Harley AttiDude

Internet Marketing

2018-12-27T06:28:00.000-08:00

I have been looking at internet marketing sites for many years now. I have tried several websites by myself, as well as PTC's, and online marketing sites. Some are just con's, none are overnight money-makers. I did manage to make money for a few months on a Pay To Click site, but it closed down after I got a few thousand Rand out.

I tried one site for a couple of months that had long-term potential, but one had to put money in, to eventually get some out. A few years later now, and this site is still around, still doing well, and has improved somewhat. It is now a bit easier to get somewhere after a few months, as long as you WORK on it daily.

Without making you wait any longer, I have several links below, to what is arguably the best internet marketing site. Some of the daily work is playing "games", to help get you further up the corporate ladder. It is fully international, and I have been able to work out that there are more than 20 000 people making money on this site. That is quite something. Many other sites make ridiculous claims, but this one is a bit different. If you are prepared to put in an hour or two a day for a few months, you can get there. Of course, if you put money in, it goes quicker (like most things).

So now you can see it is called SFI. Some more links to different parts of SFI below.

Go on, give it a try. You have nothing to lose.

Chapter Ten - Mist, Heat, Durban - Valentino Rests

2015-03-08T08:11:00.004-07:00

STOP - or suffer the consequences!

Waking to an overcast Gonubie Beach morning, Daddy Harley Dude made coffee for Mommy Lila and started packing before they went down for a full breakfast in the hotel dining room. Packing the Harley in front of the reception, a man who turned out to be the hotel owner stopped to chat. He remembered Mommy and Daddy from when they visited here three years ago while travelling to Knysna on their honeymoon. So nice to have that connection and memory. After a friendly chat he warned that the road to Umtata looks like having rain.

Twenty km's along the road proved him right. It started with light drizzle and a bit of mist, then got steadily worse, with the mist alternatively lifting, then getting heavy and thick, slowing us down to a slow third gear crawl, then slowly clearing as we got to the Kei River garage. The Harley rain gear from the Durban dealership kept all dry, but one needs riding savvy to safely navigate this weather and the traffic through mountain passes safely. Even fully loaded we never even had any close calls on the reputedly dangerous road through what was the Transkei. By the time we got to Umtata for a wake-up coffee, the sky was clear and it was getting rather warm. Rain gear off!

The ride from Umtata to Kokstad was getting hot, really hot. After all the riding for the last 10 days and 300 km's so far today, the heat resulted in us stopping for a leg stretch and water drink mid town. Even this part of our country is beautiful. A ten minute rest saw us able to get on and do the rest of the road to Kokstad, where we had lunch.

Now the last 270 km's were going slowly, but gave a chance for some reflection on the roads travelled, people met, and towns and sites seen in the last 10 days. The roads were now more familiar, having been used for many HOG breakfast runs over the last eight years. While our Blue chrome steed never missed a beat on the 4 020 km's travelled on this trip, it was showing the road dirt and a bit of an oil leak when it stopped back home in Durban. Mommy and Daddy unpacked and tiredly made their way upstairs for a restful relaxing bath.

This trip was one that doesn't leave you, but gets filed in the memory banks, and re-visited many times as one encounters what was familiar and draws comparisons with the experiences and feelings of the last few days.

Would this have been similar if done in a car? Not even close!!! The trip to Cape Town on our Harley made this a life experience that gives you a rush when recalling it. It's a feeling that reflects the slogan on the "T" short that says "If I have to explain it, you wouldn't understand". Fellow riders know what this is about. Till the next trip!!

Chapter Nine - From Knysna to East London with Valentino

2015-02-24T08:52:00.002-08:00

Feeding cheese to the wagtail.

Valentino was fascinated with the little wagtail that walked around wanting cheese, and Mommy Lila duly obliged while we had breakfast in Knysna. With morning coffee under the belt (as well as a muffin and toast), we set off for a nice ride towards Plettenberg Bay on Monday morning.

Keurboomstrand

It being a week-day, the road works gangs were back on the job, and made their presence known before we even got to Plettenberg Bay. We arrive at road signs with the slow down message, and the speed limit gets progressively squeezed down to the 60 km/h limit before seeing the line of stopped cars. Love sitting on the Harley and slowly idling past all the cars while they watch us go to the front of the queue. The Harley sound reaches them first, then they turn round to see the burbling chrome and blue tourer pass by. We wait a couple of minutes with the road closed for traffic coming the other way, then seeing the message come through on the radio to the worker who opens the road for us, we start and loudly roar away, with an open road and no traffic until we reach the other end of the road works. When we got to Plettenberg Bay, we did a slight deviation to see The Dunes resort and a construction site from Whale Watching Spot at Keurboomstrand. We saw an amazing home there that looks like something out of Star Trek.

The Harley Dude

"I'll smack you" - in front of Storms River bridge.

We made good progress, stopping for a top up (and petrol) at the Storms River Bridge garage. The viewing site of the bridge provided a good photo opportunity. Then some snacks at the Mugg n Bean before heading down the road again.

Valentino orders Fish n Chips

The wind farm near Jeffrey's Bay (actually at Kouga) was eagerly anticipated, because it created such a surprise impression when we first saw it. We stopped again to take pictures of this wonderful show of "green power". Pity there aren't more of them.

Harley on P E Beachfront

Next stop Port Elizabeth beach front - Summerstrand. where we found a great restaurant overlooking the beach (and the Harley) for lunch. Once again, many stops had made us take many hours to do only 280 km's, so the accelerator was opened a bit more enabling us to get to East London in their afternoon rush hour. The traffic was quite bad and we saw a SAPS van just miss a jaywalking pedestrian. We also had a driver shout at us "Hey, where is your baby's helmet?"

I'm not tired - what about a beach walk.

After negotiating the heavy traffic to Gonubie Beach, we ended up at the Blue Waters Hotel, where after some haggling we ended up with the best room in the Hotel, upstairs nearest the beach. We needed a good rest before our last day's ride home. 580 km's today, 700km's tomorrow.

Chapter Eight - Cape Town to Knysna via Route 62

2015-02-23T09:53:00.005-08:00

Valentino Checking the Traffic

Harley Chrome Not Too Shiny

I was back to my position as tail spotter on Sunday morning as we left Bloubergstrand and headed for the N1, fully loaded again. The Chrome and Blue thundering Harley was idling its way through the traffic until we got to the freeway. We got a couple of smiles and comments as we stopped at the robots, even seeing a couple of fellow riders going to their breakfast run departure points. It was good in Cape Town, but good being on the road again too. Daddy rode at an average pace with the traffic all the way to Paarl, keeping a keen eye on the signs for directions to Worcester, then Robertson and Montague.

The first time we stopped was for a dreaded toll road booth, just after a confusing sign that said the road split, with both ways going to Robertson, just the toll road way was shorter. Daddy told Mommy he had never been on this road before. The road was getting quite near another mountain, and then the reason for the split became apparent. Our toll road was approaching a TUNNEL. We stopped for a picture or two (there was a good view back down into the valley with Paarl in the distance, and looking up the mountain, the other, longer road winding it's way up) then set off into the tunnel. It was the longest tunnel I've ever been in, well lit, and amplifying the Harley Screaming Eagle thump-thump in a very pleasing way.

Muffin with Jam n Cheese and Koeksister

Coming out into the sunlight, we rode through some of the nicest landscapes we have seen, the road winding its way through valleys, past beautiful rock formations and once through the mountains passing through valleys with wine farms. Many of the farms had signs inviting all to wine-tasting in their roadside shops. Worcester was a quant little town, a little short on signage, but small enough that you couldn't go too wrong. On a Sunday morning, traffic was scarce. We rode through and found the road to Robertson and Route 62.

There were many more farms here with many road-side farm stalls, and when we were near Robertson, Mommy Lila said she was falling asleep and needed some coffee. The ride was going very smoothly, with little traffic to deal with, and having fallen asleep, Mommy Lila woke with a start when Daddy started waving his left hand at a sign in the middle of a farm field. It had nothing but a huge "?" on it. The locals had a sense of humour. Further along we found a farm that had put up ten signs, each with one of the Ten Commandments on it. We like the Western Cape. The road-side shop we stopped at was just amazing. It had a little shop on one side with home-made jams, and bread as well as the usual cold-drinks and some local nick-nacks. The other side was a restaurant/ coffee shop, with a "trots Afrikaans" sign above the door. We had farm muffins and koeksister with our coffee, and the owner himself came around for a chat while we were enjoying the coffee break.

We got on the road again, quickly passing through Robertson and arriving in Montague. We had to stop at the bakery in the main street to pose in front of the Route 62 sign. The bakery owner came out and talked to us, inviting us in. He was pleased to hear that the Route 62 Rally would be in town the next week-end. We rode through town and Daddy took Mommy to the Avalon Springs Hotel with the springs where the rally would be held (he had been there 8 years before).

The ride was getting really hot now (Mommy had taken off a t-shirt and some tights already), and by the time we got to Barrydale, we really enjoyed the cold drinks with the lunch at the Country Pumpkin restaurant. This is the middle of the Karoo, where good Bobotie and Tomatie Bredie (tomato stew with lamb) come from. Needless to say, ESKOM's rolling power cuts arrived with our rolling thunder Harley, but the restaurant had gas stoves. This little village is a regular tourist stop for buses and the recipe's have suffered a little since Daddy's last visit.

We took a ride through an awesome mountain pass before getting back onto the N2 near Heidelburg, before riding through familiar territory to Knysna. Our friends Lyn and Monty hadn't got back from Cape Town yet, but very kindly let us stay at their home for a night on our way back.

The morning ride was so interesting and picturesque, that we took five hours to do only 250 km's. The rest of the ride (220 km's) took just over 2 hours, with Daddy pushing the Harley's beat a bit higher, but still just cruising. The evening was well appreciated for it's relaxing, lazy, peaceful environment in our friends home from home.

Tomorrow would be the last stretch home.

Chapter Seven - Valentino Harleybear's Last Day in Cape Town

2015-02-21T05:38:00.002-08:00

Saturday morning was another sunny one, but with an astonishing site on the Bloubergstrand Beach. Daddy was used to seeing people taking their dogs for walk on the beach, but this was different. He called Mommy Lila over to have a look. The picture shows it all, a lot of Huskies pulling a sled, ala Greenland style. It had Daddy wondering what he had put in his coffee cup this morning. What an amazing place.

Our friends from Knysna, Lyn and Monty, had come to Cape Town for the week-end and we met them at Killarney Race track to watch some classic car and motor cycle racing. There was some interesting machinery on show and the pits were open to the public for all to wander in while all the tune-ups and preparations were going on. The racing was interesting, with Jackie Scheckter, younger generation of the famous Scheckter racers, winning a heat in a very fast Ferrari saloon car, beating Lola's, Ford GT40's, Porsches and various other recognisable cars. The loudest (but slower) heat had Sarel van der Merwe in a 60's Ford Galaxie competing against the likes of a Fairlane, Chevy Impala and several smaller cars.

Valentino in relaxed mode - Big Bay

One hapless contender unfortunately broke down right in front of the spectators stand. Embarrassing. But an interesting day. We left mid day, returning to the flat to begin preparing for the return trip by packing what we could.

We decided to have a sun-downer at one of the Big Bay restaurants, where the views were just as good as from the flat. The friendly atmosphere and everyone's lack of issues with those around them are a pleasure to experience. The tenseness felt when walking around in Durban is totally absent here, as well as the pleasant driving conditions, busy but considerate. Cars stop at pedestrian crossings.....and I never saw anyone go through a red robot. Hooting is seldom heard. Things are just so much more civilised.

Cape Town made a big impression on all of us. The night was on us all too soon, and we discussed our few days here while packing and preparing to leave on Sunday morning. Let it not be felt that this is a perfect city, there was a bus drivers strike one day while we were here, but only partial, some buses ran. ESKOM had it's load shedding effects here as well as in the rest of the country. We are repeatedly told that the winters can be really miserable, wet and cold. Flat and house prices in the better areas are just ridiculous. Overall though, there are many positives, Quality of life principles seem to be higher here than in Durban, as well as work opportunities. There are affordable homes in the suburbs, facilities seem to work better than elsewhere in the country. Superb shopping centres and the top of the list, TWO Harley Dealerships! and a bike shop that sells Victory bikes and has a workshop that works on Harleys near the Bloubergstrand beach.

Tomorrow is the start of the ride back, via Paarl and Route 62.

Chapter Six - Valentino Visits The Harley Dealership

2015-02-20T09:17:00.003-08:00

Deloittes offices are at the top of the centre building

On Friday we all woke up and looked at the now usual, but still overwhelming view from the balcony. Daddy decided to have a look for the Deloittes offices in town, and after a lazy breakfast, took us on the now familiar road towards Table Mountain, turning to the waterfront and then into town.

We found Deloittes, right next to the Harley Dealership! A needed visit, where Daddy got some top-up oil for our 92 cubic inch V twin thundering motor. He also found a Valentines Day present for Mommy, and Mommy realised that the prices in this dealership were definately a bit cheaper than back home.

The Harley staff and people are as friendly as any others we have been into, and we found other travelers with long-trip stories, as well as advice on which roads to try, and a query on whether we were going to the Route 62 Rally in Montagu next week.

Interestingly, there was an old rock built church past the Deloittes building, so Daddy quipped that Deloittes found itself between a Rock and Rolling Harley dealership and a Hard Rock Church.

Our next stop was up the freeway to Century City, where one of the biggest shopping centres in South Africa was situated. Century City has it's own theme park, and Canal Walk shopping Centre. Absolutely huge. We wandered around until Mommy found a shop that sold bikini's for less than R500.00 - thank goodness for Mr. Price. Like the rest of Cape Town, there are many restaurants and coffee shops, and once again, all seem to be doing business. This centre is really worth seeing. It has granite patterned passages, huge stained glass patterned windows and foyers where one has seats upstairs to look down on passers-by. Beautifully hand-made wooden benches for tired shoppers and granite finished rest rooms that smell good.

Back at our beach-side flat, Mommy decided to use the new bikini and visited the beach across the road to tan in the warm summer sun, while Daddy used the lap-top to catch up on emails and view property for sale in the area. When Mommy came back, they made some sandwiches and thought a relaxing evening would be a good idea. They were about to see an amazing sight.

Standing on the balcony and looking out at the beach we saw hundreds of kite surfers all along the beach as far as one could see. The multi-coloured kites were spectacular. An unforgettable sight. This picture on the left doesn't do the spectacle justice. (Try clicking on it to enlarge it). Daddy spoke to the local people about it, and they were blase', This happens every Friday afternoon in the summer, apparently, and the surfers then converge on the cafe's and restaurants nearby when the sun goes down. This laid back approach to life pervades everything; or so it felt to us.

Our visit to Cape Town had one more day before we tackled the return trip to Durban on the Harley; and what a Saturday it was going to be. See you tomorrow.

Chapter Five - Big Bay, Table Mountain and Camps Bay

2015-02-18T08:10:00.000-08:00

Table Mountain - Official World Wonder of Nature

Thursday morning dawned bright and sunny. and after gawking at the view from our balcony while drinking our morning coffee we decided what to do with our day. The attractions of Cape Town were already making a deep impression on us, and we decided to have a more careful look at the coastal regions, firstly a bit North at Big Bay and Melkbosstrand.

Big Bay grandstand.

Camps Bay Beachfront - red sign says LIVE ON

We got on the Harley and rode slowly up the coast to Big Bay, where we stopped at the beach where we saw a grandstand on the edge of the sand. We gathered that this is one of the beaches where World Championship Kite Surfing contests are held. There is a parking area for visitors to the beach surrounded by small modern blocks of flats, restaurants and a small shopping centre. We availed ourselves of the opportunity to have a bacon and eggs breakfast with a beautiful view, before proceeding along the road to Melkbosstrand. Part of the roadside is not yet built up, giving one a view of the renowned "fynbos" growing there. After passing a new Golf Course development one arrives at the village of Melkbosstrand, which is reminiscent of Hermanus, which we saw a couple of days ago. From the beachfront a view of the Koeberg Power station can be seen. Deciding that South was a more attractive option, we did an about turn, and backtracked to Bloubergstrand, then going on to the City, getting used to the traffic and the roads now. Riding through Sea Point one can't help but notice the modernisation of old buildings that are now apparently worth millions of Dollars (Rands are slowly becoming a less acceptable way of measuring worth in property terms). The road to Camps Bay is noticably not a new one (it winds through an area that has been built up for hundreds of years), but the slow ride is not a problem, as one has so much to look at.

Robben Island in the distance

Arriving at Camps Bay, one once again notices beaches on the one side of the road, and restaurants or coffee shops on the other. We immediately took a liking to Camps Bay, as it sported special motorcycle parking areas on the main road. The restaurants were not as busy as they usually are, due to Eishkom inflicting it's inefficiencies on the public while we walked around. Further South is Hout Bay and we rode along the coastal road for about 5 km's until we came to a road block, stopping traffic for 20 minutes at a time in each direction to allow road works to be done. Deciding our time would be better used travelling around, we ended up back at the V & A Waterfront for lunch. The "Bunny Chow" I ordered, was a mistake. The Cape Town chefs prepared a bland curry that no Durbanite would believe has any comparison to our spicy speciality.

Sunset on Bloubergstarnd

We returned to our "home-from-home" to reflect on our days exploring after visiting Uncle Andre' at work. There is certainly a lot to see and do in this vibrant City, and it was apparent that our five days here would not be enough to see even a third of it all.

Reflecting on our time in the City so far, we were quickly coming to the conclusion that this was a place where we felt comfortable; where we didn't walk around with one eye on "grab and run" candidates; where the drivers in the traffic don't give one the impression of being "aggressive". They stop for pedestrians, they allow motorbikes to pass between the lanes on the white lines, they stop at red lights. Not what we are used to in Durban.

We were being seduced by the peace of this City, the views, the people, the facilities, and the sunsets.

More tomorrow

Chapter Four - Valentino See's Cape Town

2015-02-17T05:29:00.002-08:00

Uncle Andre' gave Daddy directions to his offices in Sea Point by 'phone when we were having lunch in Hermanus. Good directions, because we pulled up in front of his offices only having gone a hundred yards too far. We haven't seen each other for two years, since he moved to Cape Town from Durban with his family, so it was a happy re-union.

Cloudy view of Table Mountain from THE FLAT.

After the greetings had been made and a bit of chit-chat about the ride, we were given an envelope and directions to Bloubergstrand with a 'phone number on it. The verbal directions were a scream. "Get on your bike, ride to the stop street, turn left, go 50 feet to the next stop street, then turn left. Go straight until you get to the traffic circle, go left then straight through, the same way you came. Keep in the left lane until you get to the robots; then turn left. You will now go on to the freeway, keep left. Get in to the lane on the left which says N1 Paarl. The freeway splits. Go left."....etc....etc. We had difficulty in trying to concentrate on the instructions. Fortunately, it ended with a pyramid hotel (it really does look like that), and two more Go left's. We were told that the person we phoned would give us a set of flat keys when we gave him the envelope. We were told that we were booked into a self-catering beachfront flat for 5 days. That way we could come and go as we please without worrying about disturbing anybody. How awesome!!

The directions were RIGHT. We went left and found ourselves with a third floor view of Table Mountain and Robben Island from as close to Bloubergstrand as one can get. After getting the flat ship-shape and unpacking, we relaxed after our long ride having now done close to 1800 km's since leaving Durban in four days. A light supper with an evening of looking at the sun setting after 19.30 and the people visiting the beach for various activities, walking, running, dog walking, etc.

We woke up a bit late, but after coffee and toast, we decided to visit the much advertised and talked about V & A Waterfront. Not knowing the number of ways to get there, we parked once, then found that it was possible to get motorcycle parking near the centre of the business area, and so fetched the Harley to re-park. We found ourselves near the four statue memorial of Nobel Square with Albert Luthuli, F. W. de Klerk, Nelson Mandela and Bishop Tutu. Mommy Lila posed next to Tutu in his famous "deep thought" pose, and "shook hands" with the one and only Nelson Mandela.

Walking around, we found a fascinating mix of quaint, high quality stalls with unique hand-made articles (from clothing and jewellery, to wooden decorations and furniture), to a large shopping centre replete with all the franchised stores ....and restaurants. Everywhere you look, restaurants. Outside the Cape Town Fish Market restaurant we saw the historic Clock Tower. Once Red and White, it has now been painted Yellow and Black. It boasts an old tidal-gauge mechanism on the ground floor, which was used to measure tide levels. The second floor holds a decorative mirror room, which enabled the Port Captain a full view of all harbour activities. The clock mechanism can be found on the top floor, and, thanks to a restoration in 1997, the original clock is still in use today.

It is easy to get tired from all the walking to see the sites, but as said, there is lots of seating at the plentiful restaurants for resting weary legs. One of the hotels has an open air patio restaurant, featuring a golden statue of a seal called Oscar. At first glance, the impressive seal sculpture is a fitting mascot – Cape Fur Seals are an integral part of harbour life at the V&A Waterfront, and seal-watching is an amusing pastime.
But Oscar the Seal wasn't just another playful marine pup gamboling on the tyres along the quaysides. Beneath the statue erected in his honour, an inscription reads: "Oscar" the Cape Fur Seal. The original protector and guardian of the Table Bay. So, we have more than one famous "Oscar" with no legs.

One more sight seeing attraction worth mentioning is one of the boat rides, a pirate ship, complete with one-legged pirate captain in charge. We saw him, but no parrot on his shoulder.

Weary, we ended up back up at the flat for a rest. In the evening, we were fetched by Uncle Andre' and taken on a drive up the coast, to see the sights, and then to his home in Big Bay, where we renewed family friendships while enjoying a much appreciated home-cooked meal. Fortunately the cooking was done before the dreaded ESKOM power shedding arrived, We saw pictures of our great granddaddy and great grandmommy and a stool made by him that Uncle Andre' inherited.

It was good to share quality time with close family and catch up on new events, growing children, and relive old memories.
More in Chapter five tomorrow.

Chapter Three - Knysna To Cape Town

2015-02-16T09:04:00.000-08:00

Our friends in Knysna, Lyn and Monty, were so good to us, we reluctantly got up early on Tuesday morning to finish packing for the third stage of our ride..... TO CAPE TOWN!

Mommy Lila had decided that the back pack was too much for a comfortable and safe ride, and arranged to leave it here in Knysna, for collection at a later time. This is how Mommy looked when getting ready to leave. Yes, it's a sin to hide that beautiful face and smile, but it stops rain from stinging the face, and scares the hell out of kids on the side of the road. Now that I think of it, no cops stopped us anywhere either.

I was safely out of my black plastic raincoat again, with a view back at all we pass, safely held on by my blue safety belt. Daddy Harley Dude is big on safety, and helps Mommy with her helmet and jacket to make sure all is properly closed. He insists on wearing a leather jacket, gloves and strong boots that support the ankle whenever riding the Harley.

Mossel Bay Beachfront

After a good breakfast and coffee, we were off, excited at the prospect of seeing new towns and sea-side villages on the way to our destination. We rode slowly from Leisure Island in Knysna, through the familiar town (Mommy and Daddy spent their honeymoon here, three years ago), and across the lagoon bridge, on the way to Wilderness.

Pictures don't do Wilderness justice. It is so green and clean and has a village feel to it, built around and between a river and the sea. The road climbs when you leave Wilderness, up through a mountain pass that looks down over a spectacular ravine with a river at its bottom. Once past this, the road passes a few seaside villages (like the small Victoria Bay), that are worth a visit.

Swellendam main street

We followed the freeway, passing short of George, on the way to Mossel Bay, loving the now sunny ride. Mossel Bay is nice to visit, with the friendly feel of all the Western Cape seaside towns. Scenic too. We stopped for petrol and found our petrol attendant was a friendly young guy that was such a pleasure to deal with. Totally unlike the surliness we have become used to. Onward we rode, our rolling thunder machine totally comfortable with all we asked of it. It comes from the land of "no drama Obama", but you know it's there, loud and proud.

Next stop was in Riversdale, for a snack and coffee. Mommy was falling asleep on the back. Then on to Swellendam. Despite the name that evokes images of a Dutch colonial town, filled with historical buildings, it is a bit disappointing. It features a Massey Ferguson tractor outlet, a mountain and an old church.

River flowing into the sea just outside Hermanus

We rode along the N2, stopping at Riviersonderend for fuel, and the turned down to the coast again, to Hermanus. This is a beautiful little sea-side village, that one is immediately comfortable in. It also has a mountain, as well as the sea, and a great beachfront. It has mix of modernised old and new homes, and B & B's with a mix of franchise and mom & pop's restaurants. This was an indication of what we were going to see in Cape Town.

After lunch, we moved on and soon arrived at Sir Lowreys Pass, a spectacular way to look down on the suburbs leading to Cape Town. The road passes Khayalitsha and Langa townships, where one see's miles and miles of shacks, one on top of the other. Not a pretty sight.

Hermanus Beachfront

And one follows the road to the famous Cape Town Waterfront and Sea Point, where we were going to meet Uncle Andre', Daddy's best man when he married Mommy. We had arranged to stay with him for a few days.

The traffic was bad, with a big city feel of all rushing to important meetings and destinations. The big soccer stadium smart, but dwarfed by THE MOUNTAIN!

What a nice, unexpected surprise was awaiting us. That will be our next Chapter.

Chapter Two - To Cape Town And Back To Durban

2015-02-15T03:50:00.002-08:00

I, Valentino Harleybear, have never heard Mommy Lila let out a shreak on our Harley before, but when we heard the thunder and saw the lightning strike near us in the veld, her immediate scream was involuntary. The rain while we were riding was not too bad, as visibility was still ok, but I got very wet, and the back tyre sent a lot of sand up onto me when we rode up the short distance to the farm cottage.

After a hot shower and coffee with rusks, we were able to relax in comfort, with birds all around outside, and DSTV with premium package inside. Just what we needed after the long 880 km ride. The next morning packing was quite quick, but it was still raining, and after another cup of hot coffee with rusks, we set off on the road to Knysna, via Port Elizabeth, with me safely wrapped in a black plastic "raincoat". The dirt road back to the main road was a bit tricky, with a near mishap resulting in another scream and the Harley in the furrow next to the road, but still upright thanks to Daddy Harley Dude using his experience to keep us all safe on the muddy road. We got safely onto the main road after extricating the Blue and muddy Milwaukee Iron from the rut, and had a careful ride in the rain to Port Elizabeth, where we stopped for a warm breakfast at the Primi Piatta on the beachfront.

It had dried up a bit when we left Port Elizabeth, and we saw a sight near Jeffrey's Bay that is really impressive. We stopped and took pictures on the road back. It is the Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm project and has 60 wind turbines, each standing 80 metres tall. It was completed last year (2014) and makes a fair contribution to the South African power grid. Each turbine has blades 49 metres long and a rotor diameter of 101 metres. While this production of power is "green", it is quite an expensive option compared to more conventional sources and we have been told that birds get killed by them quite often. We still like this a lot.

Monty checking the dinghy mooring.

The ride after this got misty and drizzly, with long trains of vehicles forming behind slow trucks, unable to see ahead for safe overtaking. The mist cleared near the Storms River bridge, but not the rain, and we carried on until arriving at Keurboomstrand and Plettenburg Bay, where we had a small lunch at the very good Portuguese restaurant in the Old Nick Village. Arriving in this area gives one a good feeling, as there is a lot of greenery and all the people you come in contact with are warm and friendly. After warming up and filling the tank, we rode through to Leisure Island in Knysna, where we met our very good friends, Lyn and Monty. They put us up for two nights and showed us the local sights, took us for walks and out to the local pub. We met some of the local people and were able to really relax with special people giving special hospitality.

Monty took us on a 5 km walk around the Isle (checking his dinghy mooring on the way). We saw beautiful homes, met friendly people, and saw indigenous flora. I have never seen one of these before. Can't decide if it is really beautiful, or really ugly. Anyway, special.

The one day break in our ride was a relief to weary legs and necks. Mommy even came back from an outing to town with her nails done. Very smart. Even the local fauna (birds) are friendly. Makes a change from the horrible squawking Indian Mynah's in Durban. The Wagtails in particular, are so docile, they follow you around waiting for a handout of cheese. By follow around, I mean even inside the house, to the extent of standing on the kitchen workplace next to where you are preparing meals. If you walk through the lounge to the front porch, they follow you. Lovely.

More tomorrow.

Chapter One - Valentino HarleyBear Swanepoel Goes To Cape Town

2015-02-14T07:06:00.000-08:00

All packed at the Kokstad petrol stop.

On a bright, sunny Saturday morning, at the end of January, 2015, Mommy Lila, Daddy HarleyDude and I left Durban on a long trip....... the longest I have been on. We had an early start. Mommy Lila was woken up at 4 am with a cup of coffee, and after dressing and taking the last of the bags and me downstairs (most of the packing was done last night), we all left at about 5 am as the sky was getting light.

On the way down the stairs, Daddy said "I think those boots are a mistake" to Mommy. At the garage door, she turned sideways and said "whats wrong, I wear these often". Daddy looked and saw a boot with a conventional heel that will hook properly over the footrest on the Harley. On the stairs he thought he saw a boot that had a completely flat bottom, as was the fashion a year or so ago, but not suitable for riding. "Sorry, I thought it had no heel" he said.

Different boots.

They got on the road and went South, past Amanzimtoti, Scottburgh and Port Shepstone, then turning inland to Kokstad, about 270 km's from Durban. Th
e ride was nice and sunny, but when Mommy got off at the petrol stop in Kokstad, she nearly fell. Her ankle twisted and she couldn't stand properly on her left foot. The problem was discovered. Two different boots, one flat, one heeled!

Mommy also had a full heavy back-pack on her shoulders, which really added more weight than usual to the Harley. Fortunately, another pair of short boots had been packed, and these were now put on, meaning the long boots had to be packed.

After a nice breakfast, we left Kokstad for Umtata, but Mommy couldn't get comfortable, because one of the boots was digging nto her back. This meant a bit of moving about on the bike, and with it being tail heavy, caused a bit of swaying from side to side on the road. We filled up with petrol again at Umtata and headed for Butterworth, the skies getting a bit cloudy. After a bit and more swaying, daddy stopped next to the road where there was a bit of a clearing and a view of a river and gorge.

The gorge where Mommy's boot ended up.

It was decided that to improve Mommy's comfort, so she would not need to move around so much, the useless troublesome boot should be disposed of. We smile when we think of somebody finding a single boot in good condition in the gorge not too far from the road where Daddy threw it (with much gusto).

With all a bit more comfortable, we rode on through Butterworth until the clouds looked threatening. In the distance it looked like rain as the hills weren't visible. Daddy stopped at a roadside bus stop and they put on their excellent Harley raincoats. When riding again, we found it wasn't rain but a bit of mist we were riding into.

We carried on to the Kei River Mouth garage for petrol and a snack. The back pack was still heavy, and when Mommy tried to get off, her raincoat pants have a strap that fits under the heel of the boot, this strap had got hooked around the footpeg on the Harley. Totally off balance now, she couldn't stop herself and slowly went down, rolling onto her back between the Harley and the petrol bowser. Daddy was holding the bike up and couldn't put the side-stand down because Mommy was on the ground there. He tried to help lift her up with his left arm while still holding the bike upright as well. The petrol attendant just stood back looking away into the distance, wanting no part of this strange event. Lila managed to stand up eventually, and after filling the petrol tank, they both went to the restaurant for a bit of sustenance and energy.

With the weather now not so nice, occasional drizzle, we rode on towards East London, passing by on the road to Port Alfred where we were booked in to a cottage on a farm 15 km's past Port Alfred. Riding in constant rain now, we filled up with petrol again at Port Alfred and set off to find the farm.

It was exactly where it was supposed to be, but on a dirt road about 1km from the main road. It was a relief to get out of the wet and into a beautiful well furnished cottage, not far from the main farmhouse. Very enjoyable, despite the fact that we couldn't explore the beach due to the weather, because the shower was hot, the coffee and rusks good, and the DSTV a full premium package.

More on this story later.

Harley-Davidson Sportster For Sale

2013-03-05T07:14:00.000-08:00

SOLD!

Sadly, I have decided that it is better to sell my first Harley than have it standing in my garage, While sentiment says I would rather hang on to it, it isn't doing the Milwaukee machine any good to just stand and get ridden once every couple of months. So, here it is!

This pic was taken in 2006 on the Durban beachfront.

The Specifications:

Harley-Davidson XL883 2002

Colour Black

Extras fitted:

Touring seat - R5 000.00

Sissy bar - R4 500.00

Screaming Eagle II exhausts - R2 500.00

Bikini Tank protector - R350.00

Chrome Clutch & Brake levers - R900.00

Kuryakin mirrors - R950.00

Motor upgrade to 1200cc - R12 500.00

more extra's will be shown.

Taken in 2011

This is a Harley with history. It has been to many HOG rally's and Harley rally's (Richards Bay - 2006, Montagu - 2007, St' Lucia - 2008, Colesburg 2008, Wild Coast - 2008, Black Rock East London - 2009) and served as Road Captains/ Safety Officers on Durban Chapter breakfast runs for a couple of years (2006 to 2008). It was used to win two prizes at the 2007 Montagu Rally in the riders competitions. It is a much loved and well known member of the Durban Harley community.

If you are interested in providing a good home for this Sportster and willing to pay R27 500.00 for it, contact me by email at halfblueape@gmail.com or post a comment below and I will get back to you a.s.a.p.

Wildlife in St. Lucia

2013-02-21T05:23:00.003-08:00

Here we are with another beautiful morning in St. Lucia.

The estuary is over THERE!

We decided to explore a bit (can't explore too much, St. Lucia is quite small) and found that there is a boardwalk, about a kilometer long, linking the estuary on the South side of the village to the beach. Winds through trees and alongside the estuary - just beautiful.

This short trip allowed us to see about ten hippos in shallow water, two buck crossing the road, a few monkeys swinging in the trees and some meerkats looking for food to swipe. Just awesome.

Bring on the FISH!

Staff singing and dancing at 8.00 am

Which made us hungry too. One of the highlights of the trip to St. Lucia is going to the Ocean Basket Restaurant for fish and chips. We have tried lots of the branches of this franchise, but what is presented at the St. Lucia branch is The Best! It also adjoins a Portuguese restaurant called Braza which is owned by the same guy. With mommy being Portuguese, and St. Lucia being quite close to the Mozambique border there is always a waiter to speak Portuguese to, who comes from the same area Mommy was born. Braza does Portuguese, Mozambican and Brazilian food, with Mommy having Sardines with vegetables done the Mozambican way, and Daddy the Prego Steak Roll, accompanied by a bottle of Graca to celebrate their first wedding anniversary. Another pleasant surprise, was the staff at Perna-Perna getting together at 8.00 in the morning to sing hymns to start the day. The staff make the difference here as every effort is made to make ones stay pleasant, with a welcoming cool glass of juice and popcorn, smiles and pleasant greetings from all. A lovely stay at a luxury chalet. Flatscreen tv's upstairs and downstairs, aircon, granite fitted kitchen with all utensils and equipment. Even a lock=up garage for the Harley.

More tomorrow.

Save The Rhinos - St.Lucia.

2013-02-20T00:30:00.002-08:00

Just before we arrived at St. Lucia, we found this little roadside shop, which has taken the Rhinos plight to heart, something which we fully sympathise. Have a look at Mommy's Rhino movie on YouTube at this link -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsZp-aUotm8&list=PLntU6lvo66YUXITEwNjkj9cRTI7gQw6XD - We had to stop and investigate.

Valentino and Mommy at Save the Rhino Site.

The shop collects funds by having members of the public who are interested sponsoring a cross for R100.00 (about $80.00). There are also collectibles inside, handmade by the local population, of which a portion of the sales price goes to the fund. Currently most of the funds are going to pay for the helicopters used which hunt for poachers who are killing the Rhino's. Positive feedback is that recently three poachers were shot dead from the air in this area, and this has reduced the poacher activity somewhat. YAY!!

I got to sit on this exhibit, which was great fun.

Valentino on "Rhino"

The Rhino didn't move at all. I have heard the phrase "a bull in a China shop", but this beats that easily. It's a Rhino in a souvenir store. This is a full size fibreglass copy, and it usually stands outside the shop behind all the crosses, but the local schoolkids throw stones and sand clods at it, and have managed to break its tail recently. Some of us seem to just know how to break and destroy what is around us, while others make and create what we believe will take us forward. Like Daddy's motto says, "be part of the solution, not part of the problem"!! I suppose there will always be those who are a problem, but we can work to change as many of those as possible, to make a better life for all of us. It just is demoralizing to seem to be fighting upstream when the leaders of our society seem to be supporting the problem. So sad. Remember to make your vote count.

This St. Lucia story is going to be continued tomorrow.

Daddy seems to be giving the "Save the Rhino" site the thumbs up!

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St. Lucia - A Return Adventure

2013-02-18T21:05:00.000-08:00

Valentino, Mommy and Daddy are visiting St. Lucia again. The 18th of February 2013, is their first wedding anniversary, and Daddy said this is certainly cause for celebration and adventure.

We all like St. Lucia with its relaxed outlook and animals all over that seem to behave a lot better than people in the cities. The tension in the cities means regular visits and Harley rides to places like St. Lucia are a necessity to remain in a positive frame of mind.

So, here we are.

The ride from Durban was really nice, we managed to avoid rainy showers on the way, and just saw some wet roads. The further from Durban we got, the sunnier it became. About 160km's from Durban. is Richards Bay, with it;s bayside suburb of Meerensee, an ideal half way spot for a snack. The Mustang restaurant next to the harbour provided fresh good food in a lovely location. This was also where Daddy had his first Harley Rally with the HOG Durban Chapter, back in 2006.

Getting back on the road, it was a pleasant 1 hour ride to St. Lucia, with the Harley thundering along the roads without missing a beat. We saw a roadside tourist shop near St. Lucia that is doing a lot to support the "Save the Rhino's" movement. The next post will show that.

We arrived at our holiday home at Perna Perna, to a great welcome and a lovely flat. No time was wasted getting to the swimming pool to cool off. February in St. Lucia is HOT!

More on this adventure tomorrow.

Poem For Late Grandpa - Valentino

2013-02-04T23:59:00.001-08:00

The 5th February 1923 - the day J. J. Swanepoel was born, Father to Johan and Robin, Father-in-law to Lila, Grandfather to Robyn and me - Valentino. He was a man whose life was one of serving others: his mother, brothers and sister when his father died in a coal mine accident in 1931 (when Grandpa was 8 years old), his country when he went to war in World War II (his story of the war is on the internet - click here to see), and his wife and children once he got married, in 1947.

Today we post a poem dedicated to this good man.

For My Grandpa

Grandpa Swanie,Grandma Elsie and Valentino

I know we are all feeling a little bit sad,
That we've lost our Grandpa, our friend and our dad
Together we have cried an ocean of tears
As we feel so empty and hold many fears

But Grandpa would want us to know he's in a good place
And that he watching us all with a smile on his face
As we have made him so proud, as proud as can be
That he has raised such a beautiful and special family

Thinking back now I really must say
I feel lucky and privileged to have known Grandpa to this day
For in my life, you have played a special part
The memories I will treasure and keep close to your heart

For me I am sad my little baby he never got to meet
And for all of us, be grateful, his life is now complete
To each one of us he has loved and cared
And a family, be thankful for the good times we shared

Although he has gone we will always be together
And his spirit will live on each one of us forever
When you look to the sky, look for the brightest star
As that will be Grandpa looking down on us from afar

And now I would like to thank the good Lord above
For blessing us with our Grandpa with his kindness and love
Dear God, if it is not too much fuss
Take extra special care of our Grandpa as he is very dear to us

Grandpa if you are listening say a prayer for us every day
Be sure to protect us and guide us on our way
We know when God called you, you had to go
But we want you to know Grandpa we miss you and love you so

Grandpa Swanie, Grandma Elsie and Valentino.

Riding in Mist, Rain and Heat.

2013-01-03T05:22:00.001-08:00

To finish the story of our bad ride from Malelane to Durban, Valentino is going to let Daddy tell the story of the ride. We take off from the Cradle of Life stop near Badplaas in Mpumulanga.

Ready to Ride

My hope that the rain would disappear while we had a warming cup of coffee was not to be. It wasn't raining heavily, but the dark clouds looked threatening. It was now 10.30 a.m. and we had only travelled 124 km's, with more than 600 still to go. We took the Barberton turnoff just before Badplaas and rode steadily and easily to Barberton. The next section of road required taking a couple of turnoffs before finally getting on the road to Piet Retief if we wanted to return on the same road we had travelled up on.

The mist became so thick that we had to ride in second gear riding on the yellow line on the side of the road to avoid faster traffic travelling in either direction. Visibility was down to about a cars length, and riding was very dangerous. A car came past us from behind doing at least three times our speed, and would have had no chance of avoiding us if we had been in the middle of the road. While riding on the yellow line, which disappeared from time-to-time due to road works repairing pot-holes covering where the lines were, we missed the turn-off to Piet Retief. Eventually emerging from the mist safely, I soon saw a signpost indicating that we were well on our way to Ermelo. This meant we were probably about 20 km's past our intended turn-off, but I wasn't going to ride into that dangerous situation again, and decided it would be safest to continue on to Ermelo, then go via Newcastle, Ladysmith and the National Johannesburg/ Durban freeway on home.

Croc on Rock in Crocodile River

Get a pic of the Croc - not ME!

With the clouds rapidly giving way to hot open blue skies, we stopped in Ermelo to ask which road went to Newcastle from a woman stopped outside a cafe' in the main road. "Just turn left at the next robot, then go straight on..... straight..... and watch out for the pot-holes." 20 km's down that road, I took note of the signs saying we were now 80kms to Piet Retief (the long way there). 20 km's back to Ermelo, swearing at that stupid woman, wasted time and petrol. I had been on the right road before I asked her.

We had lunch in Ladysmith at 3.30 p.m. and eventually got safely home to Durban at 7.15 p.m. An 11 hour trip. While there was a degree of skill involved in dealing with the dangerous road conditions (my sweet wife declared me the best Harley rider in the country - an exaggeration by a large way, but her sentiments are appreciated), it has to be acknowledged that a degree of luck always plays its part.

Monty Munstermann in HOG Office - Durban Chapter.

What positives can be taken out of the ride? My safety kit was fully stocked and on board. I had checked out three possible routes each way on the trip. The Milwaukee iron was in tip-top condition when we left on the trip. Concentrating on having a safe trip and using the experience gleaned from my good friend Monty Munstermann on previous trips in misty conditions, I believe made the difference between an unpleasant ride and a disastrous ride.

I got my precious wife home safely, and love my Harley even more. Never missed a beat, roared past slow traffic quickly and safely, and carried myself, my wife, Valentino and lotsa luggage safely, but making the trip a life experience that will not be forgotten.

Malelane to Durban - Long ride!

2013-01-01T04:56:00.000-08:00

This is the story of the second half of our Christmas holiday ride from Durban to Malelane and back.

All ready to roll

We packed the shining Milwaukee Harley like this on the trip from Durban.
The ride back from Daddy's family in Nelspruit on Boxing Day was a short pleasant 60km's, made more enjoyable by the pleasant feeling of sharing time with family that has not been seen for a long time.

Maybe if I ignore it it will go away.

With a long ride back to Durban ahead of us the next day, we decided to have lunch at one of the restaurants near the Malelane entrance to the Kruger National Park. One was still cleaning up from Christmas Day, another was fully booked, so we found ourselves at the very nice restaurant called Hamiltons. The meal was really unexpectedly nice, in pleasant surroundings, and some unusual residents waling around freely. While chicken was on the menu, we were surprised to see them walking around our table and then jumping up onto one of the other tables and chairs. It must be a regular occurence as the waiters ignored them and carried on with their duties in a very relaxed and friendly manner. Fortunately, the monitor lizard in the garden stayed well away from the dining tables.

The rest of the afternoon was lazed away around the bungalow, looking at the buck, hippo's and birds in front of us.

Mommy, me n Palmira.

Rio Vista Lodge only starts serving breakfast at 7 a.m. unless you specifically make different arrangements if you want to leave earlier. Not wanting to make a fuss, we decided to pack, have breakfast, go say goodbye to the family, and be on the road by about 7.45 This would get us home about 5.00 p.m. No such luck! Breakfast was late, and then we bumped into Palmira, the owner of Rio Vista and a good friend of Granny Maria when handing the keys in. With the pleasantries over we went to have a long farewell with Granny Maria.

Entrance to Rio Vista Lodge

We eventually got riding at about 9.00 a.m. and rode into overcast threatening weather. By the time we got to the mountain pass near Barberton we had to stop to put on raincoats because of the fine drizzle coming down in misty conditions. This just got steadily worse until we pulled in to fill up with petrol at Cradle Of Life tourist resort near Badplaas. The temptation of a soothing hot cup of coffee drew us in to the restaurant before we got back on the road.

The rest of this bad days ride tomorrow.

Valentino does a Christmas Holiday ride to Malelane and Nelspruit

2012-12-31T08:16:00.003-08:00

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Valentino Harley Bear.

December 2012 has been a very interesting time - Mommy and Daddy to this bear to the Kruger National Park, and it is not known for having bears. It does have Elephants, Lion, Rhino's, Hippo's, Crocodiles, lots of buck and many more wild animals.

Mommy n Me - Ready To Ride, Baby.

We left Durban on Saturday the 22nd of December 2012 at 6.00 a.m. (this is a picture of me in my riding position on all the comfy luggage). We had a very nice ride along the coast, passing through Ballito before going onto the freeway and going past Umtumzini, Eshowe, Richards Bay, Matubatuba (near St. Lucia), the beautiful Jozini Dam, before stopping at Pongola for lunch.

I wasn't hungry and guarded the Harley (some people found this very interesting and took pictures of me). As long as they smile when they see me (like the people in the cars we pass), I am happy to be photographed.

The next town was Piet Retief and we stopped here for a petrol fillup as the next stop was to be near Badplaas, another 250 kms up the road. An interesting part of this stretch of the trip happened when Daddy accidentally rode over a brown stick that turned out to be a snake (heard him say he thought it was a brown mole snake) that he saw writhing in pain when he looked in the rear-view mirror. He didn't stop to investigate.

Valentino by the Crocodile River

The ride over the mountain roads near Barberton was really scenic and the passes are just made for riding with a Harley. Most of the other road users seemed happy to allow the chrome bedecked Harley past, but there are always one or two drivers who feel the need to show their lack of maturity by trying to take the rolling thunder on. Their accellaration is no match when there is traffic around, but when they start doing stupid speeds over 140kmh on public roads, Daddy just backed off and let them do their thing. Usually went past them when there was traffic around a bit later on anyway.

We got to the Rio Vista Lodge where we were going to be staying in Malelane (right next to the Crocodile River that forms the Kruger National Park border) at 3.15 p.m., 9 and a quarter hours for a 840km trip with 5 stops for petrol and leg stretching (and a few hateful toll road booths).

This is me outside our bungalow with the Crocodile river and the Kruger National Park in the background.

This is my Mommy n me outside our bungalows front door (the door has a Lion carved in it).

We saw (and heard) some hippo's by the river, as well as some Waterbuck (rugged and robust animals with conspicuous white rings - Daddy said they look like they sat on a painted wet toilet seat - on their rear ends). There were also lots of noisy ducks, guinea fowl and many different, beautiful birds.

Our bungalow was very comfortable, with the biggest luxury being the air-conditioner, which gave us welcome relief from the dry heat outside.

Where's the food?

We also saw Kudu, Impala and Bush Buck from the lodges grounds. Meals are served on a deck with a thatched roof that has wonderful view of the river and park. This is a picture of me at breakfast.

We didn't go to Malelane only to see the animals - my Granny (on my Mothers side) lives around the corner from the lodge, and we visited her and met lots of the family. Daddy was allowed to make lunch for the family (Pasta Bolognaise - Yum) in Granny's kitchen, something that men in this family don't normally do. We learnt that food tastes a bit different at altitude and Daddy hoped that it was ok. While it wasn't as good as at home, it couldn't have been too bad.

Here is a pic of cousin Michelle, Granny and Danielle, one of Michelle's three lovely, charming daughters. Granny was very funny and unusually had some Champagne and some red wine with the Christmas Dinner. Surprisingly, she was able to read the Christmas cracker message easily without her glasses after this, but the next day needed her reading glasses to read anything. :-)

The next day we travelled to Nelspruit (60kms away), to visit some of Daddy's family - one of his favourite Aunts - Aunty Sally and two of her daughters, cousins Beau and Mandy - all wonderful people with good memories revisited or shared.

More on this trip tomorrow!!

Valentino See's American President Re-elected.

2012-11-06T22:39:00.002-08:00

Valentino on Milwaukee Rolling Thunder

This bear knows that the homeland of Harley is going to go well for the next four years. Rolling thunder is safe in the hands of Barack Obama for another four years.

Mitt Romney has conceded defeat in the race for President of the United States of America to Barack Obama. It will be four more years for President Obama. This South African thinks the better choice won. Mitt Romney might have better credentials if Obama wasn't the incumbent with four years of experience in the job. That, for me, is the big deciding factor. Obama has had four years of doing this job, during one of the most difficult periods to do the job. The choices he has made in the last four years have not yet had a chance to play themselves out, and, I believe, he deserves the opportunity to see the results. Some of them are already starting to pay off - unemployment figures are coming down. The gaffes made by Romney were exploited well by Obama (who won't kill off "Big Bird"), and had Romney wasting time and effort on covering them. Voting was very close (less than 1% overall difference), but the state electoral votes gave Obama an easy victory from the dense population areas.

Congratulations President Obama - remember that your actions and decisions have world-wide repercussions. Osama Bin Ladin is dead, now pursue the rest of the Al Quada terrorists.

Valentino Visits St. Lucia

2012-10-19T00:53:00.001-07:00

Valentino with Daddy on the Dyna Superglide we went to St. Lucia on.

The public holiday in August 2012 gave us a four day long week-end (if you took the working Friday off), which was a perfect opportunity for Valentino to visit St. Lucia, the sleepy seaside village on the KwaZulu-Natal North coast, with Mommy Daddy and my brothers Paul & Jason. Paul & Jason had to follow the Harley in their car (which meant we had somewhere to put the luggage, laptops, .....hairdrier...........hair straightener..................snacks, etc). The ride from Durban isn't that far, only about 240km's, but it is nice to be able to stop half way for coffee and a snack. The Hearty Meals restaurant in Umtunzini provides a beautiful view, and is run by a good, decent South African family who always provide a welcoming smile with homemade, generous portioned, tasty food. Paul & Jason loved their huge burgers, but I was waiting for the fish in St. Lucia.

Paul, Mommy & Jason with a view in the St. Lucia Reserve.

Arriving at St. Lucia, one has to cross a bridge over a river to get to the village. It is very tourist visitor orientated, with the main road flanked by many restaurants, hotels, Bed & Breakfasts and self-catering holiday flats. We had booked at The Boma Lodge, which has self catering flats overlooking the hippo and crocodile filled river.

After unpacking and having lunch, we went on a boat ride to see some of the wild animals in their natural habitat. The boats captain was very knowledgeable and knew the birds and animals and where to find them.

Hippo's in St. Lucia Estuary

We also went through the St. Lucia reserve, where we saw Warthog, Zebra, Monkeys (some of which just must have been Samango Monkeys according to the sign - see pic below), Rhino, and different buck.

Samango Monkey...no...Paul - Securing foodstuff by eating it!

We were amazed at how close we got to two Rhino's - they were right next to the road, and just ignored us.

Two Rhino's

Long Horned Rhino

We don't understand how anyone would want to kill these magnificent creatures for their horns. Shame on the hunters.

We managed to have lunch one day at the St. Lucia Ocean Basket restaurant, where they have the best Fish and Chips in KwaZulu-Natal. We have tried this meal at six different branches of the franchise, and this one wins hands down. Well worth the visit.

On the return trip on Sunday (it was Mommy's birthday - we all spoilt her a bit - she deserves it), we stopped again at Hearty Meals, where they had prepared a home made bread for us.

Huge Home-made Bread -Yum!

While we enjoy our visit to the reserves of our country, where we can see the animals in their natural habitat, one can't help but wonder at the cruelty and greed of some who call themselves "people", and kill these creatures. We have wars where people commit the most unthinkable attrocities, and then we have these inhuman savage killings of Rhino, for their horns. I blame the lack of education, which surely must elevate the human consciousness to a level where one has a conscience, realising what is wrong and choosing to go the way that is right. No one can believe that they need to kill these animals for food. It is purely financial greed, driven by the demands from the uncivilised Far East. Money & buildings don't make a civilisation. Is globalisation going to be the cause of the unnecessary extinction of these magnificent creatures? Support a Rhino saving organisation!

A wonderful week-end with a lovely family, in our beautiful KwaZulu-Natal.

Harley Riders - War and Peace

2012-10-10T23:32:00.001-07:00

"Public Image" is a significant part of what Harley riding is about. It has its pro's and con's.

The average person see's a Harley and thinks of all the "Hells Angels" stories he or she has heard. The first instinctive reaction is to avoid the Harley because it represents "danger". The riders are all painted with the same brush - leather clad, weapon wielding, foul mouthed, drug dealing low-lifes. BUT - they love the sound of the bike. So, this means that when riding, other traffic can hear you, looks for the noise, and probably gets out of your way. That's good, especially if you ride with safety in mind. When they see you are riding a good looking, chrome covered, shiny bit of rolling thunder, they will then remember when they saw a group of the official Harley Clubs riders (HOG - short for Harley Owners Group) doing a breakfast run or a rally where the group did a charitable donation; or arriving en-masse at a shopping centre to support a Christmas Carol evening (yes, the singing is loud and horribly out of tune, but unarguably loudly enthusiastic).

Every HOG rally in South Africa will donate to a local charity wherever the rally is held. I was part of the committee that donated a jet-ski to a life-savers group in Margate.

Not all the bike riders clubs are this charitable, but it is possible to get positive reactions from the public if you behave in a decent way. Is it worth it? I see more people smiling after they see my Harley, than otherwise, so yes, it is very much worth it.

Get a Harley if you don't have one yet - the life-style is awesome.

Broken Throttle Cable

2012-10-01T23:16:00.001-07:00

I've seen it happen to my friends bikes, but this is a first for me. My mommy, daddy and I had got a little more than a block away from home on another brilliant sunny Saturday Spring morning in Durban, when turning the throttle suddenly had no effect. The motor just idled. According to daddy, there was no warning, no slackness or difficulty in turning the throttle, no nothing. Just working fine one minute, then nothing.

A couple of 'phone calls (first to the Harley dealership, then to our good friend Monty), determined how we were going to get this fixed. Monty fetched mommy 'n me and daddy idled the blue Harley along the roads to Monty's home. The Harley dealership were their normal helpful selves, offering to fetch the bike on a trailer and then order new throttle cables as they had none in stock (as usual). Our other Harley (a Black Sporty called Joli) was standing at the Harley dealership, so Monty offered to take us there to fetch it. We decided to stop on the way at The Biker Store to see if they had cables in stock, and, just like the tyre story, they did. Good ones too, the wire braided type. So with our new cables in hand we fetched Joli and went back to Monty's to fit them. After rubbing a bit of salt in the wounds of our friends at Harley (Jason, Chris & Mike) about their not having stock again, we found that they had done a great free cleaning of Joli before we collected it. A classy set-up.

Monty went to a lot of trouble to help fit the new cables. We had to dismantle the throttle grip mount on the handle bars, take off the air filter, the seat and lift the petrol tank. Doing a great job of fitting them, meant oiling the cable inside first (to avoid fraying) and checking that the correct opening and closing fittings were used, then making sure they were adjusted correctly with no play in the cable so the throttle could open and close fully. This took about three hours, but the bike is going better than before, with more feel in the throttle.

Finished just in time to watch the Bokke thrashing the Aussies on the Rugby field - YAY, go Beast.

Bye for now.

Valentino Harley Swanepoel - Harley Bear

2012-09-26T03:31:00.000-07:00

This is the official announcement of the birth of Valentino Harley. This Harley Bear was born on 14th of February 2012 (hence the name Valentino). This picture below is of Valentino Harley Bear next to his birth certificate.

His mommy is Marilia Swanepoel, known to all as Lila.

Mommy loves to see all the animals in nature, and daddy takes her travelling often.

This is when they got married on 18th February 2012 & that is one of the Harleys they travel on.

We all live in Durban, where we have a beautiful view of the sea, Greyville race-course & golf course, & Moses Mabhida Stadium. Greyville race course has some naked people running on it at night in July. The golf course has had a few more water holes after all the rain the last couple of weeks. Moses Mabhida Stadium was built for the TopGear show with Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, & James May. Mommy & daddy & my two brothers saw the show in June this year. The stadium was ready last year already, and they tested its readiness for the TopGear Show by hosting some soccer matches last year. It was part of the FIFA World Cup.

Anyway, I am going to be sharing some of our adventures when we go out on Harley rides with you. They have lots of pictures of good people having lots of fun. Here is just one of them that I am going to be telling you about.

Insurance Claim

2012-09-18T00:37:00.000-07:00

Most Harley riders in South Africa have no experience of dealing with insurance claims on repairing damaged bikes (they don't drop their precious investments). However, occasionally riders like me, who use their Harleys as their basic transport, will end up claiming for damage.

No, I didn't fall, or even drop my bike. It was parked in the car park of a factory I was doing accounts consultancy work for. I was called out of the office to the car park, and found that their Hyster driver had ridden into the back of my Chrome & Blue Beauty, buckling the back mudguard into the tyre & knocking it over on the right-hand side. No biggie, you say. Hunh!!

I had to go to the local police station and fill in an accident report (to get a case number for the insurance). notify my insurance company, fill in their claim form, and show their claims inspector the damage for confirmation. Who are my insurers. They were a broker firm that was bought out by the international AON Insurance group. (Yes, the same one you see on Lewis Hamilton's McLaren in Formula 1, and the Manchester United Football Team. Apparently Hamilton needs insurance more than Alonso at Ferrari).

Also included was a visit to my local Harley dealership to get a quote for repairing the damage.

Note the date - 1st June 2012

All the replacement parts required were available..........except the blue mudguard. This had to be ordered from Milwaukee, to match the original colour. After many visits, and phone calls, the mudguard arrived on the 7th of September 2012. SHEESH!!!!

The bike went into the dealership on Tuesday 11th September, and I fetched it on Monday 17th September. I had to pay my excess (5% - R1198.00) & my delightful Dyna is back - rides & sounds great!! Insurance people all very pleasant & competent, as were all my friends at the Harley-Davidson dealership.

The only issue was riding a damaged bike for more than 3 months!!

Love my wife and my Harley!!