Day 375 Swaziland/South Africa 12/11/2011, Big Bend – Shayamoya lodge, Pongola. 42.35miles/67.81km, 3hr40minutes, Av 11.5mph.

Sadly the fans never did succeed in cooling down our room last night and worse still we woke to an absolutely scorching day. The forecast cooler weather has obviously gone elsewhere.

Having eaten a less than spectacular breakfast at the restaurant, we set off into the blazing sun, helpfully assisted by a tail wind. As a cyclist you should never complain about a tailwind, but when it is very hot you get no cooling effect at all if the wind is at your back.

Sweating our way through the thankfully rolling landscape we sped towards the border. Saying goodbye to the mountains has also meant saying goodbye to the spectacular views. For the main part it was very much like riding through savannah again.

A diversion to the slightly monotonous landscape came in the shape of several private game reserves. While riding along one of the fences trying to spot some wildlife, we encountered an ostrich that seemed to think that we were chasing it. It would rush ahead, then stop to check where we were and then speed off again as we got near. Eventually it headed off into the safety of the bush.

The border town of Lavumisa was pretty much like every other border town we have been through. Not a place that you wanted to spend any time, which is why after a cool drink we headed straight through the border. Timing going into immigration just as an overland truck full of German tourists arrived wasn't the best planning. Fortunately the queue moved quite quickly and leaving Swaziland and entering South Africa is simply a matter of getting two stamps.

Back in South Africa, and if anything it felt even hotter. Climbing a long hill from the border was hard work in the heat and we were hoping that we could find somewhere to stay soon.

Having had limited internet in Swaziland (Vodacom has no network), the only place we could find was a B&B approximately 10km from the border. Passing through Pongola game reserve didn't help with any other options as the fences put a stop to any hopes of a free camp. Stopping outside the expensive looking Shayamoya lodge, Debs phoned the B&B who said that they had seen us on the road and would send someone to pick us up. We had been quite happy to ride, but Debs was told that the track was steep and bumpy. Somewhat surprisingly a guy arrived from the Shayamoya lodge gates in a game viewer and introduced himself as Gavin. Perhaps the B&B shared a driveway with the lodge?

Loading the bikes and bags on the vehicle we drove up to the lodge somewhat puzzled as to where the B&B was. It soon became apparent that we were to be staying at the lodge, the only concern was how much was it going to cost! It turns out that the lodge and B&B are all run by different members of the same family. For whatever reason we have been given a beautiful room at the lodge for the same rate as the B&B. Perhaps travelling by bicycle has come up trumps again, we have certainly lucked in with the accommodation!

Since arriving, Gavin has been great; we are clearly a bit of a novelty as most of the lodge guests are apparently old wealthy tourists. We had barely got unloaded before he asked if we drank whisky, saying that he would get a bottle and share it with us tonight. Then after we had had lunch he dropped by our room again to ask us if we wanted a short game drive, as he and Julian (one of the guides) were going down to the dam to do some fishing. At 4pm we set off, complete with a cool box full of beer, for a very enjoyable couple of hours of chatting and wildlife spotting. No fishing actually took place as the wind was far too strong, so we just sat and watched the rhino, giraffes, zebras, warthogs and impala instead.

Having eaten a very nice three course dinner, we returned to the room where we were joined by Gavin and later Julian. It was clearly a terrific night because we ran out of whiskey! The only downside, if we can say that considering our surroundings, is that we are going to have to stay another night.

Day 374 Swaziland 11/11/2011, Ezulwini Valley – Big Bend Backpackers, Big Bend. 64.78miles/103.90km, 5hr53minutes, Av 10.9mph.

Thankfully the hot weather of the last few days had gone this morning and we woke to a grey cloudy morning; brilliant cycling weather! Ending up staying for another night because it was too hot to cycle would have been a bit annoying. Especially when we knew that the concert that we wanted to go to was happening down the road without us.

With a reasonable distance to cover ahead of us, we got ready early, said our farewell to Nigel and the other guests (the ones that were up at least!) and hit the road by 7am.

Today's road was just what we needed, a series of gentle climbs interspersed with some nice descents and a goodly amount of riding on the flat. In truth some of the climbs were a bit steeper than I have eluded to, but they certainly weren't in the same league as the ones we had previously encountered in Swaziland.

A combination of the cooler weather and easier cycling conditions meant that we were making excellent progress. It was a good way to remind ourselves that we could put in the distance if we needed to.

The locals that we encountered along the road today were a bit of a mixed bunch. Generally we have found that you have to wave or speak first, but that doesn't always guarantee a response. When we stopped for a drink at a small supermarket, we had timed it perfectly for the kids coming out of school, not all of them friendly. In fact, when Debs was buying the drinks, some of them tried to get me to go into the shop saying that she needed me, while another one attempted to take stuff from the bikes. Having travelled together for so long I knew that if she needed me, she would have come outside.

We are not in the habit of leaving the bikes unattended. Deciding that I better check she was alright I poked my head round the door and then immediately turned round to see an individual grabbing at my bar bag and then, when he realised he had been spotted, pretending that he was just looking at my map. He then had the cheek to ask if he could take my bike for a ride! Quite how stupid he thought I was, is beyond me. Fortunately our next school children encounter was an entirely positive one. They happily crowded around the bikes and then ran alongside as we headed off.

As always seems to be the case, the last 15 to 20 kilometres were the toughest. Our saddles never seem too bad until the 80km mark and then they just get continually more uncomfortable. The fact that the road had levelled out, went some way to easing the pain though.

Our arrival outside Lismore lodge, where we planned to stay, came not a moment too soon. Sadly the lodge was full and having seen their prices that probably wasn't a bad thing. It did however present us with an accommodation dilemma. The receptionist was great and phoned another lodge for us, but they only had a single room available. Luckily we had seen a sign, somewhat unexpectedly, for a backpackers place near the lodge. The receptionist wasn't sure what the situation was with the backpackers, but contacted someone who came to meet us. We were then taken up to see what is essentially a collection of converted porta-cabins. The guy who showed us round was really helpful and we were soon settling into adjoining rooms with a shared bathroom. Better still it was at a fraction of the price of the lodge. Our accommodation problems were solved. The only downside is that they are extremely hot and the fans are struggling to make much of an impact on the temperature. Still every cloud; the lodge's bar is lovely and cool and the beer is even colder!

Having had a nice, but in my case quite spicy, dinner we headed back to the rooms for an early night. We will be back in South Africa tomorrow and have another longish day ahead of us. Fingers crossed the weather cools down again by the morning.