Missive #3, Tue Jan 24th to Tue, Jan 31st

Quite a few supportive replies coming back from the last missive so thanks for that as it will encourage me to keep working hard on the story;‎ sorry not to reply but time is short due to the demands of each day, length of the day's ride, need to catch your breath on arrival and interact with the group over a beer. It becomes a bit of a routine but in this escapade routine is prefaced by alertness at all times.

The routine looks something like this:

6:00 am alarm set, toiletries etc., pack ( 8 organized Eagle Creek zip bags for easy access to all my stuff) , get gear organized, remove bike cover‎, set Garmin tracking system for day

7:00 am breakfast, short meeting about day's ride

7:30 ‎am departure

12:00 or whenever, lunch at own expense

4:00 pm or before approx. arrive destination, organize stuff for check in, cover bike, get cold beer asap, shower, clean dirty clothing in sink or shower

7:00 pm drinks, dinner, celebrate.

Next day: repeat- methodical and deliberate wins the day‎; compared to my driving habits at home, there is no comparison!

Yesterday I was 30 klics from our destination and I could just feel heavy eyes over taking. I was in the lead so had a cushion and pulled off at one of the many dirt picnic spots and relaxed under a tree. Fifteen ‎minutes of power nap leaning back on my bike, I was ready to go!

Today I started the first of 70 maladrone  malaria‎ pills.

There is some really net stuff to look at on Helge's Globeriders website which has just been updated to include this year's tour. If you click on "bike's and bio's" you can see pics of each rider and a short write up by each ‎including my rather weak effort.

The "map", seen below, is the real-time Tracking map of the Expedition. The location updates are a live feed from our Garmin inReach SE Satellite GPS Messenger. You can change the map from Road to Aerial Imagery to Topo views and of course you can pan and zoom in/out for more or less detail. You can collapse the Side-bar and Top-header using the gray-arrow buttons to see more map. Anytime you want to return the map to it original position you can simply refresh your browser page.

Along with all of this detail, by clicking on any tracking point you can see elevation and motorcycle speed at that point (Helge's I might add, he travels pretty quick!)

http://globeriders.com/live!journal_pages/gcc17_live!journal/gcc17_main.shtml

Sorry, this is being sent to some recipients twice because there were 73 'kick backs' on the last mail out that did not go through. Part of the problem in this part of the world is that wifi is hopeless so it is catch as catch can. It is a pretty neat website.

We crossed the Tropic of Capricorn today.

We arrived to our lovely lodgings called the Strand Hotel‎ right on the Atlantic Ocean via a place called Walvis Bay in the later afternoon.

Day 10, Tue, Jan 24th

Strand Hotel, Swakopmund to Bush Pillow Guest House, Otjiwarango, 379 km

This was our easiest day by far and much deserved after all of the excitement of the previous days; nothing consequential to report.

This worth a paragraph. I have been away 2 weeks and am completely disconnected with the outside world. For a news junky consumer and sports follower I assumed there might be some withdrawal symptoms‎; no such luck! I have not missed any of it, the world still turns and having a breather is just right. Gary had to tell me last night that Atlanta and New England are in the Super Bowl. I have no knowledge of the Trump inauguration whatsoever or the shenanigans going on but I did hear that Fed beat Rafa in the Australian Open, cool!

 
One of the reasons of course is that we are all very busy, very focused on our motor cycling responsibilities, full metal jacket stuff. Even writing this journal is sometimes a squeeze.

Day 11, Wed, Jan 25th

Bush Pillow Guest House, Otjiwarango to Omashare River Lodge, Rundu, 476 km

Amazing feel good day, felt privileged; it was a straight, well paved highway, ‎and we left around 7:45 am Aaron and I behind Joe who we soon passed as he was felling a bit under the weather. We roared down the highway making good time in 18.5 degree temperatures and no wind. This is a great way to make up time as you are fresh as a daisy. When we got to Grootfontein (note many Africaner names) Aaron and I fueled up at separate stations and I took off alone. It was fun being on my own.

Somewhere down the road in the middle of nowhere in an increasingly green and leafy area I came across a gaggle of humans traipsing down the side of the road so I stopped to say hi and take a pic; 2 adult mums carrying 2 babies plus 4 kids walking along, big, happy smiles. Given where they were, where they had come from (who knows?) I wondered where they might be headed so I noted the odometer reading and kept going.

35 km later (ie a marathon) I come to this village and could only guess that that ‎was their destination. I stop to look around and take some pics of the thatched basic housing with no solar, no power, no TV aerials, no dogs, no cats (another mouth to feed?) etc. pretty basic. Five kids saunter up not looking for anything but just to gawk and say hi; time for a soccer ball handout (I had purchased a box of 25 balls in Cape Town for giveaways).

I hand pumped up the ball, gave them each a Canadian lapel pin, took a few pics and was on my way feeling pretty pumped myself.

About a half hour later I come to another village full of kids in blue shirts heading home from school, like a lot of kids. I pull right off the road this time and wait for them to saunter up- ages about 5-10 years, maybe another soccer ball opportunity?

They are all gathering around ‎and I bring out the deflated ball; a cacophony of 'me, me, me, me reverberates everywhere, deafening, at least they know one word of English. Realizing the the ball is useless with no air, when I pull out the pump there is dead silence. I take my sweet time on the pumping process in order to build suspense and survey the sweet little kids looking at me, the bike and mostly the ball; I get an older girl nearby to take a pic.

Finally the ball gets thrown and there is a huge scrum down. I was pleased that one of the smaller boys emerged from the pile to run on down the road. Hard to describe the feeling of this very small giving process.

The rest of the day was ho hum but energizing before and after.

Our lodgings have been absolutely splendid as is the food albeit too much red meat of every make model and description; would like to try some chicken or fish sometime. My ass is causing a few problems, not for riding either‎ so will have to get some more ruffage in me.

Based on today's ride, scenery and local villages we passed (got a sore arm returning all the waves) I am feeling more and more like we are in real Africa. Up to now it has been first world (S. Africa), desert and touristy (Namibia)‎.

Day 12, Thur, Jan 26th

Omashare River Lodge, Rundu to Namushasha Country‎ Lodge, Kongola, 427 km

Another brilliant day on the road, so much happening for these western eyes. The road is straight but the people watching viewpoints are amazing. The following are a few thoughts and observations:

-‎lots of birds (mostly a type of pidgeon) on the road and you do not want to hit one; this means you have to watch your speed and practise your ducking maneuver; ‎they are pretty evasive but one never knows;

-walks everywhere; no bikes, no motorbikes, not even any public transit (to speak of) around;

-I see people, groups in the middle of nowhere ambling along, no idea where they come from or where they go to; 

-lots of women carrying stuff on their heads;

-I need to get way better at stopping and getting a quick photo of what I am seeing; -the ground looks fertile for organized farming; the farming here is rudimentary subsistence farming for personal consumption; all hand tools, no mechanization in sight;

-no one uses headlights underway, apparently uses too much power(!);

-everyone seems happy and contented, do not think there are many or any smart phones around here;

-we are all travelling mostly on our own. This is way better because it allows for frequent stoppages as and when you choose;

-we have seen hundreds maybe thousands of termite nests, incredibly complex living systems under the ground with huge funnels of hard as concrete chimneys built on top sometimes overwhelming trees;

-many elephant, hyena and other animal highway signs; saw baboons (a pack of about 12-15 with the boss over 100 lbs- these guys are smart and a pest, some know how to break in to houses and cars; they can rip apart the fiercest dog with their strong jaws and canine teeth- the big ones as big as a lion's);

-saw 3 kudus prancing across the road, no elephants;

-lots of goats and cattle wandering across roads;

-we cover our bikes every night (Helge's rule) and the bike security is excellent.

We travelled through several interesting parks of different usage and name but the main one was the Bwabwata National Park which forms part of what is called the Caprevi Strip or the Zambezi Region.  This strip was horse traded by the Germans and the British in the 1800's. The Brits wanted Zanzibar for strategic reasons. The Germans had German West Africa (Namibia)‎ and wanted this 200 km strip because of its river systems. All these years later we are still in the finger of

Namibia.

This corridor  comprises the largest concentration of migrating elephants in the world, approx. 60-100,000 of them wander from Angola (where they are poached)‎ south into Botswana and the Chobe National Park where we are going tomorrow.

We are about to go on a private boat tour along one of the main rivers, the Kwando River. The Bwabwata National Park is full of migrating animals, all of the species except Rhino; the guide figures 200 Lions, 60 Leopards, thousands of Elephants and Cape Buffalo's (the big 5) and 250 Cheetahs and lots of crocs; we stopped and studied many hippo families and got up close and personal to a couple of big bulls (maybe 2000 kg) really cool. Rhinos life to 45-50 years. Their noises speaking to each other is awesome.

This is Namibia's rainy season mid October to mid April; Apr-Oct is their very busy tourist season so we have the place pretty much to ourselves. With abundant water holes all over at the moment, animals are harder to spot because they are less likely to come down to the water to drink.

Day 13, Fri, Jan 27‎th

Namushasha Country Lodge, Kongola to Chobi Safari Lodge, Kasane, Botswana, 261 km

Today we crossed from Namibia into Botswana so need time to ‎process the border hence a lower mileage day. We were rained on quite heavily so I got to put on my BMW rain suit which works great.

After some effort we accessed the famous Chobi National Park near the Zambezi River with continuing promises of elephant sightings from Helge. Riding your motorcycle in this park, you can see any and all of the African animal species on any given day. All were disappointed except Harrison, Debbie and I bringing up the rear. It was a real thrill to see approx. 15 very large and some tiny elephants cross the road right in front of us; got the camera out for a quick few shots. While opposite a big bull maybe 100 feet away I was busy trying to put my camera away and get on my left glove to keep going on this hot day. Suddenly, he turns his big tusks towards me and bellows something awful. Needless to say, I downed tools and got the hell out of there because an angry animal like this can cover a lot of ground in a hurry if he wants to.

We get to our stunning lodgings and check in. Pearl, our housekeeper welcomes us to our second floor room over looking the river.  Her words of caution were‎ succinct. Make sure you keep your screen doors shut otherwise the baboons will come in and make themselves at home!

Day 14, Sat, Jan 28th

Chobe Safari Lodge, Kasane, Botswana, 0 km

It rained so hard in the night that I was woken up even with ear plugs;  went outside on to our upstairs veranda and stuck my arm out, amazing the amount of water reigning down.

Up at 5:30 am for a 5:45 departure into the game Reserve, pitch black, drizzling a bit; we drive and drive, through the teak forest (the sand is 200 to 500 feet deep), lush green foliage, quiet, peaceful except for us; down to the river, lots of bird life, hippos, myriad wildlife; at this time of year animal sightings much more difficult; we continue inland on the 3 hour trek, stopping for coffee and a snack along the way.

Sometimes words, even superlative words cannot describe what you see and experience; we were getting a bit antsy with no elephant sightings‎ then, out of nowhere, we are in the middle of a large herd, half on one side of the track half on the other; Webby stops the big Toyota Landcruiser for a photo op.

We are transfixed by the majesty of these animals in their natural habitat. They are a bit jittery with us so close by. Then, out of nowhere, the biggest bull stranded by himself from the herd gets angry, bellows, shakes his majestic head violently and almost knocks down a tree in a show of strength and intimidation. Debbie yells for us to get the hell out of here! We start the vehicle and inch away. The big bull chases us at speed‎. Later, Christian who has been here 3 times says it was by far the best visitation he has had in this environment. We are all overwhelmed by the ‎experience.

Both Steve and I commented afterwards, how in the heck did we forget to video what we were seeing?

Meanwhile, Harry and Andy have slept in. Harry awakens, opens the veranda doors on the second floor for some fresh air and returns to bed. A short while later they are disturbed by 3 baboon visitors looking for their morning coffee (with sugar, they like sugar); only in Africa!

In the later afternoon we all go on a river cruise to visit African nature from the water; we saw literally ‎hundreds of very colorful bird species, lots of crocs up close and personal, lizards, hippos, giraffes from a distance and an elephant that could have qualified for the Ed Sullivan show with his histrionics! Our guide kept us enthralled with his details on all that we saw.

Border crossing tomorrow so lots of paperwork and  patience‎ required.

Day 15, Sun, Jan 29th

Chobe Safari Lodge, Kasane, Botswana to Protea Hotel, Livingston, Zambia, 83 km

Short uneventful trip through the border, much faster than we expected; on the way in to Livingston (population 200k) the GPS setting for the hotel‎ was not right  and I took an incorrect left hand turn up a bumpy water strewn road. About a mile up on a bit of an adventure I find the Royal Livingston Golf Club established in 1908; I drop in all sweaty with riding gear and ask the pro if he would like to play in a couple of hours and head to the hotel to have lunch, shower and freshen up.

I taxi back and play 9 delightful holes with Aaron and his entourage of helpers, minders and caddies. He is 62 and was on  ‎was on the Zambian national team for years finishing as the captain for the last three years. The course is way past its prime, full of weeds but lots of fun for a cost including tip of $35 and all were delighted.

Day 16, Mon, Jan 30th‎

Protea Hotel, Livingston, Zambia, 0 km

Day to take in the sights so Tom (Beckord) and I head over to Victoria Falls for a visit on the Zimbabwe side and then on the Zambia side. The Falls are twice as high and 50% wider than Niagara Falls and truly spectacular; the noise is deafening. What makes it so special is the 15 viewpoints to see the Falls from and the lovely walks between the locations. We spent over 3 hours there and got pretty wet because the Zambezi River is full during this rainy season and there is quite a bit of spray.

Following the long walk we still had energy to taxi to the Livingston Museum which was well worth it. The key for me was nearly all of David Livingston's original letters are there to be easily read and poured over. He lived from 1813-73 and Stanley was commissioned by the British government to go and find him in about 1853. He was a very famous explorer by then and had been missing and presumed dead for over 2 years.

Day 17, Tue, Jan 31st

Protea Hotel, Livingston, Zambia to Best Western, Lusaka, Zambia, 478 km

Easy peasy day to the capital of Zambia, Lusaka. The roads started off excellent and then deteriorated to lots of pot holes so maybe they ran out of money. Getting closer to the capital I noticed for the first time some commercial farming and even a few pieces of mechanized equipment! I also got stopped by the traffic police for going 79 klics but there was no speed posted, cost me 30 bucks.

Stopped at a school out on its break and the kids pumped up a ball. The principal was very nice and very appreciative. The boys took off leaving the girls behind. I thought‎ there is an extra ball in my pannier so why not donate that too? We marked each ball 'boys' and 'girls' so they won't get it mixed up.

We drove through a lot of one and two horse dirty little villages but saw lots of great countryside in between so it was a good day all around.

In closing, one of the things I want to share is a few details on my 2015 motorbike, the BMW R1200 GSA. This is a marvelous piece of machinery and a big improvement on the 2009 model I travelled the Silk Road with in 2011. German engineers tore it apart in 2012 and re-built it from the ground up as follows

‎

-cruise control, real handy
-front brake alone engages rear brake as well for a hard stop; same with rear brake engaging the front; this thing stops on a dime;
-manually adjustment of front windshield
-125 hp up from 111 hp- 0-60 in 2.8 seconds faster than a top sports car
-2" lowering of center of gravity
-many height adjustments; many road condition settings
-way better horn and turn signal improvements
-very well designed rear view mirrors, attractive and functional
-it is shaft driven like the older model
-one place where they really screwed up is the cheap, plasticy start/stop button, mine is about to go tapioca due to being full of dust and sand; can't understand how they missed such a simple ‎component step in the process as this.