Young Madala: Bike trips around South Africa

Young Madala: Bike trips around South Africa A record of a motorcycle trip around South Africa by an old guy who should know better. YoungMadala means young old man.

A beautiful St Patrick’s sunset from Colombo
17/03/2025

A beautiful St Patrick’s sunset from Colombo

Not quite SAB but Lion Brewery Sri Lanka is a perfect alternative
16/03/2025

Not quite SAB but Lion Brewery Sri Lanka is a perfect alternative

24/12/2024

If anyone wants to give me a birthday present I am accepting versions of the best rock and blues that you know. But please no Dire Straights

It might only be 10:36 but it’s my 70th Birthday and no one is going to stop me.
24/12/2024

It might only be 10:36 but it’s my 70th Birthday and no one is going to stop me.

Nieu Bethesda, definitely worth the drive off the main road.
19/12/2024

Nieu Bethesda, definitely worth the drive off the main road.

Oh no, that terrible Angolan habit of small beers seems to have invaded Maputo! Help!!!
06/12/2024

Oh no, that terrible Angolan habit of small beers seems to have invaded Maputo! Help!!!

29/10/2024

Another 20km got me to Ballito Bay which is now completely unrecognizable. I couldn’t even find the beach?

This morning was perfect. Clear blue sky and a warm 24ºC so I decided to go for a ride up the coast to see how it has ch...
29/10/2024

This morning was perfect. Clear blue sky and a warm 24ºC so I decided to go for a ride up the coast to see how it has changed of the last couple of years. My first stop was Umhlanga Rocks. This used to be the end of Durban and the beginning of the North coast. It was famous for the Oysterbox Hotel and one of the few lighthouses on the coast and a few holiday bungalows.

Today it is a very busy town with lots of hotels, highrise buildings and the same lighthouse.

I then continued up the coast to Umhloti which has only changed a bit. I used to go there for Sunday morning breakfast runs so this morning I had a breakfast again.

I guess that you all remember my all fall down on my way to Luanda. I simply hit a patch or sand which ended up with me ...
24/10/2024

I guess that you all remember my all fall down on my way to Luanda. I simply hit a patch or sand which ended up with me and the bike both lying on the ground. I also ended up with a black and swollen ankle which is still not right.

In order to avoid a repeat performance, I decided that I had to get some help to improve my riding ability. Despite having ridden almost 10,000km since I was dumped by the bike and or myself, I signed up for an idiots guide to motorcycle riding.

That was last Saturday in Nelspruit and was run by the BMW Motorrad International Instructor Academy. It was a fun day out and it will hopefully lead to an improvement in my riding. In the months to come, I will attend another few training sessions at various locations around the country. The following were some of the photos taken during the day.

23/10/2024

Like most South Africans and Mozambicans that use the N4 between Witbank and Maputo I have complained about the hundreds if not thousands of trucks on the road and the damage they have caused. Until this last week I never knew where they came from or who was responsible for them.

Well, now I do know. They come from a place called Steelpoort and I am responsible for them!!!!.

In about 1984 I was working in Johannesburg and was assigned to do a whole lot of design and contract document preparation for a magnetite processing plant in Steelpoort.

At that time the only thing in Steelpoort was a farmers club. Well today the club has gone and been replaced with malls, shops, housing, and the thousands of trucks that block the road to Maputo.

If I hadn’t taken my bike for a run I would never have known. I guess that I owe everyone an apology for having done such a good job of the first mine and plant. Sorry guys 🥺

At various times between about 1984 and 2016 I have lived and worked in Arnot, Ermelo, Vryheid, Mbabane and Nelspruit. T...
22/10/2024

At various times between about 1984 and 2016 I have lived and worked in Arnot, Ermelo, Vryheid, Mbabane and Nelspruit. They are all in Mpumalanga and Eswatini and all of them are much less than 75km from Chrissiesmeer.

Chrissiesmeer is a tiny village of 4000 people. The area has some 270 lakes and pans within a 20km radius and plentiful accommodation within the town itself, Chrissiesmeer is a logical starting point for a wetlands adventure.

Well guess what? Despite there being so much to do in this area, I have never been there. Well not until yesterday, when I stopped there for breakfast.
You must include Chrissiesmeer in your next visit to South Africa.

What made me stop was that I was told about a pub/restaurant called the Billiard Room and much to my surprise there is a really good story behind the name.

No matter where one starts from this is a great destination for a Sunday morning breakfast run

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Chrissiesmeer

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