Back for more

Two weeks later I was coming back for more, this time however with a family member... and one of those in-laws you sometimes love so dearly (and sometimes don't!). Anyway, it was probably quite a mix when it came to experience in this group, with me and an Asian guy being the total novices, and two rather experienced bikers, of different aptitude, and then one in-betweener, the girlfriend of one of the rangers.

At four we were picked up from our lodge, perfectly located outside Kruger's Phalaborwa gate. We didn't drive far in the park before encountering a small herd of buffalo... and only a couple of hundred metres from them, we disembarked from the relative safety of the game-viewer.  

The safety briefing was more rigorous this time and the rangers made a solid impression. The distance we were told we'd be going had me wondering if they were serious though... I didn't have time to ponder that piece of information for long however, as the others were already on their way downhill on a gravel road that looked like a dried-out riverbed, at death-defying speeds; thrown in at the deep end again! When you're used to paved bicycle lanes, this is not how you picture your second go on a mountain bike...

 

It was a good thing at least one in our little group realized the depth of my inexperience and self-doubt and talked me through the first few down-hill sections. I don't trust bikes of any kind much (or myself), even if it's been ten and five years respectively since I last became airborne on two-wheeled inventions.

 

I guess I eventually loosened up a bit and came to enjoy the ride, even on the most eroded stretches of “road” and hippo tracks. After a while I even began looking around to spot things of interest and didn't just focus on the next five metres in front of me and... I spotted a flat! The Asian guy had been struggling in the loose sand for a while and as the ground became harder again, I realized why he seemed so much more out of breath than the rest of us. He was quite happy to learn that a flat was the reason! 

We didn't come across many big animals, but lots of insects, a few birds and numerous fresh lion tracks. I got all the adrenaline rushes I needed anyway this morning though, without having to deal with any dangerous game surprising us this time.

As we made our way back to where the vehicle was parked it was becoming a lot warmer, something which my stepbrother very much enjoyed helping me out with. Half a litre of ice water pored down my back was rather a shock to the system. Needless to say however, I had my revenge when he least expected it...

/A