South Africa

*click on map for larger version*

Beautiful South Africa (SA) - 

   What a gorgeous, diverse and interesting country! After we had been given mixed advise and warnings by South Africans we ended up quite nervous about travelling to SA. In fact, I was that worried that I didn't bring my SLR camera in case we got mugged. 

   Of course going there I knew there are places best to be avoided and some cities are more renown for crime than others. Especially Johannesburg has imprinted in my head as a very dangerous place. But then, what country on earth doesn't have at least one of those? Think of "stab city" Limerick as example. While there were some unsettling images of poverty and a still very much apparent divide we didn't feel one minute unsafe throughout our entire stay in SA. They were no situations that required anything but common sense. 

   We have spend 2 amazing weeks in SA. Incredible Landscape, clean cities, super friendly people, amazing food (especially the fresh and tasty sea food at spot prizes), game that can be spotted in fields and reserves just off the main road... SA has blown us away!

   After arriving in Johannesburg, Rory organised a rental car while I was busy attending a 5hr appointment in Boksburg. I will get to this later... Both missions were successfully completed around midday which meant we were ready to hit the road. Destination: Anywhere but the city of Johannesburg. At this stage we were still suffering of paranoia although in saying that, I wouldn't want to spend more than the absolutely required time in Joburg.

   Our route took us right through the Free State with first over night stop in Kroonstad. Having travelled for more than 24 hrs we were delighted to find a beautiful guesthouse there. Falling into bed at 5 pm with just enough energy to appreciate the über-cosy feather duvets and pillows, we didn't wake up until the next morning. 

   Fully rested we continued our journey all the way to Cradock. Nothing but farmland along the route in all shades. From golden rye to never ending fields of sunflowers with little windmills every so often. Very beautiful to look at. En route we spend an hour passing through the Willem Pretorius Nature Reserve were we were rewarded with the sight of Zebra's, Buffalos, Ostriche's and other feathery creatures.

   Our target destination for the following day was Port Elizabeth via Addo Elephant Park. We got to see so many animals, it was amazing. On our way out of the park we suddenly came across a fully grown bull elephant who decided to take a stroll on the road. He passed a car ahead of us heading towards us. To paint the picture of just how imposing the situation was: We nearly peed our pants and I was too stunned to take a picture when the elephant reached our car out of fear it might set him off. He was less than a meter away from us. I feared he'd make us a permanent feature of the park by stomping the car to the ground. If we had the window down we could have probably touched him. Goose bumps! An absolute highlight of the holiday for us.

   In Port Elizabeth we enjoyed our first seafood orgy followed by many more during the remainder of the holiday and enjoyed a stroll at the beach. We also bought some African art work from one of the many street sellers. 

   We were blessed with the weather and it promised to be around 30 degrees the next day. Not too bad for autumn! Even better as we were headed for George with a planned stop at the sandy beach of Jeffrey's Bay. Made us think of our friends Shaun and Rozahn back in Ghana. The two of them recently got themselves a place there - now we know why. A lovely spot!

   A couple hours later we continued on to George where we spend the night in a quaint little hotel with thatch roof. From here we drove to Oudtshoorn in the Karoo where we went to see the Cango Caves and Cango Wildlife Ranch. While both were interesting we were sick of the tourist money machine and not being able to do things outside a herd of guided tourists. Hence we skipped the Ostrich farm as it would have been the exact same thing, except for the riding experience. I will have to go back to SA at some stage tho and make sure I get that experience in. I'm fascinated by these comical looking creatures. As a temporary substitute - until I get the real experience - I bought myself a pretty wallet made of Ostrich leather and ate an Ostrich burger. As close as it gets I suppose and tasty by the way.

   We had enough of driving and spent the remainder of the day in beautiful Mossel Bay. Wandering along the promenade it is clear where the name Mossel Bay comes from. We went for a brisk walk up the hill to the light house and were rewarded with a stunning views of the village, coastline and a dozen dolphins having fun with the waves. 

   Final destination: Cape Town. We love Cape Town. In fact, we love it that much that we're thinking of going there again soon. This city has it all. Beaches, numerous choices of leisure actvities, mountains and... the Bryceman - a friend of Rory's who used to live in Galway. It's been an absolute pleasure to get to know him. The perfect in-official tour guide as well if you're ever looking for one in Cape Town =) 
   Diving in a cage to the see the great white shark was another highlight and a bit of an adrenaline rush. "Bit" is probably understated. 
  Well, enough of my rant. All in all we had a fantastic time. Have a look at the snaps. Click on the images for a larger version.

   So long...

Giraffe's and Baboons spotted at the side of the road - how cool is that?

These guys are in deep s**t

Kudu herd crossing

Goose bumps

Port Elizabeth

Chilling at the beach

Cape Town

Come here fishy fishy...

  

Hanging out with the penguins at Boulders beach

About the Chinese Mafia and the Ghost in the attic

I've had a lot of blond moments lately I would have only loved to write about but it appears the Chinese mafia has hacked into our IP address at Purple Rocks. I am not able to access Google, YouTube or Blogger. Instead I am Bing'ing it these days and oh well... who needs YouTube at this low bandwidth anyway. Unless I use a dongle I am not able to access the Blog. Got hold of one today so I thought I'll share my most exciting moments of the past 4 weeks with you.

   Still haven't been able to go to the library which is a bit of a bummer. Suzi is still leaking and I really don't fancy damaging the engine. Hence I've been staying home. I have taken the rad off the bike. One of the mechanics here on compound - Piet, a friendly South African - has offered to check the leak out and see if he can weld it for me. My gut is telling me though that I should look into buying a replacement set. A reliable cooling system would really be a benefit considering I am planning to ride the bike back to Ireland at some stage =) I am already in Africa, so is my bike, it would be silly not to do this trip of a lifetime me thinks. Thankfully Rory has bought into the idea and is as excited about as I am. So the plan is, once this project is finished (which is probably around May 2013) to get on our bikes and ride all the way back to Ireland. 

   We are slowly stocking up on bibs and bobs for the trip. For example, we already got the bike to bike radio kit and I'm proud owner of really cool Coyote saddlebags by Giant Loop. My next purchase (highly recommended be fellow DRZ rider uncle Kev) will be a new seat by Seat Concepts. That way I am hoping I won't need to rest my aching behind on a ring cushion at the end of a long day in the saddle. Lots more to think of but it's a start. Most importantly though, I will have to make up my mind on the travel route, visa requirements and the likes. Exciting times! Thanks goodness we've got about a year to make it all happen.

   Apart from a disappointing Rugby match St. Patricks Day in Ghana was actually quite fun. We had brought a few cans of Guinness back over from Ireland and had saved them for the occasion. That same night we decided to mix with the locals and grab a few drinks at the only Hotel in the village. We met up with a few more Irish that have started working on the project in the past 1-2 months. At some stage it felt like I was in Taaffes Pub in Galway or at an Irish wedding with the not so sober lads singing all sorts of Irish songs out of the depth of their lungs. The Irish, you gotta love them! =)

   My hermit lifestyle these days has had a peak of excitement with the arrival of 2 Yoga home workout DVDs. I am actually looking forward to my daily attempts of exercising in the room. You see, it's time Suzi got fixed...

   Really looking forward to our next trip in the next couple weeks. We'll be off to South Africa. We will fly into Johannesburg, rent a car and travel all to the way to Capetown, with stops for sightseeing and fun things to do along the route. I am planning on riding an Ostrich (stay tuned for those pics... hahaha), getting into a diving cage to see the great white shark up close (hopefully not too close), swimming with penguins and climbing Table mountain just to name a few. Above all I am looking forward to decent food!!!  

   Until then I shall try and figure out what kind of animal has decided to creep me out at night and make the attic space it's permanent home. I'm hoping it's a Gecko and not a rat... 

Something's been bugging me

   I haven't been up to much in the last 2 weeks since we got back to Ghana. I caught myself a nasty and very persistent tummy bug which meant I couldn't really go to the library. Had to see the doctor eventually and today is the first day I've sort of got my appetite back. Maybe it's got something to do with these very tasty muffins baked by my friend Rozahn. You can't buy these over here. What a treat!
   Rory and I spent a few hours on the bikes again trying to get this radio kit wired. It wasn't as tricky in the end as we thought but I'd say being electrical savvy is a definite bonus. We have to fit the headphones and mics into our helmets yet. Should be no problem though. Can't wait to go for a spin and test the whole thing. 
   Unfortunately that spin might have to wait. One of the rads on my bike is leaking coolant at the moment. Total show stopper! A colleague of Rory's said I should be able to get Radweld in the neighbouring village. Let's hope so. I've also been trying to figure out what's wrong with my speedometer. It hasn't been working ever since the last puncture and besides not being able to read current speed it's messing with my overall mileage. I will need a new cable. Also looking into replacing the horn. That has never been working in the first place but somehow being here I feel the pressing need of being able to make myself heard and to get this sorted. Little by little I'm learning more about the make up of bikes and enjoying it. Ok, I've bored you enough with my bike antics I'd say. 
   We're definitely in the rainy season now. It's been hammering down pretty much every evening. If you think you've seen rain before, wait til you experience this kind of weather. Incredible thunder and lightning too. It makes me feel strangely alive and, also very happy to be indoors.
   There are 2 more Irish guys working on site now. Strange to hear a thick Cork accent all of sudden in the middle of Ghana.
   We had a 'lock in' on compound yesterday due to a large number of locals from all surrounding villages protesting and blocking several site entrances to the mine. We were told in Africa people sometimes end up getting killed at events like these - although unlikely to happen in Ghana. Hence the management announced a lock in and no one was allowed to leave the compound for safety reasons. It kinda messed with my lazy daily routine and most importantly I didn't get to sleep in as all of Lycopodiums staff was buzzing over this unexpected day off. It's good to look at the bright sight of things. It's all back to normal again today.
   Hope everyone is well.

Return of the whales

WE'RE BACK! 

   Accra to Galway to Berlin to Galway to Accra in 3 weeks, with temperatures varying from +34 °C to -17 °C. We caught up with family, friends, good music and gorged on delicious foods (borderline gluttony). Both of us are carrying food babies at the moment - hence this weeks blog theme - so we were actually looking forward to return to Ghana to lose the gut. Although, the pounds of cheese, salami, bottles of wine among other tasty drops 'smuggled' into the country mightn't help matters. We looked like packed mules landing into Accra on Tuesday night. On arrival back in Purple Rocks last night it took me 2 hours (!) to put everything into place in our small humble room. 

 Reunion with the love of his life :)

600 gr prime rib chargrilled steak... clearly vegetarian!

Thank you duty free :)

Thursday of flat tires

   Remember the story of the ingenious patch job that fixed the flat tire I had on the way to Cape Coast in December? Well good! I didn't... until last Thursday morning that is. So UN-GERMAN of me! But hey, it lasted a month. That's impressive, isn't it? :)

   Here are a few snaps of the whole procedure of getting it fixed this time. Not quite as exciting as the first time round since I had a spare tube this time but you get the general idea. The comical side of it, there were bikes with flats to be seen about everywhere that morning. Hence, the Thursday of flat tires!

   We had a new addition to the camp for exactly 2 days. A little homeless puppy that was taken in by one of the guys. Her name was 'Lucky' which seemed to be fitting. Not so much now as she sadly has disappeared and it is very unlikely that she is still alive :(

   Saturday may have possibly marked an early end to the Harmattan season with rain like I haven't experienced it before. A blessing and relieve from the dust that is everywhere. I have robbed a few pictures off my friend Rozahn (thank you!). Hope it gives you an idea.

   I'm in Accra now and will be heading to the Airport in a couple hours. Really looking forward to going home! Shneaky pints on Tuesday night anyone? :)

Tour de Library

After many weeks of tedious data entry, maintenance and similar work we've reached a milestone: The first ~300 books are in the shelves!
It may not look or sound impressive but to finally see this progress is giving me and my 2 permanent helpers Hayford and Seth new energy and motivation.

Left picture: View from entrance. Shelves will separate the room in fiction (left-hand) and non-fiction (right-hand). The left hand side of the room will be further divided to create a 'junior section' for children. 

View from the desk to the right-hand side of the room. This is the non-fiction area we are currently working on.

Fiction area of the library: Currently a mess... Once done with the books, all 3 areas will provide seating and study possibilities.

The month of many 1sts

After laying Suzi down (while driving of course) as well as running out of petrol (sort of) it looks like December has had at least one more first time experience in store for me and Suzi. Rory and I were headed for Cape Coast on Wednesday morning. We were really excited about this trip. Only 30 km into the journey I got a puncture in my front tire. Within minutes several locals stopped offering their help but none of them really could do anything. We were fine. That was until we figured, that it wasn't a classic puncture. The valve had completely ripped out of the tube. I have no clue how that could have happened. Stupidly I had left my spare tube at home - very smart! 
   Rory drove to the next village and got their mechanic to come out. He had a very clever way of fixing the tire by cutting the valve incl. a large base of rubber out of an old tube. He stuck that one into my tube and fixed it with a nut as tight as possible. No glue, no rubber or similar to seal it. Believe it or not, it worked! It's a patch job but it brought us all the way down to the coast and back. My heart was bleeding though when I saw him butchering my rims with a screwdriver. First order I put in online when we got back from our trip on Saturday: A decent set of levers :) It will hopefully arrive together with my GiantLoop Saddlebags in time so that I can take it all back with me at the beginning of February. 
   I'm actually delighted the misfortune with the flat tire happened as well as the other episodes of falling and running the bike dry. It's good experience and a boost in confidence. I wish I had taken pictures of the puncture getting fixed but I was too focused on the mechanic and worried he'd damage more than do good. I'm pretty sure though next time I'll be more relaxed about it. 
   Before I get more smart comments how I could possibly run out of petrol with a transparent tank... :)
    I hadn't actually run out of petrol. With the type of tank fitted to my bike there is around 3-4 liters of petrol you can't really use because it's lower than the carb and it doesn't have a vacuum. I knew that but since I was about 10 km away from home and although the level of petrol was very close to the carb line I thought I would make it. Turns out I didn't :) Within minutes of me trying to somehow get use of the fuel left in the tank a taxi packed to the roof with people stopped and squeezed me in as well. They took me to the next petrol station, dropped me back at my bike, helped me push the bike as she wouldn't start at first and then wouldn't take any money for their help. Silly episode perhaps, but great experience altogether.
   Back to our trip down to Cape Coast... It was a very enjoyable ride. Rory was leading the way most of the time. Following him was entertaining as I watched the reactions his KTM causes with the locals. Driving through villages he sent chicken flying (rare sight!) and sheep stunned like a rabbit in the headlight. 
   By the time we got to the coast - it took us about 8 hours - I was well ready for food and a ring cushion to rest my aching behind. We stayed in Elmina, a Portuguese colony built in 1482 about 12 km west of Cape Coast. We took a tour through St. Georges castle, the oldest European building in existence below the Sahara. It was used as a slave trade post in it's time. Pretty grim to imagine how slaves where stacked and treated in there.
   We went to an animal sanctuary in Kakum. The place is run by a Dutch couple who have been living there for about 8 years. They rescue various animals but primarily monkeys from ending up in someones cooking pan. It's a tough battle and I really admire they're efforts.
   It took us 5 hours to get back on Saturday, just in time for lunch and a nap to get ready for some NYE shenanigans Ghana style. Who would have thought I'd be spending new years in Africa only 6 months ago?! Let's see what 2012 has in store for us :)

 

Kilometers of dusty bumpy roads (left) and grave of someone who died at an impressive age (right)

No clue what they were celebrating...

Skinny cows and other dangerous encounters along the road :)

Hundreds of slaves were kept here sometimes for months until the next boat would stop at Elmina and take them to Europe or elsewhere 

As the skull and crossed bones let guess if you were to step into the "condemned cell" you would not leave it alive

Boatmakers at Elmina Bay and hustle and bustle at the fish market in the heart of the city (lovely scent of fish in the air too *yikes*)

Spin to the beach and welcome present in our bathroom back in New Abirem