South Africa - The Lions on the Road: Cycling London to Cape Town - page 305

just waved to say hello. I climbed a short pass (700m) and then dipped into a valley where
I took a photo of the N2 motorway (below right).
After a quick lunch on the side of the road, I made my way up a short escarpment
leaving a river and green farmland behind. There was another climb and eventually des-
cended into Jefferys Bay (above right). I cycled through without taking a break and after
following the winding road, I arrived in Humansdorp.
IpulledintoagasstationtoaskfordirectionsforIwantedtofollowuponacontact
I was given back in Port Elizabeth. The gas station attendant smiled and told me to turn
around for the street I wanted was less than a kilometre away. I quickly found the home
and met Mr. Hein Nec about to open his front door. I called him by name and he turned
around surprised that this stranger with an accent knew him. I quickly introduced myself
and mentioned how his brother-in-law from Port Elizabeth suggested that I could stay with
him. Unfortunately, his brother-in-law didn't call ahead of time which made the situation a
bit awkward.
Hein still welcomed me to his home and allowed me to stay in the guestroom. I
quickly took a shower, dressed and joined his young family at the dinner table. As we
talked, what was really noticeable was how they (and many South Africans their age) were
so open-minded to the changing politics in the new South Africa.
I began the next morning after a huge breakfast. I thanked Hein, his wife and
2-year-old-son Paul and quickly returned to the R102. I stayed on this road for 17 kilo-
metres before I cycled onto the N2. The weather increasingly threatened a downpour as I
headed west and the strong headwind made for some pretty tough cycling.
Now for the third anecdote from my Radio Algoa interview. The story took place
a few kilometres after I turned onto the N2. A man had pulled over on the other side of
the road and waved for me to stop. He yelled across the highway, “Are you David?” I was
surprised for I didn't recognize him. “Yes,” I yelled back. He then turned off his buckie's
engine and ran across the highway to where I waited. He introduced himself and started to
tellmehisstory.Hesaidthattheotherdayhewassittinginhisbuckiedoinghispaperwork