Malawi and Busted !!!!

[tour]

hey guys thanx for the feedback it is really cool and am glad that this story makes you smile. 

so off to xai xai on the en1 national road. doin a cool 80km/h and taking in the sites. was weary of my chain so pulled over every 45 mins to oil my chain. this was a really cool time of mixed emotions again as it was difficult to stay focused on still being on the trip as i was now goin home. but home was still maybe 3 000kms away but the reality was still there that the end was nearing now. maybe 5 days left or 6. who knows. but things still happen and the end is only there when you are at home so still some shit left to experience....

they are doin some serious work on the EN1 so every now and again it was riding next to the road and passing trucks and cars and now more south africans in big 4 x 4 's. stopped for lunch near a touristy town and on leaving again i get pulled by 2 coppers with a radar gun. they showed me the reading of 90km/h. so obviously my reply was "good i was under a 100 then."  ha ha but it was a 60zone and i must pay like $60 US. well well when dealing with the fuzz a big smile and the right answers can get you home safely. o and playing real dumb...so i said that i have no cash on me and that i had just filled my tank. so i asked how far to the cop shop and the reply was like 40 kms. so i said well we better get goin so that i can pay there with my card. i was then promptly let off with a warning and told to observe the signs. well thank you kind sirs and what a pretty country you have...bye bye

the rest of the day was spent looking out for more cops with radar guns and enjoying the sub tropical scenery. lots of village life was also happening along the road and this kept me very entertained as i made the long way to xai xai.
why xai xai. i have still got brief memory glimpses of this place when i was there with my folks when i was only 13. when i got there just before sunset it did not look like the place that i had remembered. it was nice though and i got a place to stay with an ex pat and his son. it was really cool spending the night chatting about life in mozambique and all the pretty girls that live there. wasn't sure if i was going to stay the next day or move on.
the next day came and i new that i should get goin. ponto do ouro was calling and it should be possible as maputo was only 2hrs away. or somewhere like that. but time does not always run accordingly to your plans and more lessons and adventures were still to be had before leaving mozambique..

[Would I?]

more, more....

what is the update on the busted Pelvis??

[tour]

well after 2 hours or so i got very close to maputo so i stopped again to oil the chain. it was really bad and i didnt know when it was goin to snap and that is not cool riding so far from home with this on your mind..

 so getting into maputo was wild. lots of people and traffic and chaos. here i was really happy to have a gps at hand, it did its job well.so first thing is first and getting chain and sprocket was my mission.after having gotten some info over the last few days it seemed like there is only one guy that could help. a south african guy with a burned face from a bike accident. i had a rough idea where and headed there first. but on getting there things were not looking good as it seems like he had moved shop and no one could tell me where.so after wasting many hours i thought stuff that lets just hope it lasts till SA.
so back to the cbd to catch a ferry across the river. after an hour or more i get there to find that it will only leave in a few hours and i decided to take the long way and ride around, maybe a 150km detour. it was getting late and ponto was still far so back into the same direction as i had been twice already  on this day. o yes this place has lots of people and crazy traffic and not liking the city vibe i was glad to leave but i had wasted maybe 4 hours in maputo and still not achieved much.

i new that getting into ponto would be hard cause of some sand that lay in the way.well taking the long way round was cool but i had wasted too much time. so i was constantly calculating the distance and time of arrival. hearing reports of 4 x 4 tracks and sand dunes starting maybe 45 kms before ponto. well at the 40km mark no sand so i was stoked and thought that i was home free. the sun was setting and the distance got shorter. then as the sun was too low it had made its appearance and i knew that i might of made i slight mistake. so i stopped and deflated my tyres but only to 1,8 bar as i was loaded and didn't want to puncture a tube. so i set off. after about 5 kms 2 vehicles came from the apposite direction so i pulled over to let them pass. the first one told me to be carefull this is dangerous area. huh? well i sukkeld on and did okay. fell a few times and picking up the bike made me tired. so with the sun setting fast i knew that this was now my time to dig deep into myself and face this challenge that i was now in. i had 20kms to go. with no road signs and the sand plus heavy bike was eating my energy rapidly. so i said fuck it. harold had his challenge and all was plain sailin to this point now you better face up boy. so i gave it gas but the phat girl was fighting me and was bucking like a wild horse. so at about 15kms before town doing about 60 or 70 my boot caught the edge and a sudden jolt of pain mixed with adrenaline shot through my ankle to my knee. fuck this was not good. luckily i stayed on and could come to a standstill. fearing a broken ankle i didn't want to take of my boot. the next village about 15kms before ponto with the turnoff to ponto malangane was only 100 meters away. now for decisions. left to ponto malangane 7 kms or right to ponto do ouro 15 kms. ponto do ouro was closer to the border so i opted for the right turnoff. now luckily it didnt break but twisted real bad. i was now still charged with adrenaline so tried to continue on. 100 meters and over. i couldn't put any real weight on my left ankle.i knew that this was bad but thought of harold and that he was much worse off than me so went on. i was really battling with the sand and after 5 kms and the 4th fall i just couldn't pick up the bike anymore. so thought fuck it. i'll leave it as is and set up camp right here next to the road. here was a nice flat piece of sand and i had enough food and water and will try to continue tomorrow when i am rested. well the setting was just beautiful and wot a better campsite can one ask for. so i was happy and completely dead. i could of slept right there and then. but as this is africa and you never really know how things turn out it was not to be....

because after about 15 mins a 4x4 taxi rocks up and all i see is a whole lot of black faces checking me out. they see my bike lying there and ask if all is okay? i told them the story and that i am too tired to continue and that i will sleep right here tonight and continue manana. now this does not go down too well. all that i understand is that this place is dangerous and i cannot stay here. something about criminals and bandidos and this is the frontera. criminals that run between SA and Mozambique use this area to hide out. so it doesnt take too long to convince me. so now how to get to ponto? well get up and drive there. so i say not possible. so one guy named oros offers me his home and a place to stay and i must not stay here. so i take up his generous offer.luckily again a bakkie rocks up but goin to the little village that i had just passed 5 kms away to drop off a mama. he returns 15 mins later and we load my bike onto the bakkie. so the last 10 kms into ponto do ouro i do on a bakkie. so after getting a few beers in ponto we head to Oros's house and the guys pitch a tent right there for me next to his house. then i gotta pay for the services of the bakkie driver. but have to haggle a lot to not get ripped too much. so that nite it is just me and Oros and his family. we chat but not for too long as i am broken and must sleep.

[Rynet]

Jeepers Tour we can be glad you are still with us  That sand is so deep it could have swallowed you up whole   

Ps great pics of those little boys , the scenery , and the phat girl of course 

[tour]

harold is doing well. 10 screws is keeping it all in place. he is at work and super busy at the moment therefore no time on this site. he still needs to build muscle and some physio i think so not 100% just yet but he will be. his bike is at home still covered in red dust and dirt from zambia.he will get to fixing it next year some time when he can get to it. but he is determent. at this time he is playing lawn bowls as it is not too hectic on the hip.   shows his great spirit.

the previous pics that i posted was from the day of leaving ponto. i didn't take any on the way in as time was limited.

[tour]

rynet dis nie te erg nie, dit lyk net so. die les wat ek geleer het kom nog

[Rynet]

rynet dis nie te erg nie, dit lyk net so. die les wat ek geleer het kom nog

Nee dis baie erg , ek moes nou nie gekyk het nie , ek kry sommer vannaand nagmerries 

[tour]

so the next morning was just awesome. a great day after a good nite's rest. my ankle was pretty stiff and sore. i thought that i would be staying here for a few days to recover so took it easy. i used my host Oros's cell phone to call my sister and tell her to nor expect me home too soon as i cannot leave just yet due to injury.

so i spent some time with oros and this was one of the nicest things to actually happen to me. oros is a business man and pretty good one at that. he owns 3 properties in ponto do ouro that he had bought over the last 8 years or so. super friendly and generous. he goes to durban buys a whole bunch of t.v's and dvd's, stereo's and the like. ships it via taxi to ponto and sells it over there for layby or cash. the thing is he doesn't own a passport, so gets a day pass at the border to go to SA and get food supplies. he then goes by taxi to durban buys and comes back in one trip as the pass is valid for 24 hrs only. that is more than a 1000kms round trip. much respect. a very cool guy with lots of drive and a young family.

so after getting to know each other some more i ask him to show me around so we grab some coffee and breakfast and start walking around ponto. this was very hard but it was really good for the ankle so after a few hrs i thought i should get going and started packing. that feeling thing again.. got to trust that allot during this trip.

so as i started packing i dropped 2 myprodols, the first of many, and took my time to pack as it was really cool just chillen with oros and his family but i didn't want to be a nuisance either. so then as i was done i thought stuff the tires and deflated them to 1.2 bar.this was the best thing to do.

now this was now midday and the temperature was rather high so i wet my t-shirt filled my camelback said my farewells and many thank you's. Oros never asked me for anything in return and was just stoked to help and chat.
so off i set a little nervous at wot lay ahead. will i make it with this buggered ankle? will the road be too tough? will it be far?
as i left and the bike behaved rather well and the myprodols had kicked in nicely   i realised how stupid i was the day before goin at it with over inflated tyres. lesson learned. or maybe it just happened that way so that mother africa can show me the beauty that still lies in mankind no matter where you come from. i think that was it.

so the next 10kms to the border went without any trouble or hassles. out of Mozambique and into SA in under 10 mins. back home and off to St Lucia. but first fuel and inflating of tyres. at the first little town 30kms away i stop and do all the necessaries and the owner starts talking to me and gives me a full steers burger with chips and a coke. yum yum we chat for a while and he is super stoked about this trip that i am on.i dont remember his name or the little town but it is the first one on entering SA. go support him if you in that area please.

[Ian in Great Brak River]

Classic stuff as ever, Thanks Tour

[superfoxi]

Never a boring moment with Tour on tour!

[J3THRO]

Hey Harold + Rudi
Finaly Ive had time to read the report and check the pics. JEALOUS!!!!!!
Thanks for the Sitruspoort misson it was awesome. Send me the pics you guys took please. I am planning Namibia + Angola around June.
You better get back on a horse soon.
4 wheels doesnt look good under you...
Adios

[ktmrules]

You guys are legends!!

Living the life some of us only dream of

[tour]

hey jethro. dit was n lekker nat naweek. as jy terug is van die rig dan maak ons weer so. die storie sal ook nou weer verder gaan soos ek vir jou en hendrik belowe het.

sorry dogs for a long delay but work and a cool december holiday had kept me from finishing this report. oh and laziness had nothing to do with it... promise.

so after being back in sunny RSA i had the distinct feeling that it was all over now and that the trip was done. luckily 2 things stopped me from going into depression right there and then. Myprodols for the pain,  my ankle that is and not drug habbits hahaha. and the fact that i was in another amazing country and a province and place that i have not experienced since i was a laaitie.

so after a moment of sorting out my head and realising that i still had +- 2 000 kms to go before home i was back in travelling mode. yeehaaa. so where to next? was running through my mind. well just go south and head for the Boland. so after a few hours riding through kwazulu natal i got to St Lucia and booked into a back packers and got set up. wow my first meeting with westerners again. was wierd for a little while as my mind frame was so way off but that changed rather fast after a few beers. so first it was setting up camp and then my first real shower for cant remember how many days...

hot and running water had never felt so good. so after a shower and well getting into dirty clothes again i felt like a king. so back to the bar more beers and chatting to all the backpackers. it all got really blurry after well maybe an hour. hahaha. black label and durban's finest poison and the memories fade. 

so the next morning up early and ready to hit he road as it was friday and i still needed a chain and sprockets. but first coffee, myprodols and meeting these mongoose type of rat like animals. they were around early and i thought my hippo's as apparentluy St lucia is full of them.

from here i went south and wot i found was not new but still new to me. lets just say you natal dogs live in a majestic part of our country.

[SwampDonkey]

Awesome pics and great RR.... this gives me the inspiration to give my previous attempt at riding to Malawi and back another go. And i think i might have met you briefly a few weeks ago on my way down to Jeffreys Bay. I was riding down prince alfreds pass on my XTZ750, and stopped off at Annie's G-spot. I think that was you and Anton with his KTM.

[Rooi Wolf]

My broe!

Ek het toevallig op hierdie RR afgekom soos ek deur die forum gefloat het. Ek het deur die nag gesit en lees, van die 1'e bladsy af regdeur tot hier op die einde. Ek ken jou nou al lank en het so af en toe die stert-kant van hierdie storie gehoor, maar klaarblyklik sal ons nog laaang aande om 'n ou vuurtjie moet sit sodat jy my nog meer kan vertel. Moerse nice avontuur en mooi vertel bra!

[StuartC]

Man this gets my arse itching !