SWAZILAND - PIGGS PEAK - ORION HOTEL

Slept like babies in this lovely hotel, overlooking the breathtaking valley below. We are headed in the general direction of Big Bend today. I am so exited to explore this awesome country.

SUNSHINE AT LONG LAST

Outside Dullstroom. Beautiful day!

BEAUTIFUL DAY, BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE

MIDDELBURG, STERKFONTEIN COUNTRY LODGE

We spend much time in Middelburg yesterday. We stayed at Sterkfontein, the most beautful setting in the heart of Middelburg. Our hosts were awesome! We had a tremendous time

STATE VET, HEALTH CERTIFICATES AND THE WAITING GAME.

We have been running around Pretoria for two days, trying to sort out export and import permits. Thanx to Dr. Beke Maphosa, our export permits are minutes away from being signed sealed and delivered.

PLAYTIME

Outside Winterton, doggies stretching their legs. Its cloudy + hot.

BACK ON TRACK

Ferreira Yamaha in Bethlehem helped us customise the bikes a little. We are on our way to Clarens today. The doggies are still not used to their bags, but no worries, we will fix the problem.

BREAKFAST AT VAAL-1 ULTRA CITY

Beautiful day. Met some of the guys that were at the XT rally. Seems we weren't the only ones who got heavy rains. So sorry we missed it. Theres always next year...

STUCK IN A THUNDERSTORM

Left Johannesburg this morning. We didn't go very far before we got caught in a storm. It's been 3 hrs and still waiting. We might carry on regardless...

THE WORLD OCEANS DAY

The concept for World Oceans Day was proposed in 1992 by the Government of Canada at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro and it had been unofficially celebrated every year since then. Official designation by the U.N. is a significant step in conserving and protecting our world's ocean.

World Oceans Day provides an opportunity each year to celebrate our world ocean and our personal connection to the sea. The Ocean Project, working closely with the World Ocean Network each year, helps to coordinate events and activities with aquariums, zoos, museums, conservation organizations, universities, schools, businesses.

Why Should I Celebrate World Oceans Day?

• The world's ocean: Generates most of the oxygen we breathe
• Helps feed us
• Regulates our climate
• Cleans the water we drink
• Offers us a pharmacopoeia of potential medicines
• Provides limitless inspiration!

Yet for too long, human society has taken the world's ocean for granted.

Now we can give back! Take part in World Oceans Day events and activities this year and help protect our ocean for the future!

It's up to each one of us to help ensure that our ocean is protected and conserved for future generations. World Oceans Day allows us to:

Change perspective - encourage individuals to think about what the ocean means to them and what it has to offer all of us with hopes of conserving it for present and the future generations.

Learn - discover the wealth of diverse and beautiful ocean creatures and habitats, how our daily actions affect them, and how we are all interconnected.

Change our ways - we are all connected to the ocean! By taking care of your backyard, you are acting as a caretaker of our ocean. Making small modifications to your everyday habits will greatly benefit our blue planet.

Celebrate - whether you live inland or on the coast we are all connected to the ocean; take the time to think about how the ocean affects you, and how you affect the ocean, and then organize or participate in activities that celebrate our world ocean.

BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES

As we slowly progressed along the river bank we met so many wonderful people, some of which are especially awesome. Thank you everyone for your support, friendship and inspiration.

CAMPING IN LUXURY

We met Janes Coetzee on the riverbank, and he had heard about our journey downstream. He invited us to stay with them, but they have 4 rather BIG dogs, so we opted to camp next to the river. The Coetzees are very hospitable people however, and fetched us to join them for meals and hot showers. We spent a couple of days here, and it was rather difficult to leave eventually. We had the best camping spot ever. It beats finding a suitable place in between shrubs and tall grass with a likkewaan as your next door neighbour. The mosquitoes are relentless though, doesn't matter where you decide to camp.

ORKNEY - FROM BOAT CLUB TO GOLF CLUB

Orkney was an absolute blast. Shortly after departing from Kleinparadys, we arrived at the Vaal River Boat Club desperate for internet connectivity. Karel Mini and a couple of other guys we met through referrals, was so kind to offer us work space and a room for the night, should we need to stay.





















Spent a night at the Orkney Golf Club after a grueling hot day on the river. We suffered against serious head winds earlier in the day, but the water was beautifully calm in the late afternoon. This part of the Vaal offers a variety of water activities and is especially great for kayak enthusiasts.

KLEINPARADYS, COENIE & HIS PRINCESS PETRO & A WEEKEND OF FUN...

We arrived at Kleinparadys later than expected, and we were completely finished at this point. Petro's uncle owns this little paradise outside Orkney, and they were all there to welcome us.
It was an absolute treat, and we spent the weekend hanging out, reviving our aching bodies and having a good time, thanks to Petro and her stunning family.

ANDRE, LIESI & THE DEEP WATERS HOTEL

We were supposed to meet a friend, Andre, at the Scandinaviadrift Bridge around lunchtime, and according to some, it was almost 17kms along the river. We had an early start, and started paddling like animals. The river once again changed a bit, and we met some people fishing on the banks, but eventually all I could think was to paddle and not feel, or think. We had a head wind, which was slightly bothersome, and very few rapids, which made for intensive paddling.

Eventually, I asked everyone we came across, how far it still was towards this bridge, and the first group said 2kms, the second person said 8, and the third said 2. Confusing if you ask me and never ask anyone who hasn't actually paddled the distance, how far it is. Anyhow, it turned out to be all of the above, so the third was spot on.It was the happiest face, to see Liesi and Andre waiting on the banks, just before the bridge. I still had another 500m to go, but it felt like I couldn't bridge the gap. It is always brilliant to see old friends.

We sat for hours catching up, we almost forgot about dinner. We had a barbeque and for us there was the most delicious butterfish, salads, sweet potato and garlic bread. It has been a long time since I ate so much, but the food was so good, I had to go back for more.
Liesi helped Maria set up camp, as we were going to camp on the riverbank. There was going to be a party with the band M2 performing tonight, but since I have never heard of this band, and we were having a good time on our own, we decided to enjoy each others company until it was time for bed. This was a truly magical evening.