This morning we started our journey heading Northwest towards Botswana. Today was our last ride in the Lowveld through rolling hills with nice twisty roads and the Drakensberg Escarpment in the horizon as we rode along it.
The Drakensberg Escarpment is a very interesting geological feature in South Africa. It is basically a massive plateau that was pushed upwards as high as 11,000 ft. that sort of follows the coast in the South and the East but inland. From the lower part it looks like a wall of mountains ... Lesotho is on top of the escarpment.
Our ride took us to apparently one of the hippest restaurants in Polokwane for lunch. Polokwane is a very nice city with nice wide avenues, shopping, and restaurants just north of Pretoria.
This part of the country has the reddest soil everywhere … and the highest population density of all the places we have visited … townships, towns, cities that extend for miles and miles … lots of traffic, people … slow going at times.
After a nice fish and chips lunch, we headed to the Botswana border. Everything got very flat very quickly. The roads became straight lines and the terrain began to look like Texas … except for the occasional sign to watch for warthogs crossing the road.
We made it to the border. Uneventful processing on both sides. Botswana is definitely a poorer country with less developed infrastructure. The bridge to cross the Limpopo River (Botswana border) is a very old one lane bridge.
We checked in at the Kwa Nokeng Lodge just over the border to rest for our ride tomorrow to Francistown … confirmed with people at the border that there are lots of animals roaming and no fences in Botswana and that we will be riding alongside the beasties : )
What? Corona?
At lunch in Polokwane - great fish and chips
Our friend Katlego (means success in Pedi) - took care of our bikes in Polokwane
Getting closer to Botswana
Wow - Baobab trees lining the driveway to a farm
I tried to talk these border police into giving me their Police patch but failed : )
The one-lane bridge over the Limpopo River (Botswana on the other side)
We made it - and thankfully, a trip to the woodshed was not required
Richard paying for his Botswana motorcycle import permit
We are in!
The view from our lodge overlooking the Limpopo River (crocs and hippos live here)
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