Immediately after crossing the Oppenheimer Bridge, I stopped at the South African customs buildings, at Alexander Bay. Not a busy crossing by any standard, and shortly afterwards I was in the Northern Cape heading for Port Nolloth, where I had decided to spend the night. 

It is no secret that I absolutely love South Africa, having spent 23 years of my life in various parts of the country, and it was just great to be back again. The weather wasn´t very welcoming though, and it was a windy and cold 90 kilometers before I reached Port Nolloth, early in the evening. It had been a very long day in the saddle all the way from Lüderitz. Fortunately, it didn´t take long to find a place to stay. The Bedrock Lodge right at the beachfront offered a good deal. Very old and "vintage" with a lot of character - apparantly part of DeBeer´s portfolio of properties - it was the perfect place to spend my first night in South Africa.

My plan had been to follow the coast south from Port Nolloth to Cape Town, but the weather still did not play along, so the following morning I headed inland towards Springbok, where I made a stop for breakfast. As I was busy drawing some cash at an ATM, I was approached by a man about the same age as me (= very old), who wanted to know more about the bike I was riding, and simply asked me: Can I buy the bike from you? We talked for quite a while. Neither him and his wife or me had eaten breakfast, so we agreed to meet a few hundred metres down the road at the Wimpy. They were Allan and Kaye, farmers from Hermanus, on their way back after visiting Windhoek. They were both keen motorcyclists, and had recently done a trip where Kaye had been riding a Harley Davidson Sportster. We had a lovely breakfast together, which Allan insisted on paying for, and were soon on our way south again.

The town of Clanwilliam was my target for the day, and I arrived there late afternoon. Along the way from Springbok there had been plenty of serious roadwork, with bridges and roads being built along a stretch of many kilometers. Great to see! I first tried the Clanwilliam Municipal Camping ground right at the Clanwilliam Dam, but it didn´t look like a suitable option. I tried a couple of guest houses, but they were either fully booked or way too expensive. On the way in to Clanwilliam, right on the edge of town, I had noticed a guest house, which I now tried. It turned out to be a really nice place, run by an ex-farmer and his wife. I was the only guest, and he gave me a real special deal. He even moved his Toyota Prado out of his garage, so I had a safe place to park my bike.

Before leaving Denmark, I had decided that "The Blue Peter" in Blouberg Strand - one of my favourite places in Cape Town - would mark the end of my trip. After some soul-searching I came to the conclusion that the southernmost point in Africa - Cape Agulhas - would be a more appropriate place to end this epic trip. I left Clanwilliam, well aware that this was going to be the final day of this incredible journey. Thankfully the wind had subsided, and it was a lovely sunny day. The ride through the Caledon area towards Bredasdorp took me along newly harvested golden fields with a spread of massive straw bales on them. Interesting to think that in my native Denmark at this very moment, people might be shoveling snow to get their cars out of their garage or carport!

Africa’s Southernmost Point is a bit more interesting now than it was a few years back. The towns of Struis Bay and L’Agulhas have grown considerably since I was last there 15-20 years ago. Back then there was only a large stone marking the southernmost point, and many people were likely to exclaim: “Is THAT it?”. Now there is an attractive sign in the town itself, announcing the fact that you are as far south as you can get in Africa, and a pathway has been constructed right down to the point with the stone and the sign marking the Indian Ocean to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west (see pics). When I arrived there were two motorbikes parked at the point. I continued past them and parked as close to the point as I was allowed to go. Apart from the bikers there were quite a few tourists present, all wanting their pictures taken at the stone, so it almost became a question of queuing up and wait your turn! The two motorbikes had come from Johannesburg, a husband and wife team from England and their tour guide and his wife. They were very impressed with my solo journey from Copenhagen to Cape Town, and happy to take a few pictures of me at Cape Agulhas. The reading on the speedometer stood at 29.800 kilometers. Allowing for the start reading of 7.948 kilometers, the total distance I drove was 21.852 kilometers. The trip had taken just over 3 1/2 months from I left Denmark on the 3rd of August, 2018 and my arrival at Agulhas on the 20th November, 2018. No punctures, no mechanical problems with the bike whatsoever! 

The end of a long trip like this is a bit of a “mixed bag” when it comes to emotions! A great sense of relief and pride from having completed the journey. At the same time a feeling of sadness that it is all over, mixed with the realization and joy that you will soon be reunited with your loved ones again.

Thank you to all those that followed my blog - I never realized what a massive job it is to write a blog, and keep it updated. It requires determination, dedication and a lot of time. Last but not least a huge hug and thank you to my beloved wife, who gave me this gift and the freedom to live my dream, and embark on this adventure. It has changed me forever - and all those that know me will agree that it can only be for the better! I also thank God for His protection wherever I went. I experienced His intervention in several situations.

Africa draws you in subtly, wins your affection, and leaves you longing to return.

A few thoughts on traveling:

The true measure of a travel experience, be it a journey, voyage, tour or trip, is not the number of places or sites one visits, nor the number of people one meets, nor the number of cultures one is exposed to, but how much one learns of oneself.

When packing to travel - don’t forget the importance of traveling light - mindfully, as well as baggage-wise. Just pack the core values -love, compassion and kindness. Leave behind the heavy stuff that weighs you down - resentment, regret, cynicism and anger.

The major occupation of Western civilization seems to be to go some place else ...... Travel should be adding to people’s life experience, but I wonder if they aren’t simply fleeing from experience. Some of them are literally in flight from consideration of anything that means anything. Especially for wealthy people, every moment has to be occupied by not being where they are.

(From the little book of Mindful Travel, by Broaden your horizons).