the mats on top of the groundsheet, change into something soft and cottonlike, lie down and just chill:
thunder and rain in the distance at sunset:
my favourite shot:
the next day it was onwards and upwards to gweta. camojo had warned me about thick sand near gweta, but i didnt care, for now we were in the middle of nowhere:
the rear wheel still behaving:
checking to see if we are still on the right track. this area is so pristine, i could spend a whole week here:
belly up in the much anticipated sand (this was to become a pattern over the next 2 hours):
while negotiating the sand, nikki said; "that track over there has less sand, lets go there!". next thing i know, the earth swallows up the rear wheel. an aardvark hole let the front wheel ride over, but the weight of the rear wheel proved too much, and the whole thing caved in. the bike wouldnt budge, the rear wheel just hung and spun in the air. eventually we put the bike on its side, dragged it away from the hole, and righted it again:
it took what felt like eternity in the sweltering heat to go the last 20km. in the end we could see the tar road, but there was thick sand seperating us, and there was no other way to get there other than going straight. by the time we got to gweta we were utterly exhausted and totally de-hydrated. i had used my extra 5l of fuel and the reserve light had just come on. we used 27l over 130km!!!
time for a fanta!
it was so hot, even the dogs would just lie there in the shade and not move. i parked the wildebeest alongside a particularly dead-looking dog:
the next stop was planet baobab - a groovy little haven in the middle of nowhere to just chill. the bar was playing 80's music and i slipped into a serious sense of nostalgia for a bygone era (sad i know):
the ablutions are something to write home about!
i got wood, while nikki pitched my tent (pun intended). i like me a nice big fire when in the bush, so i didnt skimp:
throwing down a cold one next to the fire, reflecting on the accomplishments of the day:
with the full moon rising later and later every evening, the stars put on more of a show with every passing night (max aperture, 90seconds, on a tripod):
the next morning we decided to head even further north to kasane via nata and pandamatenga. this would take us on a good 300km stretch of tar running through thick mopani bush. there are no villages and big game such as elephant run wild. it is truly untouched:
and then........ a flat tyre....on the dreaded rear wheel of the KTM!:
it seems that the piece of rubber on the inside of the rim, protecting the inner tube from the spokes had torn loose and wrapped itself around the inner tube, chafing away like a time bomb, waiting for us to be as far as humanly possible from civilisation to go off. luckily i came prepared with tyre levers, patches, sement etc. so i got down to it. :
while we were sweating away in the sun there was a thunder shower in the distance:
why me lord?!!
despite having done a sterling job, or atleast i thought so, the wheel was flat again after 30km. frustrated, i set about doing it all over again. i didnt know it yet, but there where more than a few holes, and the tyre sludge on the inside of the tube was preventing me from finding them, instead of sealing them off:
when nikki questioned me about perhaps being frustrated, i promptly answered; "man, i LIVE for this!!! i'd much rather be here than at work. adventure is what i sought, and now ive found it!" although in the picture i dont look too upbeat. atleast we were in the shade now:
back on the road and feeling good, the air was fesh from the recent shower, and there stood an elephant! earlier that day while having lunch next to the road, one walked out the bush just metres from us. it disapeared as quickly as in had appeared:
i looked down, and to my dismay discovered that we had yet ANOTHER flat tyre! i decided to call it a day. i pumped the wheel enough to move off the road and drove us 200m into the mopani bush along one of the thousands of well established elephant footpaths. we set up camp for the night. i fixed the wheel over a hot meal next to the fire. again we were in the middle of nowhere:
the next day we made kasane by lunch. we camped at the chobe river lodge. it borders on the chobe game reserve and elephants walk across the wide river to and from zambia. fish eagles fly overhead, and warthogs walk through the camp - paradise:
we spent two nights here and headed back home. but not before gathering some more wood for the braai. meat here is cheap, real cheap, as beef is botswana's main export - for example, a 750g steak is R18, and a 1kg fillet is R35. everynight the sunset was amazing!:
on the way back near nata we saw another "big one". it is amazing how much closer nature feels when you're not in a car. you suddenly develop a new respect for the creation, as you are not on top of the food chain anymore:
one of the many foot and mouth controll posts in botswana. you have to walk over a treated carpet, and drive through a dip with your vehicle. the only "river crossing" of the trip:
on this, our last day in botswana, we travelled the furthest of all the days, 700km. taking an "ass" break near the border:
back in SA we nearly ran out of fuel between the border post and ellisras, now called lephalale. luckily we found this pump in a rural township:
that night we treated ourselves to a room, bath, and bed in the ellisras palms hotel. the next morning we had the best bacon & eggs ever!:
safely back home in chilly joburg. the entire trip we had temperatures of about 30 by day, and 18 by night:
finish/end/klaar!!!
a quick gaze at the map will indicate that we intended to go through at maartins drift, head up to and over the makgadigadi pans, go west and back down. but in reality we ended up continuing north all the way to kasane, camping alongside the spectacular chobe river. then back down via nata and francistown.
leaving my house:
the waterberg north of thabazimbi:
me and nikki:
crossing the limpopo (sorry for the blur):
the 1st night:
the groundsheet proved invaluable for packing the gear everyday. no matter how dusty/sandy/muddy, your stuff stays clean:
the second night was spent at khama rhino sanctuary. expensive as hell, and they dont allow you further than the campsites if on a bike. but you have to get to the campsite 1st, and by then you dont care anymore...
nikki feeding the squirrels and hornbills...well, trying anyway. these campsites are truly amazing, and despite paying almost R200 for us to spend the night, i can highly reccomend it:
sky shot:
setting off towards the gate of the reserve along 2km of dreaded sand:
pumping the wheels after deflating them the previous day. this guy was kind enuf to lend his pump and elbow grease. it went quick though:
deflating again at letlhlakane for the 130 km we were to travel across the pans to khubu island, and up to gweta:
nikki enjoying an icecream for old times sake:
nikki posing in the shade. it must have been 35 degrees celcius at this point:
sand, sand, glorious thick sand, lucky for nikki, she landed on top of me - nice and soft, especially around the waist area:
finally, after tumbling off a couple of times in the 15km of intermittend sand, we got to the hard-pack of the pans. what a sight; 130km of nothing...:
we met some people being guided across the pans in their own vehicles. they simply could not believe that we could fit everything onto a bike for two people for 10 days. they thought we were "hardcore", but i wouldnt have it any other way:
the most awesome roads. these roads are fringed with golden-white grass. the two tracks are made up of a hard surface sprinkled with white sand - simply a pleasure on two wheels. at times i imagined myself to be alfie on the dakar:
on top of things:
my second most favorite photo of the trip. it captures the feeling of late afternoon botswana perfectly. the 1st thing we would do after arriving at a new camp is unroll the mats on top of the groundsheet, change into something soft and cottonlike, lie down and just chill:
thunder and rain in the distance at sunset:
my favourite shot:
the next day it was onwards and upwards to gweta. camojo had warned me about thick sand near gweta, but i didnt care, for now we were in the middle of nowhere:
the rear wheel still behaving:
checking to see if we are still on the right track. this area is so pristine, i could spend a whole week here:
belly up in the much anticipated sand (this was to become a pattern over the next 2 hours):
while negotiating the sand, nikki said; "that track over there has less sand, lets go there!". next thing i know, the earth swallows up the rear wheel. an aardvark hole let the front wheel ride over, but the weight of the rear wheel proved too much, and the whole thing caved in. the bike wouldnt budge, the rear wheel just hung and spun in the air. eventually we put the bike on its side, dragged it away from the hole, and righted it again:
it took what felt like eternity in the sweltering heat to go the last 20km. in the end we could see the tar road, but there was thick sand seperating us, and there was no other way to get there other than going straight. by the time we got to gweta we were utterly exhausted and totally de-hydrated. i had used my extra 5l of fuel and the reserve light had just come on. we used 27l over 130km!!!
time for a fanta!
it was so hot, even the dogs would just lie there in the shade and not move. i parked the wildebeest alongside a particularly dead-looking dog:
the next stop was planet baobab - a groovy little haven in the middle of nowhere to just chill. the bar was playing 80's music and i slipped into a serious sense of nostalgia for a bygone era (sad i know):
the ablutions are something to write home about!
i got wood, while nikki pitched my tent (pun intended). i like me a nice big fire when in the bush, so i didnt skimp:
throwing down a cold one next to the fire, reflecting on the accomplishments of the day:
with the full moon rising later and later every evening, the stars put on more of a show with every passing night (max aperture, 90seconds, on a tripod):
the next morning we decided to head even further north to kasane via nata and pandamatenga. this would take us on a good 300km stretch of tar running through thick mopani bush. there are no villages and big game such as elephant run wild. it is truly untouched:
and then........ a flat tyre....on the dreaded rear wheel of the KTM!:
it seems that the piece of rubber on the inside of the rim, protecting the inner tube from the spokes had torn loose and wrapped itself around the inner tube, chafing away like a time bomb, waiting for us to be as far as humanly possible from civilisation to go off. luckily i came prepared with tyre levers, patches, sement etc. so i got down to it. :
while we were sweating away in the sun there was a thunder shower in the distance:
why me lord?!!
despite having done a sterling job, or atleast i thought so, the wheel was flat again after 30km. frustrated, i set about doing it all over again. i didnt know it yet, but there where more than a few holes, and the tyre sludge on the inside of the tube was preventing me from finding them, instead of sealing them off:
when nikki questioned me about perhaps being frustrated, i promptly answered; "man, i LIVE for this!!! i'd much rather be here than at work. adventure is what i sought, and now ive found it!" although in the picture i dont look too upbeat. atleast we were in the shade now:
back on the road and feeling good, the air was fesh from the recent shower, and there stood an elephant! earlier that day while having lunch next to the road, one walked out the bush just metres from us. it disapeared as quickly as in had appeared:
i looked down, and to my dismay discovered that we had yet ANOTHER flat tyre! i decided to call it a day. i pumped the wheel enough to move off the road and drove us 200m into the mopani bush along one of the thousands of well established elephant footpaths. we set up camp for the night. i fixed the wheel over a hot meal next to the fire. again we were in the middle of nowhere:
the next day we made kasane by lunch. we camped at the chobe river lodge. it borders on the chobe game reserve and elephants walk across the wide river to and from zambia. fish eagles fly overhead, and warthogs walk through the camp - paradise:
we spent two nights here and headed back home. but not before gathering some more wood for the braai. meat here is cheap, real cheap, as beef is botswana's main export - for example, a 750g steak is R18, and a 1kg fillet is R35. everynight the sunset was amazing!:
on the way back near nata we saw another "big one". it is amazing how much closer nature feels when you're not in a car. you suddenly develop a new respect for the creation, as you are not on top of the food chain anymore:
one of the many foot and mouth controll posts in botswana. you have to walk over a treated carpet, and drive through a dip with your vehicle. the only "river crossing" of the trip:
on this, our last day in botswana, we travelled the furthest of all the days, 700km. taking an "ass" break near the border:
back in SA we nearly ran out of fuel between the border post and ellisras, now called lephalale. luckily we found this pump in a rural township:
that night we treated ourselves to a room, bath, and bed in the ellisras palms hotel. the next morning we had the best bacon & eggs ever!:
safely back home in chilly joburg. the entire trip we had temperatures of about 30 by day, and 18 by night:
finish/end/klaar!!!
