laurika
Grey Hound
Malawi Jones and I planned our next trip in South Africa , during our travel back from the national bash.
This time he booked a Tenere, and collected it straight from the airport. I met him on the Monday there and we were on our way…we knew we wanted to go via Barberton, and enter Swaziland there, we also knew that we wanted to stay at the Foresters arms, and ride all Blazes’ secret paths around the area….everything starts with some kind of a plan….
We slabbed it against a stormy sky to Waterfall boven, and booked into the nearest place. The Steam in…opposite the police station….the hosts were entertaining, and mark took a fancy to the throphy fish….they also had a drink..best to be avoided…homebrew…the Heinekens were cold…that’s all I cared about…
Next morning the host directed us a shortcut around the tollgate to get to bothasnek and then through to Barberton. It was terrible/lovely dirt roads, so challenging that no pictures were taken…water crossings the works….the road condition deteriation was caused by horse and trailers taking a back route to avoid the tollgates also….
We passed Nelshoogte and a lovely large dam…we were on our way, and very happy….entering Barberton, had to visit ChrissieB..first time meeting…the Engeslmann had some coffee, I had a beer…and we left for the border post…beautiful scenery , perfect weather…
En route Mark took a sign and I blindly followed him, this offered us an hours detour ..eventually I stopped him to ask if he knew where he was going to…his answer was ‘ I thought you did?”
It was great riding , I did not mind much, we turned back and joined the road again to the border….
The border post was lovely, neglected road to it, but the post itself was very neat…and we flew through it…Josefsdal little town has a station for the cookepans, and is very much like Malawi in places. The roads were hideous…we loved it…mark loved the
Tenere and just flew over everything…my Helga had to lift her knees like a sprinter to keep up….
-The Engeslmann got grumpy, and did not want to eat take-away, so we went into the direction of pigs peak….but I saw a lodge before then and took the turn…the road leading to the lodge was the most taxing so far…we paid to get in..lovely place, lovely view…hamburger patty on two slices of bread….mark got the plastic wrapping between the burger patties also…BONUS….
We went south towards the maguga dam…what a surprise..after the vanderkloof dam, we decided that we should do a “dam route’ one day.. On the way south, we decided to go via Mabatho…and stopped at a rather divey hotel ‘the green room’ or such, and had a cold beer….dogey dogey..we then departed to Mhlambanyatsi and the forester’s arms…great food…really great food….
When mark asked what we could eat off the menu, the maitre’d said…you can eat one per sitting or you can eat all of it..we ate all of it…and went to sleep in most luxurious beds….
The third day we woke and left early, drove the loop around on the way to queen sheba’s breasts mountains…but it was a highway with shops…not as romantic as the name suggested… Mark lost his shades, and went off looking for it…I went to some ungodly expensive lodge…and had indigenous beer…in a can nogal….
so we took a road we saw on the mountain…a white dirt road, that seems to touch heaven….
It was hell….it kept on going up at 45 to 60 deg angles…the only time one could stop was at the top…to take pics…and miss out on all the loose gravel, pebbles, ruts and turns….but what a view…the highlands of Swaziland revealed itself in full splendour….
But we did not know the road…and it kept on going and going and going….
And as I was about to ask….it turned into a tar road…and we got fuel….
The decision now was…do we go back to Mbabane ( we thought it’s a dump) or go lowlands…drier…but also worth seeing….the latter happened….now, again, we had no idea how to get there…but we saw an interesting dirt road to the left….
Two hours later…and still nothing…I stopped a man in a pickup…he said…not so far…through the royal Kraal…enter the Hlwane park...at the t junction turn left…. And he rode off….
We continued….and seeing what looked like an army camp..mark stopped quite worried…i did not want to stop, so we pushed on..the soldiers were staring at us….enter the sugarcane fields…gates , water crossing from all the sprinklers…no idea were we are going….then, we enter the park…taxis passes us,,,…sandy roads , nogal fun….1.5 hours later…we get to a t junction….flippen hell…what an adventure…
The little town had no iceboxes…no cool drinks…only large silver three legged pots…and a barber that plays Marleys’ best song “restitution”… all questions we asked we receive blank stares….
We took a left and guess the direction of the park…we arrived around 4….two choices….camp near the gate…no power, but with food…or camp 15 km into the park….no food, but with electricity….
We chose the first camp….go figure.(both mark an I have decided not to camp and keep the packages light)….
Mark was quite keen to see animals…I am less keen, I like a dvd of game…with a cold beer in the hand…alas…I was bullied…we took off on our bikes into the park…going to look at the camp 15km in…it was lovely riding without any gear…wind on the knees….and game all around….the dead trees indicate elephants….we saw rhinos, elephants, kudus..hippos and much more….lovely….went to bed after a kudu hamburger…(yes, patty of meat between two slices of bread- again)..and the beer….ICE COLD…I even got a bottle of wine….heaven….on the window in the bathroom, I had geckos sitting against the light…and waterbuck outside grazing…
We decided against border exit at Mananga and rather took a dirt highway inland , past Bhalekane and up on the MR6 towards Jeppes Reef/Matsamo
This was very scenic…some sand in places…very decent road…you can see the lowlands, passed the sugarcane lands…and the highlands on the far western regions….
We left Swaziland with sadness…but mark had a party at the Rand Club in a days time, so we had to go….
We took the road to Nelspruit…detour Kaapmuiden(what a disappointment) and took the road north towards Whiteriver, Sabie and then Pilgrimsrust….
I saw a dam sign…I stopped….we took a look…what a wonderful thing a bike is…shocking roads…felt like I was in switzerland for a short while….
We made Pilgrims just before sunset…in time for happy hour…the town is full of tourists….i pay what I think , is far too much for a Biggie Best Nightmare….my poor red boots stood no chance….’
We made some friends….and had a lovely last night together….the next morning we had a splendid English breakfast , and Malawi Jones disappeared down the main road of Pilgrims…appointment with a penquin suit, in a colonial club….bloody typical….
My journey continues solo…and is shall write a separate report for that….
This time he booked a Tenere, and collected it straight from the airport. I met him on the Monday there and we were on our way…we knew we wanted to go via Barberton, and enter Swaziland there, we also knew that we wanted to stay at the Foresters arms, and ride all Blazes’ secret paths around the area….everything starts with some kind of a plan….
We slabbed it against a stormy sky to Waterfall boven, and booked into the nearest place. The Steam in…opposite the police station….the hosts were entertaining, and mark took a fancy to the throphy fish….they also had a drink..best to be avoided…homebrew…the Heinekens were cold…that’s all I cared about…
Next morning the host directed us a shortcut around the tollgate to get to bothasnek and then through to Barberton. It was terrible/lovely dirt roads, so challenging that no pictures were taken…water crossings the works….the road condition deteriation was caused by horse and trailers taking a back route to avoid the tollgates also….
We passed Nelshoogte and a lovely large dam…we were on our way, and very happy….entering Barberton, had to visit ChrissieB..first time meeting…the Engeslmann had some coffee, I had a beer…and we left for the border post…beautiful scenery , perfect weather…
En route Mark took a sign and I blindly followed him, this offered us an hours detour ..eventually I stopped him to ask if he knew where he was going to…his answer was ‘ I thought you did?”
It was great riding , I did not mind much, we turned back and joined the road again to the border….
The border post was lovely, neglected road to it, but the post itself was very neat…and we flew through it…Josefsdal little town has a station for the cookepans, and is very much like Malawi in places. The roads were hideous…we loved it…mark loved the
Tenere and just flew over everything…my Helga had to lift her knees like a sprinter to keep up….
-The Engeslmann got grumpy, and did not want to eat take-away, so we went into the direction of pigs peak….but I saw a lodge before then and took the turn…the road leading to the lodge was the most taxing so far…we paid to get in..lovely place, lovely view…hamburger patty on two slices of bread….mark got the plastic wrapping between the burger patties also…BONUS….
We went south towards the maguga dam…what a surprise..after the vanderkloof dam, we decided that we should do a “dam route’ one day.. On the way south, we decided to go via Mabatho…and stopped at a rather divey hotel ‘the green room’ or such, and had a cold beer….dogey dogey..we then departed to Mhlambanyatsi and the forester’s arms…great food…really great food….
When mark asked what we could eat off the menu, the maitre’d said…you can eat one per sitting or you can eat all of it..we ate all of it…and went to sleep in most luxurious beds….
The third day we woke and left early, drove the loop around on the way to queen sheba’s breasts mountains…but it was a highway with shops…not as romantic as the name suggested… Mark lost his shades, and went off looking for it…I went to some ungodly expensive lodge…and had indigenous beer…in a can nogal….
so we took a road we saw on the mountain…a white dirt road, that seems to touch heaven….
It was hell….it kept on going up at 45 to 60 deg angles…the only time one could stop was at the top…to take pics…and miss out on all the loose gravel, pebbles, ruts and turns….but what a view…the highlands of Swaziland revealed itself in full splendour….
But we did not know the road…and it kept on going and going and going….
And as I was about to ask….it turned into a tar road…and we got fuel….
The decision now was…do we go back to Mbabane ( we thought it’s a dump) or go lowlands…drier…but also worth seeing….the latter happened….now, again, we had no idea how to get there…but we saw an interesting dirt road to the left….
Two hours later…and still nothing…I stopped a man in a pickup…he said…not so far…through the royal Kraal…enter the Hlwane park...at the t junction turn left…. And he rode off….
We continued….and seeing what looked like an army camp..mark stopped quite worried…i did not want to stop, so we pushed on..the soldiers were staring at us….enter the sugarcane fields…gates , water crossing from all the sprinklers…no idea were we are going….then, we enter the park…taxis passes us,,,…sandy roads , nogal fun….1.5 hours later…we get to a t junction….flippen hell…what an adventure…
The little town had no iceboxes…no cool drinks…only large silver three legged pots…and a barber that plays Marleys’ best song “restitution”… all questions we asked we receive blank stares….
We took a left and guess the direction of the park…we arrived around 4….two choices….camp near the gate…no power, but with food…or camp 15 km into the park….no food, but with electricity….
We chose the first camp….go figure.(both mark an I have decided not to camp and keep the packages light)….
Mark was quite keen to see animals…I am less keen, I like a dvd of game…with a cold beer in the hand…alas…I was bullied…we took off on our bikes into the park…going to look at the camp 15km in…it was lovely riding without any gear…wind on the knees….and game all around….the dead trees indicate elephants….we saw rhinos, elephants, kudus..hippos and much more….lovely….went to bed after a kudu hamburger…(yes, patty of meat between two slices of bread- again)..and the beer….ICE COLD…I even got a bottle of wine….heaven….on the window in the bathroom, I had geckos sitting against the light…and waterbuck outside grazing…
We decided against border exit at Mananga and rather took a dirt highway inland , past Bhalekane and up on the MR6 towards Jeppes Reef/Matsamo
This was very scenic…some sand in places…very decent road…you can see the lowlands, passed the sugarcane lands…and the highlands on the far western regions….
We left Swaziland with sadness…but mark had a party at the Rand Club in a days time, so we had to go….
We took the road to Nelspruit…detour Kaapmuiden(what a disappointment) and took the road north towards Whiteriver, Sabie and then Pilgrimsrust….
I saw a dam sign…I stopped….we took a look…what a wonderful thing a bike is…shocking roads…felt like I was in switzerland for a short while….
We made Pilgrims just before sunset…in time for happy hour…the town is full of tourists….i pay what I think , is far too much for a Biggie Best Nightmare….my poor red boots stood no chance….’
We made some friends….and had a lovely last night together….the next morning we had a splendid English breakfast , and Malawi Jones disappeared down the main road of Pilgrims…appointment with a penquin suit, in a colonial club….bloody typical….
My journey continues solo…and is shall write a separate report for that….
