Firstly apologies to all my Blogwatchers for not confirming my safe return before now! As you will now gather I am in one piece, slightly battered and bruised but still smiling.

I hope you have all visited the Enduro Africa group on Snapfish at:-

enduroafrica2008rideone.snapfish.co.uk/snapfishuk

which contains my photographs and those of many other participants in the Ride for Life.



I also hope that you took the opportunity to visit my Blog which as promised I updated on a daily basis (actually this was only possible with the help of my wife Keiko). I took photos and emailed them together with a daily update which she then posted for me. Thanks babe!

I made much of the fact that the Gold Team was the only group to have completed the entire ride in tact without losing anyone through illness or injury. It turns out that we had three casualties all of whom managed to continue in silence despite being in pain or suffering. Firstly, we had Andrew who you might recall from my Blog crashed on the penultimate day and had to wait for a tow to catch up with us. After three days at home he was sent to the doctor by his wife and was told he had three broken ribs and a punctured lung. And we just thought he was a miserable git! Stevie had a crash on day two and his arm was in a shocking state but he rode on. When he got home it turned out he had broken his elbow and has since had it pinned. And Nathan – he suffered dehydration on the last night but still rode into Port Edward on the following day.

I stubbed my big toe and that really hurt…………




Anyway, enough of my tails of woe. It was an amazing event which in total has raised over £300,000 for the various charities (and over a million in the three years it has been run). I reached my target and some and I am now in the process of collecting the final pledges so that I can split the total raised between Enduro Africa (for Sentebale, UNICEF and Nelson Mandela’s Fund for Children), Riders for Health and the NUMAST Welfare Funds.

Your support has been very much appreciated and my heartfelt thanks go to everyone who has helped. We have made a difference and that’s what counts.

Gold Team Video Show

I'm home!

I have now arrived home in East London after 24 hours in transit from Port Edward.

This is what greeted me!

To the Wild Coast Sun and beyond!

This was a view from my room at Mbotyi River Lodge.


We left there in the morning for the last ride.

Our first stop of the day - a visit to the Magwa Falls, east of Lusikisiki.


Our lunch stop was in front of the field and a tractor.


Given the journey we have been on and the heights our riding has now reached, today's ride can only be described as tame.

Mostly dirt roads through stunning mountain passes and valleys, it only registered a mere tremour on the richter scale by comparison to previous days' rides.

This however did not prepare us for the "civic reception" laid on for our arrival which was far from the ordinary as is possible.


All the teams met up on the outskirts of town for a cavalcade ride en masse into the TO Strand Resort.

Police outriders with sirens blaring, Zulu warriers dancing and hotel staff singing it was enough to me grown men cry.


Many did as we all hugged and slapped each other in celebration at having been the only team to make the entire trip without losing any of its members.

It's been an epic ride in more sense than just the physical.

It's over now but the memories will remain forever.

None of us leave Africa the same as when we are arrived.


I would like to introduce more people from Enduro Africa 2008.

Pictured is our Medic Etiene who has patched us up en route and delivered life saving medical assistance on more than one occasion these past 8 days.


Our leader and Mike Glover ... who makes the whole thing happen.



By the way, Princes William and Harry will be joining Enduro Africa 2008 from Port Edward to back to Port Elizabeth.

Good luck to them!

From Hole in the Wall to Lusikisiki

The accommodation arrangements hit rock bottom!

Bunkbeds & sofa beds.

And we have found our snoring champion - Pete Branson.


We have arrived safely at our overnight stop at the Mbotyi River Lodge near Lusikisiki after 197kms of riding.

The day began with a ride up to the cliffs above Hole in the Wall.


We then rode along the cliff track and spent some time whale and dolphine watching rather than joing the back of a queue of around 70 bikes being refuelled in Coffee Bay.


We then climb the hills and rode the farm and sheep tracks before getting back on to dusty roads.

Unfortunately two of our team took tumbles today.

Steph took a nasty fall on a steep rock outcrop as dropped down into a river bed.

She's ok and completed the day.

Andy failed to notice the road bearing right and over the edge he went in a ball of flailing arms and legs and of course bike.

We had to arrange for a tow and left him behind.

We had to spend time waiting for the team to regroup due to the accidents and the local children came to see what we were upto.



One old lady was overheard telling her kids that's these crazy white men are to kill themsleves.


We reckon Red Team must have been through ahead of us, hence the Old ladies cynicism, as they are all axe murders and as such.

Today has hard some technical stuff but mainly hard riding on dusty and potholed tracks that pass for motorways in the Transkei.

Tomorrow we ride for our final destination which turns out to be Port Edward and not Durban as we had anticipated.

This is Africa and you have to go with the flow!


Here is our team leader, Kevin Fisher.

Windy 'the Wild Coast'

Today was a further test of the teams newly acquired riding skills as we rode the undulating coast.


Riding up steep cliffs and descending down steep valley sides and river crossing has left us speechless and totally exhausted.


We stopped for a break at a beautiful bay. What a view!


The last ten km's including the notoriously difficult minefield so called because of the numerous bolders were ridden in darkness.


We are overnighting at the famous village 'Hole in the Wall' named after the cliffs nearby.

Visit to the local school

Today was our rest day but we did not rest.

First job of the day was doing the dobie (laundry to you landlubbers).

Next up was a visit to the Gojella Junior School were we deliver and installed blackboards and solar panels and provided taxi rides to the kids on our bikes.


The school choir sang for us which was fantastic.



Gold Team were very prominent in all the activities and it would remiss of me if I did not single out Alex and Max plus Gary from Blue Team for their work in actually installing the solar panels.

I took on a supervisory role: risk assessment; demarcations; tea breaks and dispute resolution.

We also serviced the bikes and made adjustments and repairs.

All in all a very busy day.

Tomorrow we we have another demanding day ahead of us although rumour has it there will be a race arranged on the local airstrip and a wheelie school.


More people from Enduro Africa 2008 team.

The Irish contingent......Mickey and Kevin.



Constandinos from Cyprus.


Everyone calls him Costa because they can't pronounce his name and he met up with other participants in the Costa coffee bar at Heathrow!

Very Wet Day!

↑ My video diary. Click and watch!


Leaving the Morgan Bay for a new adventure!

First obstacle of the day!


The ferry crossing at Kei Mouth.

We have crossed the Kei River into the Transkei.

Now the pace slows up because of the roads and the terrain.

We have been warned there are lots of animals and children on the roads so we need to be careful.

The Transkei was an independent state under the Apartheid Regime and fell behind in development terms.

So now it is about 40 years behind the rest of South Africa.

It is also notably hotter and very humid.

We keep being told to hydrate. It is a challenge in itself to carry enough water.









River crossing in the Transkei.








Look at this Transkei panorama view!


Just climbed out of the valley bottom successfully I might add to see this amazing view.


River crossing no. 4 today.



I made this one and one other but I have had two dunkings.
I am wet and tired.

Today was just the toughest part so far.

What started with a ferry crossing into the Transkei ended with us riding in total darkness in all mighty thunder storm.

The lightening was streaking through the sky all around us and rain drops so large they stung your face.

But that's a fraction of the pain we went through.

The descent and ascent into and out of the Qora Gorge was unbelievable.
Words fail me.



Gold Team all made it through but Red Team lost a guy through dehydration.
That's all the news I have so far.

Green, Blue and Orange Teams were still coming out the gorge when the storm struck and I don't envy them their ride to the Kob Inn Hotel in Quigney (www.kobinn.co.za).

We have earned our rest day!

The only guys who won't be taking it easy are the mechanics who must now repair our distinctly secondhand looking bikes!


By the way,

I'd like to introduce some people in my team.

Max and his dad Alex from Edinburgh.


Grandad Pat who was awarded the "Spirit Award" yesterday.


He is 68 and still going strong!

Sisters sledge!


They are sisters Cora and Stephanie.

From Katberg to Morgan Bay

Short break after gold group all complete early morning climb stage from Katberg.


We are in the Amatola mountains, it's full of wonderful view of high country, cliffs and indigenous forests.

This is a panaramoic view from the road up to the ominously named Hogsback.


The name of 'Hogsback' comes from the high rocky ridge looking like a bushpig's spine.

It's 10am we have been riding for 2 hours, so far no problems.

We are doing 280km today ending up in Morgan Bay.



Fuel stop in a town called Alice.






In Alice we are welcomed by local kids!



After long ride, we arrived safely in Morgan Bay!

This is a view from my hotel room.


COWS.

That's the abiding memory from today's ride.

Oh and the Green Team being awarded "Dick of the Day" for the second night in a row.

What started with a steep climb up a rocky moutain side;

the ascent and descent of the Hogsback and a truly wonderful ride though a forest carpetted with wild lillies ended with a heard of unpredicatable cows stampeding down the track.

One of the Red team collided with one of same and came off worse.

One of the blue team hit a cow which then promptly fell on her and damaged her spine.

She is fine and recovering in hospital.

Unfortunatley the cow had to be put down (No. There are no sexist jokes in this!).

Green Team where a mess today, getting lost and split up so much so they were still arriving as Gold Team celebrated well into their fourth beers in the bar at the Morgans Bay Hotel.

It was dark and raining as the last stragglers arrived but Gold Team is still in tact and Pat - the grandaddy of all the participants - was awarded the "Spirit Award" for his steady and dogged progress.

My body is still sore but only a couple of minor crashes today.

Having a great time!

Looking like a secondhand!?

Spotted this on the fence where we stayed last night.

Would not have slept if I had known!


TOUGH.

That's the only word to describe todays 250 km ride.

Red group lost 3 riders one with a broken arm.

Blue group lost one also.

Gold group - my group - suffered two spectacular crashes both unfortunately involving me.

However, I am still in one piece, and so is the rest of Gold Group.

My bike is however looking a bit secondhand!

The ride today was fantastic.

Mountain passes and deep ravines and not forgetting that the day began with the climb up the 60 degree hill we descended last night.

We are overnighting in Katberg.

Not sure what tomorrow will bring except of course aching bones and muscles.

First ride on Honda CRF230!

We rode into a stunningly beautiful lodge, Mansfields, near Port Alfred after 10 hours in the saddle.

Most of the roads were dusty as hell - made up of gravel and sand with enourmous potholes which the CRF copes with ease.

No one fell off.

There are sixteen riders in Yellow Group (gold as we've designated ourselves for obvious reasons!) ranging from Pat who is 68 and Max who is a stripling at 21.

All of us coped amazingly well with the varied and testing terrain which culminated in a descent down a river bed at 60 degrees.


We lunched at the Schotia Game reserve and were given a 30 min tour in a landrover and in that time we disturbed a huge male lion who was slumbering in a bush; saw Ostrich and Wilderbeest; Zebras, Giraffes and two massive Rhinos.


We are lodging by a river in an open bunkhouse - 10 of us.

My bedroom is on the hill!

Alex from Edinburgh has already declared he snores like a chainsaw (interesting analogy) but somehow I don't think it will matter as we are all well and truly cream crackered.

I suspect there will be more than one of us dreaming of the epic rides to come.

If today was a taster of how tough its going to get then we will need more than a good nights sleep.


Just had Poike for dinner!

A poike pot is a cast iron pot that you can use over a fire or a gas stove, and cooks beautiful stews.

Just Arrived in Port Elizabeth!

After a gruelling 26 hours travelling we finally arrived at the Summerstrand Hotel on the seafront in beautiful Port Elizabeth.

Outside as we arrived were around 90 brand spanking shiny red Honda CRF230's each with a riders name on the front.

Mine was located right outside the hotel door and I found it within seconds as if that was our destiny!


I have been allocated to Yellow Group.

We meet for the welcome dinner and briefing at 1930 hours.
Just time for a quick shower.

Breakfast is at 0700 and the ride departs at 0800.
An early night beckons.

I am sharing a room with Kevin Lydon from Co. Galway.
I hope he does not snore!

Putting my money where my mouth is!

For those environmentally conscious out there I thought I would just let you all know that I have "offset" my environmentally damaging flight from London to South Africa. Aviation (unlike shipping which is the most environmentally friendly form of transport) has a huge carbon footprint so I have used Flying Forest, an organisation that plants trees and protects forests for the benefit of communities in Southern Africa, as my chosen offsetter.

If you are interested in offsetting flights then visit the flyingforest website at www.flyingforest.org for more information.

This is it - here we go!

Today is my last day in the office. Tomorrow I head off to Heathrow to catch a SAA flight to Port Elizabeth via Jo'burg. I return on 13th October. I am as fit as I will ever be, having trained for the London Marathon in 2008, and having undertaken some gruelling training on Salisbury plain care of Martin Chappell of AJP Experiences (http://www.ajpexperience.co.uk/) I am confident of being able to handle the challenge that faces me. Wish me luck and if you keep checking my blog I hope to be able to provide you with regular updates from South Africa as I go.

Before I sign off, I want to again thank all of my supporters. Without you this would not have been possble and together we would not have been able to raise over £20,000 for the charities that are benefitting from the Enduro Africa - Ride for Life plus of course Riders for Health and NUMAST Welfare Funds.

Thank you,

Mark

Many thanks.....

To David Mearns of Bluewater Recoveries; Mark Brownrigg; C F Sharp (Europe) and Paul and Sam Keenan for their generous donations.