The South Africa Big 5 Oh Trip was organised by Kevin (Gobby) and expat, as a reunion ride for the Laos Beer Drinking Team. Karen was a late ring in and approved for inclusion as their ‘medic” due to her nursing and ambulance officer background. This pic was taken on our fist night in Cape Town at Signal Hill with Table Mountain in the background – AFRICA NOT FOR SISSY’S! |
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Our rented BMW 1200 GS from Cape Bike rentals was a pleasure to ride on – even though on the very first day Vince managed to loose the Airhawk we brought from Australia – in all honesty it wasn’t required! |
Cape of Good Hope – this was our shake down ride from Cape Town for the day to get used to the bike and the road conditions. It was blustery but fine whilst we were there and we enjoyed a lovely meal at a nearby restaurant. |
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One of the highlights of our trip was when we ere in Outshoorn – we got up before dawn to experience a wild Meerkat encounter – absolutely unique! In the colony there is a hierarchy whereby the top Meerkat urinates on all below him – so you really don’t want to be at the bottom of that pile! |
Conquering the Swartzberg Pass was an accomplishment – a steep climb and then decent with no barricades and a sheer drop! Breathtaking! With Vince yelling “Are you livin’ the Dream yet Baby?” in the Sena – Karen could only respond with “Ask me later”as she hung on white knuckled. She did however manage to recover well in the pub at Prince Albert with a double scotch! |
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The Animals in Africa were amazing, both in the wild, Game Parks and Wildlife Parks. We managed to see the BIG 5 – Elephant, Buffalo, Lion, Leopard and Rhino. The Cheetah Outreach Centre was an amazing experience -touching and walking with the big cats. But encounters with a baby white tiger and the Lemurs at Outshoorn were exceptional. The Lemurs were so cheeky and had such soft little hands …Karen wanted to take them home! |