Motorcyclemania or Aquamobilephobia....?
Coming home after doing the local Peninsular 500.......!
Dirk and Dylan on the Kawa
The KTM still out of action.....maybe not for long.
I have been diagnosed with an illness called Aquamobilephobia. (The fear of driving close or underneath Water Trucks.) Not that a small accident would have ruined my pleasure getting on a 2 wheeler again.....No, fucking Never! It's only that I'm dreaming getting back on my beast and then fucking throttle her up.......
So, mostly I spent my weekends now working on the bikes. Whether it is mine or just on the 300cc Kawa. Clearly the bug has bitten and Dylan has 2 wheel fever too. I just have to teach him how to grab hold of chicks, gaining a couple tattoos wearing jeans and not bath for a week. That's my dear friends is the motorcycle lifestyle. But I do shower/bath minimum once, but sometimes twice a day.
For real, Dirk's boy thoroughly enjoys it to get on the bike with his dad. I guess motorcycles was in our blood from the start. The last photo is a photo of the "Beast" just before I stripped her down after the accident. The good news is that I have received jsut yesterday some parts for starting her again and I am just waiting for a subframe.......and then I will be on her back and she'll vibrate the rocking horse out of me. Nice, just the way I like it.
Saturday was basically a big day in Dar Es Salaam. It was the annual goat race.......The long awaited goat race. It was raining constantly, but that could not stop us to get a couple of beers all the way down our throats. I mean, I have never seen so many white people in one place at the same time in Dar......OH my lordy, there was this latin looking chick.....OH my lordy, I do like Spanish right now.....actually I like them a LOT! Know what I'm saying? So, I decided to bet on this weirdest goats around and there was this one.....who will forget her name....SHAGGY and she moved like lightning.....mein got! The sad part was that I won absolutely fucking ZERO. I guess I will keep to
BLACK JACK. That game only showed me real promising results.
So, this weekend I will be back on the bike working as usual and just maybe I will start her. I have ordered more parts from America and hopefully they will arrive sometime the end of next week and then I might be back on my KTM.
So, all fine down South and hoping for some mirracles to happen. Remember the thing about shitting in your left hand? Yip, non taken!
Ciao
How should I put it........?
Lately, it seems that we have went from idle to 3 gear........The problem with this is that when you engine is not strong enough, your car will die off attempting the pull away.
Dirk has this thing when Africa just gets that little bit too much, he says: " Mary, please call me." Now Mary is his agent in South Africa working on his immigration papers to Down Under. Now this have been going On/Off for years, but finally it's on the last stretch and he is expecting for that phone call around now and this will be his ticket out of here within the next 12 months or so.
So, I also would like Surehka to call me. I need to go. Fuck, what is it with Africa that just gets to us? I wish someone could please explain it to me. And do not even try attemp telling me if you only were here on holiday, because it is just so fucking different. Another saying is that when I wish for a mirracle then I should rather shit in my left hand and put my wishes in the other. Weigh them up and see which one weighs more. Right now, I definately believe the shit weighs a whole lot more. Sometimes I sit back and think why in the world did I get myself into this? I weigh up the pro's and con's and I can not see the logic in it. And for sure it's not the money, because there is not enough money in the world to pay me to endure this crap.......
Just a thought that I would like to share with you guys........
Bangoya, the true domain......!
Well, sadly I left my camera at home for this one, because it was just a kind of the spur of the moment decision to go to Bangoya and the camera on the phone did not have that best resolution I could have hoped for.
I have to admit, being on a real small deserted island for 6 hours on one of the most sunniest days ever is fun, but tiring. Bangoya island is about an half an hour boat ride offshore from the Dar Peninsular and there are no roads, no inhabitants, no shops, no nothing but plain and simple the most beautifull beach you will ever find. A lot of people do go there, but they are all foreigners and they also need the fun like we'all do.
So, Sunday was the big day and becoming 27 is actually quite scary. A lot of people will tell you not to worry because you are still young, but honestly they only say that because they are past that point and they have made their life decisions. For me on the other hand, it is the time now to think about stuff like that. Quite scary thought, 'cause I have always told myself that I do not want to get married before 30 and for me to find a girl, learn to know her and test drive her for 3 years long......you do the sums.
Dirk, Rieta, Dylan & me set off to this island and man, did I really enjoy it. For starters we had Redbull and Vodka on the trip as a welcome note...........I have also to admit that this was probably one of my best days ever in Tanzania. Spent it with great people on a very beautiful place and by knowing that i do really feel good inside, just made it even more special. After the trip, I was spoiled with a great dinner at a very beautiful restaurant and around 9am I was down and out. Alles Klaar! I could barely wake up this morning to go to work, but I managed the dull situation though. So, Dirk & Rieta.........Thanx vir 'n absolute lekker dag. Julle het dit vir my probeer die beste dag ooit maak en dit was....regtig. Ek kan regtig niks meer van julle verwag het nie, maar as die goeie mense wat julle is het julle dit moerse spesiaal gemaak. Ek wardeer dit onsettend baie. Baie, baie dankie!
So, fun is over and I'm on one year older........ and it is back to priorities like usual. A good note is that I have ordered my parts for my Beasts and it will be leaving America, I guess, today. With a Kawasaki 300 R waiting to be taken offroad, a KTM waiting to become fully operational and a shit load of work lying ahead, it really seems that there is a problem with time and definately for me that is.
I just want to comment on my previous post. The heading "looking back in anger" did not reflect my social well being at all, but like usually I typed in only the first thing that came to mind and I was thinking of the song from OASIS - Looking Back in Anger.....The heading didn't reflect the way I feel or felt. Not at all and that is the total truth. Thanx for the comments though.
So, I just want to say thanks to all of you who remembered my B-day and who forwarded me all the best wishes.....You guys are really the greatest and added a little bit more spice to such a great day. Thanxs my friends, you all are great!
Ciao
Looking back in Anger!
Thinking back over the past 18months or so and it's been a real up and down ride for me. Loads of experiances in both my social and professional life and I have to admit that this was not one of the easiest times ever, but I have thoroughly enjoyed it.
I think back on this day exactly a year ago (on date of course, because the actual day was yesterday) and somehow I wonder what the fuck I was thinking? It is so weird when your head tells you something totally different then your heart and by following your heart means probably the best time ever in your life, but inclusive of fucking loads of pain and unaswered questions. Logic tells me that I was crazy, but honestly I will NOT regret any moment of that time frame.
So, here I stand one year later and almost one year older and I look back what I have achieved and where I have failed. I might have done a couple of things differently, but I believe that I have never failed anyone or disappoint anyone for that matter. I have grown and matured a little bit more in a professional field and I have overcome everything when the odds was against me. I believe I could classify this as personal success and I'm happy to say that somehow I never believed that someones goals and dreams could change so rapid and unexpectedly. I look back and I realised that it was an amazing time on an island filled with amazing people, but I came to know that it doesn't matter where you are in the world, internal happiness do come from the inside.
Thanking my lucky stars for the opportunities that were given to me by my employer and the great life I have lived for the past 24 months. Sometimes everything does not turn out the way we wanted or expected too, but there are always method behind the madness. Just believe in yourself.........Who else could if you even can't?
So, I just want to thank everyone who made this past year for me such an incredible time. For those who didn't want too, better luck next time.
May the South African force be with you all always.
Ciao
To Miss Molly
I really can not believe that it is this time of year again. Last year this time we all were together spending amazing together. On the other hand we all are scattered around the globe which in fact are fucking huge.
But it has been a tremendous time knowing that really incredible friends are across the oceans and they will always remain deep in mind. It really doesn't matter where you are, 'cause they will always be there for you.
I have to admit that Jess is definately one of a kind and even if see pretends to be so tough (which we all know she isn't) we know she is definately one of the most generous people around. I truly believe that she will help out where she can and I do really miss her and so much of her yapping. She is definately one of my best friends for life. I somehow do miss hanging out with her at buddah bar...Testing her Spanish, joking about wild monkeys and bringing the politics on. I do miss the nights when we were only driving somewhere or just going to grab some KFC. I wish she was here helping out on the tough times or giving just that extra motivational lecture.
Times aren't always easy but it is great to think that she is always just a flight away and I know I will see her again. So,
Miss Molly, I hope you enjoy this day to its full extent and party your lungs out. I know 17 is a tough time for gals, but I know you will manage! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
I know on the 10th you will be on our minds......Miss ya!
Ciao
Undoubtfully NOT the greatest Weekend at all....
As my heading indicated, this weekend was not the best ever. Actually it all ended on Friday afternoon after doing some shopping at a local computer shop.
Well, on my way back cruising through the traffic with my bike, I decided to take another turnoff other than the usual. It ended honestly in disaster. Me, lying underneath a truck and somehow hanging on for dear life. Yeah, that's right. It all ended up with a water delivery truck driving over me and my gorgeous bike and the fucker didn't even have the descentcy to stop. I driver behind me had to take action to stop the truck from driving away while I was holding on for my life. The smell of tyres aren't that great, especially if it keeps on knocking on your head.
The result is that the bike do need some reparation, my right arm without skin and my leg almost feeling that it needs amputattion. The conclusion is that if you want to be part of a man's game, you should need to take the punishment like a man eventhough it's not your fault. You just need to think for the uneducated fuckers as well who do not really have any responisbility....That fucker doesn't evn have a drivers license. WHAT CAN YOU DO? Everyone bites the dust at some stage, it just depends how quick you will get back on your feet and put it all behind you. It kind of feels that I think I do not need to learn any lessons in life anymore....Just give me some time, that's all I ask!
The good thing is that I'm lucky to be alive and I have been told so many times past the last weekend and somehow I do believe it. It was not my time to go. Not yet! So, recovery is next and then repairing my gorgeous beast. She will be awesome again.
Ciao
Blistering through the Wild.......!
What a tough week it has been. Loaded with adventure, fatigue, work, rehabilitation and ultimately moving into another joint in Dar Es Salaam.
Yeah, so let me start off from last Friday. Basically my day was caught up with work as usual and then I set off to Dar for the weekend not knowingly that I will return on Saturday (because of incompitence from my local Indian joint venture partners) and was stuck on site untill Saturday afternoon. I had to get back home to start packing some of my stuff to move over to my second residence in Dar and as well packing some bike spares and accessories. Saturday was clearly dedicated to change my road tyres to offroad tyres and this I would like to add as well. Well, changing the tyres on my bike is kind off a simple procedure, but it is fucking hard work and eventually around 8pm Saturday night I have managed to change it and I was kind of proud achieving my goal.
Well, Sunday morning was the big day. This was the day that I'm getting sucked into the biker philosophy and experaince what amazing Tanzania has to offer not knowing really what she witheld from me. Around 8am Sunday morning I geared up and set off to our meeting point at a TOTAL garage called Bonjour. Couple of minutes later the guys starting pulling in and I start making the aquitances....and of coarse checking out everyone else's wheels. Little bit of chitchat, breakfast with yoghurt and a good couple of Redbulls and off we went.
It was about a 10km drive on the tarmac and there it stopped. Into the fucking bush and doing our thing.....Offroad here we come! As usual I was so fucking lost in the bush......just kept an eye on the guy about 30m infront of me with difficulty due to that I was the "NEW" boy in town and they made sure that I will suffer the descent way. Fucking mud flying everywhere and hardly could glare through my Scott goggles. I guess if it was dry roads it might have been a little bit easier, but we eventually crossed about 8 rivers in flood, puddles of water that was at least 1.5m deep full of water, thick sand roads and only following these little walkways. There is absolutely nothing else......Maybe a couple of villages in between where I guess that these guys never ever even seen Mzungu's before and we just fucking cruised the shit out of the place.....It kind of felt doing the DAKAR Ralley where everyone heard the noises coming from the exhaust systems from a distance and just waiting on the side of the road cheering us on....It kind of felt really special.
But this is not what I really expected. I know now why they say MotorCross riders are one of the fittest sports people around and it didn't take me long to feel a sensational feeling of wanting to puke down the helmet with the helmet on my head. My god, this is really tough shit! Around 12pm it felt that my life was about to end and there was no way forward. It felt that I wanted to throw in the towel and go home, but thank god for perserverance......... It could maybe a couple of times easier, but most of the time it felt that I could die any moment. The best was crossing my first river. With my luck I knocked a puddle at least 2m deep and yeah, I drowned my bike in the river under water. I thought this was it....Goodbye my beast......But know, my fellow riders and friends jumped in, help me and the bike out and then starting stripping the air filter out. I felt the comfort of very motivational words and then they started my bike up again and telling me that come one, we have just 100km left in the bush.....Fuck bru, weird, emotional draining but satisfactory shit going on. I eventually decided there are only 2 ways out...Either the bike wins and I will always be the pussy or I will win.....and then I lost all respect for this fucking beast of a machine and throttled the shit out of it and right now my wild beast of a mustang is sooo tame and gentle like a baby. I took it by storm.
Around 6pm we got to the other side of Dar and settled for some supper. Keep in mind that we all were fucked of riding anduro 10 hours long. And then very complimentary words saying I'm a wild card and I handle the beast pretty amazing in the bush.....Awesome for putting 75bhp on a single axle through the bush running it in all the gears. Ja man, that's the way to go......
It was unbelievably wet for this time of year around in Tanzania and the guys were pretty confident that this was really a tough introduction to this sport for me. But hey, this weekend I will definately go again. Monday morning, I woke up early just to go and clean my bike and do some settings and did an oil change as well. So right now, she is pretty laid back and clean.......and me, pain stretching all over my body and just sooooo tired.
So guys, this is all what my interesting weekend was all about.
Ciao for now
Coming home after doing the local Peninsular 500.......!
Dirk and Dylan on the Kawa
The KTM still out of action.....maybe not for long.
