Holed up in Pigg’s Peak

S 26° 04’ 98” – E 31° 15’ 09”

With storm clouds a constant threat and intermittent rain falling throughout the eastern parts of the country, I decided that discretion was the better part of valour, and remained cocooned in Pigg’s Peak, waiting for a break in the weather. My sister called a few times fromUvongo on the south coast, to give me weather updates, all of which were rather pessimistic… “80% chance of rain and moderate to high winds all the way up our eastern coast and into Swaziland and Mpumalanga, clearing on Thursday….” Great….

I checked into the Maguga Lodge, situated on the southern banks of the Maguga Dam and settled down to wait out the weather. With my kit scattered around the room, maps and books littering the table surface, I kept one eye on the weather channel, and the other on the leaden skies above the dam. I was not too keen to ride in the rain on the heavily laden bike, and wanted to get a lot more “dry” kilometers under my belt before tackling wet roads and heavy downpours…

I spent some time at the end of the Bar, surrounded by my laptop, maps, and my GPS, trying to load routes and overnight stops, scheduled for the remainder of December. I drank many a Cappuccino on the wide deck, adjacent to the dining area, with panoramic views of the dam. Bass fisherman braved the weather, determined to land a “big one”, many of which had been recently caught here, and featured in various fishing magazines.

The entrance to the Maguga Lodge…

I had left the “Big Fella” at Hendrik’s house on Swaziland Plantations, and needed to get it moved down the hill and back to the tar but could not do so on Monday, as a result of the rather sticky conditions. On Tuesday, I decided that it was now or never, so taking the BeeEmm by the “horns”, I made my way down the hill, slipping and sliding all the way, (The Simon and Garfunkel hit of similar name swirling through my mind!!!). White knuckle riding at its best!!

Nearing the bottom of the hill, I let go of the brakes and allowed the weight of the bike to take me down the last 50 metres. The momentum of the bike surprised me somewhat, which resulted in a brief flirtation with a wooden fence just before I managed to execute a sharp right turn to take me down a further steep section of the road and onto the tar road in front of the Sawmill. I parked the bike near my office and drove back to the Lodge in a borrowed car.

Holed up in No: 14 at Maguga Lodge

Later that day, Charlotte Barnard, a good friend and long time resident of the area, called with the cheerful news that she had heard that flooding was taking place in parts of Zimbabwe and Zambia…..Lovely!! She cheekily suggested that I buy the largest pair of water wings I could find… With friends like these…!!

Later that afternoon, I collected the bike from the factory and rode the winding road back to the lodge and parked it near the reception for safekeeping, where a security guard was permanently on duty.

I spent the afternoon repacking and planning the trip to Uvongo. I decided to leave early the next morning to miss the traffic through Mbabane and Manzini…..Best laid plans…!! That evening, I ended up at the Pine Valley Golf Club with a few good friends from Swaziland Plantations, having what was supposed to be “a few quiet ones”… Much, much later, after half a dozen “absolutely bloody final” scotches, I found myself back at the lodge, and in no state to leave “early” the next morning…

I had also apparently made plans to not only spend Christmas Day in Port Elizabeth with Renske and Hendrik, but had also promised to see Stoffel and Marli Fritz in Kakamas on New Year’s Day!! I vaguely remember discussing Springhare Hunting on their farm near the Namibian border post of Nakop and Ariaansvlei, and agreeing not to wear a “Vote Zuma” t-shirt on arrival at the farm, as Marli’s parents were rather conservative when it came to questions of a political nature…

The trip was already taking a few unplanned diversions, and I had barely covered 600kms since leaving Johannesburg… Clearly flexibility was going to be a key word on this trip…!!

Swimming anyone….?

© 2008 TBMH