Triumphrat

DaveB · 08-12-2009, 04:58 PM

In this case, a 1,400km/875mi ride and it was this block, or at least this was part of it.

It’s a region in neighbouring country Botswana known as the Tuli Block.

Day 1: Green arrows
Day 2: Red arrows
Day 3: Purple arrows

We’ve just enjoyed a long weekend due to a public holiday so this was a three-day trip. I’m hoping to put together a long tour during late winter (this time of year) next year and I planned this as a mini rehearsal to at least find out the basics about travelling in Botswana and, perhaps more importantly, to find out whether I’m up to riding a long trip in southern Africa.

It meant that I was heading in to remote rural Africa. Interestingly, the GDP per capita for Botswana is no.3 on the continent (Equatorial Guinea is far ahead in no.1 position, Togo is no.2 & we’re no.4). But rural Africa means Third World conditions. I’m used to this because South Africa has plenty of Third World areas and settlements, both urban & rural. For anybody from developed nations, First World countries, this would be something of a shock I would think if they’d not encountered anything like it before. Far from feeling superior when I experience the Third World, I’m simply amazed that people who live in these altogether different and very harsh environments manage to survive. In fact I’m in awe of what they accomplish.

I spent 2 nights in the town of Laphalale (pron. lap-hah-lar-lay), formerly known as Ellisras, in the West of our Limpopo Province. From there I was planning on doing a single day incursion in to eastern Botswana & then returning home on the third day.

I knew in advance that I wouldn’t see anything spectacular on this trip, rather that I’d be travelling in remote regions and seeing how I’d cope & whether I’d enjoy it. The region I’d be visiting is agricultural; not wild Africa. All the riding would be on asphalt.

The long-term weather forecast promised settled sunny conditions and daytime temps in the mid 20’s C/ around mid 70’s F. The forecast was spot on.

Day 1
I set out on the Saturday morning from Johannesburg going through the town of Brits and then on up to Thabazimbi (the ‘h’ is silent). I stopped along the way to view the edge of the Waterberg Mountains.

DaveB · 08-12-2009, 05:08 PM

It was now lunchtime and this is what I saw along the road. It was all just a little remote.

I was still firmly in South Africa, yet the next day I was to head in to Botswana which is nowhere near as developed as our country!

As I neared Laphalale the road contained some more interesting sections.

I arrived mid afternoon, found a pub and enjoyed some chicken nachos.

Then it was on to the hotel and a good night’s sleep.

DaveB · 08-12-2009, 05:14 PM

Day 2
Botswana is roughly the same size (and shape

) as France but only has a population of around 2 Million. Most of the population live in the South East and East of the country. About half the country is desert (the Kalahari) and the famous Okavango Delta is located in the North West. Its main industries are diamonds, sundry other types of mining, agriculture & tourism.

I set off from the hotel at 8 a.m. and headed towards the border at Groblers Bridge. Along the way I passed this sign.

I wasn’t as prepared as I thought for the border crossing & it ended up taking 90 minutes, rather than the 30 I’d planned for. South African & British passport holders don’t need visas. The bridge over the Limpopo River is single track so I just couldn’t stop to take a pic. It looked very lush though, surrounded as it was by very dry countryside. This region probably hasn’t had more than 10mm of rainfall in the last 3 months.

DaveB · 08-12-2009, 05:21 PM

Eventually I got going in to Botswana, on the road to Palapye, and after about 30 minutes I made my first stop to take off some layers and drink some water. I must have spent about 10 minutes there and only two other vehicles came past in that time.

Note the striated pecs! Well, actually it’s an airflow zip, creases in the material & shadows

.

DaveB · 08-12-2009, 05:36 PM

The region is + 800 m asl and is a low risk malaria area. Most of the dwellings that could be seen from the road were traditional huts whose inhabitants farm goats & cattle. It’s a way of life that’s endured for thousands of years. Yet there I was next to it with full on roaming GSM cellular phone coverage.

The roads were in good condition but there were lots of donkeys, cattle & goats grazing along the roadside and sometimes vervet monkeys and baboons in the road. It meant that though the 120kph/75mph speed limit was fine, I had to keep a sharp look out for animals.

I stopped at 12 noon.

Tropical Triumph:

The length of the shadows indicates that the midday sun was pretty high in the sky. Yet this was just seven weeks (to the day) after the winter solstice!

Then it was onwards to Palapye and then North to Serule, where I stopped for fuel. The service station was typically scruffy African but they had 93 RON unleaded and the service was friendly. My petro card was not accepted and it’s things like this that I needed to find out on a recce trip. The Makgadikgadi Salt Flats, from where the BBC Top Gear trio started their Trans Botswana trek in the three old bangers, are a scant 320km/200mi NW of where this photo was taken.

Then I was on to the road to Selebi-Phikwe (pron. suh-leeby pickwee).

Along the way I took a pic of the dirt at the side of the road (not many people do this!). Yes, it really is this colour and it’s a visual signature of much of southern Africa.

DaveB · 08-12-2009, 06:27 PM

In the middle of the African bush. This type of riding environment may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I reckon that when you want to get away from the city & the pressures of modern life it’s just the ticket. I find it most therapeutic.

Selebi-Phikwe is a large town with nickel & copper mines.

Well it was large enough for me to get lost in….. I can get lost just about anywhere, but that’s one of the main aims of exploring somewhere new IMO. Anyway, I misread a roadsign & got lost, much to the amusement of the residents. After the universal arms-out-wide-palms-up gesture, there was lots of pointing which got me going in the right direction. Botswanan people are very placid, helpful & friendly. Throughout this rather comical episode the kids waved, as they did just about wherever I went.

Eventually I found my way out of town and headed to the border via Sefophe & Mogapi. Sights along the way:

DaveB · 08-12-2009, 06:42 PM

A termite mound (about six feet tall) and there were plenty of them:

And then I saw what I’d most wanted to see on this trip- a giant baobab tree! It’s the first one I’d ever seen.

I was surprised that I didn’t see another motorbike during my 6-hour trip through Botswana.
I got through the border back in to South Africa

and then travelled the 100km back to the hotel. I’d done about 600km/375mi in the day & I was pretty much finished when I got back. It had been quite a day.

Catenaccio · 08-12-2009, 07:22 PM

I like your "around the block." Beautiful territory, excellent pics!

DaveB · 08-12-2009, 07:30 PM

Day 3
Back in South Africa, some early morning views of the hotel in Laphalale:

DaveB · 08-12-2009, 07:40 PM

Then it was off to take a look at Matimba power station (4 GW) just down the road. It was built in the Eighties and I’d travelled there several times representing one of the equipment suppliers. I hadn’t seen it in more than 20 years. It doesn’t have cooling stacks; it features a closed circuit cooling system, known as ‘dry’ cooling, which is preferred in arid or semi arid conditions where water loss through evaporation would be a problem. The green thing on the right hand side is a massive horizontal radiator that runs the length of the power station. Giant fans underneath force the air up through the cooler.

Another pic of Matimba, taken from afar and the early morning light makes it look as though it is almost floating.

The town of Laphalale is in the middle distance.

The construction of another thermal power station nearby, Medupi
(4.8 GW, dry cooled), has started. By the time Medupi comes fully on stream, in about 8 years’ time, these two power stations will have the capacity to supply about 20% of the country’s then electricity needs. They will both be fed by the Grootegeluk coal mine (which currently supplies Matimba) and the two power stations together will consume about 30 Million tons of coal a year. The estimate of the coal reserves in the region exceeds 70 Billion tons, so it’s unlikely anyone’s going to construct a nuclear power station in this region for a very long time.

It was time to turn for home. It’s still winter but it must’ve been 18 C/64 F by 9 a.m., not a breath of wind and it would warm up further.