We bring you a travelogue by Ljubomir Omašić and Patrik Grgurić
Lukšić motorcyclists Ljubomir Omašić and Patrik Grgurić embarked on an adventure on two wheels during which they traveled more than 11 thousand kilometers across Africa - from the Cape of Good Hope, through Namibia and Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Tanzania and Malawi, all the way to Uganda and Kenya. During the trip, which lasted about 50 days, they enjoyed the natural beauty of Africa, explored cities and villages, got to know the culture and customs of the tribes and returned full of impressions that Ljubomir shared with us.
Travel planning
- Patrik and I have been traveling together for a long time. For these kinds of trips, you need to find people who can spend 24 hours a day together for a long period of time, and the two of us found each other. Before traveling to Africa, we had been on several different trips together. When we were planning the next one, we had three options: South America, Indonesia, or Indochina, and Africa. I decided on Africa because there are conflicts in the Indochina area. Patrik researched and organized everything. Preparations for the trip took several months. Before the trip, we were vaccinated against yellow fever, hepatitis A and B, tetanus, and typhoid fever. We took anti-malaria pills throughout the trip to protect ourselves. We drove the motorbikes to Poland and arranged to pick them up in Cape Town. We flew on the routes Amsterdam-Rome, Rome-Addis Ababa, and Addis Ababa-Cape Town, and then we crossed eight African countries on two wheels – Ljubomir tells us.
Swimming with penguins at the Cape of Good Hope
- The first destination was Cape Town, the capital of South Africa. We took a tourist bus and toured the entire city, and then climbed Table Mountain, a mountain above Cape Town that is called that because it is flat as a table. From there we headed towards the Cape of Good Hope. We talked to the locals, took pictures of the famous lighthouse, and then headed to Boulders Beach to swim with penguins. A lot of people come to the beach, of course you have to pay for the entrance, and the price is not small. You swim with them, you can get close to them, they don't let you touch them, but you are really close to them. The sea temperature really surprised me, I expected it to be cold, and it was around 19 degrees, pleasant for swimming. We spent 2-3 days in Cape Town, and then we headed towards Namibia. We drove along a 60-70 km long macadam road to a place called Ceres. We had dinner there and spent the night in tents, and the next day we continued towards the Namibian border - continues Ljubomir.
Fish River Canyon
- We entered Namibia and the first town we stopped in was Grünau. We arrived late and found accommodation with separate rooms and toilets, as well as shared showers. The next day we headed towards Fish River Canyon. It is one of the largest canyons in the world. There we met a couple from America who are also motorcyclists. We spent some time with them, said goodbye, and then went back to sleep. On the way, Patrik lost his license plate. The next day we headed to the Maltahohe Hotel, from where we set off for Sesriem, a settlement on the very edge of the Namib Desert – explains Ljubomir.
"Dead Swamp"
- At the hotel, we met two older adventurers who were traveling with an all-terrain vehicle. They were from the Republic of South Africa and after getting to know them and telling them about our ideas and plans, they offered us accommodation in their villa. We covered a total of 170 kilometers of difficult macadam road. We planned to do it all in one day, but we couldn't because the road was in a very bad condition. When we arrived in Sesriem, we rented a tent.
From Sesriem we went to the Namibian desert, to Deadvlei – a “dead swamp” with dry trees that are almost a thousand years old. We returned to our hotel the next day, and then we drove west, to the Atlantic Ocean to the town of Swakopmund. There we slept in a beautiful villa that a couple from South Africa offered us. We stayed for one day, and they didn’t want to charge us for our stay. We then went down to Walvis Bay. On one side is the ocean, and on the other side is the desert, truly fascinating. We walked around Walvis Bay, and then headed towards Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, where we spent the night – Ljubomir explains.
Bushmen and the relationship with the local population
- We visited a village where the Bushmen live, one of the world's oldest peoples. We went in an organized way, because you can't come alone. We spent a few hours with them, learning about their customs, how to make poisoned arrows and how to seduce them – says Ljubomir.
- As for the relationship with the local population, they were very kind and approachable. That southern part is a bit more cultured. We didn't have any problems, even though all the facilities and hotels are surrounded by walls, with barbed wire, even electricity and armed security guards. We didn't feel any danger, but we noticed from the armed security guards, often with long pipes, that the situation was not quite harmless.
In South Africa, Namibia and Botswana, everyone mostly speaks English because it is the official language. We asked why, and they told us that they have so many tribes and dialects that no one understood each other, so they introduced English as the official language, so we communicated with them without any problems. In other countries, they also learn English, and "Swahili" is their native language.
A lot of people approached us, they were curious, they were interested in where we were from, how we traveled... They are all kind and want to help, but they ask for money in return. When you ask them for something, they always ask for a fee, they want you to pay them or they want to sell you something. They come up to you, greet you nicely, and then offer you their products, which they charge very high prices for. In restaurants, they are kind to tourists, they speak English well, there were no problems. We paid with a card where it was possible, and where it was not, we would withdraw money from an ATM - Ljubomir explains to us.
...Read the continuation of the travelogue in some of the following articles...
Photo: Private album
