72 | Cycling World
is a legend . He manages the roads that we have been cycling on for the last few days , so whizzes up and down them in his siren topped hatchback and even brought us Lucozade on one of our toughest days , a 90k ride in 37-degree-heat and a mountain thrown in for good measure . He popped up out of nowhere , directed us to a swimming pool where we could hide from the midday sun , and to to� it all off , was waiting for us with cold beers at the end of the day ! Pieter is a particularly special person , but I have to say that he is not that much of an anomaly in South �frica . They have a totally different attitude to new people , compared to what I am used to in the UK , in the sense that they are very quick to trust and keen to help . We have only paid for one night ’ s sleep so far , in a B & B that felt like a horrible throwback to plantation America . Other than that , we have slept for free in places provided by the kindness of people ’ s hearts , and that is something we are hugely grateful for .
Back to The Black Mambas … almost . The night before we arrived in �alule to film the �lack �ambas , we stayed with one of Pieter ’ s friends . They were extremely welcoming , giving us beds to sleep in and a literally undrinkable supply of Jaegermeister … to quote : ‘ eighteen bottles must be in the house at all times ’. They were very generous , and their taste in booze and big game trophies provided quite a perfect contrast to the Black Mambas , the all-female , all-black anti-poaching unit that we are spending the next few days with . We pulled into Balule , the home of the Black Mambas , after a very misjudged ride through the middle of a lightning storm , and were almost instantly won over by what is clearly a very special and unfortunately quite rare project . Craig , the head warden , has started an un-armed team of women who are tackling poaching through community building and preventative methods . They are already proving incredibly successful , winning over local communities , �roviding infinitely better �rotection to the Rhinos than neighbouring parks ’ armed patrols , and empowering black women , who in turn become incredible role models to the next generation of young men and women . Craig himself is an inspiring character , an absolute eccentric , but one with the kind of intelligence and devotion that can really lead to change . I think he represents the balance between community and conservation that we are looking to promote on this journey .
• Crocs are not socially acceptable footwear .
• South Africans are extremely welcoming … and extremely drunk . There might be a scientific correlation worth researching .
• People we meet seem to be far more nomadic that those from Britain , and they try loads of careers . Our circles are far more restricted .
• We are getting quite fit !
• Wadi sees burgers as dessert .
• Drones don ’ t like potholes .
• Johnno ’ s clothes look like Victorian rags .
• In South Africa , 4pm is too late to start drinking .
• Elephants are big .
• The Black Mambas are seriously cool .
• We are heading north at last !
Johnno started a little list in his blog of things that we are learning along the way , so I thought I would contribute :