Mozambique mid year/June trip 2008

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Mozambique mid year/June trip 2008

Postby kfxnando » Tue Jan 18, 2011 9:26 pm

this trip took place end of June 2008

just copied and pasted here!!

enjoy!!


Well, everyone has been waiting for the ride report!!

SORRY it took so long, however I hope it's worth the wait!!











After all the waiting, planning worries about legal papers,etc......................................we left the house at about 17H30 24/06



pls take note of the space for stickers on the BOX on the trailer!!! Sponsors welcome...



We were only due to meet our friends at 19H00, however this gave us time to fill the 4X4 with fuel, check tire pressures, draw money for the last time, scratch.............. (we won't go down that road)!!!

While supervising the petrol jockey, there was a call and BG said that our friends were almost ready and we should get going!!

Soon we were on our way to meet our friends in Elspark. When we got there, they were still busy packing the last of the meat
We left at 18H45, 15 min ahead of the planned departure time. It hardly ever works out that way!

Soon we were on the N17, through the only toll gate (judging by the road works and the roads being deviated over the N17, it wouldn't surprise me to see tollgates in the future on this road)...

There were a few trucks on the road, however we knew that we were in for a night trip, and took it easy overtaking only when absolutely safe to do so!

In Leandra we stopped to check that all was still on trailer and found that one of the straps on the BF had come loose(the quads had been tied down for three days and with the loss of air one strap was loose, however still on tight with the other and in no danger of losing quad!!) and if it fell off, it wasn't my quad, it was BG's quad!! :y2: :y2: :y2:
Wait till she sees this!! LOL!!

Next stop was in Ermelo at a Big Total, coffee was had by some, some refilled with fuel!
Then off to Piet Retief: this part of the road is not in such a good condition and with the trucks....
Nevertheless, all went well.
At Piet Retief, we filled up had a coffee and a small rest, and then took off again to Pongola, leaving behind the last traffic light we would encounter until our return to this Town!!

Soon Pongola was upon us with a lot less trucks on the roads. As the night wore on, so the trucks grew few and far between!!
At Pongola, everyone filled up and I thought "Nope, dont need fuel, it shows almost full". As the road to Pongoa had been easy, I thought that the tank 'was' almost full.
However, when we left the fuel needle settled down and showed we had used more fuel then expected!! OOPPSSS!!!
So past Pongola Dam, and up the steep hills to Jozini. Had to gear down to second gear a few times, but in any case we were soon in Jozini and we found that (luckily) the BP on the one bend is a 24hr station! However, had that not been the case, I could still have made it to Kosi bay, so not too serious!

We then stopped on the other side of Jozini Dam, had a coke, a smoke (not me), and a pee!!

Had a look at the view, even at night its still something to see!!

Then came a bad piece of road to Kosi - this piece was full of potholes, and the further we went the worse it got until the circle with the split to Kosi. After that it was all smooth sailing till Kosi bay town, where we filled up 4X4's, quads, fuel containers, stomaches, etc. - between two of us the fuel bill came to R3500 (fuel is getting ridiculously expensive and the cost WILL become a factor when planing future trips :y1:)

After another coke and a chat and a joke and a tear for the price of fuel we were off to the border post...
Here we arrived while still dark, had a drink, snack, smoke, checked oil levels, and dropped tyre pressures for the highway across the border!!



Here we settled down and made ourselves comfortable for the long wait, as we arrived well before the 1st sign of sunlight.


Soon the time ticked away and BG was again in her element clicking away and getting some great pics!!

Sunrise at the border!!


It didn't take long until we were across the border, and on the highway to Ponta!!


Some of the puddles of water from the previous days rain, which actually helped to compact the 'highway' and make our trip easier!!


The local plant nursery!!


The trip continued!!

Soon we arrived in Ponta, at the local market!!



and not long after that, we arrived at the camp site


The one sand pit, the one near signal hill!!



BAD NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SIGNAL HILL IS NO MORE!! WITH ALL THE DEVELOPMENT DOWN THERE, ITS IS NOW PRIVATE PROPERTY!!



MY FAVORITE PIC!!


Having fun!!


Wait till he sees this pics posted on the net


Some pics of the camp site!!





Our setup!!



Well, now for some riding stories, more pics later

The day we got there after setting up camp, we were a bit tired, so we only took a small ride to the sand pit, pics above

The second day we planned a whole nice ride. Wait! Before that, BG took some amazing pics of the sunrise!!




There are more to be seen!!


Then only did we plan the day trip!!

PLANNING DEPARTMENT!!



On this particular day, all started well, and after breakfast we set off on the way to the entrance to the elephant park. We travelled only 10km before we hit snag 1, typical Africa, police that wanted a bribe, and started with the story of driver's licenses. We got past that, but then they picked on the SXS riders not wearing seatbelts, and then went on to the quads that were riding 2 up!!

Before we were able to depart we had to part with R400 fine (no receipt) - it could have been worse, though! I plan on taking it up with the Moz authorities, but I'm pretty sure nothing will come of it, in any case..........................!!

So we carried on with our trip, all very miffed with the whole situation!!!

We arrived at our planned picnic spot, ate, rested, joked and soon headed back to camp where the spicy part of the day trip started!!

The road that we had travelled was like a roller-coaster, with big water-puddles in the dips!!
On the way out we all took it easy, with everyone able to keep an eye on me, so most were dry!!
On the way back the routine started again, with the exception of Johan who got splashed with water by BG!!

So I decided to hide in the bush!! I really need a helmet camera, to record these moments!!
I watched most of the people ride past me without noticing me hiding in the bush, and had a good cackle about it!!

As soon as the last quad went past, the fun started! I wish I could describe people's surprise when all of a sudden they hear the V at the water puddles!! LOL!!
Needless to say, people suddenly developed an 'urge' to get through the water at a much faster rate, but I managed to splash most of the people incl BG LOL!!
It wasn't long before some people had caught up to the Rhino, and it was so funny to see them getting closer and closer as they tried to escape getting splashed from behind!! LOL

I was soaking wet, but had lots of fun!!

We made our way back to the camp site, where unfortunately Johan had to leave to go back to SA that day still. After helping with the packing, we escorted him back to the border, and soon the tummy bug started to set in!!
That night it was Paul's Birthday, but we (BG & I) spent most of that night at the ablution block. Later on Paul also occupied another part of the ablution block!!

We both returned with the tummy bug, and had to consult a Doc yesterday as a result (thats also the reason for no ride report till now)

The ill-health was not reason enough to skip on riding!!

We drove to Mamoli which looks nice, but so does the price! We heard of charges in the region of R1k/Person/night
It seems they cater mainly for 'out of Africa' tourists!!

We made a detour to Malongane which was very nice, and ate lunch there. Good food!!
The camp site looks great, just dont like the fact that the quads are away from the camp site!!
In any case, it's an option well worth considering!!

The last day of riding was spoiled by the almost solid rain, which even stopped us from starting the packing process early, leaving us to pack all the next day!!

So the day and time arrived where it was pack up time!!
The tent was packed away, still wet, and therefore still needs to be erected, cleaned, and dried before repacking!!

All went well at the border crossing, and we then took a different route, on a sand road. Had I known of that road, I would have gone that way originally - it's longer, but much better and easier on the equipment.

We went past Jozini, onto the main road, and sat a while behind these two trucks. When the moment was right



geared down and the opened the throttles

and

BOOM!!!!

the cooling fan and the radiator cowling grenaded, about 10km from Pongola!!
Luckily it did not damage the radiator, so I was able to override the air-con fan to run permanently. I made it to Pongola where we got a new fan, but no cowling was available at any price!!

So we waited till after dark for the weather to cool down, and then left for home again!!

There is still more to tell, but I'll save that for later, or this ride report will never end!!

At a later stage I will also give my impression of Mozambique!!

My fingers are sore already, not used to typing any more!!
Thanx for reading!! :y2: :y2:[/quote]
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kfxnando
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Re: Mozambique mid year/June trip 2008

Postby kfxnando » Tue Jan 18, 2011 9:28 pm

sadly the site where all the pics were hosted has shut down and hence the links just showed ''image''

so deleted those images link, and with time, too late now, will reload the pics and reinsert the links to the pics!!
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kfxnando
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Posts: 622
Joined: Fri Apr 02, 2010 5:08 am


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