Monday 24 October 2011

Day 354 - 356 South Africa 22/10/2011 – 24/10/2011, Sheri's Lodge, Graskop. Choppers, rugby, waterfalls and an ice cold swim!

The main reason to come and stay at Sheri's Lodge was to take a tour on his three-wheeled choppers. What we didn't know was that the whole tour wasn't actually up and running yet. Fortunately, despite the trikes not having number plates yet, Sheri was happy to take us and two fellow guests on a shortened tour. Riding the choppers is easy, they have 150cc automatic engines so it is simply a case of twist and go.

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Having had a quick practise on the driveway, we were issued with helmets and embossed 'live to ride, ride to live' leather jackets and we then hit the highway. Drawing a certain amount of attention along the way, we headed up to 'Wonder view' where we stopped to have a look at, yes you guessed it, the view! It was pretty spectacular although it was quite hazy and the sun wasn't in the ideal position for photographs.

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On the return route we made a stop at an area of very clear pools, where Sheri hopes to take guests for a swim and BBQ when he is properly up and running. The trikes are a lot of fun and we would heartily recommend it to anyone visiting the area.

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Having taken some cool photos back at the lodge, we thanked Sheri and then went to get some shopping. It had been suggested that we could try again with Sheri's car in the afternoon, but we couldn't find him later on and by then Debs was sadly feeling unwell. She seems to have caught what I had a few days ago. It is all a bit mysterious, but hopefully she will be fighting fit by the morning.

Sunday was rugby world cup final day and after a cooked breakfast I was happily settled in front of the television with a beer in hand. It wasn't a classic final, but in the end the result went the right way.

Slightly annoyingly we probably could have borrowed the car in the afternoon, but I had had too many beers. Originally Sheri had told us that he was going to Johannesburg on Sunday, so we had not even considered the possibility of driving. There was only one thing for it, and that was to go to the pub. Beer pretty much dictated the rest of my day. I watched a football match with some locals and a traffic police officer called Famous.

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We then joined Sheri and his son for a beer and some food back at the pub. By the time we returned to the room I had drank considerably more than was good for me. Debs meanwhile had been very restrained as she was still nursing an upset stomach.

Instead of leaving Graskop the next morning, we decided to head off on our bikes and see a couple of local waterfalls and then go for a swim at the pools. This had the added bonus that I didn't have to cycle too far with a raging hangover. The waterfalls may not be at their best, the rainy season is only just beginning, but they are still quite nice. We rode first to Lisbon falls and then headed to Berlin falls.

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Riding with no luggage is considerably easier, but it was still very hot. This combined with a hangover and Debs still not feeling 100% meant that we were very glad to get to the swimming area. Acting bravely/foolishly, you choose, I decided to jump straight into the clear water from the rocks. The water was shockingly cold and it was all I could do to swim straight back to the side. Still it cleared my head, at least when the ice melted it did!

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Taking a more sensible route of sliding back into the water, having got over the initial shock, we had an enjoyable swim. By the time we had had a couple of hours sun bathing on the rocks and laying in the waterfalls we were ready to face the journey back to Graskop.

Returning to the lodge it was rest time and that has pretty much taken up the rest of the day. Tomorrow we return to the town of Hazyview, this time along a different route which should be almost entirely downhill. For now though, it is time for a early night.

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