Day131 Saturday 19th February. 2011

The trees gave way to rolling green fields back dropped with high mountains. It reminded me of the change in land scape from the Czech Republic to southern Germany near Dresden. Strangely there were not any sheep in sight. Thought it would have been full of them because the land would be so hard to cultivate. The gps bought us to the gate where we found a huge house and gardens with ample camping grass and a swimming pool.

After dinner we sat at a table by the bar and watched one or two of the guests swinging tennis balls around on a meter length of string. They swung them very fast and crossed them over and over but never got them tangled. We thought it was an odd thing for grown men to be doing but if that’s your bag then who am I to judge?? The owner, Sean, came and sat with us and talked ad showed us some pictures on his lap top of bike trails he had ridden on his KTM.

When it became dark one of the ball swingers lit what looked like two big tea infusers on separate lengths of chain, when they were burning with high flames he started to swing them around and crossing them over. As they went round it made wild patterns I the air, now the table tennis balls made sense.

It was a spectacular thing to watch.

Day132 Sunday 20th February.

We woke early and listened to the rain hammering down, with a little lightning in the distance. After a fat boy breakfast of fish fingers and beans on toast a slow morning was had talking with Sam, a friend of Sean’s. Sam was organizing a Cairo to Cape bike trip. To travel as fast as possible to get into the Guinness book of records, hopefully. He is planning on using on his nine ninety KTM. He was very interested in our route down and what the roads and boarder crossing were like.

After he left in the afternoon I did bike maintenance and Diane her Diary.

Day133 Monday 21st February.

On the road south by nine thirty in hot sunshine, with a cooler breeze coming off the mountains, as they got further away it warmed up and the road cut through rolling fields and villages. Most of the houses were made from concrete blocks however a few of the original building method remained. Some of them looked I need of repair, as mud that covered the stick frame work has fallen, leaving holes. Maybe they liked the added ventilation.

At the boarder it was a little disorganized as smart new administrative blocks had been built and although customs and immigration were clearly signed only one building was operating. The other had yet to be finished, so both customs and immigration were counters next to each other. On the south African side it was all finished and air conditioned. The road was marked with cones, and they make you take the most twisty turny route through to the customs sheds and to admin bulidings I have ever seen! The staff were swift with their stamps, and soon we were back on SA tar.