NAMIBIA TRIP: Day 1. Cape Town - Gouda – Tulbagh – Ceres – Oasis Cederberg

Day 1

Cape Town - Gouda – Tulbagh – Ceres – Oasis Cederberg

First of all I want to apologize for all the pics of the first few days' posts. We are 3 people with a variety of devices for capturing awesomeness! I have brought them down from almost 1000 to 50. I promise to lessen the pics as the days go by.

Our Dog tags!

Wow! What a day - with tons of mixed feelings!! Doing some last minute needlework till 1am was not quite in the planning, but if things suddenly don't work, what’s a girl gotta do?! 

Yep, that's me with a needle and thread!!

On the other hand, were it any other capable woman, the job would have taken half an hour and not two and a half hours!! Then again, give me a bike and some dirt roads rather than a needle and thread! Although being awake since 5.30am we did not get away till 8.30! All thanks to me, of course. Once again packing and repacking, then not finding things and then having to get loaded and all the different luggage arrangements. Sighhh…

 

First day of our trip and ready to leave!

Toni and I slept over at Abie’s, so that we could all leave together and get an early start – we hoped!

 

Toni repairing my power output in Ceres

Just as we were kitted and ready to leave, I found my Helmet camera kept shutting down. Then discovered the battery was flat!?! How was that possible? I had charged both the battery and the spare just before I left for Cape Town! I decided we must rather hit the road and I would replace it a little later when we stopped again.

The very last time Brutus or I was clean!!

Snow capped mountains in the distance

Curious cows

What a beautiful ride through the Durbanville hillside, green pastures everywhere and white-covered mountains accompanying us till the end of the day. 

Happy and fooling around

When we made a stop, I replaced the battery with the spare and discovered it too was flat!! Devastated, I had to ride on without the much anticipated cam! The reason being that the cigarette lighter charger Toni had installed for me to give direct power to my (many) devices – hubby says I am a gadget freak! – broke the day before the trip started.

The crisp, cold morning air was refreshing and I felt alive. Felt like jumping and bucking, because I was at last on the trip of a lifetime! Passing a pasture with sheep I saw one of the most fascinating sites… Steam was coming out of them, each individual, but from their whole body. So the whole field was full of little white clouds with white air rising out if them. If ever I was heartbroken about my cam’s flat batteries!! 

Behind the Tulbagh mountains

The Porselein road between Wellington and Riebeek Kasteel almost had me buying some pretty expensive property as I nearly came down in a stretch of mud. 

Almost buying some property!

                                           

Brutus came through for me and we passed it with flying colours – ok ok, by the skin of our teeth, but hey, no dust was eaten, ermm… I mean mud!

 

First (of many!) refueling on the trip - in Ceres

Toni used his socket and started charging the cam in the meantime. We had the R20 Wimpy breakfast at Ceres and I went to fetch my charger so that it could get a bit of a power boost while we were eating and get a new power socket for me. Lo and behold! I had managed to forget my wall charger at home!! Highly stressed, yet relieved country folk are so prepared to go out their way to help, I managed to get a cigarette lighter installed again.

Ceres from the Gydo pass

From Ceres we went up the Gydo pass, where we had to take pics of the valley and the snowy mountains and on to Op die Berg. Although the snow had been melting for the last 4 days, it was still close and low enough that we could enjoy every moment of its beauty. 

Just came from here

And going here

There we turned east and headed for Oasis in the Cederberg, passing fields of orange flowers, rock formations and a stunning pass.

                                        

                           

                                                                                                       

                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                                                               

Oasis - literally!!

       

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Abie trying to get away from the muggies (insects/bugs) eating us alive!

                                                   

Toni happy with his new orange KTM beanie!

Great ribs and chips

The first day was concluded with of the best Spare Ribs I have eaten, good company and good conversation with Gerrit the owner of Oasis. What an awesome place!

Thus my first day ending on a high as I got to ride of the most beautiful areas and the recent snow adding to its beauty!