So after an early breakfast I went to collect the bike, already loaded and now armed with all the poets I will need to get into Moz, plus a GPS!
Set off at 0900 and headed South, avoiding motorway and tolls so via Heidelberg/Piet someone or other/Bethlehem and Carens.
A cool (27C and cloudy) day and not long until I spotted a minivan rolled over in a ditch.
Not much longer before my first gravel road, from which I was offered a wet and muddy unmade road South which I declined and Garmin soon made amends.
The bike rides well although the off road front tyre makes turning very odd, more so than I remembered on the many TKC80S I ran on the 1150.
The fuel gauge took me a time to work out so I popped in to refuel after 150kms and had used 7 litres which confirms the 300kms range the owner mentioned.
Waterproofs came in just before a short but biblical rain storm and they stayed on for warmth and as a precaution.
Will try to post a map later but from Carens where I lunched…(a massive steak sandwich and a beer for 60 Rand) there were sounds if thunder and lightning.
I debated stopping in that pleasant town but it was only 14h30 and I wanted to push on.
So I found a B&B in Hlotse Lesotho in my GPS and pushed on.
Scenery was previously a lot of open spaces
As NH with an absurd amount of GS branding
But the odd ‘small outcrops ‘ appeared
Crossing into Lesotho at the small border post of Caledoonspoort was a 10 minute, charming affair and the Immigration official who asked me where I had heard of Lesotho was delighted when I explained my 6th form Cross country instructor, Dr Forrest, had lived here for 2 years and extolled its virtues
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Once into Lesotho, the pace of life changed and the roads were thronged with people and errant taxis and mtatus (small buses)….it was school exit time so I kept my eyes peeled and got many waves
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