I woke up at 4.00 am in the morning not at all sure of where I was and thinking it was, in any event, only 11.30pm at night (9.30pm in Marrakech) so I phoned Nikki to say hello. Needless to say she was not amused as she had been fast asleep it being the middle of the night in Marrakech just like it was in South Africa. Explanation needed here - it all started in the bar after dinner where I hooked up with a couple of crew (Enduro staff) members, one of which was definitely Eddie and the other one I am not so sure about. Anyway, what with the euphoria of the day and a few too many beers followed by a lot of wine over dinner with Billy (Felicity) Clark ( a mum who has a daughter at Uppingham School like us) I repaired to the bar for an entirely unnecessary night cap only to find that I was introduced to the dubious South African habit of drinking "shots" made from what exactly I do not know but I do recollect that there were lots of different colours involved. The next thing I remember was phoning Nikki at 4.00am in the morning - not knowing where I was nor how I had got there. A lot of apologising was required !
Breakfast the next morning was not easy and taken through a very thick head ! At 9.00 am a number of us departed in a minibus to visit a couple of rural schools which were receiving charitable funding from Touch Africa - one of the charities we are supporting through Enduro Africa. We arrive at the first school to be greeted by some of the most wonderful (and photogenic) children I have ever met. There were obviously as interested in us as we were in them - lots of digital photos followed by immediate photo displays to the children, most of whom had never seen a digital camera and were amazed to see their own image in the screen only seconds after the picture had been taken ! We then got stuck in to decorating a newly built school classroom - involving scraping, painting,varnishing, hanging the door, and generally preparing the room for imminent use by the next class. The children sang for us, they danced for us and they stole our hearts. It was very moving and several tears were shed.
The afternoon was, as promised, for rest. After lunch I stood on the rear terrace of Kob Inn and actually saw a small school of about four whales ( I counted the blowhole expulsions) and then about five or six dolphins very close to the beach just swimming or playing or whatever they do in the Indian Ocean - it was an amazing sight. It was also a day for servicing the bikes, but by the time I had got over the school children, the whales and dolphins and my hangover, I discovered that Simon had overseen the whole team's bike maintenance - a real class act for which I was very grateful.
A brief lie by the pool late afternoon followed by a bracing walk down the beach (reminiscent of Cornwall) and then an alcohol free dinner and an early night to prepare kit for tomorrow's promised "dig deep" day
A Huge Thank You to all my Family and Friends who donated so much !
Thank you all so much for your contributions. Your generosity has made a lot of very poor and needy children in South Africa so happy. My blog is now almost finished and I hope that you were able to read about some of my exploits on Enduro Africa. I am already thinking about my next trip !
I'm Home and have survived !!
I got home last week and, apart from a broken rib, a couple of strains and bruises, am fine and well and already treasuring the memories of an unbelievable trip to South Africa. I did things I would never have believed I was capable of and met some wonderful people on the way. I am currently updating my daily blog, so come back again and read about all my exploits.
Welcome!
Hi, I am Stuart Redcliffe. I am 54 , grey haired, a tad overweight and unfit but this October I am taking part in EnduroAfrica 2010 and will be riding a trials bike, mainly off-road, for 1,500 kilometres from Port Elizabeth to Port Edward along the Wild Coast of South Africa. My aim is to survive in one piece and raise a lot of money for four amazing charities which do incredible work in South Africa. UNICEF, Sentebale, Nelson Mandela Children’s Charity and Touch Africa work tirelessly to provide health care, education, clean water, care and support for children, families and orphans and much, much more. Most of the work is done by dedicated volunteers and they never have enough money to tackle all the problems they face in this poor and underdeveloped region of South Africa.
Taking part in Enduro Africa could be simply be viewed as the latest episode in my ongoing mid-life crisis but I prefer to see it as a huge and potentially life changing challenge that will raise money for very worthwhile causes in return for a few saddle sores.
Each participant in Enduro Africa aims to raise a minimum of £5,000 for the named charities but many raise much more and continue their fund-raising long after the bike ride is over. The trials bikes we use for the trip all stay in South Africa after the event and are donated to provide volunteers and health care workers with much needed transport in areas with few roads and poor transport links. The Enduro Africa bikes make a real difference to local communities so I will try to make sure I get mine to Port Edward in good shape!
I signed up for Enduro last year and thought I had loads of time to get fit, remember how to ride a bike and raise money. Now it is May and I only have five months to do all the above! I have started with trying to get fit. For the first time in years I have joined a gym here in Marrakech, where I live, and I am sweating away on the treadmill almost every day. I’m also trying to shed a few pounds but not too many – I might need the padding when I fall off my bike! I bought my Yamaha trials bike 20 years ago but never got round to riding it much because life was just too busy. The bike has come along with me as we moved from England to France, then to Switzerland. It finally came home to England last May and when I took it to the local dealer for a service they were amazed to see a 1989 Yamaha in showroom condition with only 3000 miles on the clock. I also discovered I needed a new helmet because my old one was cracked and the visor had been broken off. Ah yes, now I remember why I stopped riding my bike! I am planning to take an off-road course during the summer to learn how to deal with the difficult terrain and many obstacles I will face in South Africa.
However, the biggest challenge will be getting people to sponsor me. So many fund raising events, so many good causes. Why should you give your money to me and Enduro Africa? Please, please look at the websites for each of the four charities supported by Enduro to see just what they do. From AIDS education to orphanages, their work is impressive, far reaching and very humbling.
When I first heard that my application to join Enduro Africa 2010 had been accepted I was wildly excited about the adventure to come. Then I sat down and viewed the DVD that came with the information pack and felt a bit sick. It was the most gruelling off road biking I’d ever seen – and I was expected to be able to do that! For sure, the landscapes were amazing, the people along the way were inspirational and the riders were a great bunch but all I saw was how many times people fell off their bikes in river beds or on steep narrow tracks. I had a moment of doubt that maybe I had bitten off more than I could chew and my Enduro experience might come to swift end on the first bit of rough terrain. Now I have had a chance to calm down and realise that plenty of other participants are almost novices and even the most hardened bikers are feeling a bit apprehensive. Spending up to 10 hours a day in the saddle is bad enough on good roads but Enduro doesn’t use roads at all!
Take a look at the Enduro Africa website for the full itinerary, movies, photos, testimonials and details about how the money will be spent. The event is now in its fourth year and has gone from strength to strength. Princes William and Harry have both completed Enduro, spurred on by the wonderful work their mother did in South Africa. They are big supporters of Sentebale - a charity linked to the Princes Trust which focuses on helping children and orphanages in the Lesotho region. This year the response to Enduro has been so great the organisers have had to set up two trips to accommodate the growing numbers of participants.
The first group departs on 2 October and returns on 13 October and I will be among their number!
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