Friday 18 March 2011

The perfect last ride...

On entering South Africa we had the sense of the end coming near, a feeling that brought mixed emotions for both of us. We rode quite quickly through the north Springbok, Clanwilliam and then Stellenbosch. The landscape in the North is dry but beautiful with the Orange and Opliphant Rivers winding through the valleys and feeding the many wineries one encounters further south.

Stellenbosch was of course lovely but for us highlighted the differences between the haves and the have nots in South Africa. We spent a day being driven around on a winery tour, tasting what was on offer and enjoying a bit of luxury after months of no wine and not so much civilization! After travelling through Africa it is a surreal experience to sit in Franschoek or Stellenbosch in a lovely café or restaurant, just like being in Europe in the summer. Whilst in Stellenbosch we visited Lanzerac Winery which is where Tille’s cousin got married, a lovely spot and great for us to see it first-hand.

Wanting to savour the last ride into Cape Town we rode from Stellenbosch to the Cape and after an afternoon of visiting penguins at Boulder Beach camped at a place called Miller’s Point which was the perfect location for the last tent night. Must admit the good restaurant next door raised the standards somewhat and we weren’t exactly roughing it!

The day of our final ride had come; we cruised along the coast of the cape, savouring the feeling of freedom on the bike. First stop was the Cape of Good Hope to take a picture of us with the bike at the most south-western point of Africa; this caused much amusement (and frustration) to the bus-loads of tourists all wanting their photo too.

Feeling elated that we had made it we rode up to the lighthouse on the Cape and then along the western side through Chapman’s Peak which with it’s incredible views and sheer drops down into the sea before you arrive in Hout Bay was indeed – the perfect last ride.

From Heidelberg to Cape Town took us 148 days in which we covered 20,647km. We sit in Cape Town where we have some time to enjoy what is an offer here and attempt to let it all sink in and reflect on what we have achieved – it is hard to imagine now that all of the experiences in our heads and hearts are real, but when asked would we do it again? Yes, is the resounding answer.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Super! einfach einmalig was ihr da gemacht habt. Eure "Reisejournal" wird uns whl fehlen... Bis bald am Telefon in HD.

Salut
Cathy et Xenia

Anonymous said...

woohoo!! well done guys...amazing achievement!! Im envious but also incapable of doing what you just did...so reading all about it was a great way to experience it!!

ML
Lazy Spaniards

Anonymous said...

Liebe Tille & Ains,

Ziel erreicht! Respekt!!!

Alles Liebe, Bis bald,

Steffi und Basco