326Km
Today is not a long day so we are in no hurry, just as well because some of our gear is still wet. The sun is out by 5 am and I hang everything out while we pack. We will be having breakfast before we leave. We had a really pleasant stay and everything we needed was there. Jozini B&B is definitely good value for money.
We get waaay too much food but it is really nice so we dig in and make sarmies for takeaway.
Putin seems to have a frog in his throat this morning and we splutter out of the gate. There was a huge storm early evening so there might have been some water in the left carburetor because the spark was fine and Putin eventually spat the frog out and we were off. The views this morning are much better than what it was when we rode in yesterday afternoon.
The plan for today is to take the gravel Rooirantnek Pass. Apparently, it is not advisable to ride the pass when it rained but if we listened to all the naysayers on this trip we would have missed out on some great roads. This will also prove to be true in this instance.
I stop before going up the pass to make pre-emptive ‘repairs’. I’ve noticed that the line that balances the fuel between the left and right side of the fuel tank was busy rubbing through to the point that one side was completely flat and it is just a matter of time before it will perforate.
It is a beautiful road and we are both smiling ear to ear because the surrounding landscape has changed to the bushveld we feel at home in.
Going up the pass the views are stunning.
Plenty of livestock roaming the roads.
Down the other side and you can see for miles on this lovely clear day. I’m positive we will get to our destination without any rain. Famous last words?
Evidence of last night’s heavy rains is still visible but the road drained remarkably well considering the amount of water that fell from the skies.
We stop to fill up in Pongola a town on the banks of the Phongolo River known for its subtropical climate before heading off to Amsterdam. Now if you are thinking Europe then you will need to adjust your expectations a bit, downwards. The town was actually named after the ‘real’ Amsterdam out of gratitude to the Dutch for their assistance during the Anglo Boer war.
In this little town with a population of 6000, 2 stop streets, 2 churches and 1 liquor store law enforcement decided to set up a roadblock.
Just before entering Piet Retief, the last town before we reach Carolina where we will overnight, we stop for a leg stretch in one of the many gumtree plantations.
Piet Retief, named after a Voortrekker leader, is a nice surprise. Almost all small towns we rode through on our trip are run down and a shadow of their former glory but Piet Retief is surprisingly clean.
After lunch, we tackle the last 150Km to Carolina.
On the way, we find a sign warning motorist not to stop due to crime and we are really baffled. Here we are in Mpumalanga 80km from the closest town and we are in a crime hotspot? How fucked up is that! In towns and cities we are used to these crime hotspots but this is a first even for us. Apparently, you don’t want to break down here.
Anyways we make it through the cauldron of death and destruction and found this nice rock formation but were too scared to stop, we were warned. But just a few interesting facts about this formation. Nobody knows how they got there but a wheelbarrow has been ruled out. Amazingly they all look and feel like rocks. Coincidence? I think not.
Our overnight stop at Rand Self Catering is a nice surprise, a really nice surprise.
The unit is clean, everything is in place and everything is working, the attention to detail is what makes a difference between a good and an awesome stay.
I must admit that this is one of a few places we stayed on this trip that I will recommend and I wished we could stay a bit longer. A definite 5/5 stars.
Tomorrow is a long day when we venture further into Mpumalanga towards Gravelotte via Diepgezet pass so we will be leaving early.
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