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HappyMartin · 07-01-2008, 01:32 AM

Lots of places most of them far from home but here goes a special place close to home

I live in Johannesburg, a large sprawling city of around 5 million. A lot of crime congested roads and other ills associated with developing third world cities. Forty km from my house, just a 30 min drive on weekends is a small nature reserve situated on a series of ridges.

There is a 60 km loop of tar road with a 40 km h speed limit and all traffic in one direction, what little traffic there is. For the equivalent of $2.50 per person we ride the loop on our bicycles. 1300m of climbs in this short ride make it tough but it is quiet and beautiful. In the distance you can just make out the city skyline. We ride past large herds of Zebra and Wildebeest. I have startled Jackal on the road and always get barked at by troops of busy baboon. Have also seen Kudu and incomparable Eland. On one occasion I stopped to ease a snake off the road with my pump in case it got run over and on another picked up a large slow moving chameleon that hissed at me and bit into my gloved finger with its bony jaws until I was able to deposit it safely in a tree. I have had a small herd of Impala hurtle past me and then slow to keep pace before stotting off into the bush.

A small oasis in a desert of chaos.

07-01-2008, 01:32 AM	#22
HappyMartin Martin Kristiansen Posts: 1,546 Karma: 8480958 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Johannesburg Device: Kindle International Ipad 2	Lots of places most of them far from home but here goes a special place close to home I live in Johannesburg, a large sprawling city of around 5 million. A lot of crime congested roads and other ills associated with developing third world cities. Forty km from my house, just a 30 min drive on weekends is a small nature reserve situated on a series of ridges. There is a 60 km loop of tar road with a 40 km h speed limit and all traffic in one direction, what little traffic there is. For the equivalent of $2.50 per person we ride the loop on our bicycles. 1300m of climbs in this short ride make it tough but it is quiet and beautiful. In the distance you can just make out the city skyline. We ride past large herds of Zebra and Wildebeest. I have startled Jackal on the road and always get barked at by troops of busy baboon. Have also seen Kudu and incomparable Eland. On one occasion I stopped to ease a snake off the road with my pump in case it got run over and on another picked up a large slow moving chameleon that hissed at me and bit into my gloved finger with its bony jaws until I was able to deposit it safely in a tree. I have had a small herd of Impala hurtle past me and then slow to keep pace before stotting off into the bush. A small oasis in a desert of chaos.