Secunda To Durban via Cape Town
Our best holiday ever! It's a totally different experience to travel by bike compared to a car. You become part of the landscape, you breathe it in, there is nothing that can distract you, no one to talk to, only you and your thoughts...
The whole time, you feel the landscape communicating with you - it welcomes you and makes you part of it. The Northern Cape stole our hearts; it is such a gracious landscape, it calms the soul and there is no place for the ego. The people are also so friendly and helpful.
When we stopped in Olifantshoek to fill up there were a couple of boys on their way to a cricket match. You should have seen their eyes, so full of life, so excited about living. We could move there anytime. Ofcourse it was also fabulous for the bike - clean, smooth, straight roads with no traffic. A biker's paradise road.
Vergelegen Bed 'n Breakfast was one of our favourite sleepovers; the food at the restaurant was excellent. Namaqualand was just as beautiful, it is one big rock garden with all the Rocky Mountains and wild flowers. The bed 'n breakfast in Springbok was a bit of a let-down, maybe due to the fact that there are too many rooms so it lacks that personal touch. However we had a great time in one of the local restaurants Tidbits - great food and atmosphere.
Then you arrive at all the citrus orchards at Citrusdal, Clanwilliam... wow I can still smell the orchard in full bloom. We drove alongside the most beautiful green wheat fields on the way to Ceres. You enter the little town through a breathtaking berg pass, one of the most beautiful places I have been to, nestled between mountains and fruit orchards. From there we went to Simon's Town.
The best part of that trip was driving through Baviaanskloof and Wellington. When we hit the city it was totally chaos. Roadworks, traffic, stressed-out motorists, confusing road signs. In a matter of seconds we all felt upset and worked up. Fortunately the bed 'n breakfast "A Boat House" made up for the unwelcome feeling in Cape Town. For some or other reason I am just not fond of Cape Town; do not take it wrong it is a beautiful place but there is definitely something wrong with the vibe.
From there we travelled all along the garden route to Kleinbrak where we slept over at a lovely bed 'n breakfast called 'C The View', right on the beach. We had a splendid time with the in-laws and parents and could not help but to overindulge - there was just too much in the way of nice food and irresistible desserts. The 8km hike around Robberg helped a bit with the guilty conscience.
From there it was all the way to East London (Gonubie). We had a good rest before the long stretch through the Transkei to Margate and in the end felt it had not been that difficult a ride. The roads were excellent with a few straying animals here and there, it was actually one of the more enjoyable rides. What can we say, Margate is also overrated and the bed 'n breakfast we stayed at did not help change my mind. The KZN roads are in excellent condition, just a bummer the speed cops around each corner. A definite damper if you ride a Superbike!
Our last and final stop was in Dundee to visit my family, a good way to end our 18-day trip. I do not even want to talk about the roads in the Free State and Mpumalanga, if one can call them roads!
It was really a sad moment when we had to say goodbye to our travelling buddies Janeke and Andre, but this was the beginning of many more good times to come.