2008 South Africa Day 16 and riders thoughts

  We were suddenly to our last day on the road and it was hard to believe that such a journey could come to an end so soon. Yet, looking back at all the adventures, it seems almost years ago when the riders all arrived in Cape Town for the first time.  

    We had an easy ride into Cape Town and Steve took a leisurely course through the mountains and a brief side-trip through Stellenbosch, a lively little University and wine town. We ended the day early as some of the riders wanted one last chance to look over Cape Town and stroll along the waterfront.  The sun was out and the temperature, again, ranged in the mid-eighties. Table Mountain greeted us like an old friend. It was strange to muscle with the traffic, as we had not seen any for almost the entire time on the road. No more baboons and antelopes scattering in front of us!

  We checked into our rooms, took to our separate ways for the afternoon and caught up with each other at a charming African restaurant for our farewell dinner that evening.

  The trip was a grand success, and after talking to the riders and hearing what they had to say, I would like to share some of their comments.

    Firstly, South Africa was not the scary continent that they thought it would be. At no time did anyone fell threatened. In fact, they found the hospitality and openness of the locals to be heartfelt.

   The landscape and scenery surpassed anything that they imagined. Some of the participants thought that the coast of South Africa was as beautiful as any they had ever seen.

   The riding was by far the best part of the trip. The comment that was most used was "variety". It was possible to ride along the coast, through mountain passes into desert by way of paved or dirt roads. In other words, it was possible to ride the world in a day. Add to that the emptiness of the roads and you have one of the primier riding destinations in the world!

   The highlight for everyone was the Baviaankloof. To my knowledge, the Baviaanskloof is a unique feature of this tour. It was a place of breathtaking scenery, rugged riding and exceptional adventure. Our time there will never be forgotten by the group.

   One of the best features of this tour was the staff. Having local staff and a paramedic ready at hand gave the riders a piece of mind as well as the ability to learn about a culture past the surface layer. Steve and Neels did a terrific job, and plan to be on staff for this tour next year.

   Another feature of this tour that the riders enjoyed were all the options available to all of the participants each day, whether they were riding or not. Our day-to-day itinerary was not long, but the options for riding longer loops and exploring a variety of roads outside the written itinerary gave each rider the opportunity to ride as long and as far as they wanted each day.  One day, the itinerary read 240 kms for the day, and we rode for just under 400!

We will run this tour again in 2009!!  Plan on seeing in on the Aerostich Tours site soon, and mark your calendar for late Feb/ early March. You will have the ride of your life!