Everybody Loves a Montage

Homeward bound

So it's all over. If I am honest I am a little lost, the last week and a bit have been so intense, there is a feeling of a hole being left now that it's finished. Still, we still had to get home to England. We started off with a nice leisurely breakfast in the fantastic Raddisson restaurant. Jeff and John had prepared an oscar ceremony for the team, each of us receiving a little gift based on some aspect of our personality or riding. It was very funny, and had us all in fits of giggles! We were joined by Ian, our team leader, for final goodbyes. I don't think he wanted to let go of us really ;)

The group then split as there were two flights out of PE to Johannesburg, the early group leaving at 10:15 and the later group at 1:20. I was in the later group so spent the morning hanging around the hotel and had a couple of beers with some of the group. The flight to Johannesburg went smoothly - I slept for most of it, and we met up with the rest of the group in the airport. Lots more hanging about was achieved, before out 8:30 flight to the UK. The flight was fine on the most part, but I didn't manage to get any sleep (despite my lovely new squishy neck pillow - would have been better if it had come with a mesh bag though (only a few people will understand that seemingly random reference!))

The flight landed on time at Heathrow and once we had all collected our bags we said our goodbyes which was a fairly emotional experience, but we all know it is fair well rather than goodbye as we are sure to see each other again.

So it's all done without too many injuries (for me at least). I escaped with a badly bruised ankle, numb left hand, bruised hip and dodgy shoulder, I expect those to all work themselves out over the next few days and weeks.

Over the next few days I will update the daily entries with a bit more detail - much easier with a real keyboard than the iPhone - fix the typos and add some pictures.

Enduro Africa 2009 Mapped

View Enduro Africa 2009 in a larger map

The End - Port Alfred to Port Elizabeth

The epic adventure has come to an end today. A simple ride from port Alfred to PE passed without incident and we had a game drive on Scotia reserve to break up the day. Saw some great game and it was a treat to be driven for a change! We even rode our bikes through another reserve - scary when there are signs everywhere telling you not to leave your car!

30km from PE we assembled the whole group for an escorted ride along the coast to the Cherry Cafe - owned by Mike Glover for drinks and to say goodbye to our faithful Honda Crf230s.

We were then bused back to the splendid Radisson hotel to get cleaned up before another bus back for closing speeches and beers.

It feels very odd right now to have finished and I think tomorrow could be quite hard emotionally to be leaving the team to travel home. I came on this trip 11 days ago alone and I return tomorrow with a whole load of new friends and some if the best memories I could ask for.

Right now it's time to sleep and mentally take stock of what has been one of the greatest achievements of my life so far before the long journey back to real life tomorrow.

Port Elizabeth

Title: Port Elizabeth
Location: -33.9816,25.5933 - View in Google Maps
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Visit: 2009-10-25 16:52:16 +0200

Game Drive

Title: Game Drive
Location: -33.5409,25.8507 - View in Google Maps
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Visit: 2009-10-25 11:40:52 +0200

Morgan bay to Halyards

A long day of dirt and tar. 300km was the target to get to Port Alfred. A fairly tedious day required to cover the miles. Tiredness and complacency ended up in a fair few accidents. I came off in a rut and ended up with a bike hitting me - luckily no great injuries, but I did suffer from a total loss of confidence luckily the team pulled through and i had someone to follow for a few hours! Lots of wildlife tried to take us out - only a small cow succeeding!

Lovely hotel tonight, big rooms and it backs onto a Marina.

This evening, we were treated to a demonstration of recovering a drowned bike by way of a bike being driven into the hotel pool. 2 minutes or so later, the bike was drained of water and restarted - a really impressive demonstration of team work on behalf of the mechanics:

The evening was a late one with lots of beers, karaoke (a lovely rendition of King of the Road!) and pool - I think tomorrow is going to hurt!

Tomorrow Is a 200k day with a game drive and some sandy challenges.

The Kob Inn to Morgan Bay

89km. It doesn't sound much does it? Now consider 20 river crossings, climbing a 1000ft gorge and more technical riding than you can shake a stick at at it starts to sound more challenging. In the end it took us 9 hours to cover the tiny distance with many falls, damp boots and shattered bodies. A ferry crossing on a small motor ferry marked the end of the hard riding and I am not ashamed to say I shed a tear or two in joy/relief. 

The team were the 12th man for me today. Without the encouraging words of each one of them I really don't think I would have made it. The maroon team really are a special bunch of people who I hope to remain in contact with for many years to come. 

Halyards Hotel

Title: Halyards Hotel
Location: -33.5945,26.8935 - View in Google Maps
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Visit: 2009-10-24 18:01:44 +0200

Stutterheim Country Club

Title: Stutterheim Country Club
Location: -32.5679,27.4087 - View in Google Maps
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Visit: 2009-10-24 12:14:36 +0200

Morgan Bay Hotel

Title: Morgan Bay Hotel
Location: -32.7097,28.3414 - View in Google Maps
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Visit: 2009-10-23 18:27:24 +0200

Rest Stop

Title: Rest Stop
Location: -32.4886,28.5768 - View in Google Maps
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Visit: 2009-10-23 12:32:48 +0200

The Qora Gorge

Title: The Qora Gorge
Location: -32.4335,28.6207 - View in Google Maps
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Visit: 2009-10-23 09:23:33 +0200

Rest day and morning at Mgcawezulu school

This morning was spent on a TouchAfrica project at Mgcawezulu school.

We rode down to the school " spanish style" (ie without protective gear on) which was quite scary on dirt roads in the rain! When we arrived the school was in a sorry state and our tasks included roofing, wiring, carpeting, painting inside and out, making desks, making a jungle gym and moving the crèche out of their current windowless classroom into the nearly decorated one with new desks and toys. All in all I'd say we succeeded in our mission and the looks on the faces of the crèche children when they were presented with their new classroom and toys made it more than worthwhile. It was a morning for reflection seeing children so young with so little - they really do have less than nothing. That said the fact that they are in school is a positive thing and will hopefully help to break the cycle of poverty of which they are part. I had a tear in my eye on more than one occassion and spent the morning quite emotional. In our own way I hope that we have made a difference to these children's lives, for me I hope it will be the start of a long association with Touch Africa and the great work that they do.

The rest if the day is a chance to catch up on some rest before a very tough day tomorrow.

Hole in the Wall to The Kob Inn

The day before the rest day presented a long technical day of 170km from hole in the wall to the gorgeous Kob Inn right on the seas edge. The morning route included numerous river crossings, steep descents and even steeper climbs and finished with a fast dirt section through a spectacular mountain pass near to the Mbashi river. The afternoon saw the group split with some people choosing 60km of low road and the rest of us taking a scenic tour through some fantastic villages on fast dirt and singletrack roads followed by the final 20km of low road section. In one of the villages we were treated to a rendition of the SA national anthem by some school children - very moving indeed. The final section was totally spectacular following the wild coast. It culminated with a 50 degree climb up a road made of old car tyres - it was raining by this point so slippery was not the word!

We arrived at the Kob Inn to a fantatic welcome and lovely rooms. The evening went on late as tomorrow we rest.

I've definately been in bars with worse views!

the bar at The Kob Inn

The Kobb Inn

Title: The Kobb Inn
Location: -32.4465,28.6776 - View in Google Maps
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Visit: 2009-10-21 17:37:13 +0200

Rest Stop

Title: Rest Stop
Location: -32.3308,28.6639 - View in Google Maps
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Visit: 2009-10-21 14:59:59 +0200

Another River Crossing

Title: Another River Crossing
Location: -32.1477,28.8003 - View in Google Maps
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Visit: 2009-10-21 12:17:09 +0200

River Crossing

Title: River Crossing
Location: -32.0670,29.0686 - View in Google Maps
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Visit: 2009-10-21 09:30:18 +0200

Cremorne to Hole in the Wall

A totally epic days riding today. We left at 9am to visit a local childrens shelter to donate the matresses that some of us slept on last night. After that we had 135 km to cover of mixed terrain - from tar to rutted stream crossings. There were a coue of awesome climbs out of the streams up rick steps and roots - great fun if a little scary!
We stopped for lunch today at a village store and ate "African style" - bread and sardines. We were instantly surrounded by kids of all ages, fascinated by us and our bikes. We bought a couple of packets if sweets for the kids and handed them out - it was quite a riot!
The day finished well with 50km of dirt track taken at a good speed. We beat a few teams in to Hole in the Wall of which we were justifyably proud.
Sadly one of our team had a bad fall on the dirt and managed to crack a couple of ribs. Hopefully she can still ride as it would hurt to lose a team member as we've all bonded really well!

Hole In The Wall

Title: Hole In The Wall
Location: -32.0327,29.1092 - View in Google Maps
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Visit: 2009-10-20 18:19:54 +0200

Afternoon Tuesday

Title: Afternoon Tuesday
Location: -31.8896,29.1924 - View in Google Maps
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Visit: 2009-10-20 15:35:09 +0200

Big Junk Falls

Title: Big Junk Falls
Location: -31.7524,29.3256 - View in Google Maps
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Visit: 2009-10-20 11:43:50 +0200

Epic Views

Title: Epic Views
Location: -31.6626,29.4772 - View in Google Maps
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Visit: 2009-10-20 10:39:31 +0200

Cremorne

Day 3 - Mboyti to Cremone

Today was a relatively short day for the Marvellous Maroons with only approx 100km covered. There was a choice of wild or mild route for both the morning and the afternoon. I am not ashamed to say I chose mild both times. Lovely gravel roads and mountain passes were the order of the day for us. Our planned meetup with the wild group didn't go to plan as it took them 6 hours to cover 20km - vindicating my choice of route!
The weather has brightened up and it's much more how I expected South Africa to be.
The hotel at Cremone is beautiful with the mouth of the river at the end of the gardens and surrounded by cliffs. 3 to a room tonight should be interesting as the room is barely big enough to swing a kitten in!

I am stunned with quite how much water I am getting through each day - about 5 litres, but better that than the dreaded dehydration.
I am glad to report that my injured shoulder from yeaterday is recovering well after a but if medical attention.

Cremone

Title: Cremone
Location: -31.5979,29.5318 - View in Google Maps
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Visit: 2009-10-19 14:37:57 +0200

Day 2 - TO Strand to Myboyti River Lodge

Wow what a day. 208 km largely on dirt, river crossings, hill climbs, crashes-the works!

We left TO Strand with a police escort in convoy - it was quite overwhelming to finally be on our way.

It was a very long day - geting in after dark in the pouring rain. I landed heavily on my shoulder early this morning and have a fair bit of swelling. The wonderful medics gave me a shot and some pills which are helping.

Tomorrow is a very short and technical day which given the rain tonight is sure to be a challenge.

The hotel here us beautiful and right at the mouth of a river with spectacular ocean views. Tomorrow nights is a little more basic from what we've been les to believe so I am makingthe most of the semi luxury!

Lunch Day 3

Title: Lunch Day 3
Location: -31.4891,29.6396 - View in Google Maps
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Visit: 2009-10-19 11:10:23 +0200

Mboyti River Lodge

Title: Mboyti River Lodge
Location: -31.4639,29.7327 - View in Google Maps
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Visit: 2009-10-19 08:10:01 +0200

Lunchtime Day 1

Title: Lunchtime Day 1
Location: -30.9745,29.7695 - View in Google Maps
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Visit: 2009-10-18 13:08:23 +0200

My steed for the next 7 days!

A couple of Hondas

Day One - London to TO Strand

So after 24 hours travelling we finally reached TO Strand near Durban. We were greeted by African drums and dancing before being asigned to our chalets - I am sharing with 2 others tonight but have a room to myself. Barely had we settled in when it was time to go for a ride on the bikes. We were taken on some local trails and to fuel the bikes up. Back for a quick shower and clean clothes and down to the bar for a few beers and to stock up with water for tomorrows ride.

This evening we were all assembled for the assigning of teams. I am in the Marvellous Maroons - also known as the beginners. We have a great team leader called Ian who seems to have a cracking sense of humour - which he's going to need with us lot in tow!!

Tomorrows ride is a long one and it's raining hard here now so it's bound to be challenging too.

TO Strand

Title: TO Strand
Location: -31.0309,30.2341 - View in Google Maps
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Visit: 2009-10-17 14:04:32 +0200

Durban Airport

Title: Durban Airport
Location: -29.9665,30.9446 - View in Google Maps
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Visit: 2009-10-17 11:35:02 +0200

Location from GPS Log

Title: Johannesburg International Airpory
Location: -26.1365,28.2293 - View in Google Maps
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Visit: 2009-10-17 06:28:50 +0100

Pitstop in Johannesburg

After an uneventful flight from London I've arrived in South Africa. Thankfully my bags have made it this far too - just checked them on to the next flight to Durban. Got a couple of hours to kill in this airport before the hour flight and hour and a half transfer to our first stopover hotel. Should be there mid afternoon.

Location from GPS Log

Title: Heathrow Terminal One
Location: 51.4822,-0.4390 - View in Google Maps
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Visit: 2009-10-16 15:31:09 +0100

On my way

I am currently sat at Heathrow terminal one waiting for my flight. I've collected my pack of info from the organisers and my luggage was only just over the allowance and didn't cost me any excess baggage charges. Enduros are arriving at the airport in dribs and drabs, but we are an easy bunch to spot - anyone looking a little aprehensive with a ridiculous amount of luggage :)

Right, time for a nice nerve calming pint I think!

Today's the day

In a couple of hours I am leaving for the long slog to Durban (12 hours to Joburg, then a wait in the airport there before a connection to Durban). Pretty nervous today, just want to get going! The ride starts on Sunday, and to say I am apprehensive is an understatement.

I hope to be blogging through the trip assuming I can charge my phone and the mobile coverage is good enough. Being as I will be tapping out all of the entries with my thumbs (on my iPhone), the posts might not be very detailed, but I'll do the best I can - I'll hopefully be able to include a few pictures and some GPS coordinates at the end of each day so that you can see exactly where I am.

All that remains to be said at this point, is....

LET THE GAMES BEGIN

The Bike

For anyone that doesn't know, the bikes that we are going to be riding next week are Honda CRF230Fs. Not fast, not powerful, but damn good off road (unlike me!). I'll try to take a picture of my actual bike when I meet it, but for now this is what one looks like:

Got my Rand

The final piece of the puzzle was picked up this morning - cash. We need money for fuel and drinks through the week so I have a healthy stock to keep me going. Works out about 10 rand to the pound so it's very easy to work with.

Packed

Managed to get everything together and my main luggage packed. Still having a dilemma as to what to do with my helmet - it doesn't fit in my main bag very easily, and I am not really sure I want to trust it to the baggage handlers! For the moment it's in it's own bag and I intend to take it carry on with my (small) rucksack. Will give SAA a call tomorrow and see if they will allow it.

Anyway, here's my stuff pre-packing:

amazing to think that, not only did it fit in my bag, but it's bang on the 20kg limit too!

Let's hope my scales and those at the airport show the same and I can avoid the (extortionate) excess baggage charges.

Just my hand luggage to sort out now and I will be ready to go!

Packing

OK, today is packing day! I've made an enormous list and I think I've got everything together. Still need to decide whether to pack my helmet or take it as carry on luggage. I'll post some pictues once everything's packed up

Enormous Bag

I think given that my bag is 140 litres, sticking to the 20kg limit could be "fun"!

One week to go!

Rather unbelievably, there is only one week to go until I will be on a plane to Africa! It all seemed a long way off when I signed up for EnduroAfrica in November last year, but time has flown by as it has a habit of doing!

I have all of my kit sorted out now and will be packing it this weekend to ensure that I have not forgotten anything and that I am not too far over my luggage allowance (a rather paltry 20kgs!!)

I've been keeping track on the blogs from the guys on the first EA trip an it really sounds like they are having the time if their lives.

I intend to blog daily once I leave the UK, but it will be from my iPhone so entries might be short and text only (tapped out with my thumbs!!)- I'll expand the entries and add pictures on my return!

thanks to all of my sponsors - I really appreciate it and it means a huge amount to the charities involved.