South Africa: Montagu to Somerset West. The end of the trip.

Thursday 16th July: Montagu to Somerset West.

We met for breakfast at 8am & were on the road soon after 10.

Sir John Montagu Guest House in Montagu

It is only 180 kms from Montagu to home although first I wanted to stop by Disa Motors in Gants centre near Somerset West. I bought Dusty from Pieter, one of the owners of Disa Motors. He’d owned it for about 7 years and had kept it in a condition that allowed us to undertake this trip. We just wanted to say thanks to him for that. Next stop was Al Dente for a wonderful chilli pasta and then La Piazza.

We pulled through the gates at about 3pm, quickly followed by Sylvia Owen, my friend and neighbour, who gave us both a huge hug and welcome. It’s good to be back. Oh, and the sun was blazing down on us, enough to be more than comfortable in a T-shirt.

Back home in La Piazza.

We’ve travelled 9811 kilometres since the 13th June from Nanyuki to Somerset West. It’s been fun, exciting, challenging. John & I have travelled 18,935 kms in the round trip. A few more statistics will be added if I ever work them out, like how many fried eggs did John & I eat. Certainly, John beat me on that.  As far as our cholesterol is concerned, doesn’t seem like any of us will be rushing off for a check just yet.

A huge thank to all of you who have been following our adventure. It must have been a bit frustrating waiting for updates but we really did have a problem finding internet access on the way down. If we couldn’t find a bed, we had no chance with an internet café!  Thanks again to each and every one of you for your messages and support since this trip started on the 15th February. It has meant a lot to us all. I’ll update again as we’re just off to the Ocean Basket for Fish & Chips. Finally, we popped into Harbour island in Gordon's Bay this afternoon where my friends Mike &Lily own an apartment. I am hoping to park Dusty in the underground car park there as my garage door isn’t high enough to get Dusty in with the roof rack on. We saw this car as we drove in. We all know the roads are dangerous in Africa but really, there’s a 10kph speed limit in this residential complex!  It must have been a good dinner party.

Harbour Island, Gordon's Bay

Very strange accident

Our Land Rover Disco was fantastic. Trusty Dusty was just that. The only real problem we had was a puncture coming into Mbeya in Tanzania. That we wasted 2 batteries was probably due to one just dying of old age and the other one, the one we used to keep the fridge going, was drained too many times. Despite all that, we still got enough out of it to ensure we had cold beer, wine & milk. What more could one want. It's going to get a full service now from Nekkies in Wellington. Thank you all for following our blog, and our adventures. There will be plenty more to follow in the years ahead I hope.

John & Frank signing out.

La Piazza, Somerset West.

South Africa: Graaf Reinet to Montagu.

Wednesday 15th July: Graaf Reinet-Oudtshoorn-Montagu.

Graaf Reinet

Trinity Methodist Church in Graaf Reinet

We were on the road at 9.15 for the 550 km drive to Montagu. I’ve already booked the John Montagu Guest House there and we’ll have our dinner in town to mark the last night of the journey. Montagu is in the mountains on Route 62, the longest wine route in the world. It’s far enough South to escape the summer heat of the Karoo and far enough North to escape the wet Cape winters, yet we’re only 180 kms from Somerset West at that point.

We hope to arrive Somerset west tomorrow in time for lunch at Al Dente, a small Italian Restaurant that does wonderful pasta. We stopped in Oudtshoorn for a toasted sandwich. It’s the Ostrich capital of SA.

We’d covered 350kms of the 550km journey. Amazingly, when we left Graaf-Reinet we drove on a stretch of road that was dead straight for 120kms. That was a first on this trip, and it was tarred to perfection.

Needless to say, there was a speed trap on it but at 120 limit, we didn’t need to worry. Dusty would have a hissy fit at 120. We always kept it to a max of 100 kph. We arrived into Montagu at 5pm, well before the daylight faded.

After settling into our guest house, we went to Jessicas restaurant for dinner and once again, a reasonably early night at 11pm.

Tuesday 14th July: Rhodes to Graaf-Reinet via Barkly East, Rossouw, Indwe, Lady Frere, Queenstown & Cradock.

This routing is a continuation of yesterdays, courtesy of Tony Owens friend. We were due back in Somerset West today but that is no longer achievable so we’ll just take our time and re plan for Thursday. We still have 1250 kms to go. The time we lost in Mozambique after the accident has caught up with us and the scenic routing we are taking is also slowing our journey but what a great way to end this wonderful trip. We were on the road at 9am this morning. It was a frosty start to the day and after we left town we noticed that it had snowed higher up last night.

We travelled through it for some time but it was not a problem. We really enjoyed the scenery as the hills rolled by. Mile after mile, we just had the road entirely to ourselves and even when we got onto tarred roads occasionally, they too were almost empty. We stopped in Queenstown for lunch and made ourselves a sandwich with fresh bread bought from Spar. That way, we could continue our journey and aim to complete it by 6pm. We rolled into Graaf-Reinet at 6 pm, 9 hrs and 600 kms from our departure town of Rhodes. We immediately found Karoopark, a guesthouse in the town centre and checked in. It has a bar & restaurant so we’ll probably stay in for the evening as it’s very cold. We’ve had dinner, lovely Karoo Lamb so we’re fed and watered as well as being finally up to date on the blog. I will load pics really soon and thanks for your patience. We’ve not seen internet since the Kruger.

Karoo Park, Graaf Reinet

South Africa: Kokstad to Rhodes

Monday 13th July: Kokstad-Cedarville-Matatiele-Mount Fletcher- Lower Pitseng-Naudes Nek Mountain Pass-Rhodes.

 Before we left town, we had an oil & filter change at a local garage. Although we’re nearly at the end of our trip, it was overdue, given the type of driving we’ve been doing in all terrain. I mention today’s routing in detail because it was given to me by my friend & neighbour, Tony Owen in Somerset West. He received it from his friend who is a keen 4x4'er and when he heard we were in the Eastern Cape near the Drakensberg, he said we would enjoy this. We sure did although it took almost 7 hours to do 265 kms. If any of our followers of this blog ever come this way, factor in a day for this & you’ll think you’re someplace between heaven & Earth. It was stunning scenery all the way and we even encountered snow & ice at the top of Naudes Nek Pass.

From Dust and Diesel 2 - The return to the South

As well as snow & ice, we also encountered fire as it raced across acres of fields, near Lower Pitseng. 

When we realised it was crossing our route some kms further on, we had to make a dash for it to beat it to that point because it was moving quick.

We were not sure if it was selective burning that had got out of hand but we weren’t hanging around to find out.

We got to Rhodes with 30 minutes of daylight left and found ourselves the most exquisite accommodation at The Rhodes Hotel. It’s a tiny town, a village more likely, designed in a grid system with just a few streets but it’s really quaint and mostly holiday homes.

Dinner was served at 7.30 in the dining room with another roaring fire & we had our best steaks yet. They just melted in the mouth. We were tired although John was tempted back for a nightcap; he had to do it on his own. Because it’s co cold here, all beds have electric blankets fitted so it was nice to return to a warm and comfy bed knowing that snow is forecast in the night.

South Africa: Greytown to Kokstad, via Drakensberg & Sani Pass into Lesotho.

Sunday 12th July: Greytown to Drakensberg Mountains, Lesotho & Kokstad. We left Greytown at 8.45 am and headed for the nearby Town of Mooi River. That was our gateway into the World Heritage Site of uKhalamba Drakensberg Park.

We travelled right into the Highmoor Park and then worked our way along the length of the uKhahlamba Park until we came to the Sani Pass. This is the road that takes you from South Africa into the Kingdom of Lesotho. Lesotho is a sovereign country whose geographical boundary lies completely within South Africa. This is termed an enclave country and I discover that there are only 3 such enclaves in the world; The Vatican in Rome, San Marino in Italy and of course Lesotho in South Africa. OK, only San Marino left to do. As there was no sign of the forecast snow, especially knowing the reputation of this pass as being quite treacherous, we set off to visit the highest pub in Africa, the San Top. As we arrived at the South African border post we found that it was still 8 kms from that point and inside Lesotho. I was told it would take an hour to get up the pass from there.

Here is what Wikipedia writes about it " Sani Pass is a route that connects Kwazulu-Natal and Lesotho. It is a notoriously dangerous road, which requires the use of a 4x4 vehicle and above average driving experience. It has occasional remains of vehicles that did not succeed in navigating its steep gradients and poor traction surfaces, and has a catalogue of frightening stories of failed attempts at ascending the path over the Northern Lesotho mountains. While South African immigration at the bottom of pass prohibits vehicles deemed unsuitable for the journey, the Lesotho border agents at the top generally allow vehicles of all types to attempt the descent. The Pass is often closed due to weather conditions, especially during winter. "

Bad as the pass was before the border post, it now deteriorated into a pile of rocks and holes. Sometimes, you’d imagine it impassable.

 


The scenery was absolutely stunning, the climb quite hair-raising most of the way. The wheels were grabbing on lumps of rock and gravel, always looking for grip. Suddenly we were driving on lumps of ice as it was so cold up there. On one switchback bend the road was iced over with a big lump of ice, right on the bend.

That was rather interesting because on the way down, the drop the other side was thousands of feet. We eventually got to the Lesotho border post & we were through in a few minutes.

The Pub was just a few hundred metres away, and a few metres higher too. We met the owner who built it back in 1994 and he was most welcoming & informative. We were in Lesotho but light would be fading in 90 minutes so it was a quick drink. A local beer for John & a coffee for me.

We bade farewell & had our passports stamped out of Lesotho and then started the long trek back to the border post of South Africa, 8kms away.

Were we the quickest ever visitors to a country, as we only stayed 30 minutes. Probably not, by a long margin. It was pretty hair raising going down, and once we'd negotiated the icy bend with the big drop, we could relax a bit. Naturally, we were in low range drive for the entire round trip. Once back through the SA border post, the road was still very bad but further down it began to improve so we made a bit better pace.

Back on the main road, we set our sights on Kokstad, about 165 kms away. The road was excellent as well as being quiet so we got there by about 7.30pm. It took a while to find rooms as most places seemed full and then we found The Kilimanjaro Guest House. It sure was a long way back to Kilimanjaro. There seemed to be only 2 choices of where to eat in town on a Sunday night, KFC & Nandos. Nandos is a fast food place with a Portuguese flavour of Peri Peri sauce on everything so we opted for that.

Kilimanjaro Guest House Kokstad

It was too late to eat inside as the seating area was shut down so we ordered our take away & it was delivered to us in our car outside within 15 minutes. We returned to the guesthouse and I raided the kitchen for plates and cutlery. We also got to see a rerun of the Formula 1 grand prix that took place earlier in the day so John & I were really pleased with that. Bed was later than usual at almost midnight.

South Africa: Battlefields & on to Greytown.

Saturday 11th July: Battlefields and on to Greytown.

 We wanted to go and visit Rorke’s Drift, a mission station and hospital, the scene of the great battle against the Zulus on the 22nd January 1879. The battle lasted for 12 hours, from 4pm to 4am & a small British regiment of 139 men successfully defended the fortified encampment against the full force of the Zulu regiments.

From Dust and Diesel 2 - The return to the South

From Dust and Diesel 2 - The return to the South

From Dust and Diesel 2 - The return to the South

From Dust and Diesel 2 - The return to the South

Seventeen British soldiers lost their lives in that battle but earlier in the day, another big battle took place at nearby Isandlwana. There, the poorly prepared British were left exposed to 20,000 Zulus. They were annihilated, suffering losses of over 1,300 men while the Zulus lost about 1,500. Only a handful of British soldiers escaped. I had never understood the history of the battle but visiting both sites and reading in detail about it, made everything completely clear in our minds. We’ll all be renting the movie Zulu, starring Michael Caine, when we get home.

When we left both of the battlefields, we needed to head south to Greytown, some 150 kms away. By taking the gravel roads, we managed to head south in almost a straight line though we had to pass over quite a few mountain passes as well as endure some poor stretches of road too. We arrived in Greyton and considered going on to Mooi River, near the Drakesnberg Mountains. It was getting late so we opted instead to stay at Lady Leuchars guest house in Greytown, now managed by Adele who looked after us brilliantly. As we found out, Greytown is a small town so when it comes to dinner, there’s 2 options, Lady Leuchars & Wimpy. We chose the first and had a very nice meal. We’ll travel to Mooi River first thing after breakfast tomorrow. Snow is forecast for that area so it looks like the visit to the mountainous kingdom Lesotho will have to be shelved as it gets unbearably cold there, with frost & snow.

Swaziland: A day trip through Swaziland, North to South.

Friday 10th July: South Africa- Swaziland-South Africa.: We had breakfast at 7.30 today & we were on the road at 8.45. We’ve chosen to cross into Swaziland today, but only for the day. We will enter at the northern border post of Joseful-Bulembu. Later on, we will exit at the southern border post of Sicunusa-Houdkop. That will bring us to our destination town of Vryheid, where we will spend the night.

It was an amazing scenic drive to Swaziland and we climbed a really steep mountain pass, saddleback hill, soon after leaving Barberton. Poor old Dusty could only manage some parts in first gear. We seemed to cross range after range of mountains and the 40 kms journey took just over two hours. We appeared to be the only ones going to Swazi today as the roads were empty except for roadwork vehicles. Our plan is to drive through the country and exit late afternoon, and drive to Vryheid, which is back in South Africa. The border post exiting SA & entering Swazi was super smooth and friendly. The dirt road was really poor although the scenery was lovely, just lots of trees everywhere.

From Dust and Diesel 2 - The return to the South

When we got to Piggs Peak about an hour away, we got tar road and headed for Mbabane, the capital city. We arrived there about 1pm & after a quick look around, headed for the valley area to have lunch at Malandellas Farm Restaurant. We got here about 1.30 and it’s absolutely gorgeous, with craft shops, and an entertaining area where there is music in the evening and a good restaurant.

From Dust and Diesel 2 - The return to the South

We were through the border post into South Africa, entering Mpumalanga just after 4pm and we drove to Vryheid, arriving there at 6.

From Dust and Diesel 2 - The return to the South

We quickly located a lodge for the night and then went for dinner to Dee’s restaurant nearby. It wasn’t very nice food but it sufficed. We’ve had an awful lot worse. After dinner, we didn’t hang around and were back in the lodge by 10pm.

South Africa: Kruger Park & then to Barberton

Thursday 9th July: South Africa. Kruger park to Barberton.

We had breakfast at 7am and were on the road by 8, heading for Malabane Gate into the Kruger. It was only 10 minutes away. Compared to the rest of Africa, entry into the national parks in South Africa is very reasonably priced, as is everything else. It’s about £10 for foreign visitors, so compared to the $80 John & I paid in Zambia, definitely good value. We got to see Hippo, Elephant, Giraffe, Warthog, Impala, Waterbuck and a whole variety of birds, including Vultures.

From Dust and Diesel 2 - The return to the South

From Dust and Diesel 2 - The return to the South

From Dust and Diesel 2 - The return to the South

From Dust and Diesel 2 - The return to the South

We didn’t get to see a Lion so disappointed about that. Overall, it sounds like we saw lots but actually it was poor today, and we drove around for about 4 hours. It’s a huge park and our original plan of entering at the northern gate of Parfuri & taking 4 or 5 days to travel south, was put to rest after we shredded our spare tyres in Tanzania. To get to Parfuri from Mozambique would have involved a difficult cross country trip on bad roads so we shelved that idea. I’m sure we would have seen the Big 5 many times over if we’d managed that.

Once we left Kruger, we headed in the direction of the Kingdom of Swaziland. We got to the quaint historical town of Barberton at about 5pm and as it was the last town before the border, we went looking for beds. We quickly found Kloof Huis, a small guesthouse dating from 1880’s. It was originally offices for the gold mining era when Barberton was the 2nd largest town in South Africa. Now it’s a small town although gold mining has picked up again. It reminded me more of an Australian outback town than a South African one. We went to the Phoenix hotel, owned by Trevor, a very entertaining English man who bought it in 2000. It has a ladies bar (just like old Australia) and a sign saying that no dirty overalls to be worn by the men.

We had a couple of beers there and then went to a local restaurant for dinner. We had a great steak & were back in our digs at 9.30pm. As we walked back, the town had literally died, there was no one to be seen. Everything except the bar appeared to be closed. We decided against a beer & headed for bed so we could have an early start tomorrow.

Mozambique to South Africa: Land of the Plenty.

Wednesday 8th July: Mozambique to South Africa (The Land of the Plenty).

We were up just after 6am, feeling rested after our ordeal of the last few days. A hearty breakfast was served & with the help of Liz, we secured our guesthouse for tonight in Malebane, beside the Kruger National Park. We departed from the Blue Anchor Inn at 7.45, hoping to miss some of the rush hour in Maputo city, 50kms away. 

We didn't unfortunately so it was slow going for a while as we approached the city. Once through, we were on a brilliant tar road and we made excellent time to the border post at Lebombo, arriving there about 1015. We were through both border posts and were on the road in South Africa by 1045. It is wonderful to be back although we are 2500 kms from Somerset West still. We hope to visit some wonderful places along this route in the next 6 days, including the battle fields in and around the Drakensberg. We got to Malebane about 12 midday & quickly found our guesthouse, the Crowned Eagle Manor. Luxury at very affordable rates and breakfast included too.

Once settled, we went to get a snack at a restaurant in town (what luxury to get a toasted sandwich) and then drove to the Kruger Park, Malebane Gate, a few kms away. It is school holiday time in SA at the moment and it is also a popular time for visitors to the Kruger so we were not surprised to find that the park was already full for day trippers. We'll be back there at 8 in the morning as it's on a first come first served basis.We're going to have an early dinner tonight and be rested for our day game spotting (hopefully!) tomorrow. Thanks for all your messages again and hopefully if you scroll back over the last week or more, I will finally have managed to get some pics into the blog itself.

Mozambique: Inhambane to Bobole.

Tuesday 7th July. Mozambique: Inhambane to Bobole, near Maputo.

We are due back in Somerset West a week from today. The hold up in Vilanculo means we’ll have 6 days to get there once we cross the South African border near Maputo tomorrow. We were on the road at 7.45am today as breakfast was not included in the room rate and we knew there was a One Stop restaurant a few kms away. This had been recommended as a good place to stop for a meal. We ordered  egg sandwiches, as per the menu. Omelette rolls turned up half an hour later but they were very tasty, as was the coffee. Today, we are going to make it to the Blue Anchor Inn, our expected destination yesterday. It's 450 kms away although the roads are very good with the exception of 80 kms of potholes again. The Chinese are building brilliant roads, worthy of the best you'd find in Europe. Well, that's what it seems like to us, given some of the stuff we've encountered. We stopped for a cheese roll, our usual lunch, about half way & then continued to Bobole, where the Blue Anchor is situated. We arrived there around 3 pm and we were delighted with what we found. We were greeted by the owners Paul & Liz, and their 3 dogs. Two of them male Rotweillers and one little Jack Russell.

Their names are Alpha, Bravo & Charlie, as in ABC. We relaxed at the bar for a while, then a while longer & before we knew it, we were ordering dinner. I opted for the special Mozambique Prawn Curry & John chose a rump steak imported from Swaziland, which apparently is renowned for it's good beef. It was all wonderful & as we'd been in the company of Paul, the owner, all day it seemed rude not to have a nightcap with him before we went to bed! He was the barman too of course although he joined us for a few himself. Everyone was in bed, including Paul & Liz, by 10pm. This should be our last night in Mozambique as we're within 2-3 hours of the South African border at Lebombo.

Mozambique: Vilanculos to Inhambane

Monday 6th July. Mozambique: Vilanculos to Inhambane.

We’re all up by 7.15. John & I headed off to meet the police at 8am. Jonas, our interpreter from the tourist office was again waiting for us. We hoped it would be quick as we’d been told that John just needed to sign some documents. John & I had already been back to Casa Rex to photocopy the insurance document & his drivers licence as the police wanted to keep copies of these. We then went to the judiciary office for more form filling before returning to the police station at midday.

At 1.30 pm, when it looked like we might be all done, the policeman said he wanted signed witness statements from me. He was using a battered old typewriter & it really was like stepping back in time. Every so often, out would come the sheet of paper & I’d think to myself, he’s finished it. Not at all, he just needed some tippex to correct something. We were all very patient because we saw the cell next door and had no desire to be placed in it. One guy was taken out of it while we were there and he was in a weakened state, not looking at all well. There seemed to be quite a few in there and it was only about 10 foot by 6 foot in size.

At 3pm, we were finally free to go. Like I said, thank goodness the biker didn’t die. Apparently you’re put in a cell immediately, according to Mel at Casa Rex. There was now no way we could get to Maputo today so we decided to head for Inhambane, about 250 kms away. We had a recommendation for a guest house and the booking was made. The road was very good for 200 kms and we had 50kms of potholes. We arrived there about 7.30 pm and quickly ordered dinner. The rooms were very basic although they seemed clean so we were grateful to have got out of Vilanculo and made some progress towards Maputo. The fish was delicious & we were off to bed by 9.30.

Mozambique: Vilanculos

Sunday 5th July. Vilanculo, Mozambique: We were up early & Robert, the owner of Casa Cabana had enlisted the help of Paulo, a Portuguese man who was a friend of his. They both went to check on the chap in hospital & we headed off to the police station for 11am. Robert & Paulo turned up a short while later and we were so relieved to hear that not only did they enquire about his well being; they actually got to speak to him. He had a broken nose & stitches to his forehead and was feeling very battered & bruised. He acknowledged to Paulo & Robert he might have been speeding but I doubt he remembered any of what happened. He was going to be OK, or so it seems.

We spent an hour or so at the police station & John had to sign various documents, all translated by Paulo, so he knew there was nothing incriminating in them. Jonas, from the tourist office also turned up. It appears that the bike rider did not have a drivers licence and it was not his bike. The bike was in a garage for some work to be done, and he removed it from there, without permission. I wonder if the problem might have been brakes! He is going to be prosecuted apparently. Of course there is no insurance for him so it’s going to be a costly repair on the car. John says it will need a whole rear panel and a door skin as well. I’m hoping it can be panel beaten. Either way, it’s going to have to wait until we arrive back in Somerset West. It is all duct taped up now so we will be able to continue our journey. Up to now, not as much as a scratch was put on Dusty in over 15,000kms of this trip.

We still have to go to the police station at 8am tomorrow and we’re hoping we’ll be given the all clear so we can continue our journey to Maputo, 715 kms away. We’re all mightily relieved & just hope there’s no setback overnight. We returned to Casa Cabana where we did some laundry.  Dinner is going to be at Casa Rex tonight to say a big thank you to Mel, the manager there, who helped us so much.

Leaving here in the knowledge that the patient is going to be OK is a huge relief and we can hopefully continue to enjoy the trip south, as we had done up until yesterday morning. We then sat and watched the Wimbledon tennis final on TV at Casa Cabana & went for dinner at 7pm. Two fresh Garoupa fish were prepared and along with some fresh crab salad plus a few samosas to start with, we had a delicious meal. We’ve got to be back at the police station at 8am in the morning for what we’re told is just a formality. An early night is called for because we want to try and get to Maputo in one day. We settled our bill with Robert at Casa Cabana & he’s given us a huge reduction for the extra night, a really generous gesture. He actually did not want to charge us at all for tonight, but we insisted.

Mozambique: Vilanculos..........Accident Day!

Saturday 4th July: Vilanculos, Mozambique.

So, you wake up one day and ponder how you will spend a day in paradise. Then, in the space of a few seconds, that tranquility is shattered. Read on...................

 We had breakfast on our terrace, prepared by ourselves in our own kitchen.

We then went for a drive around town and explored the outlying areas.

Aside from Casa Rex, we surely had the best spot in Vilanculos. We had lunch at a small restaurant, chatted to a young American couple who were doing an overland trip from Johannesburg to Zambia & Namibia. We drove back into town to look for the art & craft shop that Mark, the manager of Casa Cabana owns. As we slowed at a junction in town, we all saw a motorbike coming up a side road from the left. What happened next happened so fast we barely had time to register it. A biker was travelling very fast, had no helmet on and was making no attempt to stop at the stop sign as he approached the main road. He was coming from our left hand side and was approaching the point in the photo below that the vehicle is stopped at.

Worse still, he was making no attempt at avoiding us and he hit Dusty on the rear left wheel with a sickening crunch. I estimated that he was doing  30+ kms per hour as he approached us. Naturally enough, he carried on and he smashed into our rear side of our car, his head impacting the left rear side window. I have anti 'smash n' grab' film on all windows except the windscreen. It's designed to withstand great force, and possibly even bullets, not that I want to find out. In this situation, it kept most of the glass intact. Very impressive indeed.

I was out of the door as he hit the ground & of course there was a large crowd of people around anyway, as we were in the town centre. He hit the ground, face all bloodied. He jumped up immediately, fell back down & then passed out momentarily. I was convinced he was going to die right there on the spot. I’d followed his movement right to the point of impact, always expecting him to veer around behind us. It was an inexplicable and totally avoidable accident. John remained in the car & I asked someone to call the ambulance and police, which they did. As it’s a small town, I didn’t feel it would take long.

Ambulances are rare in Africa so I wasn’t sure what would happen next but I did ask about a hospital and was told there was one in town. I asked if someone could call for help & next thing the biker is back on his feet, looking very unsteady. He was clearly in shock and I was well aware that the combination of head injury & shock is about as serious as you can get. His bike was wrecked, the wheel flattened where it hit our vehicle. I realized that I was lucky he didn’t impact on the passenger door at the front because I would have been injured, possibly seriously. I was the only one sitting on the left hand side. Suddenly, he was gone, taken to the hospital by someone. The police didn’t arrive for about 15 minutes but when they did, they immediately approached John in the drivers seat & told him to get out. He was asked for his drivers licence & insurance documents which he produced. Fortunately, a couple of people had said the biker was speeding and there was no sign of any mob justice, a relief for us all.

Mel, from Casa Rex, was passing and she stopped to help us. She made a phone call to get an interpreter from the local tourist office. His name was Jonas. Mozambique is a Portuguese speaking nation & few police speak English. The police loaded his bike onto their pick up & we were asked to follow them to the police station. A young man, a fish seller, who had seen everything also travelled with us as he spoke reasonable English. When we got to the police station, our interpreter turned up soon after.  Eventually, John was taken inside along with the two English speaking men, one of whom was a witness as well. Meanwhile, I was getting a guy who was washing a car in the police yard, to clean the fragmented back window and bodywork because there was blood & bits of flesh stuck to it. John & Jonas were back out after an hour, minus his passport, drivers licence & insurance documents. We had to remain in Vilanculos another 2 nights, visit the police station tomorrow (Sunday) at 11am & again on Monday at 8am. Our main concern was for the well being of the guy that hit us. Mel, Robert & a couple of others reassured us that the locals are really tough but having watched & listened to the impact, I thought he’d need to be very tough indeed. Especially as he was not wearing a crash helmet. Of course the fact that he was injured by hitting our vehicle played heavily on our minds and we prayed he was one of the tough ones.

We were also told that he was quite drunk, which would tally with his reckless speed and inability to realise that he was going to hit us. However, if he lapsed into a coma, things would not be good. If he was drunk, that might help because he didn’t look like he braced for the collision so he would have been relaxed when he hit. All the things that were going through our minds and not knowing what was happening at the hospital, left us very concerned. We were told the hospital was good in Vilanculos. We sat around back at Casa Cabana for quite a while & then decided we’d better get some food & a change of scenery.