Monday, May 10, 1999
Since we had a few very busy days, I have a "do nothing day" today. I sended some
postcards to the people back home, plan some routes for motorcycle trips and go
to the bank for some South African Rands from the ATM.
Tuesday, May 11, 1999
On Tuesday, I finaly get the rental bike. Tony, the owner of "Motorcycle Tours
South Africa" picks me up with his Volkswagen minibus. In his kitchen we have a
few cups of coffee and I get some good advise and tips for my trips.
My first trip is driving the Midlands Meander route. It is a route past all kind of
workshops and studio's of local artists, small restaurants, boarding-houses and farms.
There is a leaflet with a short description of these companies and artist with a
good map. It is a very nice, well maintained road, winding through the Midlands in
the center of Kwazulu Natal.
The part I'm doing today is the R103 in the direction of Howick. Via Howick I go
past Lions River to Lidgetton and Balgowan.
Before I enter Balgowan I follow Tony's advise and leave the road to drive to "Swissland
Cheese", at the end of a dirtroad, two kilometers driving up the mountain side.
The road ends on the mountain at a "Swiss" chalet-like building with pastures around it
with goats. They make cheese out of the goats milk. I can taste all different cheese types
and I buy a piece of cheese that I like most. It is like a "brie".
Then I go down the dirtroad again, with the cheese in the Krauser pannier of the BMW,
back to the Meander route.
Swissland cheese
The road swings through the hills and mountains via Nothingham Road and Rosetta to Mooi
River. At Mooi River I fill the gastank and after that I go to the Wimpy, next to the
gas station and have a nice banana milkshake.
An older couple, sitting at the table next to mine at the Wimpy restaurant, asked me if
it wasn't very cold on a motorcycle in this time of year (it's autumn in this part of
the world). I explain to them that 27 degrees is considered a nice summer temperature
in Holland.
Although it's almost lunchtime I like to drive on for a while. I enter a cross-road and
after a short time I see a beautifull narrow steel bridge but the road ends at the yard of
a factory so I go back to the main road.
A nice steel bridge
I have lunch at "Mother Goose", a nice family owned small restaurant with a terrace with
a view on a bend in the river with rapids. In the grass on the river banks are rabbits,
guineapigs and goose. The weather is very nice so this terrace is a perfect place to have
lunch. I order a "Trout Salad Plate", a big plate with trout, cheese, unions, ham, crackers,
raisins, olive's and more. Together with a nice glass of orangejuice it costs only ten Dutch
guilders (Four and a half Euro)!
A very good place for lunch
After lunch I put my crashhelmet on agian and start the big blue BMW. It is very convenient not to
need locks and chains when parking a bike! Just jump on the bike and go.
With the typical BMW boxersound in the background, I drive the winding road over the hills
to Balgowan. I wish I could drive this kind of roads every day of my life!
I am so happy I can ride here
At Balgowan I get on a dirtroad up the mountain again and after about two kilometer I park
the bike at "Coverz". At Coverz they sell hammock's, backpacks and bags but they also serve
real Italian coffee and so after checking out the merchandise, I have a very good cup of
cappuccino.
When I'm finnished with the coffe, I jump back on the BMW and drive downhill, on the bumpy
dirtroad, back to the R103 to Pietermaritzburg.
At Lions River I stop at the monument for Nelson Mandela. The monument is here to remember
Nelson Madela's arrest here in 1962. He spend twentyfive years in a prison cell before he
became president of the "new" South Africa. He is now honorary citizen of Howick, for his
struggle agains apartheid.
The Mandela monument
Past Howick I want to stop at "Peels Honey" but the only thing I can find is a small shed. (later
I found that I should have followed that road a little farther to find the real Peels Honey)
I go back to the main road and back to Pietermaritzburg.
Wednesday, May 12, 1999
On Wednesdaymorning I sleep out until five past seven. Then I have breakfast and a shower and get
the BMW boxer from the garage. Helmet on, push the button........... nothing.
The battery is flat so I called Tony, the owner of the bike. He came with a new battery right away
and after the installation of the new battery, the bike started at once. While we were working on
the bike, Tony gave me some tips about a nice route so that is the route I plan to do today.
First I drive through the center of Pietermaritzburg. Then I take the R33 to Greytown. Somewhere
I get on the wrong road but it is going in the right direction so I'll try my luck here. Then I
drive into a forrest. In spite of big signs that it is not permitted to dump garbage here, the side
of the road, over a lenght of a few hundred meters is a real garbage dump, three meters wide.
What a shame!
The rest of the road is very pretty and after a while, I get back on the R33. The R33 is going
straight over the hills, uphill, through the valley and uphill agian with a great view on both
sides of the road. In Greytown I get my gastank filled and after that I cross the road to the
Wimpy on the other side, to get a nice milkshake.
When I want to get on the bike, I notice that the brakefluid reservoir on the back came loose so
I had to make a temporary repair with tape that I get from the Wimpy restaurant.
Temporary repair
Before leaving Greytown I ask for directions to Kranskop, the next village's I will go to and with
the right directions, I'm on my way again. The road to Kranskop is again a nice winding road and
Kranskop itself is a nice example of a South African village. It has a wide street with lots of
small shops through the center with a dusty square. On the town square hundreds of Zulu's walk, sit,
stand there, trying to sell their merchandise, from blankets on the ground, tables and so on.
Zulu woman walk around with their purchases on their heads and bakkie's and minibusses are parked
all over the place. It's very crowded and alive.
I drive past this marketplace and leave Kranskop again. After a while the road is getting very
narrow so I'm afraid I must be on the wrong road. There should be a nice viewpoint but I can not
find it. (Later I found that I was on the right road and should have followed it for a few more
kilometers). I drive back to Kranskop and through Kranskop, I get on the road to Stanger.
The road is going past sugarcane-plantations and the harvesting is going on now. On the fields
I see Zulu woman with shopping-knifes cutting the sugarcane. The farmers use tracktors with a big
crane to lift the sugarcane on trucks. These trucks are very dangerous for bikers on the road
because sometimes the sugarcane extents a meter on each side of the truck. Take good care while
overtaking a sugarcane-truck! On the roads are lots of pieces of sugarcane and along the road
the Zulu people are chewing on small pieces of sugercane.
Sugarcane harvest
Shortly after leaving Kranskop, I see the signs to Stanger so I get on the R74 to the coast.
It's a bikers dream, this road through Zulu country. The road goes up and down the hills and
winds through the green valley's. The slopes are scattered with the original round Zulu houses.
Zulu houses on the slopes of the hills
A beautifull scenery with the high mountains as a background. When I arrive in Stanger I get on
the road to Tongaat, in the direction of Durban. This roads goes past villages like
Shakaskraal and Shakasrock, villages just like Kranskop with the little shops and marketplace.
At Tongaat I take the R614 heading to Wartburg.
Beautifull scenery
Another great road through Zulu country, just like the R74 and after a great ride in very nice
warm and sunny weather, I arrive in Wartburg with my tank almost empty and very thirsty.
Wartburg was founded as a German settlement and still has some beautifull churches and other
buildings in German style.
The first thing I do when I arrive in Wartburg is looking for a gas station and with my tank
filled, I drive to the "Wartburger Hof" to get a drink but unfortunately there is a conference
going on in the Wartburger Hof so I have to find somewhere else to get a drink. Finaly I go to the
local Supermarket and buy a half liter bottle of Coca Cola. Outside the supermarket I sit on the
BMW and enjoy the cold Coca Cola.
Supermarket in Wartburg
After this refreshment and with my gastank filled, I'm ready to hit the road again so I start
the bike and drive to Pietermaritzburg.
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