Wat 'n nag!

Ek het laasnag sleg geslaap. Toe ek wakker word, was ek bly dit was opstaantyd.

Dit was toe nie. Dit was toe kwart oor drie die oggend. Dis toe dat ek die foto hierbo geneem het.

So helder, lig, was die nag hier.

Hoe verder noord ek gaan, hoe helderder gaan die nagte word.



I didn't sleep well last night.

As I woke up and saw that it was light outside I was so glad that the night was over.

It wasn't over. It was only a quarter past three. It was then that I took the photograph above.

It never got dark here.

The further north I ride the more light there will be during the nights.

Andy Laing and the Comrades

I have just received an email from Andy. Here is the text of it:

thanks for the flattering write up. a relative stumbled upon it accidently and emailed everyone in the family about it. pics are great also, i have very few of me on the bike. I made it to Durban with only a few days to spare and scraped in yesterday in 11hrs 50 and im absolutely delighted. Suffering today in a big way.
Hope your trip went well and you avoided any more accidents.
maybe see you on the road again some day (if scotland qualify for the world cup im honour bound to come back in two years)

Andy

Die KLR het in Litaue aangekom

My roete in geel / My route in yellow.

Nou is dit so 'n vaal-rooi / Now it is a funny red.

Tipiese ry-toneel in Pole / Typical riding scene for me in Poland.

Hier eet ek my laaste sop in Pole / I had my last soup in Poland here.

Koning KLR kom in Litaue aan / King KLR arrives in Lithuania.

My oornagdorpie maak 'n goeie indruk / My town where I am going to spend the night is a real beauty.

Nou is ek gewapen vir Rusland! / Now I am ready for Russia!

Goeie naand!

Ek het gisteraand in Wyszkow oornag.

Ek is vroeg daar weg. Sommer gou het ek padwerke gekry waar ek baie lank gestaan het. Ek het in totaal seker 'n uur gestaan. Die Pole het dit egter goed georganiseer.

So teen 1 was ek by die grens na Litaue.

Litaue was 'n groot verrassing. As voormalige Oosblokland het ek die toestande baie anders verwag. Hoe verkeerd was ek nie! Die hoofpaaie was so glad soos in Duitsland. Ek kon my geluk nie glo nie.

Tot ek in Kaunas aangekom het.

Daar het ek my pad heeltemaal byster geraak. Letterlik en figuurlik. Twee keer in die regte rigting probeer ry. Hoevele mense gevra maar niemand kon my Afrikaans / Engels verstaan nie en ek is nie Russies magtig nie.

Ek is toe weer terug in die rigting vanwaar ek gekom het. Seker 25 km suid van Kaunas kry ek toe 'n snelweg wat wes draai, en ek wou noord-oos. Ek ry dit toe maar om te sien waarheen dit gaan. Vir eers is ek wes, toe draai die snelweg noord, daarna oos en eers daarna kry ek toe die pad waarna ek die hele tyd gesoek het.

Wie sou kon dink mens moet wes ry om die pad noord-oos toe te kry! So iets gebeur net as jou GPS nie werk nie.

Dit was net die begin van die verrassing. Die pad was leeg. Geen motor nie. Geen vragmotor nie. Gou kom ek toe agter hoekom. Hulle het die pad opgekap om nuut te bou, en as alternatief is daar net 'n klip-sand-modderpad.

En gister het ek na Afrika verlang!

Toe kom ek laatmiddag in Ukmerge aan. Dit was nog so 100 km van waar ek beoog het om te slaap. Dit het my bekommerd gemaak dat die landskap al hoe meer mensleeg geraak het.

Ek soek toe in Ukmerge slaapplek. Dit skeel niemand dat ek nie Russies kan praat nie. Almal praat en beduie in Russies. En hoe meer hulle praat hoe meer Grieks word dit vir my.

Om 'n slaapplek te kry het ek heen en weer gery, dosyne mense rigting gevra, honderd verskillende verduidelikings in Russies gekry, en tot ek besef het om by die slaapplek te kom moes ek in 'n 270 grade sirkel om die plek sirkel tot ek een klein paadjie kry waat daarna lei.

Maar ek is hier en het lekker gestort en geeet.

Ek sukkel nou al so en Rusland is nog twee lande ver!

Ek het 'n dame gevra om dit nou vir my uit te tik hoe ek in Russies na blyplek kan vra. Ek hoop dit help.

Groete!

(Rina, as jy vertaalkans sou gehad het help asb!)

Good evening!

Last night I stayed over in Wyszkow.

I left there early. Soon after leaving I had to stop at road works where I had to wait for quite a while. In total I had to wait for about an hour. But the Polish had it well organized.

I was at the Lithuanian border at about 1 o’clock.

Lithuania was a big surprise. As a previously East block country I expected the conditions to be different. But I was totally wrong! The highways were as smooth as in Germany. I couldn’t believe my luck.

This was until I arrived in Kaunas.

There I got lost. Twice I attempted to ride in the right direction. I asked many people, but nobody could understand my Afrikaans / English and I can’t speak Russian.

I went back in the direction from where I came. Some 25km south of Kaunas I found a freeway turning west, while I wanted to go north-east. I proceeded onto this freeway to see where it will take me. At first it took me west, then it turned north, then east, and eventually I found the road I was looking for the whole time.

Who could have imagined that you have to drive west to get the road taking you north-east. Something like this only happens if your GPS is not working.

This was only the start of the surprise. There was no other traffic on the road. No car. No truck. Soon I realised why. They were busy demolishing the road in order to build a new one, and as an alternative there was only a stone-sand-mud road.

And just yesterday I was longing for Africa!

It was late afternoon when I arrived in Ukmerge. It was approximately a 100 km from where I planned to stay over. It was worrying me that the landscape was getting more and more deserted of human life.

I started looking for a place to sleep in Ukmerge. It wasn’t bothering anybody that I couldn’t speak Russian. Everybody was speaking and directing in Russian. And the more they spoke to me in Russian, the more it was sounding like Greek to me.

I was driving back and forth to get a place to sleep, I asked a dozen of people for directions, received hundreds of explanations in Russian, until I realised that to get to my accommodation, I had to drive in a 270 degree circle to get to a small road that leads to it.

But, I have arrived, showered and have eaten.

I am two countries from Russia, and already I am struggling.

I asked a lady to type out the Russian phrase in which to ask for accommodation. I hope it will help.

Regards!

Pole - ek weet nie die dorpie se naam nie

Die geel streep is my roete, net jammer ek weet nie die dorpie se naam nie. Julle sal netnou sien hoekom. / The yellow line is my route into Poland. It is a pity I don't know the name of the town where I am now. You'll see just now why.

Pole herinner my baie aan Limpopo. Woon ek in Naboomspruit of in Mookgophong? Ook in Pole het dieselfde plek verskillende name, wat net verder daartoe lei dat motorfietsryers soos ek wat nie heeltyd met 'n kaart in sy hande kan sit nie, mooi moet kophou. Die boonste naam (Wroctaw) se naam op my kaart in Breslau. Leszno is op my kaart Lissa. So kan mens aangaan. Die kleiner plekkies het ek nie eers op my kaart nie. Al wat saak maak, ek is 40 km noord-oos van Warschau (Warszawa op my kaart), dus nog in Pole :-)

The names of the places in Poland are quite confusing, like in Limpopo where I live. Do I live in naboomspruit or in Mookgophong? Many towns and cities in Poland have two names, which is quite confusing for bikers whose GPS's are not working, like mine. The name on top (Wroctaw) is Breslau on my band-new map. Leszno is Lissa on my map. I don't even find the smaller villages on my map. All I know is that I've passed through Warschau (Warsawa on my map) and am now in a town about 40 km north-east of it. Who cares what the name is :-)

Weer soos in Limpopo. Perdekarre mag NIE op die snelweg ry nie. Wie sou dit ooit oorweeg? / Like in Limpopo. Horse carts may NOT use the highway. Thanks Otto for the correction.

Ek het laatmiddag heerlike soet kersies langs die pad gekoop. Daar was nog woudheuning, sampioene, bessies, aartappels en tamaties. / Late afternoon I bought sweet cherries from this lady. Other stands had forest honey, berries, mushrooms, potatoes and tomatoes.

Vandag was weer 'n lang dag, 551 km. Wat die ry moeilik gemaak het, was die baie dorpies waardeur mens ry. Jy het net van 50 na 80 km/h versnel en dan is die volgende dorpskild daar. En feitlik elke dorp het sy spoedkamera ...

Gister het ek moeilik gery, my kop was nog nie ingestel op die ry nie. Vandag was 'n fees. As ek net die stede kan misry. In Warschauw moes ek blitsvinnig 'n pad kies. Die skild het ongeveer 8 name aangedui en watter plekke watter rigting moet gaan, geen padnommers nie. Ek het toe die verkeerde rigting gekies ...

Pole is baie mooier as wat ek my voorgestel het. Noudat hulle deel van die Europese Unie geword het, hoop ek dat baie Suid-Afrikaners binnekort hier kom vakansie hou. Dis 'n onontdekte juweel.

Geniet die vakansiedag more!


Today was a long day on the KLR, 551 km for the day. What made it difficult were the many towns one had to pass through. You just have left the one town and accelerated from 50 to 80 and then you enter the next town, and down to 50 again. Nearly every town has its own speed camera.

The ride yesterday was difficult. Mentally I wasn't ready. Today's ride was great. If I only could miss the cities. In Warschauw in the city centre there was a signboard with 8 names and which road to take, no road numbers. I had to decide in a split of a second. I made the wrong decision...


Poland is beautiful, more than I've expected. Now that it is part of the European Union it is a new destination for South African tourists to come and discover. It is a jewel waiting to be discovered.

Enjou the day off in South Africa tomorrow!

Saterdag - Gorlitz, Duitsland

Ek is nou regs op die kaart. // I am on the map on the right.

Stylvolle Goritz // Elegance in Gorlitz.

Langenselbold – Görlitz (Duitsland)

Dag 1 van my ry Rusland toe is agter die blad.

Dit was ‘n lang, koue dag. Ek het vir 560 km gesit en koudkry en na Afrikahitte verlang.

Onder my rybaadjie het ek drie lae klere aangehad. Onder my rybroek het ek ‘n lang onderbroek aangehad. Dit het nie die koue uitgehou nie.

Ek is nou byna in Pole. More vroeg steek ek die grens oor.

Görlitz is ‘n interessante en mooi stad. Die gevolge van die verdeling van Duitsland in twee state na die Tweede Wêreldoorlog is duidelik sigbaar. ‘n Mens sien nog die verval wat sosialisme vir die ou Oos-Duitsland gebring het. Dan, direk langs vervalle ou geboue word opgeknap en verbeter en gebou. Die paaie is skitterend na groot bedrae geld in die Ooste ingepomp is. Die Autobahn so glad dit voel of ‘n mens vlieg.

Ek hoop om van more af meer interessante dinge te kan vertel. Ek was nog nooit in Pole nie en sien uit daarna om die land en sy mense te beleef. Ek hoop dat ek more aand in ‘n klein Poolse dorpie kan oornag en baie interessante mense kan ontmoet.

Die KLR het vandag goed op die Autobahn gedoen. Dis wat ek van die fiets hou. Ek kan in Soedan daarmee in die sand ry en in Duitsland op die Autobahn.

Tot more toe!

Langenselbold – Görlitz (Germany)

Day 1 of my trip to Russia is over.

It was a long and cold day. For 560 km I was freezing on the bike and actually missed the heat of Africa!

Under my jacket I had three layers of clothes, and under my riding pants long johns. It didn’t keep out the cold.

I am close to the Polish border now. I should be in Poland quite early tomorrow.

Görlitz is a beautiful and interesting city. One still can see the devastating results of the splitting up of Germany after the Second World War. Old neglected buildings are standing next to new or beautifully renovated buildings. After huge investments the roads are very good and the Autobahn so smooth that one feels as if one is flying over the Autobahn.

I have never been to Poland. I hope to bring you more exciting news about the ride tomorrow. I will try to find a room in a small village. That is the best way to meet interesting people and to learn more about living in Poland.

About the king KLR: The bike was doing fine on the Autobahn today. That is what I love about the bike. I can ride the sand in Sudan and in Germany the Autobahn.

Till tomorrow!

Wat word tog van die wêreld?

Toe ek weg is uit Suid-Afrika, het my twee wonderlike kollegas Lize en Suzanne beheer van die FSA oorgeneem.

So 'n week terug het ek van 'n vriendin van Lize 'n e-pos gekry. Lize wil gaan valskerm spring. Miskien het sy dit nou ook al gedoen, sal my nie verbaas nie.

Netnou het daar 'n e-pos gekom van Suzanne, met 'n foto aangeheg.

'n Foto van haar nuwe geliefde.

'n Bloedrooi nuwe Kawasaki motorfiets.

Wat probeer die twee daarmee sê?

Dis tyd dat ek teruggaan om ou-wêreldse orde terug te bring. :-))


What is happening to the world?

Long ago, when I left South Africa on my trip, my two wonderful colleagues Lize and Suzanne took control of the FSA.

A week or so ago I received an email from a friend of Lize. She wrote that she and Lize would go and do parachuting. Perhaps Lize has done that already, I don't know.

Tonight I received an email from Suzanne, with a photograph attached.

A photograph of the new love in her life.

A brand new, red Kawasaki.

What are these two trying to tell me?

It is time that I go back and restore old-fashioned order. :-))

20 000

Dis waarna ek streef. 20 000. Nee, nie US dollars nie, maar besoekers op die Naboom2Germany webblad voor ek vir oulaas die KLR by my huis in Naboom afskakel.

That is what I am aiming for. No, not US dollars but visitors to the Naboom2Germany website before, for the last time, I switch off the KLR at my house in Naboom.