AFRICAN RIDE PART 1 - SOUTH AFRICA

AFRICA... 

Why Africa this time? What makes me want to ride at this part of the world?

The answer is very easy. My long semester holidays are from Nov – Dec. Its going to be winter in the northern hemisphere. It left me with only the southern hemisphere to venture. I had ridden in 5 continents already, minus Africa and Antarctica. So now its time to give Africa a go.

You are not scared to ride in Africa, Anita?

This is the most frequently asked question which was thrown to me. Well, a little scared, I must confess. However, I had seen other female adventure riders did it. Some rode with their partner, some did it solo. And all of them survived. So why dont I try? If others can do it, so can I :)

I was very busy (as alwayssss) and didn’t do much research for this ride. I contacted Uwe, a Namibian born advrider, and asked his advice regarding the route and places to visit. My Msian friend, Sam, who had resided in Cape Town for 20 years and had since long asked me to come over, also helped me with getting contacts. For my bike shipment and clearance, I settled with an agent, Andy Connell, as it will be a lot easier and hassle-free, rather than to save a few bucks but ended up with lots of headaches.

For this ride, I decided to use my trusty Yamaha FZ150 which I named GD. Its the same bike I used for my Global Dream Ride. Why did I use this bike when I had other options such as my Honda CB500X or my BMW F700GS? There are a few reasons and the biggest issue is the carnet deposit. I must have a carnet to enable me to take the bike into South Africa, and the more expensive the market value for the bike is, the more expensive the carnet deposit will be. If I were to bring my GS into Africa, carnet itself will cost me RM50k as the bike is still very new. Other reasons which my Yamaha FZ150 top my list of preferences are, it is a fuel safe motorbike, the maintenance cost is lower, spare parts will be easier to find, its lighter compared to the other bikes I owned and due to the bad road condition and riding solo, a lighter bike will be a much wiser choice.

I contacted Hong Leong Yamaha Motor to ask for some support. They provided me with a full service and parts change for my GD which then made the bike new again. Thank you Mr. Lee Chan Wee for all yr help and all the techs at the HQ and the Ipoh branch who had worked on GD.

Givi, the brand I’m representing, equipped my bike and myself with all the things needed for this ride. Most of the stuff came from Givi Italy, and a little bit from Givi Malaysia. GD got a new pair of spotlights, a pair of jerrycans, an airflow adjustable windshield, phone holder, GPS holder, base plate and pannier rack, stopper light, tool case, tool bag, spider netting, tubeless tire repair kit and an exhaust pipe protector. Meanwhile, for myself, I got Givi waterproof bags (80L, 40L and 30L), pouch, thermos and locks. Beside those stuff, I also received items from Hevik (Givi’s sister brand) such as a pair of Hevik riding suit, Hevik technical layer, Hevik summer and winter gloves, and a neck warmer. TQVM Givi and Hevik for the never-ending support.

Accessories installation and custom add-ons for the bike were prepared by Jimmy from MyBikerz (013-2121900) and the bike’s engine final touch was done by my mechanic, Faiesal.

Other in-kind sponsorship was outdoor gears given by Eiger Adventure (a very famous outdoor brand from Indonesia). I got myself a subzero sleeping bag, an air mattress, a pair of trekking boots, a pair of outdoor sandals, wool gloves, wool socks, two pieces of trekking pants, a fleece windbreaker, sunglasses, two outdoor watches, a solar water bucket and Tshirts.

Mr. Ti from Motul gave me Zeneous ZN33 offroad tires for my bike. Medications were given by sis Kam from True Meds Pharmacy (I need malaria tablets this time, out of other normal items) and two boxes of instant Sharifah’s Food were given by sis Suzaila. TQVM everyone for the support.

For my African Ride, I made a loop, starting from Cape Town (South Africa), to Namibia – Botswana – Zimbabwe – Zambia – back to Zimbabwe – back to Botswana – back to South Africa – Lesotho – and back to South Africa for the third time. I finished my ride in Cape Town and the bike was stored here until I return in Nov 2019 to continue exploring this unique continent.

SOUTH AFRICA

I arrived at Cape Town International Airport on 22^nd Nov 2018 after a total journey of 30 hours since I left my house in Ipoh. The Ethiopian Airlines flight which I flew with made a brief stop at Addis Ababa. I was pretty exhausted when I arrived CT and was relieved that my dear friend, Sam, offered to fetch me at the airport. CT airport is not big, but it took 1 hour for us to meet. HAHAHA, let that be our story to cherish.

My 1st impression of this city was....the winddddd. It was blowing hard. Sam said that its windier than normal today, but this is not the strongest yet. Urghhh... I was worried to think of how I'm going to manage riding my lil bike here. Sam took me to his house where I met his wife Amina, daughter Nurmah and son, Ahmed. Amina is a great cook. All her cookings were delicious. I felt very much welcomed by this family.

The next day, my agent, Andy came and took me to meet Bevan, the forwarding agent. My carnet and other details were taken. I was told that the vessel which carried my bike will arrive later than scheduled due to the strong wind. Auww...This is the risk that you have to take when shipping your bike.

While waiting for my bike, Sam brought me for sightseeing in and around Cape Town. Sam rode his Honda Shadow bike whilst I rode his 1969 Royal Enfield. This is the first time I tried this classic bike. It was heavy and sturdy, and not affected by the strong wind at all even though I could feel the heavy wind slapping my chest. I managed to visit the icon of Cape Town, Table Mountain. It indeed looked like a table with its flat top. Theres a cable car going to the top (R290), but I didnt do tourist things. Especially when its pricey. HAHAHA...  So, I just enjoyed the view of the Atlantic Ocean and the cape from the viewpoint. We also went to Signal Hill where I could see many locals picnicking.

Our next stop was Bo Kaap, a nice colourful Malay Quarter which had existed here since 300 years ago. I loved the bright and pastel colours of the houses and buildings. Sam told me that some elderly who lived here can still speak Malay. We chatted with a senior Malay Cape guy, unfortunately he couldnt speak our mother tongue.

Then Sam and I rode to Hout Bay via Misty Cliff. We enjoyed a very delicious snoek fish n chips meal at Sam’s favourite cafe while viewing the sunset.

The next day, Sam brought me to Cape Peninsula. It was approximately 60 km from Sam’s house which took us about 1 hour to ride due to some congestions at Simons Town. The entrance fee was R303. Upon reaching Cape Point, I was surprised to learn that I need to pay again to take a funicular to the lighthouse. Normally at any parts of the world, you only paid once to enter any national parks. I found that attraction fees anywhere in Cape Town were pretty expensive. However, the rock formation, landscape, and the view of the blue South Atlantic Ocean crashing huge waves to the cliff down below were a spectacular sight.

  

Then we rode to the nearby Cape of Good Hope. I saw three big antelopes up the hill while on the way, but couldnt manage to take any pic as I need to trail behind Sam’s bike. Cape of Good Hope (Tanjung Harapan) was first discovered by a Portuguese ship captain, Bartholomew Dias in 1488. This place was in my bucket list since I was little, but it was only now that I managed to be here. There were too many people as it was Saturday, so I couldnt pose at the signboard with the bike. However, I met a Malaysian guy who had been here for an outbound course. The guy was so excited to meet me. HAHAHA...

After that, we rode to Muizenberg, not taking the coastal way but Sam guided me through an inland route passing some hills which offered beautiful bird's eye view of the area. We rested for a while at Muizenberg beach and chatted with the friendly locals. The colourful dress changing huts were the attraction here, besides the lovely beach.

One thing which amazed me the most here was the women. Almost all of them, young or old have big boobs and butt. How did they get it so big and the butt is so round? Genetic? Cosmetic? Both? Through my reading, I found out that it is the women’s pride as the bigger their assets are, the more fertile they were. Interesting :)

During my stay here, I also managed to meet a local advrider, Anwar Omar. He helped to bring me to ECU office to make payment for my bike’s shipping. The total shipping fee plus all fees at Port Klang, Cape Town port and the wooden crate for the bike were USD1758.

My bike had arrived Cape Town port, but due to the strong wind, unloading the bike from the vessel to the jetty was delayed. I’m getting very impatience. I was very lucky that I stayed at Sam’s place, or else I would be cursing the delay as it jeopardized my travel itinerary. To kill the time, Sam took me for a ride to Cape Town waterfront. Our first stop was the Castle of Good Hope which was a bastion fort built in the 17^th century. The castle was so-so but what impressed me more was the view of the clouds which all of a sudden, came down from the sky. The clouds were so low that it touched the roof of the castle. Then we went to the waterfront to enjoy free acapella entertainment by the locals.

Finally, Andy my agent told me that my bike was ready to be cleared. Sam drove me to ICS – Intermodal Cargo Solutions. We waited for Andy to arrive. After some documentation which took about 2 hours, I was taken to the warehouse where GD, my bike was kept inside its crate. How relieved I was to reunite with my loving bike. I missed him so very badly. The guys helped to uncrate the box and Sam helped to get me some fuel. The battery then connected and I started the engine. Vroooommmm.....the engine came alive. Yeaayyyy!!!

30^th Nov 2019: Cape Town – Springbok (N7, 590 km)

I must do 590 km today to cover back the lost days due to the vessel delay. At 8am, I said goodbye and thanks to my lovely hosts, Sam and Amina. Sam brought me to a petrol station for me to fill up GD’s tank. He was so kind as to pay for the fuel and gave me some pocket money. May Allah paid back his kindness to me.

Sam then guided me to exit CT. However, the road was so heavy with traffic as it was the morning rush hour. After 5 km of a very slow ride trailing behind Sam’s car, I overtook him and signaled to him that I will be fine. I knew that Sam was worried about my safety, especially because I’m riding solo. He had been repeating his concern many times since the first day I’m here. I was informed that prior to my arrival, a local lady rider was robbed and shot to death by the roadside.

The road in South Africa is awesome. The signboards are very clear and the driving attitude is to be praised. Very disciplined drivers and I felt no harm at all riding here. The ride to exit CT was slow for about 20 km. After that, the road became deserted and I had a smooth ride. The first part of my ride offered dried grassland view which reminded me of Iran. Then I passed some beautiful green vineyards.

After that, I had to ride on rolling hills. There were lots of ascends and descends and I encountered headwind for the first 400 km. Hence my small powered bike took a longer time as it cant go fast ascending and fighting headwind at the same time. GD consumed more fuel due to this.

It was a very hot day today and I became sooo exhausted. I only stopped for a brief 20 mins after riding for 5 continuous hours, and thats because GD needed fuel.

The view of the remaining journey changed to pre-desert with barren mountain which reminded me of Utah/Arizona in the States.

I arrived Springbok after riding for 9 hours and rode straight to the Caravan Park. I was too tired to pitch my tent, so I opted for a rondavel accommodation which cost me R200. The place was quite nice with a clean shared ablution. The sunset view here was pretty awesome too. However, I didnt sleep well because it was very hot. Well, this is Africa, what do you expect, Anita?