Day 1 Part 2 Imagin waking in the morning (as I have done) to the sound of the waterfall and the birds and surrounded by nature - pure bliss, although the table can be a tad hard without a soft mattress. Nope- those were NOT kidney stones on the table! Take flight like an eagle and see the Tradouw valley (and almost crash your drone on the opposite mountainside) - even doing a 360 deg - little planet view, then back on the motorcycle out of the pass and through the settlement of Suurbraak and on to Buffeljagt to make friends with the goats and interview an old tortoise. SO, how does a tortoise wipe its nose then Heyy? In Swellendam pay an extortionate amount in cash to set up half a tent for the night. My inflatable air mattress of aged vintage only held air for about an hour and a half before it was flat on the ground pleading for another few lungful's of air - this continued through the night. My feet stuck out of the half tent and consequently were cold, resulting in calf cramps - ("Overuse of a muscle, dehydration, muscle strain or simply holding a position for a prolonged period can cause a muscle cramp. In many cases, however, the cause isn't known. "). ("Charley horse is another name for a muscle spasm. Charley horses can occur in any muscle, but they’re most common in the legs. These spasms are marked by uncomfortable muscle contractions.")  This condition afforded me the opportunity to see the owl watching over me from a nearby tree, and to observe the stars at different times of the night.  Day 2 took it's time getting started. I planned to have breakfast in Heidelberg and ride the Garcia pass to Ladismith and visit the Tierkloof dam in the Seweweeks poort, then over the Huis river pass to Oudtshoorn, the Robinson pass to sleep in Mosselbay.  Music: Missing Persons - Jeremy Blake

I think that turtle might have been a little shy.

Pretty cool to have your own garage (turtle). Lovely mountainous area!

DAFlys Posted at 4-3 03:36
I think that turtle might have been a little shy.

Hmm not a ninja hey?

Depp Posted at 4-3 04:20
Pretty cool to have your own garage (turtle). Lovely mountainous area!

Yep, always at home

Another colourful chapter. Great journey you're having

Blériot53 Posted at 4-3 23:44
Another colourful chapter. Great journey you're having

T'was fun, t'was
but in the end it made me realise that i'm not as young as I thought I was
Some people ride 500 to 600km a day. I planned only max 400 and still it took a lot out of me.
I am rearing to go on another trip as soon as I can.  

Droffarc Posted at 4-3 23:54
T'was fun, t'was
but in the end it made me realise that i'm not as young as I thought I was
Some people ride 500 to 600km a day. I planned only max 400 and still it took a lot out of me.

None of us are as young as we think we are
A steady recovery and you'll be itching to do it again soon, somewhere else

Blériot53 Posted at 4-3 23:57
None of us are as young as we think we are
A steady recovery and you'll be itching to do it again soon, somewhere else

Roger that sir!

Nice adventure Droffarc.    Might be time to replace the old air mattress.  

DowntownRDB Posted at 4-4 02:15
Nice adventure Droffarc.    Might be time to replace the old air mattress.

Indeed Downtown I have done so to save my breath

Droffarc Posted at 4-4 03:17
Indeed Downtown I have done so to save my breath

If you had room you could take along a scuba tank for air supply for the mattress.    Better to use a foot pump though.  

DowntownRDB Posted at 4-4 07:26
If you had room you could take along a scuba tank for air supply for the mattress.    Better to use a foot pump though.

Now why didn't I think of that?
I have now acquired a decent 6-inch inflatable mattress and a cordless rechargeable Tyre inflator that will do the job very nicely. The inflator is a bit on the noisy side but to use it only once will not annoy the neighbors too much. I will however need to surround the mattress with cot railings so I don't fall out in the night when I wet my nappy.

Droffarc Posted at 4-4 08:39
Now why didn't I think of that?
I have now acquired a decent 6-inch inflatable mattress and a cordless rechargeable Tyre inflator that will do the job very nicely. The inflator is a bit on the noisy side but to use it only once will not annoy the neighbors too much. I will however need to surround the mattress with cot railings so I don't fall out in the night when I wet my nappy.

Wet your nappy......

Sounds like you came up with a very workable solution.  Hope you enjoy the rest of your trip.  

Very nice to see!

Montfrooij Posted at 4-7 10:45
Very nice to see!

Droffarc Posted at 4-8 04:00

You're welcome!

Very nicely done

A J Posted at 5-30 02:12
Very nicely done

Thank you A J

Droffarc Posted at 5-30 03:16
Thank you A J

You're very welcome