Update After Trip

Well my ankle is actually broken... I was lucky that it was a clean break of my fibula and that I was able to walk on it, (it was a bit more like a hobble), and was able to see Victoria Falls.

It was still a great trip on which I covered over 5000 km much of which was on sandy dirt roads, admittedly I would not have taken on this trip had I known beforehand that there was so much sand, but I was not the only rider who hadn't ridden on these types of roads before, and the guide gave us much assistance and instruction on how to tackle these roads, we were eased into this sort of riding and by the end were confidently travelling hundreds of km each day on these crappy roads.

here are a few additional photos from the trips last day

1 JUNE 2024 - THE END OF MY AFRICAN ADVENTURE

 So I've come to the end of my African adventure, Its been a great experience, and maybe I'll come back again sometime to see some more of this incredible country.

I'm on my way home, only one thing left to be said, my motto, what's next, could be anything.

Do whatever you can, when you can, and while you can,

as there will come a time when you will not be able to do it. 

30 MAY - DAY 22 EXPLORE VICTORIA FALLS

This is the last full day of my trip as tomorrow I start the long journey home via Johannesburg where I have to stop overnight. So today I headed off to see the falls close up. It is worse than Bali wandering the streets, so many venders all selling the same wood or stone carved objects, they actually make it impossible to actually just look, which I'm sure puts some people off buying. 

So what can I say about Victoria Falls, apart from the exorbitant price to get in, incredible, fantastic, amazing, words are not enough to describe this, Livingston said in his diary, "No one can imagine the beauty of the view .. scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight", after he first saw the falls. 

The sights and sounds of these are so immense that it is impossible to take it all in. Although there is a paved walk all the way around the park it and the park could be better maintained with better facilities for visitors as they are certainly getting enough money for it. at the south end of the park I stopped to watch the local monkeys frolicking with some wild dear. I continued along the path all the way along the top of the canyon opposite the falls, with the mist rising from the falls to form clouds above, it was difficult at times see or photo the falls, eventually coming to the north end where you can see the bridge crossing the outward flow of the falls. after that I stopped for a bite to eat at the cafe at the entrance and found that the food was not only good but surprisingly cheap. 

monkey video link   https://www.facebook.com/share/v/FkWachN5mtzh7n7o/?mibextid=qi2Omg

in the evening I went for a sunset cruise on the Zambesi river, where we saw the spray from the mighty falls and then some more hippo's. Later I went to see the Simunye African dance theatre show.

Well I think this is the end of my African Travel Blog, unless something happens on the way home.

29 MAY - DAY 21 EXPLORE VICTORIA FALLS

This is our last day of the tour after 21 days together. What a way to end an epic ride! Victoria Falls - Mosi-oa-Tunya - the smoke that thunders, an appropriate name for these spectacular falls on the Zambezi River. We have breakfast and say good by to those leaving today some riding on to Malawi & some going home.

In the afternoon I took a helicopter ride over the falls and the surrounding national park where as well as getting great views of the falls we saw a number of animals including elephants & giraffes. 

Then I became a billionaire when one of my riding friends gave me a local billion dollar note, but don't ask for any handouts as the 100 Trillion dollar note is only worth 40 US cents.

Tonight I went to the Boma - Dinner & Drum Show, good fun performance where by the end everyone was drumming and dancing.

I am staying for another day to experience the splendour of these falls some more as tomorrow I will go into the falls national park for a closer look, even though the fee to enter is extortion, US$50 or AU$80 to enter the park for 1 day....

28 MAY - DAY 20 KATIMA MULILO TO VICTORIA FALLS 250 km

Today we had to get all the bikes across two borders (back into Botswana and then into Zimbabwe), which took a few hours, along the way we cross the Chobe river and pass through Chobe Game Reserve. We get to Victoria Falls in time for me to walk to see the falls from the bridge, crossing briefly into Zambia to take a photo, it was a longer walk than I expected taking about 90 mins to walk from the hotel and cross the bridge & back into Zimbabwe, I then taxied back to the hotel, on the way I saw a warthog and some water buffalo. Crocodile skewers for dinner. overnight at Shearwater Explorers Village.

Tomorrow is the last official day of this leg of the trip, with the total trip being 5,500 km. 2 riders are continuing on through Zambia to Malawi. I will stay on in Victoria Falls for another 2 nights after this, with a helicopter flight over the falls tomorrow.

27 MAY - DAY 19 OKAVANGO TO KATIMA MULILO 360 km

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me ..... it was great to receive birthday cards and messages from all of my family & friends.

We started out today by following the Okavango river north before crossing once more into Namibia. Just after the border there's a 20km stretch of gravel road that runs through Babwate Game Reserve. Where we see an elephant on the side of the road, stop to take a picture but it starts to get aggressive so we move off pretty quickly, there now seems to be even more goats mules & cattle on the roads that we have to stop or avoid, We then turn east and ride through the Caprivi Strip to our overnight stop on the banks of the Zambezi river at the beautiful Caprivi Mutoya Lodge.

26 MAY - DAY 18 ON THE OKAVANGO RIVER on the houseboat DeltaBelle

Not too much to tell you today, I am still in a reasonable amount of pain from my accident yesterday, but am hobbling around. Went on a boat trip today looking for hippo's, we eventually found a couple and they move surprisingly quickly into the water, not to be seen again, then we came across a small group in the river, but the most that you see of there are their heads or snouts. We also saw elephants, lots of crocodiles, and numerous bird species. then we tried our hand at fishing for tiger fish, we caught 1, and I had a bite that was so strong that the rod I was holding broke in half and the fish got away. The tiger fish that we caught we later cut into to pieces and used this to call down a couple of fish eagles.

Decided not to ride tomorrow, which is our 2nd last riding day, and rest my ankle & knee, again photos may not be so good as all I have to use is my phone & a couple from my travelling buddies.