SA/Namibia 2011 - Day 18. Jeffreys Bay to East London.

View 18th Sept: Jeffreys Bay to East London in a larger map

Before leaving Karla's and Jeffreys Bay we decided to ride to the beach for a quick swim in the Indian Ocean. Although we had not been brave enough to swim in the Atlantic at Luderitz we had ridden from one ocean to the other and we felt like celebrating the fact. So, with just swimming costumes and towels for luggage, we rode the few hundred metres to the beach.

No luggage - just swimmers.

My cossie is under the cargo net!

Not Speedo material ......?

It was early on Sunday morning .... no one about!

'Goodbye Karla. Thank you for having us. We are really pleased to have met you.'

'So long Karla. Thanks for everything. It was good to meet you.'

 Gamtoos River

 Mike making some adjustments.

 'Okay - ready to roll.'

On Bluewater Bay beach just north of Port Elizabeth.

 Alexandria

About 46 km northeast of Port Elizabeth we turned east onto the R72 in the direction of Kenton-on-Sea.

 This is the Kariega River at Kenton-on-Sea.

I am sure that this river is joined to the famous Bushmans River not far upstream. We stopped here for a while and enjoyed watching a fisherman catch a large fish which he held up proudly for us to see.

 We are parked just off the bridge.

From here we followed the coast road to Port Alfred. This certainly was a prosperous looking town and we considerd looking for somewhere to stay the night. But first I was keen to visit 43 Air School and to have a quick look at the pilot training set up there.

 43 Air School

 The Chief Pilot was very kind and detailed one of is students to show us around.

 I was favourably impressed by 43 Air School.

We left the airfield and made the decision to press onwards and upwards - up the coast that is. There was nowhere obvious to stay for the night as we progressed towards East London and at about dusk we found ourselves entering the city. Eventually we found a place called John Bailie Guest Lodge at Bunkers Hill and we booked in.

John Bailie Guest Lodge

A lovely lady called Benita organized a meal and a beer for us at the lodge so that we didn't have to go searching for a place to eat. We had a very pleasant stay. Thank you Benita.

Distance Today: 378 km. 235 miles.

Trip Total: 5 104 km. 3 172 miles.

SA/Namibia 2011 - Day 17. Swellendam to Jeffreys Bay.

View 17th Sept: Swellendam to Jeffreys Bay in a larger map

 Preparing to leave De Wagenmaeker. The car is a Mercedes-Benz V8!

 But this little cutie also belongs to the household. A FIAT 600?

 'So long. It's been nice.'

Our stay at De Wagenmaeker on Voortrek Street in Swellendam was very pleasant, entertaining and comfortable. We would be departing Swellendam having been impressed by the people and the place; and we hadn't quite left yet ..... there was still the question of breakfast and a few strong coffees.

Two kilometers east we stopped in the town. There was a lot of noise coming from the Full Stop Cafe (Klein Loftus), so we pulled up there for breakfast. It was a good choice. We were made very welcome AND World Cup rugby was on the TV. South Africa vs Samoa I think.

OK - let's try to leave Swellendam again! This time we dragged ourselves away into the cool, but bright, morning.

As per normal, there was no hard and fast plan. I had a vague notion of stopping for the night in Humansdorp.

The Garden Route is certainly very pretty and we were beguiled by the scenery making frequent stops.

 Just outside Heidelberg.

 Checking the navigation.

Mossel Bay.

Rest stop. I had 30 minutes zzzzzz. Mike was very patient.

 Still steering east. This is Knysna.

This is Plettenberg Bay.

This is near Storms River.

We reached Humansdorp at about 17h30 but we were unable to find any accommodation there. We pushed on to Jeffreys Bay where, just as it was getting dark, we found a delightful place for the night called On the Bay.

On the Bay is owned and run by Karla and her husband Soi. They are originally from Belgium and also Belgium Congo. They are now South African. They love their place by the sea. We were very happy to have found Karla and to have such a comfortable and friendly place to stay for the night.

After freshening up we walked into the town and found a good place for a beer and and a burger. Very nice.

Distance Today: 464 km. 288 miles.

Trip Distance: 4 726 km. 2 937 miles.

SA/Namibia 2011 - Day 16. Cape Town to Swellendam.

View 16th Sept: Cape Town to Swellendam in a larger map

NOW WE ARE TWO. We returned to MotoBerlin at the V & A Waterfront to pick up our serviced motorbikes.

'Thanks Danie. Okay Mike, fire her up ..... let's GO!'

We took the N2 as far as Somerset West then made our way to the coast road and routed via Strand, Gordan's Bay, Pringle Bay and Hermanus.

This was taken just beyond Gordon's Bay.

No accommodation had been booked for the ride up to Durban. We would be 'going with the flow.'

After Hermanus - where we saw a whale - we, somehow, found ourselves on a 17 km stretch of dirt road. It was very beautiful countryside and we were rewarded by a flock of Guinea Fowl enjoying life in the shade of some trees. Sorry no pics of the birds ....

 Mike on the dirt.

 I think he's looking for the white line.

 This is somewhere between Hermanus and Caledon. 'The Suzuki V-Strom really suits you Mike!'

John manages a wave. The Tenere is a little small for me I think.

Pulling into Caledon. It is too early to look for somewhere to stay.

 We press on and get to Swellendam in the late afternoon.

I'm not sure what we are doing on that side of the road! Catching the rays I think.

This is my bed for the night.

We 'lucked in' and found a wonderful place to stay. The lady of the house even invited us to join her and her sons for dinner. We had a really brilliant evening - and I didn't even have a hang-over in the morning, although I wasn't firing on all cylinders until after breakfast and a strong cup of coffee or three. Thank you Lizelle for your lovely hospitality.

Distance Today: 269 km. 167 miles.

Trip Total: 4 262 km. 2 649 miles.

SA/Namibia 2011 - Day 15. A Day in Cape Town.

View 2nd Sept: Cape Town in a larger map

Last night I spent a very pleasant evening and night with family. Jess and Wayne were very hospitable. It was good to see them and the kids again.

 My Cape Town family.

..... next morning .....time for school!

Mike and I had a day in Cape Town before riding via the east coast to Durban.

 Cape Town Harbour

 The Castle

 The Castle Gardens

 City Hall

The Dutch East India Company Garden

We were very lucky to stay in a lovely apartment in Gardens. This is the view from the sitting room.

Tomorrow we ride again .......

SA/Namibia 2011 - Day 14. Stellenbosch to Cape Town.

View Stellenbosch to Cape Town in a larger map

That was the last night in South Africa for Tony, John K, Andrew and Graeme. They will be flying home today at 18h10. Tony has some harvesting to do, John K has a wedding to attend, Andrew has his dental practice calling and Graeme has roads to build. Mike and I will be staying in the country until the 28th - hooray!

So, only a short ride today to Cape Town. No time constraints - a leisurely breakfast was the first item on the (short) agenda. 

We cruised around the town once or twice before sighting a likely looking place for breakfast. It was, as it happens, a brilliant place called The Taste Bud. The staff were just opening up for the day. 

The Taste Bud

On enquiring we were assured that it was perfectly okay to park our motorbikes right adjacent in front of the jewish hall.

Breakfast at the Taste Bud in Stellenbosch. It was lovely.

Then it was time to ride to Cape Town and hand the motorcycles back to Danie at MotoBerlin. Of course, Mike and I were only taking our motorbikes back for a service and check over before picking them up again on Friday. Our plan was to ride to Johannesburg via the Transkei and Durban.

From L to R: Andrew, Tony, Graeme, John M, John K. The final few hours in South Africa for Andrew, Tony, Graeme and John K.

Taxi to the airport ...... we'll miss you.

Distance Today: 56 km. 35 miles.

Trip Total: 3 993 km. 2 482 miles.