Good afternoon my friends!
The time is going by and I’m just slowly heading north. I still found the way to Maputo and now I can totally concentrate on going up north.
It’s already some time ago, I last update my blog but I try to remember what was going on in the last weeks.
After the last update I headed out of town to find a place to sleep and asked at a farm, if I could pitch my tent for one night on there property. The farmer’s wife found as an excuse, that her husband isn’t at home and I would need his permit and so I left and tried it at the next farm again. I saw a big sign with bed&breakfast but wasn’t planning to pay for my stay. I thought I give it a go and asked the lady at the reception. The lady showed me around the house a nice place for my tent and I started to build it up. Not even finished, the lady came around and told me, that her father refuses to let me stay in the tent and I have to take one of the cottages. I wasn’t to sure if that’s a good idea because I hadn’t a shower for more than one week. The lady resisted and told me that I have to move into the cottage when I want to make them happy. So I undid my tent and took my clothes into the room. I brought the family some Vanillekipferl, which I got of the Austrian baker master Johann, who I left on the same day, to say thank you. Once I was back at the room, the son came to tell me, that his mother wants to cook me something for supper. I took a wonderful and much appreciated shower and felt clean again but not really confident in such a pretty room. The step was like of a “homeless” to a “millionaire”. I jumped from the sometimes not all to clean rainwater channels, to a pretty cottage with shining bathroom and a totally white bed. I wasn’t feeling too confident but I can’t say that I didn’t enjoy my stay. In the evening I got a great lamb steak with potatoes and gravy and how usual to the South African dishes a nice pudding. I spent a great night in a real bed and started the next morning with the destination Lesotho. I made good distance and was good in time. I turned off the tar road, pushed towards Mohale’s Hoek and hoped to reach the border before the closing hour at four o’clock. After lunch a big sting made me a puncher but I was still relaxed and fitted a new tube. Just 3 km later another flat tire made me stop. With all the complications I still reached the border in time and crossed on Basotho land. The difference was strange. The country was with a lot of hills and mountains, the houses rustically but with a strong construction out of stone and the people really nice with hellos and smiles on there faces. My first thought was, that it’s that, what I expected and hoped to see in Africa and that I was sure to enjoy this country. I headed to the orphanage, where my American host Ann is staying. I passed the town and faced the hills of Lesotho. I started to drive down and climb up hill after hill and I was just hoping to reach the destination soon. After the long cycle on this day, I wasn’t to motivated to add to the 120 km’s some more kilometers uphill. Just before I reached the turn, the car with Ann, Andrew and Barbara stopped next to me and we headed to there house in town. On the next day, we attended the wedding party of Mr. Herbert’s boss and I saw some Basotho traditions. On Sunday I cycled down to the orphanage, where I should stay for the next two weeks. I just loved it to have so many children and young people around me. I fall in love with all the kids and had to extend my visa to stay for longer. Lucy, an English girl, who raises funds for the orphanage visited the house too and I helped as much as I could to realize her projects for this time. I left the house with a heavy heart and carried on to cross Lesotho. Because of the terrific traffic on the narrow main road, I chose a remote way through the beautiful mountainous area. The gravel road made me some problems to make more distance and I spent the first night in Ha Machele, at a nice family’s house. The next morning I continued towards Maseru but couldn’t reach it because of a cold and some headache I got and I stopped in Morija to ask for a place to stay. Some school girls accompanied me to ask for a camp spot and finally the owners, Vaphe and Ma Selebalo, gave me a place to stay. They served me with nice Basotho food and I enjoyed the night in a bed but wasn’t feeling good on the following day. I stayed in bed for almost the whole day. The next day I visited Maseru in company of Vaphe and enjoyed the time with my new found friends. I stayed for another day to recover my flu and crossed on Saturday the border to South Africa to catch up time for my way north. I passed the next days the beautiful landscapes of Ficksburg, Clarens, the gorgeous Golden Gate NP, Harriesmith and Verkykerskop, where I stayed for some nights on the farm of Jaap, Judy and Linda. From there I continued to Newcastle, where I stocked up my spare parts and some comfortable camping equipment and passed Volksrust. Near Piet Retief I met the German speaking farmers Heino and Anke and spent another night in there home before I crossed over to Swaziland. Just some kilometers before I reached the border Barend picked me up and helped me to cross the border and invited me to his farm house. There I met his nice parents and his mother’s sisters. I enjoyed my time and the beautiful farm area that much that I stayed for another night and hit on the following day the road towards Mozambique. After some nice conversations on the way, I just arrived on the border before the sunset and got the chance to pitch my tent next to the border on a nice spot with lawn. I occupied my tent to escape the mosquito’s and found on the next day Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. While the time in Bangkok I required already accommodation through Hospitalityclub and had because of that the contact with Helder. With the knowledge to be quite late, I got Helder’s phone number of my e-mail account and phoned him in the late afternoon. He told me to be busy but he still picked me after a short time up. We pushed my heavy grown bicycle through the sandy suburb roads of Maputo and he brought me to his house. On the following day he showed me around the City, introduced me to his friends, and he and his family are giving me a great time.
The first but a small part of my trip from Cape Town back to Austria is done and I want to say thank you to all the people, which gave me such a great time, entertained me in lonely times, gave me nice conversations, invited me in there homes and let me feel to be part of their families. It was never easy to leave my new found friends but that’s part of life and especially part of my trip. I’m sure to stay in touch with all the people and to see them finally again. You are heartily welcome in Austria and/or wherever I will be.
On the way I fulfilled 10 000km on my bicycle and I hope that it’s strong enough to carry me to Austria. Also when I haven’t many clothes and things, my luggage reaches now around 40 kg, what makes a total of 60 kg with the bike. In the moment I’m slowly making distance and I have more the feeling to be a donkey, especially going uphill. At least I have now good nights, sleeping in my tent and I my equipment is enough to solve emergency situations.
The 2500 km from Cape Town to Maputo, which I have done till now, haven’t been the fastest, especially because of my comfortable stays in all the houses but I can say that I enjoyed every minute. Now I’m a little bit in delay that I reach the north of central Africa before the rain time is starting but I’m confident that I’m able to do it in time. In the next weeks and months I will cycle through the long country of Mozambique and cross into Malawi, where I will cycle along the lake before I enter Tanzania and cross over to Kenya. Yes, this is the plan for the coming 3 months to stay in time and find my way back to my home in Vorarlberg.
I hope you all enjoy your time, you enjoy the nature in whichever season you live and you let me know, how you are.
Have a nice one and see or better hear of you soon!!!
The time is going by and I’m just slowly heading north. I still found the way to Maputo and now I can totally concentrate on going up north.
It’s already some time ago, I last update my blog but I try to remember what was going on in the last weeks.
After the last update I headed out of town to find a place to sleep and asked at a farm, if I could pitch my tent for one night on there property. The farmer’s wife found as an excuse, that her husband isn’t at home and I would need his permit and so I left and tried it at the next farm again. I saw a big sign with bed&breakfast but wasn’t planning to pay for my stay. I thought I give it a go and asked the lady at the reception. The lady showed me around the house a nice place for my tent and I started to build it up. Not even finished, the lady came around and told me, that her father refuses to let me stay in the tent and I have to take one of the cottages. I wasn’t to sure if that’s a good idea because I hadn’t a shower for more than one week. The lady resisted and told me that I have to move into the cottage when I want to make them happy. So I undid my tent and took my clothes into the room. I brought the family some Vanillekipferl, which I got of the Austrian baker master Johann, who I left on the same day, to say thank you. Once I was back at the room, the son came to tell me, that his mother wants to cook me something for supper. I took a wonderful and much appreciated shower and felt clean again but not really confident in such a pretty room. The step was like of a “homeless” to a “millionaire”. I jumped from the sometimes not all to clean rainwater channels, to a pretty cottage with shining bathroom and a totally white bed. I wasn’t feeling too confident but I can’t say that I didn’t enjoy my stay. In the evening I got a great lamb steak with potatoes and gravy and how usual to the South African dishes a nice pudding. I spent a great night in a real bed and started the next morning with the destination Lesotho. I made good distance and was good in time. I turned off the tar road, pushed towards Mohale’s Hoek and hoped to reach the border before the closing hour at four o’clock. After lunch a big sting made me a puncher but I was still relaxed and fitted a new tube. Just 3 km later another flat tire made me stop. With all the complications I still reached the border in time and crossed on Basotho land. The difference was strange. The country was with a lot of hills and mountains, the houses rustically but with a strong construction out of stone and the people really nice with hellos and smiles on there faces. My first thought was, that it’s that, what I expected and hoped to see in Africa and that I was sure to enjoy this country. I headed to the orphanage, where my American host Ann is staying. I passed the town and faced the hills of Lesotho. I started to drive down and climb up hill after hill and I was just hoping to reach the destination soon. After the long cycle on this day, I wasn’t to motivated to add to the 120 km’s some more kilometers uphill. Just before I reached the turn, the car with Ann, Andrew and Barbara stopped next to me and we headed to there house in town. On the next day, we attended the wedding party of Mr. Herbert’s boss and I saw some Basotho traditions. On Sunday I cycled down to the orphanage, where I should stay for the next two weeks. I just loved it to have so many children and young people around me. I fall in love with all the kids and had to extend my visa to stay for longer. Lucy, an English girl, who raises funds for the orphanage visited the house too and I helped as much as I could to realize her projects for this time. I left the house with a heavy heart and carried on to cross Lesotho. Because of the terrific traffic on the narrow main road, I chose a remote way through the beautiful mountainous area. The gravel road made me some problems to make more distance and I spent the first night in Ha Machele, at a nice family’s house. The next morning I continued towards Maseru but couldn’t reach it because of a cold and some headache I got and I stopped in Morija to ask for a place to stay. Some school girls accompanied me to ask for a camp spot and finally the owners, Vaphe and Ma Selebalo, gave me a place to stay. They served me with nice Basotho food and I enjoyed the night in a bed but wasn’t feeling good on the following day. I stayed in bed for almost the whole day. The next day I visited Maseru in company of Vaphe and enjoyed the time with my new found friends. I stayed for another day to recover my flu and crossed on Saturday the border to South Africa to catch up time for my way north. I passed the next days the beautiful landscapes of Ficksburg, Clarens, the gorgeous Golden Gate NP, Harriesmith and Verkykerskop, where I stayed for some nights on the farm of Jaap, Judy and Linda. From there I continued to Newcastle, where I stocked up my spare parts and some comfortable camping equipment and passed Volksrust. Near Piet Retief I met the German speaking farmers Heino and Anke and spent another night in there home before I crossed over to Swaziland. Just some kilometers before I reached the border Barend picked me up and helped me to cross the border and invited me to his farm house. There I met his nice parents and his mother’s sisters. I enjoyed my time and the beautiful farm area that much that I stayed for another night and hit on the following day the road towards Mozambique. After some nice conversations on the way, I just arrived on the border before the sunset and got the chance to pitch my tent next to the border on a nice spot with lawn. I occupied my tent to escape the mosquito’s and found on the next day Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. While the time in Bangkok I required already accommodation through Hospitalityclub and had because of that the contact with Helder. With the knowledge to be quite late, I got Helder’s phone number of my e-mail account and phoned him in the late afternoon. He told me to be busy but he still picked me after a short time up. We pushed my heavy grown bicycle through the sandy suburb roads of Maputo and he brought me to his house. On the following day he showed me around the City, introduced me to his friends, and he and his family are giving me a great time.
The first but a small part of my trip from Cape Town back to Austria is done and I want to say thank you to all the people, which gave me such a great time, entertained me in lonely times, gave me nice conversations, invited me in there homes and let me feel to be part of their families. It was never easy to leave my new found friends but that’s part of life and especially part of my trip. I’m sure to stay in touch with all the people and to see them finally again. You are heartily welcome in Austria and/or wherever I will be.
On the way I fulfilled 10 000km on my bicycle and I hope that it’s strong enough to carry me to Austria. Also when I haven’t many clothes and things, my luggage reaches now around 40 kg, what makes a total of 60 kg with the bike. In the moment I’m slowly making distance and I have more the feeling to be a donkey, especially going uphill. At least I have now good nights, sleeping in my tent and I my equipment is enough to solve emergency situations.
The 2500 km from Cape Town to Maputo, which I have done till now, haven’t been the fastest, especially because of my comfortable stays in all the houses but I can say that I enjoyed every minute. Now I’m a little bit in delay that I reach the north of central Africa before the rain time is starting but I’m confident that I’m able to do it in time. In the next weeks and months I will cycle through the long country of Mozambique and cross into Malawi, where I will cycle along the lake before I enter Tanzania and cross over to Kenya. Yes, this is the plan for the coming 3 months to stay in time and find my way back to my home in Vorarlberg.
I hope you all enjoy your time, you enjoy the nature in whichever season you live and you let me know, how you are.
Have a nice one and see or better hear of you soon!!!
Golden Gate NP
Helder and me in Maputo
Vaphe and his family
faster speed with shorter hair
good nights rest under the bridge
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