Finish ...

Andy C. ... in the final convoy ... any guess which country he comes from ...?

Done It ... YEEHA!

Patrick, Tiger and Helen Zille

Thanks Boet for all the help and support ...!

And they all came to see me!! ;-)

Home Stretch

The SEA! ... Eilands Bay

Patrick and Remy ... after the race leaders fitted "Race Leader" signs ...

The roads are always long and straight in Africa ... merely tarred back in S.A.

Remy, Janet and Gerhard in Melkbos Strand

Yeeha!! Home at last!



Our day into Cape Town was easy and pleasant. A non-race day ... so everybody took it real easy. We idled along to just past Melkbos and met on the beach - from where we continued in a police escorted convoy into town and to the Waterfront/Finish Line.



This was definitely the best convoy to date for our group ... one fall while cycling thru the harbour, when Guy and Gerhard slipped on the train tracks ... No I was not involved in this one!!! The mayor - Helen Zille - joined us for the last stretch into the Waterfront, also accompanied by numerous BEN cyclists (Bicycle Empowerment Network ... charity organisation).



The finish line was really great!! Loads of people, Table Mountain in the background, awesome weather, drums and music ... and obviously also a little emotional!



The day turned out to be real hectic from the finish onwards ... and I'm sorry for not giving all the friends and family their due attention ...



We had a flag procession, speeches, prize giving, photos, snacks and drinks ... then a quick rush to buy some outfit for the evening ... collect all our bikes and bags, find our hotel rooms, quick shower, drinks and dinner party ... aahh, and then a good night's sleep ...

The week to Cape Town

Phil's Bike ...

Andy ... when you going to cut your hair?

Well, we left Springbok with a taste of different weather and temperatures getting noticeably cooler. We had more wind ... specifically more head-wind and temperatures were much colder. We also had some overcast weather and threats of rain ... which held back for the rest of the trip!

Phil, Remy and I continued to alter, hide, deface and torture each others bikes and rides ... as noticeable with Phil's bike in the picture above. Some people also kept growing their hair ... either too lazy or they couldn't find a hairdresser ... Andy P. looked especially sexy when he took his helmet off ...

We had one more dirt road section thru to Eland's Bay ... where we got to see the sea!! YEEHA! The second last day, to Yzerfontein was really quite tough ... we were all real tired, head-winds all the way and a definite chill in the air ... but arriving here was a definite highlight for me ... it is nearly like home (I work a lot at a stable yard around the corner and I used to own a smallholding up here till two months ago).

Thanks to all the family and friends that came to join us at the campsite in Yzerfontein ... it was real good fun! and nice to see you all.

Home, happy and chilling

Hi there all!!

I've done it ... actually several days ago already ... I've just been running around like crazy and haven't set up my computer yet (sitting in Stellenbosch in an internet cafe) ... and therefore only sending this out now ... we cruised in last Saturday and have not stopped since ...

It has been absolutely amazing!! The best thing I have ever done and worth every penny and all the debt I have accrued to do so!

I'll update you all with information and pics early in the next week ... still running around with friends from the tour and trying to find some peace and quite here and there - actually, to be honest, I would rather be back in Sudan in the open, empty sand-pit with little to do and surviving out of my little red box ...

Well, I've got a couple more tourist destinations to go thru ... off to Hermanus and the wine farms today, Greenmarket Square on Saturday and dinner here and there. Already done Table Mountain, Cape Point, Peninsula Tour and some sailing (Thanks Rob Meek and Gordon Kling for the sail) ... weird how one becomes a tourist in one's own town ... ;-)

Later guys and gals ...

I can't do this anymore!

Back in South Africa ...


Well, I'm back in South Africa ... exactly four months since I flew out of Jo'burg International (I know the name has/is changing, but I prefer the old one).

We stayed at a lekker camp ... Fiddlers Creek ... just on the Orange River, on the RSA side. We have made it to Springbok and are spending some time in this major city ... well, not really major.

Once again we have another little bug going around the camp ... my stomach packed up two nights ago and I've been blessed with a head cold too ... lets get it over with now and then come charging into Yzerfontein and Cape Town in top gear on the weekend.

Well, this will probably be all for a while ... don't think we will have more e-mail connections pre-Cape Town ... so I'll do some more from home (wherever that is going to be ...?) and sumarise some other information too.

Well, hope to see lots of you back home soon. I'll need a holiday to recover and get back into things ... so to all my dear clients - I'm only going to get back into the swing of work towards the end of the month ... end of May!

Lotsa luv all
Patrick

P.S. ... lack of photos was due to lack of USB connections on computers since Botswana

Somewhere in Africa

Namibia - heading to Ai-Ais (as if you couldn't guess!)

Quiver trees at Garas Park

Quiver trees earlier in the day (notice arty composition of photo)

Chicks in the tub!

Planet Boabab

Patrick and Remy heading south

You naughty boy!

ICE CREAM!!!
Patrick, Remy and Walter
Patrick ruins another self portrait

Sizzled Miles and Rach eventually relaxing

A bunch of photos

Gerhard you should cycle not push

Go tandem, go!

Gunther stocking up for the day

Here comes Thor!

A quick hello

Hi there all.

Just a quick note to say hi!!

I've had a nice ride from Windhoek ... not too cold, a little boring and monotonous regarding the scenery ... but really beautiful and good fun!!

Had another problem ... or rather repeated issue with my one eye ... pain, red, swollen and real shit ... ended up going to the specialist at the Keetmanshoop Hospital ... nice, friendly "front shop" staff ... useless Dr to say the least ... as a fellow cyclist said: "She might as well have kicked you in the balls and you'd have had the same results!" ... i.e. USELESS!!

Otherwise real well ... entered the Ai-Ais area today ... real beautiful and back on dirt road - real good dirt road! Went to the Fish River Canyon for sun downers ... awesome ... and enjoying some drinks for the nurse's birthday this evening.

Off for a rest day at Ai-Ais tomorrow and then cross the border the next day ... back HOME!!!

See you soon, and I'll update this again from sweet old South Africa

Lotsa Love,
Patrick