Australian Trip |
It was with a mixture of great anticipation and mild nervous trepidation that we embarked on our first overseas adventure.
We really didn’t have any pre conceived ideas of what to expect although we had heard quite a deal about the possible dangers.
You see we were invited, as a result of my role as International Liaison, to attend the Ulysses Club South Africa AGM which was to be held on the 12th May 2006, in Colesberg. (Air fares were self funded but Ulysses Club South Africa sponsored the costs associated with the AGM)
We arrived into South Africa on the evening of Monday 8th of May after a 15 hour flight to be greeted at the airport by the welcoming, smiling faces of Mauritius and Anita Meiring, who were to be our wonderful hosts for the next 10 days. It didn’t take long to become good friends. Mauritius is the National President of the Ulysses Club South Africa and they live in Pretoria just 50 kms away from the very hectic Johannesburg.
Tuesday was a lay day spent getting our bearings and the feel for South Africa and blending in with their lifestyle with lovely Anita showing us around some of their local sights.
The view across the city from our room was spectacular. The days were beautiful at 24 degrees with clear blue skies, making up for the cool nights and mornings.
The evening activities included relaxing and meeting fellow Ulysses members and friends of Mauritius, Anita and son Johan; Dolfe and Elize DeNeijs, Krappies, Annemarie Staudinger and their son Gustaf, over a braai (barbecue) followed by packing of the AGM bags which continued through into part of Wednesday before final packing in readiness for an early morning departure on Thursday.
The back up trailer underwent a few last minute adaptations before being driven to the Harlequin sports club, Pretoria chapter’s clubhouse for members to off load their luggage. The riders of this particular chapter rarely carry their luggage on their bikes because they are fortunate to have a back up vehicle towing a trailer which as it turns out, came in very handy for more than one reason.
Thursday morning, 5 o’clock rising with last minute packing done, a cuppa and “rusk” to get us through until the first stop and we were on the road, our adventure was about to begin.
Mauritius loaned David a BMW R1100RT which is the same bike as he rides in Australia so he was definitely at home on this bike. I chose to go pillion so that I could take video footage. It was a nippy morning and upon arrival at Krugersdorp, our first pit stop, we were welcomed into the assembled riding group with a drop of the OBS (old brown sherry) which was rather warming on its way down.
Along the way the things that stood out the most were the security measures on properties, the incredible amount of shanty towns, dilapidated buildings that at one time were solid constructions, and the people walking along the highways, through the fields or waiting in groups at intersections, robots (traffic lights), the overloaded buggies (utes), the road side stalls and the amount of smoke hanging in the air courtesy of the pre winter “burning off” programme. The highway traffic was just amazing at this time of the morning; we could have been in any one of our capital cities during peak hour.
Before leaving for the first leg of the journey each member was given a folder containing a very comprehensive list of riders names, phone numbers and health cover, accommodation places and mud maps, the petrol, breakfast and “snack” stops along the way. The 48 members then gathered around and the ride started with a few words from Mauritius, a prayer from Graeme Collocott representative of the CMA followed by a birthday song for David.
We travelled on the back roads through Randfontein and Veereening, farming country roads which proved to be great for anyone seeking the thrill of speed. The scenery change dramatically as we noticed beautiful buildings, a mixture of dry and green pastures courtesy of centre pivot irrigation systems, with a view of continuous mountains in the background. Breakfast at Salosburg, and then on the bikes and at a cracking pace on through Heilbron, Petrus Steyn and Reitz stopping at Bethlehem for “snacks” at the rustic Game Cock Inn. The towns were all rather unique, some prosperous, others quite impoverished. The roads were so good and we found the motorists to be very courteous, in that they pull over to the left side shoulder, allowing the riders uninterrupted passage. The opportunity to open the throttle quite a bit farther that we would dare in Australia even got David hooked. Lunch over and on to our first overnight stop, in Fouriesburg, 384 kms from Krugersdorp, at a very gorgeous guest house constructed of Sandstone and Oregon pine in 1892. Prior to stopping, Mauritius led us on a sight seeing tour taking in some great sweeping curves through the wonderful mountainous country of Golden Gate National Park. The beautiful coloured stone and rock formation rendered it a peaceful, magical part of South Africa. Just as the sun was setting, we witnessed our first sighting of wildlife as Baboons frolicked on the side of the road.
Wonderful company and a delightful dinner set the mood for the evening. David’s birthday was celebrated with a cake which was delivered by the staff that then had great delight in singing happy birthday to him in their native language as well as in English.
After a leisurely start to Friday, we departed with Dolfe and Elise in the lead through Ficksburg to Wepener for a soft drink, at an amazing old pub nestled amongst the trees and located down a side street. Inside was a collection of bottles, cans, coasters, pens, business cards, paper notes and mounted animal’s heads. You name it, it was there. We continued making our way along a quiet highway, coming across a fairly recently pot holed road which made riding interesting. Next stop was at Bethulie where we were treated to a lunch time street braai.
From there it was a rushed ride to Colesburg, 514 kms from Flouriesburg, arriving
just minutes before the start of the AGM, scheduled for 2.30pm
The AGM was run very similar to our Extended Natcom meeting in that 50 plus representatives from the 26 chapters were invited to attend. David and I were introduced and business was attended to after which I was invited to give a presentation as the National Secretary of Ulysses Club Australia. Elections then took place with the existing National Committee returning to office, uncontested.
During the AGM the members were informed about the decision to sign the Affiliation Agreement as initiated by Ulysses Club Australia.
Approximately 486 members registered for the AGM which is not bad considering they only have 1055 members in South Africa.
South Africa Ulysses members welcomed David and me with open arms and it was a delight moving amongst them and being stopped as they enquired about Ulysses Club Australia. They were so keen to exchange experiences, ideas, opinions and thoughts -it was truly an experience, one that will be remembered for a long time.
Friday night we enjoyed listening to the Silver Creek Mountain band that played some of the best country style music that we’ve heard. One of the singers, Rod, had the most amazing voice that we likened to our belated Slim Dusty. He was delightful to talk to and rather unique as he has never worn shoes in his life, has rings on his toes and studs in his nose and he travels around in a converted Comby van that sports an addition on the roof which was the top part of a VW car, allowing him extra room to stand.
The AGM site was situated within the showgrounds and there were many similarities to our AGM’s although on a much smaller scale They held their events within large tents, had trade displays, food stalls, interactive activities, entertainment, stunt riding displays, parachute jumps, street parade, an organized ride, merino sheep shearing competitions, sheep dog demonstrations, Church service and a wedding ceremony. For economic reasons the AGM is held in conjunction with the sheep convention.
On Saturday we took part in the very short (in comparison to some of ours) street parade and then joined in the ride to Gariep Dam where a tour of inside the dam wall was organized.
Saturday afternoon a wedding between Fungis (Grant Engelmohr) and Maya was witnessed and then the very courageous young stunt riders performed their aerial acrobatics.
I very briefly met Penny, who is the National Office Administrator and who was kept busy at the registration tent.
The awards session took place in the evening and I was asked to draw names out of the barrel for the many raffle prizes. It was with a great deal of jubilation that name of our new friends, Krappies, was pulled out of the barrel winning him a much dreamed of BMW helmet. Prior to the formalities closing I was asked to speak to the gathered members but this time it was a message of congratulations and well wishes that was delivered on behalf of the National Committee and our Ulysses members in Australia.
We met the editor of the Bike SA Magazine, Simon Fourie whom I believe bought the idea of Ulysses to South Africa. Unfortunately we didn’t get to spend a lot of time with Simon but we did exchange contact details for future corresponding and we were mentioned, together with a photograph in his magazine.
Sunday morning we attended a church service at a really beautiful church in Colesberg before starting our return journey towards Pretoria. Unfortunately for us the service was conducted in Afrikaans but we still sang along to the words displayed.
We travelled with the Pretoria Chapter through Phillippolis and stopping at a grand looking hotel in Trompsburg for breakfast. Unfortunately the power supply let the owners down but in true Ulysses fashion we assisted the kitchen staff in cooking our breakfasts. We also added our names to the wall of names, just around the corner of the gent’s toilet. If you are ever there, check it out.
Snacks at Brandford Pub, which was owned by Ulyssians. Then the last leg to Bloemfontein a total of 327 kms from Colesberg. Our accommodation was at the Glen Country lodges set in the bushland on the banks of the Modder River. We could have been anywhere in Australia.
We met up with some of the enthusiastic members of the Bloemfontein chapter where we shared not only their company but a delectable candlelight evening meal and also celebrated Mauritius’s birthday.
Monday was the final day of the ride and it was with a degree of sadness that we said farewell to so many wonderful people that make us feel so welcome and that we formed instant friendships with.
Travelling at a more respectable speed we continued on to Theunissen where we had breakfast together, before continuing on through Kroonstad, Kroonvaal, Blokhuis and back to Pretoria, 462kms on this last leg.
It was with great relief that we arrived back to the Meiring house, up the steep drive and to park the bike in the shed. Don't know about you, but it always feels a little strange riding another person’s motorcycle, you feel as though you need at least one more set of eyes and a protective shield around both you and the machine.
We still had three days up our sleeves in which to enjoy more of South Africa, so it was suggested that we could travel further north and arrangements were made with the President of the East Lowveld chapter, Russell McAllister and his lovely wife Charmaine to put us up for a couple of nights and show us around their breathtaking country. Now to all of you sitting in your armchairs reading this, it was not an easy decision to make as David can become lost in our own back yard and this part of the trip was to be undertaken unescorted. “Oh it is easy” said Mauritius “I will lead you out to the Highway and then off you go, stick to the highway and you’ll be fine”. Well that is exactly what happened, after an early breakfast and some hasty re packing we were on our way. I must admit that David did not twist the throttle quite as far as the 160 to 180 kph necessary to keep up with the group previously, but we still made good time. There were 3 road tolls that had to be paid each way on the N4 Highway to Nelspruit but the money did not seem to be spent on keeping that part of the Highway in good condition. An "interesting" part of this ride was an area sign posted "DANGER, HIGHJACK ALERT NEXT 30 km." This caused some consternation to the pillion that leaned forward to the rider and said “don't stop, no, not even for a flat tyre”. The reply to which was "have you ever tried to ride with f*#&ing flat tyre" however the trip through Witbank, Middleburg, Belfast and on to Nelspruit was event free. The countryside changed so dramatically from dry flat lands with mountains in the distance to luscious green forests and even radiata pine plantations, can you believe it. We are surrounded by pine forests in our neck of the woods, and then all of a sudden we could have been in Queensland, amongst all the tropical vegetation including avocado plantations. On arrival in Nelspruit a phone call to Russell and Charmaine saw us relaxing at O’Hagan’s Pub from where we were met and escorted to their house. They were very charming hosts and made us feel right at home. A braai with two of their close friends, Piet and Marita was arranged for our first evening in Nelspruit. As time was limited and so still much to see, the following morning saw us once again saddle up and head off to look at their clubhouse which is set at the edge of farmland and was donated to the East Lowveld chapter, serving as a great meeting place. We then headed of for a day of fabulous riding in the East Transveld direction with Russell and Charmaine "two up" in the lead and Piet "rounding us up from the rear". Once out of the city limits and with open throttle we were taken along some fantastic riding roads and the scenery was just magic. We stopped at Sabie for a late breakfast which turned out to be lunch and Peter joined us before hitting the roads again through Graskop, where we stopped off to view the Mac Mac Falls. In the middle of nowhere was a rustic wooden hut pub which was beckoning us to rest, have a drink and soak up the atmosphere. This is an area where people go to enjoy the exhilarating thrill of Bungy jumping from a flying fox. If you are game to do it stark naked it costs you nothing. We checked out Gods window, a beautiful tranquil spot where the final scenes of the film, “the gods must be crazy” were shot. On to Blyder River Canyon to enjoy the magnificent views of the Three Rondavels, which stands for three round thatched roof houses, as well the Burkes Luck Potholes, a sight to behold.
That night we met up with quite a few of the East Lowveld chapter members for a drink at the sportsman pub which is a converted church, followed by dinner and more introductions at another dining place simply called “The Pub”. We experienced a lot of out door dining during our time in South Africa.
The next day we packed up again, said our farewells to more “new” friends and enjoyed a leisurely trip back towards Pretoria, stopping along the way, taking in the last sights of South Africa before heading of to Paris the next day, with David groaning at the thought of another 11 hours of flying. On our arrival back into Pretoria we dismounted and were piled into Mauritius’s bus to visit his eel farm in Bronkhorstspurit. We helped unpack the boxes of eels that were flown in from Madagascar, watched as they were sorted into sizes and put into tanks. Great excitement followed as amongst these eels was a snake which was taken to the zoo to be identified. After much research, it was discovered that it was an Australian green tree snake. Apparently its ancestors originally hitchhiked from Australia during the World War 2.
We returned to Pretoria, freshened up and being our final night in South Africa, we all enjoyed a scrumptious dinner at a lovely restaurant of our hosts choosing. Mauritius and Anita were the perfect hosts. They were so thoughtful, caring and generous and we feel indebted to them for their hospitality, for taking in unknown people other than through e-mail communications, over the last two and a half years. We were thoroughly spoilt through out our time in South Africa and feel that we came away with so much more than we arrived with. We thank the members of Ulysses Club South Africa for inviting us to attend their AGM, for making us so welcome and to our hosts for rearranging their busy schedules to spend time with us. It is reassuring to know that the Ulysses spirit is alive and well in South Africa.
Tentative arrangements have been made to repay the hospitality in the year 2009 as some of the South African Ulysses members talk of coming to Australia for our AGM. Our trip certainly was an adventure of a life time and yet there is so much more to explore.
Helena and David Gritton
