After 4 lengthy flights (from Poland to Germany to South Africa) I arrived in heat and sunny Cape City. It took practically an hour for my baggage to spill out onto the conveyor belt on the airport, however I grabbed them simply as quickly as they arrived and carried them out into the arrivals space the place I noticed a solar tanned man holding a white and orange “African Bikers” signal. This should be Steve, my tour information!
I approached Steve and launched myself. He knowledgeable me that I used to be the primary to reach and that I ought to go and get some meals whereas I waited for the opposite tour individuals to get their belongings and collect close by.
A short time later I used to be launched to Harry and Kirsten (from Merzig, Germany) and Sandra and Erwin (from Hamburg, Germany). Introductions have been made in German and I did my finest to maintain up with the group, nevertheless it was apparent (to each myself and everybody there) that my German expertise have been missing.
We walked our belongings out to the curb the place our driver, Anthony (however we referred to as him “Kim”), was ready for us. Our gear was loaded right into a white passenger van pulling a small trailer behind it after which we have been pushed from the airport to 2 totally different places within the metropolis the place the ultimate two individuals of our 14-day bicycle tour throughout South Africa have been picked up.
Collectively now for the very first time, our van of 9 consisted of:
Steve – our tour chief
Kim – our driver
Harry and Kirsten
Erwin and Sandra
Michi (from Vienna, Austria)
Julia (from Eggenfelden, Germany)
And myself.
We made a fast cease on the guesthouse the place we might be staying in Cape City, modified our garments after which jumped again within the van. Kim then drove us as much as the cable automobile, the place we bought round-trip tickets to the highest of Desk Mountain – the well-known flat mountain that hovers above the town of Cape City, South Africa.
The views from the highest have been unimaginable. In a single route you may see all of Cape City. Within the different route you may see nothing however blue sea and inexperienced crops.
Our group break up up right now and I walked with Julie on among the much less traveled mountain climbing paths. Alongside the best way we received to know each other whereas stopping from time to time to take footage and consider the native wildlife – which included each birds and a wierd little creature neither one in every of us has seen earlier than. A creature referred to as a “Dassie.”
After an hour or so on Desk Mountain, we rode the cable automobile again all the way down to our ready van. We have been then dropped off as soon as once more at our guesthouse within the middle of Cape City and instructed that we had only a brief period of time to bathe, relaxation and prepare earlier than dinner.
A couple of hours later we have been picked up on the guesthouse as soon as once more and pushed throughout city to a neighborhood restaurant, the place we ate collectively for the primary time, shared tales and puzzled what our first day of mountain biking in South Africa may be like.
