For better or for worse in southern Namibia

 

Says Zelda, "Frans knew me by the slogan, 'Maybe some women aren't meant to be tamed. Maybe they need to run free until they find someone just as wild to run with them’."

 

As a youngster, I enjoyed many years of riding smaller 175 cc and 250 cc motorbikes and bundu bashing through the forests and up the Outeniqua Mountain close to my home. But, as the years went by, my two wheels were replaced with four, and then I met Zelda. From the moment I set eyes on this six foot blonde Amazonian goddess, she stole my heart and I knew she was the one. Knowing what her 'requirements' would be to take our relationship to the next level, I didn't hesitate for a moment and sold my trusty old Isuzu and joined Zelda on 'the dark side'. So when the time came to pop the question, and she asked me to tell her the three words that every girl wants to hear, I whispered, "I ride KTM."

 

Incorporating our love for our KTMs and the great outdoors into our wedding theme, we arranged the most beautiful picnic wedding at the magnificent Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens. After an incredibly special day spent with our family and friends, Zelda and I pulled off on our bikes and were hugely excited about our exhilarating and adventurous honeymoon in the south of Namibia - and so the start of our life together as husband and wife began.

 

We had a limited budget and little time, so we opted to tour the southern part of Namibia because I had travelled far and wide in the north of Namibia, but I’d never explored the southern parts. After seeing some extraordinary pictures of this beautiful, desolate place, I knew this was where I wanted us to start our life’s journey together.

 

Our itinerary included Augrabies, Ais-Ais, Hobas and Keetmanshoop, returning home via Upington. I’d done my homework for this trip well before hand and most of the information garnered came from fellow Wilddog Forum members’ trip reports and magazine articles. We used a Galaxy Tab 7 as our GPS and this was fitted to my bike inside a waterproof cover. On this I plotted all the waypoints and interesting sights to stop at. It also served as media storage via an extra memory stick, allowing us to download and store our photos daily. But just to be safe, I printed some basic Google maps, telephone numbers and contacts, and stored them in a waterproof cover.

 

As we were travelling alone, I thoroughly checked and prepared our motorbikes beforehand. I also had two of almost every tool we could possibly require, so that each bike was fully kitted out and independent of the other. To this I added a comprehensive medical kit, as we would be travelling on roads far from the nearest ambulance or help, as well as extra water in camelbaks, extra fuel and oil. There's only so much space on a dual bike, so we were only able to take the minimum of clothing for both cold and hot weather. The Namib can get REALLY cold sometimes when you least expect it and we experienced both extremes during our trip.

 

DAY 1

We arrived at Augrabies Campsite in the dark and in a heavy thunderstorm. Fellow campers took pity on us and insisted that we wile away the storm, with a beer, in their tent. It is this spirit of generosity that makes camping so enjoyable!

 

DAY 2

Our friendly neighbours invited us to join them for a drive into the park (no motorbikes allowed), as they were going geocaching, a free, real-world, outdoor treasure hunt in which players try to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, using a smartphone or GPS and can then share their experiences online. This activity turned out to be really interesting and informative. The scenery in the park and the canyon were spectacular, even more so than the Augrabies Falls, especially at sunset.

 

DAY 3

We left Augrabies for Ais-Ais via Pofadder, passing through the Onseepkans Border Post to Karasburg. The road between Pofadder and Onseepkans was hell, even on our very capable KTMs! Once in Namibia, we were easily able to maintain an average speed of 80 to 100km on the dirt roads, which are usually better than the average tar road in South Africa. After stocking up on food and fuel in Karasburg, we continued to Ais-Ais. By midday, the temperature had soared and we welcomed the thunderstorm that we encountered to cool us down. Cruising along, we came across a Nile monitor lizard that was lazily making its way across the road and shortly after that, I almost got taken out by a springbok. Fortunately, I braked just in time and missed him by less than a foot in front of me. It was a very close call!
Ais-Ais was beautiful and the Ais-Ais Campsite and ablutions were spotless. Our only complaint was the loud music played by some South African 4X4 enthusiasts until very late and the lack of fresh food in the shop. However, the restaurant was fully stocked.

 

DAYS 4 and 5

Due to the loud South Africans, we decided to move to the much more peaceful Hobas Campsite. This campsite was much smaller, but beautifully set in the middle of nowhere. We were now pretty much alone and loved every moment of it. From there, we explored the majestic Fish River canyon and then meandered over to Canon Roadhouse for breakfast. This place is a MUST! The restaurant is filled with antique cars and memorabilia from a bygone era and the food is fantastic! The remainder of our morning was spent leisurely eating and drinking coffee at this amazing setting, and chatting to two crazy Spaniards who were cycling all the way from the north of Namibia to Cape Town. That evening we treated them to a real South African braai at our campsite and introduced them to the marvel that is braaied marshmallows. They were suitably impressed and could not get enough!