The lead up to the trip

Monday 6th December
Ok here is what’s happening.... Roger and myself decided the other day that old trusty (his BMW 325i) would be just fine to take us up to Victoria Falls and Kruger Park so I could see the sights.
As we sat round Rogers playing play station I joked about how cool it would be to do the journey on bikes, and that's when it all kicked off and the ideas started flowing. Rogers brain started doing overtime and after a few brainstorming sessions the idea was born. With the assistance of "Bike" SA magazine owner Simon and Butch the importer of "KTM's" in SA we are off on Thursday on a proper adventure!!!
We are going to write an article on the whole trip for Bike SA to
Publish in the New Year!! Oh, I have also moved my leaving date from South
Africa until the 11th of February. I will update the website as soon as I can.
Wednesday 8th December
Been a bit touch and go the last couple of days. The 640 KTM fell through and Roger has been chasing for another bike for me to ride. Just had a phone call from Dean from "DNA" bikes and he may have a KLR650 for us to use via the main importer of Kawasaki!!! It looks as if the Journey is going to be about 5000k In total If you are reading this on my website then I have left on the trip ;-) we are heading for Namibia to join "Bike SA" (the best selling bike mag in SA) for their by-annual desert run and ending our journey in the mountain
Kingdom of Lesotho, via Namibia, Botswana (Ockavanga Delta) Zimbabwe
(Victoria Falls) and Kruger national park.
The story we think will be titled "only mad Rog and Englishman ride out in the midday sun" But I am sure there will be more!!
Thursday 9th December
Its now Thursday at about 2pm and I am sitting in Bike SA's headquarters in Jo-Burg in the hustle and bustle of people running round preparing for the Desert Run tomorrow. About 130 people heading down to Namibia for fun and games on the dunes. Roger is busy still trying to sort the second bike out from Kawasaki for me to ride. We are due to leave in a few hours and still no bike... We need letters from the dealers and importers to say we have permission to take the bikes out of the country. I have all the equipment I need now apart from as pair of goggles. Hopefully we are going to stay the night down at Ralf’s farm tonight and leave to meet the other group at a meeting point on the way. Bike SA is the best selling bike magazine in South Africa and has been organizing this desert run for twenty years I believe. Can't wait to get going, we just need to sort this second bike out!! Talk about last minute!!!!
The last minute was about right!! We turned up at "DNA" motorcycles in Jo-Burg on a KTM 950 after Roger had Gently guided the bike threw the rush hour traffic with me on the back (Mr best passenger ever!! NOT.) The nice, nice man Dean, the owner of DNA motorcycles.... had a blast out on the new KTM and returned with the keys to a demo KLR650 for me to ride :-) thanks Dean. So at 7.30pm we packed up the bikes and rode down to Ralf and Roses farm. Tomorrow we have a 300k ride to meet the other 130 people who are also driving down to the biggest sand dunes in the world to play!! And I have now discovered that I have left the power lead in Rogers house in Jo-berg and so I will have to resort to pen and paper!!! I doubt if I will be able to do much more than the odd email until after Christmas but hey this Africa so you never know. 
Hope you all have a good  Christmas... International George

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