To sum it up…

The trip was a fantastic experience, which I would not have missed. The riding was exciting and the country, amazing. But as always, the trip was made special by the people: the organisers, the participants, but most of all the locals who were so welcoming to us riding through their beautiful landscape.

If there is one regret from myself and others on the trip, it was that we would have liked to have seen more of, and been more involved in, the local communities along the way. Though the organisers were right in the assumption that most people were there to ride bikes, they underestimated the giving nature of the people, and I think everyone found the day we spent at the school the most touching and rewarding part of the trip.

None of that detracts from the experience we had and the positive, but humble, feeling everyone had on their return.

We have all made some new friends, and I think, so has Africa.

30th November

My apologies for not updating my blog on a daily basis as I had hoped, following the epic afternoon on Thursday. It seems my head is harder than my PDA, which smashed at some point during the falls (or me discarding the bike in a fit of frustration).

Thursday evening saw us at a very wet "hole in the wall" hotel. A less than salubrious spot, but none the less very welcome after the trials and tribulations of getting there.

The previous day over lunch there had been a conversation about a South African Enduro Rider named Alfie Cox. Alfie is one of the top riders in the world today. One of the Dutch girls, Yamina, in our group, was sure that Alfie had been killed in this years Paris Dakar Rally. One of the English boys was sure he had not.

When I arrived in the bar on Thursday night I was greeted by a smiling Yamina who grabbed my arm and marched me up to a stocky fellow with a moustache and proclaimed, "LOOK, he's here"!
It was, indeed, Alfie Cox. When I told him he was dead, he vehemently denied it. Small world. Turned out to be even smaller when we saw him again three days later and a thousand miles away in Johannesburg airport.

19th November

No riding today but all of the bikes needed to be crated up ready for shipping to their final destination in Zimbabwe. In the daytime temperatures this was no mean feat as it involved stripping various bits off the bike and fastening them up inside heavy metal frames.

This done, we all settled down to wait for the trips to the airport and the long way home.

18th November

The last day! Lots of preparation and photographs before we all set off for a 300km road ride in 35 degrees heat. Riding in such a large convoy is always interesting, and of course gets lots of attention. 40km into the ride we were joined by another 200 or so bikes, of all types, from a motorcycle club. They road along with us for about 50km before we all stopped at a beer festival! Fortunately we were all constrained enough to make it on to Durban and the final destination.

I believe the final nights celebration were a sight to behold! Unfortunately I missed them due to a 24 hour illness that chose to strike just then! Still, better then than on the plane home as it did several others.

17th November

This was to be our last, serious off-road day as tomorrow was a long road slog to Durban. It proved to be a great day. The sun was shining for most of it. We took the low (difficult) road and our great orange team leader, Kevin, once again took us to places that were not on the proper route but which he thought would be "interesting". And they were. Tracks that turned out to be footpaths, down steep, muddy and rocky inclines. Most of us only able to get down by turning off the engine, putting the bike into first gear and using the clutch and engine compression as a break! A useful technique to remember if ever you find yourself in that situation!

It was a fantastic day and restored much confidence after the mad Thursday.

16th November

The rain continued through the night which made Friday a wash out. But still fun as there was a massive amount of mud to slip and slide in. Most of us had wet weather gear but had not expected this amount of water and low temperatures. The hotel that evening resembled more of a ski lodge than a summer bikers hostel. A roaring fire with wet clothes and boots stacked around the outside.

15th November - This was a big one!

I opted for the easy option this morning (the high road) and the hard route (the low road) this afternoon. Two hours into the ride was a 2ft wide, rocky incline with a steep drop to one side. The third guy to go up got it wrong and fell, with his bike, down a 50ft drop! Amazingly he was not seriously hurt! We rescued the bike just as a storm came in. Then he and the rest of us ended up half way back and had to ride it again! From then on it got worse. Half way down a steep, wet hill I stalled the bike, got it sideways and then it bump started and spat me over the side...I landed very heavily, directly on the top of my head. Got a very sore neck and back now and a hole in the helmet. Very pleased I bought good kit! The ride carried on until we eventually rode the last 2 hours in the dark and the rain, at which point I thought I'd stick to Heli skiing from now on! Anyway, the most serious injury seems to be some broken ribs and a lot of sore muscles and bruises. And tomorrow is another day!