A week in review
For those not up to date these are the minor setbacks I’ve faced this week.
- Was not allowed to cycle through Baviaanskloof, (got a lift after 3 hour wait)
- Visa extention in Port Elizabeth(PE) failed due to non-sense beaurocracy.
- A day of cycling on busy roads, closed roads and a motorway trying to escape PE.(gave up early and went for the 5am start next day)
- Nearly got killed a dozen times cycling to Port Alfred.
- Fuel pump on my burner has started leaking.
- Entered the twilight zone (more on that later)
- Tried to book the Bazbus to catch up time and save cycling the Transkei. Bus fullybooked.
- 7am phonecall saying there was a cancellation, so if I could get to the bus stop in an hour I could still go.
- Mobile phone has a fight with gravity in the panic of packing to catch the bus. Gravity 1 – Nokia 0. Catch the bus then relax…….for an hour until it breaks down, more about the bus repair man later.
My only highlights in the last week really have been my 2 evenings in the Backpackers in PE, not because of the hostel but the fact I finally got a well needed good conversation (long story, solo cyclists will understand). Thanks Christine and Jaap for 2 very pleasant evenings.
But that was last week, today is monday, so a new week, last week has been put in a dark room and the door locked never to be seen again. These where all very minor challenges, and nothing to worry too much about (appart from no. 4), problems like this fall into the catergory:
- Accept it
- Deal with it
- Move on
- Forget it
So now bloggy stuff…..
The Twilight zone
I set my alarmclock for 4am hoping to be on the road early and get the worst of the road done before it got too busy. 8 hours later (6 in the rain) I’d stamped out the 115km to Port Albert. I was pretty tired and headed to the backpackers.
First impressions where fine, nice garden for camping in , the manager gave me a beer, he was already half cut at 2 pm, but its weekend so he’s entitled to do what he wants.
By 5 pm the guy was passed out in bed, the rest of the ” live in ” guests where also fairly smash. More guests arrived and didn’t know where to sleep, so got smash and crashed anywhere. The beautiful green garden turned into a car park (1 drunk driver almost parked ontop of my tent).
I was very tempted to just get outa there at 9pm but didn’t think cycling at night would be handy with all the drink driving that goes on here. I bumped into the manager and his friend again at 6.30am in the kitchen, they where grabbing their first beer of the day. ” Nice early start” says Shane, ” yeh its still weekend” .
As I stared in dispair at my map at breakfast thinking of several escape options, there wasn’t much, no hire cars, no bus, no way I wanted another day on that road, then the phone rang, 14 hours and 2 bus breakdowns later I was in Kokstad. Now only 2 days cycling further into the mountains.
Bicycle repair man
In my spare time I’m bicycle repair man:
But an hour into the bus trip the bus broke down, the driver did his best, but had no tools. Luckily bicycle repair man has all kinds of handy stuff with him. So with my tools the bus driver messed around for another 10 minutes, but in the end I just asked him to get out of the way and 5 minutes later it was fixed:) much to my relief and that of the other 20 passengers.
Onwards and upwards
With just 1 day in the bus I’ve removed most stress about my visa deadline and can get back to cycling the road less travelled. I’ll play here in the mountains for a month plus 2 weeks in Lesotho (maybe) and so long as I’m in Bloemfontein by around jan 20th I can then do a 10day sprint to the border (Namibia/Boswana, dont know which yet).
So now its time to get back down to some nice relaxing hard work cycling high passes and climbing mountains. Like the following photo’s kindly donated by some young people on the Zwarteberg pass who also kindly donated some coffee and buscuits, thanks folks
Sounds like a rough time. Hang in! Will give you a call for a chat soon.
I’m intrigued, how did you fix the bus? Remember, what you percieve as being good or bad is just a mental projection. If you can help it, do something about it, if you can’t then why worry? Easier said the done, I know…
I was a classic case of blown water pipe, not a bit of brute strengh and a leatherman can’t fix, I don’t understand why these guys dont have tools when they drive flat out for 1000km a day….
Nice one!
Aaa…, I see you have the Nova stove. Is it leaking at the coupling to the fuel line? Put some chainlube (if you have the wet type) on/in the coupling, this should prevent it from sticking when you release the hose. They tend to leak. I’ve nearly set a kitchen on fire once with mine.
Thanks for the good tip stijn, I was thinking of trying Vasilne the next time I hit a town, but chain lube is easier:) Optimus have also kindly offered to send me a new pump:)
Go Optimus, I like this company! If only they had designed it properly the first time around. I mean how hard can it be? 😉
Keep at it Shane, I found you on a video of us outside the block in germany on the drink I’ll put it on you tube
Not sure I want to see a video of mid 90’s Shane and Westy:)
You are being given the run-around! When they said it’s the “silly season” they sure meant it. Embarrassingly, drinking and driving seems to be expected behaviour in South Africa. Get off the roads and onto the trails, there you will hopefully see fewer idiots.
I have much to tell about Namibia, it’s raining here, which bodes well for your trip up here.
Ride safe.
Johann
Ya, good chat is really necessary for a solo cyclist. Your trip sounds amazing, including both the good and bads. At the end of the trips, you’ll always remember the donation/treats of the friendly travellers.