Friday the 11th, We cycle through the town
of Ingwavuma. It is pension pay day and the road is lined with hundreds of
stalls selling everything from food to clothes. Our first destination is the
house of Hennie Hamilton, one of the doctors at the hospital. He and his wife have
built an exceptional house with outside stone cladding on the edge of the
Lubombo Mountain with a spectacular view over the Swazi lowveld. The house is
off grid with wind and solar energy and uses a no water sanitation system. We
have a wonderful breakfast on the stoep with the family and friends. It is
already 10.30 when we set off along the district road all along the top of the
Lubombo. It is up-up and the down-down again until we reach an outlook point
with a spectacular view over the Pongolo dam. A 15 km downhill is the reward
for the mornings toil. We have a choice of following a jeep track for part of
the downhill but with the late start unfortunately does not allow this. We
reach the main tar road just before we cross the Pongolo dam wall where we
planned to meet the back-up vehicles. Timing is perfect and we are again
spoiled with a sumptuous lunch while enjoining a spectacular view of the dam
and the dam wall. A tar section now follows across the dam wall and uphill
through a busy Jozini town. Essich decides to call it a day and Jono joins us
again. Maryke and Gareth decides to skip the 5 km uphill to the top of the
pass, a long grind up a busy tar road, every now and then with a disheartening
little downhill. Again we are rewarded with a stunning view of the dam where
the backup vehicles await us. Maryke joins us again and it is up and down, up
and down again on top of the Lubombo on a gravel district road. Far in a
distance we can see the tower at Ubombo, our destination. It is late afternoon
when we reach the final high point and then the last exhilarating downhill
until we reach the pass from Mkuze to Ubombo. For the last time our tired legs
take us uphill on the tar road for a few kms to Ubombo and then the last 4 kms
to Edwaleni. Just half a kilometer to go and Steve gets the final puncture and
decides to walk home! Again we are welcome by the back-up team and a wonderful
view of the Makhatini flats and the Mkuze River far below.
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| Pongola dam |
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| The last uphill just before sunset |
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