17th June 08

Date: 17th June 08
Location: Port Edward, South Africa
Weather: Sunny and clear blue skies, warm days, chilly nights. 25°c
Status: Feeling sore – Ben, Being serviced – Colonel

So left the delights of Maritzburg, up in the Natal hills and travelled with Alex my Aussie friend down to Port Edward. She’s been staying with Patrick and his family but as his Mum has to go into hospital and she’ll be travelling with me in a week’s time anyway he has asked if she can come and stay with me by the coast. After consulting with Mrs Taylor, my amazing hostess, we headed down to the delights of Port Edward.

Woke up feeling like I’d run 87kms a few days ago, my knees are red, bruised and sore – I can’t imagine quite how they’d feel if I hadn’t have made the finish line though, a darn site worse I imagine! Used up the free Deep Heat bath gel which I’d been given as a freebie in the Comrades race pack! Felt slightly better afterwards…..

Dropped the Colonel at Lance Wheelers garage at 8.30am as he’s giving it the once over ready for the 2nd half of the expedition just to check everything as I feel its better to have a second pairs of eyes look over it all before heading north again in a few weeks. Did a few jobs myself as I discussed with him what needed to be done. Went with Nix, Alex and little baby Declan to the Shelly Beach mall and staggered around like an old man as I pushed the trolley as though it was a zimmer frame!!

Had stages throughout the day when my body really felt like it was trying to rebuild itself, my knees are boiling hot, I almost felt faint at times when I stood up too quickly and the only answer was to stuff down loads of food! So we went to a café for coffee and tasted sandwiches.

Took a drive back down the coast past Nix’s new shop which is just being outfitted and looks superb, in a week time it will be a fully operating beauty salon, and good luck to her in her new venture! Back via Offshore Sports in Margate to replace the pair of ‘bottle-top-opening’ flip flops I bought here 2 years ago which lasted me very well….i’ve only has them repaired in Ghana, Benin, Nigeria and Cameroon. time for some replacements I think!

Back to the Taylors for the afternoon to look at the maps with Alex and work out where I route down to Cape Town will take us, most likely back up into Lesotho and then down the Wild Coast, or former Transkei, towards PE and Jeffery’s Bay in time for the Billabong Pro surfing tour at the beginning of July.

A superb lamb roast for dinner and bed.

End of day location: Port Edward, South Africa
Distance covered: 50kms