I used to cycle in semi-desert last month in South Africa. Now I start cycling in green area, but it is really hilly.
The owner of house at last night is a teacher that her school has WiFi. So, I come to her office to use WiFi. It was really easy to find WiFi in the America continent, but now it is really hard in Africa. Thatâs why I start cycling late morning today although I love to start early morning.
Gear is broken that I canât move my gear up. I am cycling on a slope that it is the problem. When I go up, it is fine, but when I go down, I canât peddle. I try to fix myself, but it doesnât work.
They are cutting grass.
Motorcycles which I see at a gas station look so nice. Someday I also want to do this kind of trip.
Today is the worst that cars drive crazily. It makes me too nervous and scared. It seems that many of them want to hit and kill me by car. Now I am cycling around many mine companies that many trucks also make me so hard.
I am too scared to cycle, so I turn to back road. But it is the same that I am too nervous today. Especially there are too many trucks because of mines.
Even the road is ugly that mine companies dig everywhere. The air is really bad, and the smell is also too bad.
My shade is getting longer. It means the sunset is coming. I must go into inside of somewhere, but the problem is I donât have enough time to get to the next town.
The sunset time depends on the place and seasons. I calculate with my span of a hand that if the sun is less than my span, it means it is emergency!
I feel so lucky that I can see some house before just sunset.
The owner of house is a clouded face that I feel nervous. But it seems that she is worried about my traveling. After talking, she gives me spare room. After taking bath and having coffee, I feel peace.
There is a hole of shot. I thought her house was robbed. But the true is that one of worker who thought there was no a ball played with a gun and made a big trouble. Fortunately nobody got hurt.
She gives me a cozy room for one night.
This dog is really huge that it is as big as lion. I was really scared last night, when it came to me during I knocked the door.
Squatter camp
Leaves are growing on broken branch.
All of South African children love bare foot. Also that toy is typical African toy.
There are less white people in the north.
Haycock
Today the hill is too steep that I push my bike on uphill at the most of time. While I was taking the rest, the guy on the picture was coming to me. It was scary at the first. The reason he comes to me is he wants to get water. He is practicing for marathon. Fortunately these days I carry 8 L water for two days just in case, so that I fill his water bottle and give some snacks and bread.
It is very slope
Azalea is next to the corn.
It is interesting that although house was built by mud and stone, they have a cable plate. It was the same as Latin America.
I’ve seen during visiting over 20 countries that most of product is made in China. It seems that China takes hegemony of the world. In my opinion in fact the U.S doesn’t lose hegemony yet with a broadcasting which all over the world watches. When Hitler took Germany, the most important thing he used for control was broadcasting. The broadcasting has the strongest power to brainwash. Thatâs why I donât like to watch TV.
Haycock
Some of women wear something on head.
It is funny bird, Guinea fowl. They can run very fast that when people close to them, then they donât fly but they run like chicken. I heard that if one cooks it, it must be boiled long hour like 8 or 9 hours, because meat is very tough.
I am worried that I cannot reach to the next town today, because it is too steep. Maybe I can ask here to stay or keep going. My choice is to keep going, because last host introduced me someone in the next town.
Today is really beautiful although it makes me too tired.
It is birdâs house. It looks like Apartment of birds.
It is really different from other birdâs nest.
It is Squatter camp before getting into the town.
I arrive in the town around getting dark. Today it was too steep hilly that I could ride only 61 km (56 mi). I got flat tire at the town, but I fix it after I get to host house.
Two days ago the owner of house who let me sleep at her daughterâs room introduced me this house. I have a nice dinner and I talk with many things with them. They used to live over 10 years in New Zealand, but they came back to South Africa. They say âAnyway our home is South Africa, because we are from South Africa.â I also saw that some of Korean immigrated to other country, but someday they came back home. I guess to live as foreigner in other country is anyway not comfortable.
It is the family who gives me a comfortable place.
It is a small town of South Africa.
When a truck makes a honk, she brings 2L milk. I think the milk is by hand. It costs 1.5 $. I ask her to take photo, and after taking photo I give her candy to thank.
There is milk in front of house.
Today is also hilly, but it is not much hard like yesterday.
Today is the most beautiful road in South Africa.
Photo of congratulation for 14,000 km; Iâve cycled over 14,000 km (8,750 mi). I am a little bit proud of myself, because I took a few buses in South America, but now I am doing by myself!
Again yesterday host introduced me his friend in the next town. (Many of them introduced me their friend who stays at the next town. Because of it, I feel so easy to cycle in South Africa.) This is the family who share many things with me today. They show me around the mount.
This area is known for lumbering.
Especially I talk many things with their daughter, Luane. Korea school is different from the America continent and South Africaâs school that everybody goes to the next grade without failing. Of course Korean school has a test, but anyway everybody must go to next grade TOGETHER. She asks me that âthen even students who doesn’t have qualification also go to next grade?â I answer that âOh, I didn’t think about that. Yes, anyhow everybody goes to next grade even that some student doesn’t have qualification.ââ
Korean school is divided by three kind of school that six years elementary school, three years middle school and three years high school. It seems that South African school is divided by two, 7 years primary school and 6 years high school.
In Korea after 12 grades all of students have the College Scholastic Ability Test in one day with many subjects. There is no writing test, but only multiple-choice test. And every year some of the students kill themselves before test or after test, because of too much pressure.
But I realize that some of South African students kill themselves who canât pass exam so that has to study one year more. They are disappointed, because it means they cannot get a job or go to the university although they are over 19 years old. All of university is equal level in South Africa. But it seems that the reason about suicide is a bit different from Korea. Korean University has different level that students who get high score will go to the best university, and after school those one will get nice job and make lots of money later. So, it seems that name of University is the most important in Korea. Even Korean people ALWAYS judge as asking universityâs name which people graduated. Thatâs why students get too much pressure (from society, family and parents) and kill themselves.
There is one shocking thing that only 15 students who got high score can get single photo on the album in her school. I think it is unfair. In Korea all of them can get the single photo in album of graduation. In their album, even there is KFC or shopping mall advertisement.
There is another shocking thing that a principal didn’t allow black people to register school. I though she is talking about Apartheid. But it was not much long before that it happened in 21c. I though Apartheid was abolished in 1994! She says now it is okay, because people sued the principal that he was fired. Now anybody can register in this school.
It is her new kitty.
I can see the factory of lumbering as leaving village.
The scene is very familiar to the movie.
This is from the movie of âInto the wildâ which I do love so much ever. Is it similar?
Today landscape is fantastic!
It makes me remind of Andes Mountain of South America.
Cloud and storm is coming. It seems that I should hurry up.
Plantation
I make mistake. Oh!!!!!!!!! It is around 55 km (34 mi) from the village where I left at morning to the Swaziland border. It was not my plan to cross the border today. My plan was to find the farm to stay with helping something for 10 days and write all of journals delayed. But I couldnât find the farm on my way so that I kept going. Finally I found something. It is the BORDER!!!
I am not ready to cross the border.. oh⌠There is no choice now.
Swaziland is known for a beautiful green mount. Even the name is like European country. But what will be the true of this country?
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Route
Days I spent in South Africa= 12 Days
Distance of cycling in South Africa = 664.5 km /415.31 mi
Cities I stayed in South Africa= 8 Cities
Zeerust, Swartruggens, Rustenburg, Pretoria, Witbank, Hendrina, Carolina, Warburton
Money I spent in South Africa = $ 22
(1$= 8.04 Rand)
People who helped me on the road in South Africa
Nina Schode (Zeerust), Annalie & Corrie carelsen (Swartruggens), Nerina(Rustenburg), Nelia & De Klerk (Pretoria), Frans & Ananda (Witbank), Alet & Neels Krucer (Hendrina), Handro & Zonia Fourie (Carolina), Luane & Piet & Annesta Botes (Warburton)
People who donated to me= Frik Van Digk (local people)
