This is South Africa!
Welcome Fredrik! We let you start with 30 km uphill!!
Yes, it is true apart from two small downhills on the way. O boy that makes you a bit tired as a start of the day. Anyway I go along this landscape still semidessert just like in Namibia.
Still some wild horses. As I reach the top of the long hill I see two cars by the road. They see me and happily wave and congratulate me with cold raspberry flavoured water and ice cream.
We all take photos and I feel like a star! Wow! So cool!
I go another 100 km and another car stops. It is a relative to the first families. Ha ha! And they stop me to take pictures and to give me a cold drink.
This is so fun. I continue now to my goal for today. The small town Springbook.
I have not yet entered when a mountainbike guy stops me. We chat for a few minutes and then he invites me to his home. This is very fun. This people are amazing. Their hospitality is unbelievable. His name is Mario and works with a mine. Mining is big in this part of Africa. In Namibia it was diamond mines. But Mario works at a zink mine. We have a great evening and he cooks me great pasta. We eat and have some red wine as I tell my storry. I stay two nights. I need rest. I have another 600 km to Cape Town and I want to go far the day after resting. As the swede I am I want to try and do the Vättern Tour distance, from a Swedish bicycle race.
My day off I spend on internet and a walk around town for buying food. I meet a rasta man who tells me a bit about his culture.
Like he is vegan and strives to connect with nature. He has not worn shoes since 1993. He lives by selling nature medicine. He can cure most aches and deceices. He sais CocaCola is bad, it is like a stop sign, red and white, you should not drink that. His clothes are eaither of hemp or this sac he is wearing. I see at least five of them dressed in thesame style in this litle town. The guy is happy because since very recently he is allowed to smoke marijuana in his home. Still you are not allowed to buy it or have it on you when walking outside your home but he is positive about it. I continue and go for a milkshake at the fun and interesting Springbook Lodge. It is a café, restaurant and guest house with character. An old man works there. Staff is so nice and the walls are covered with all kinds of things of historyof the town.
Thank you Mario for this great stay! And thank you for loading me up with pasta for my challenge ahead!
