Om te reis is om te leer – Tel Aviv

(English below)

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Dis ‘n pragtige sonskyndag hier in Tel Aviv.

As ek eers klaar is met die visumaansoek vir Soedan sal ek vir julle vertel hoekom ek tans nie ‘n paspoort het wat kan bewys dat ek wettig in Israel is nie. Ek hoop ek het dit Sondag terug.

Dis die lekker en swaar en opwinding en ook gevaar van reis oor kontinente. Die gesegde dat mens nie beheer het oor wat op jou pad kom nie, net beheer oor hoe jy daaroop gaan reageer, is so waar.

Die KLR het vars nuwe olie en die filters is skoongemaak. Sy volgende diens gaan DV eers in Nairobi wees, dan is al die woestyne en klippe en kokende somerwoestynweer agter die blad.

My planne vir die volgende week lyk so:  Sondag hoop ek om my paspoort terug te kry, daarna ry ek suid deur die Negevwoestyn tot by Eilat. Maandag vroeg wil ek oor die grens in Egipte in. Eie voertuig = baie probleme. Ek laat drie dae tyd vir die invoer en registrasie van die fiets. Donderdagoggend vroeg hoop ek om dan weer op pad te wees deur die Sinaiwoestyn en onderdeur die Suezkanaal tot in Kairo. Vrydag tot Sondag kom plan B in aksie en hoop ek dat ek na ‘n kort weg en terug na Egipte dan die regte stempel in die regte paspoort gaan hê om Maandag my visumaansoek vir Soedan in te handig. Al wat my nog baie pla, is die Tabastempel in die Carnet de Passage, die motorfiets se doeanedokument. Ek hoop die Soedanese gaan in Wadi Halfa nie daarmee probleme maak nie.

Die reis bly opwindend. Ek is tans ‘n week agter op skedule. Ek hoop nie die Namakwalandse blomme is al klaar geblom teen die tyd wat ek daar ry nie.

Ek het vanoggend ‘n epos gehad. Die Beeld/Burger/Volksblad se reisbylae volgende Dinsdag gaan iets kort oor die toer hê. Gaan koop ‘n koerant en kyk bietjie daar. Dit gaan moontlik elke twee weke daarna verskyn.

Ek wens julle almal ‘n wonderlike naweek! Onthou dat die doel van hierdie rit is om geld vir Operation Smile in te samel. Help asseblief! (www.naboom2germany.co.za)

The father and son team who serviced the KLR two years agao and again yesterday.

I had a few glasses of this refreshing drink. One could taste the fresh mints leaves.

My supper Thursday night on the roof of the small hotel: One bread bun, two fresh tomatoes, olives, and a beer.

Good morning!

It is a beautiful sunny day here in Tel Aviv.

Afther I’ve handed in my visa application for Sudan I will tell you why I don’t have a passport at the moment. In that passport are the stamps that I have legally entered Israel.  I sincerely hope that I will get my passport back on Sunday.

This is the fun and suffering and excitement and also the sense of danger while traveling across continents. I learned it again: One cannot control what crosses your way, you can only control how you are going to react on it.

The KLR has got new fresh oil and all the filters have been cleaned. The next service will be, God will, in Nairobi. Then all the deserts and stones and mid-summer-heat will be over and done.

My plans for the next week are as follow: I hope to get my passport back on Sunday. On Sunday I will leave and travel south through the Negev desert to Eilat. Early Monday morning I am going to cross into Egypt. It is huge trouble when one travels with an own vehicle. I leave myself three days to get the KLR into and registered in Egypt. On Thursday I plan to leave Taba and travel through the Sinai desert, cross the Suez canal to arrive in Cairo. Then it is time for Plan B. I plan to leave Egypt again and come back a day later with the correct stamp in the correct passport. Then Monday I will submit my visa application for Sudan. Then it is not in my hands anymore. The only thing that still bugs me is the Taba stamp in the Carnet de Passage, the customs document of the KLR. That will be bad news if the Sudanese officials in Wadi Halfa refuse entry to the KLR.

The journey stays exciting, even if I am running one week behind schedule at the moment. I hope the Namaqualand flowers will still be in full colour when I pass through there.

I had an email this morning. If you are in SA and if you speak Afrikaans, in the Beeld/Burger/Volksblad of next Tuesday, in the travel section, there will be a short report on the trip. They plan to have it every second week.

Have a good weekend, and don’t forget this trip is to raise funds for Operation Smile to have 16 kids operated to repair their facial deformities. Please help! (www.naboom2germany.co.za)