After 8 Years Back In Da Land Of Sun & Joy, Da Beautyfull South Africa !!

Hello to all of you out there, on Beemers and other Bikes!!
my name is shangali eberhart & i have returned to sunny S.A. in september 08! left da land of great joy in 2000 after my brother in switzerland "naged" me for some time to return to my "Birthland". after only a year in europe i realised that there is only one place on this planet to live and work, believe me it is not at all over there in europe! ..... for some reasons beneath my explenations i managed to stay there for so long! Probably driving my beemer (R1100RT) in the Black Forest (south-west) in germany and Mobbing the Frenchies in the French Jura (north-west of switzerland) did the trick! i rolled down 120000km on my super trooper partner Beemer, she never let me down or left me stranded in the wilds! did manage to leave some rubber marks in the italien alps (stilfserjoch) with 300 bends from top to bottom! got the best of the french alps, all the ones that the Tour de France go over with "Leg-Mussels", like the Iseron "2200m/A/see level, the col de vars (2300m), col de la madeleine and so on! some days we did 6 of them in a row! with the pressure changes of such a trip you need to "Hang-Ten" a while i some placese like in Gap or in the south of france, in Carccasson! ......
the biking kept me alive in summer, in winter i fell into a deep dark hole with the sun dissapearing for weeks! no pleasure live for sure, let me tell you!
After twenty years in South Africa, i started to ski again and found some pleasure to keep me busy in winter! as a minor i was racing with the scool team down the steepest hills in Davos or ST. Moritz but now with age i took it in a new way! the skiers have changed to Carvers and you can go downhill now with a speed that reminds me of Biking on your side-pegs! hands touching the snow(like knee-pads controll) and cornering with great speed and controll!
any way..... it was all different in a way, due to my "handicap"! i was "nocked-off" my yamy 750 XJ in eightyfive at a robbot in houghton JHB and the doctors cut my toe-nails back up to the knee! (plus the hip was shatterd 3 times) so after some (long) Time in the Gen. i recovered and got back on my horse again! (a beemer 4 the first time) a R100RT Red-Black , also called "Rubber-Cow" where i come from! that was the beginning of my "Love-Affair" with Beemers!
lets get back to the funny side of the story! ...... so after eight years "loked-up" in europe my decission to return "home" to S.A. was made in a heated discussion at work! once more i was told to work later because some "super-brain" in the Office made new plans! he walks home at 16:00 and says to me by walking by me "have a nice evening", but i had to work for 3hrs. overtime!! my dinner-plans, my TV-time and the whole eve was "buggerd" and he has the "balls" to kick me on! i did get off my forklift and Kicked his ass ..... and so one thing was decided!
i made plans to return to sunny and gorgeous south africa where my heart & soul & blood is deeply ankered! ( they changed my oil (blood) in `85 as well, only 20lt. transfusion)
by september 20, i landed back in da land of golden opportunities! and what a welcome that was! i am on cloud nine since the day i did arrive here!
my new girlfriend, Nadia, also called "Thoothpick", opend her own Yewellery Design Business some days ago, and my aircon shop is doing well to!
so i have the Dream of all dreams in life in my own hand! "JUST DO IT" was allways my theme!
all you great south africans out there, let me tell you that we have "Paradise on Earth " here in S.A. !! being bikers and freaks anyway, all we need is believing in what we do and what we can do!!!! have a big smile and be happy! it is all out there, just go and find it!!
after 26 years on the tar roads of this planet, i got myself a R1200GS in the first days of december! changing my rear tyre in a shop north of PTA i was invited by Pauli to an Off-Road drive on the 7th december! he said it was just the way to start my off road experience, with an easy drive on sunday morning with some guys from the bmw-gang from PTA! ...... stupid me went home, told my toothpick about it and went in my jeans and takkies to the awakening of my new life!
you can read all about it in the Wild Dog reports !!
http://www.wilddog.za.net/forum/index.php?topic=25679.0
So you see The Off-Road Bug Did get hold of me! ..... i need more and more of this!
i joined da Club some days ago, to make new friends and get to know the know-how to ride save on the dirt! i need it after leaving the Tar!
looking forward to meet you Guys & Girls at the meeting in PTA in january! glad to join the club... and make many marks on the dirt tracks in SA.......
there is more to come from me ..... because i can and i want to .......

to all of you bikers out there ... stay "rubber down" on your horses and get well over into 2009

from me ...... Shangali ..... Peace & Love .....

Welcome back to sunny South Africa.

Welcome! and many happy hours and kilometers with our Club and the Forum!

Welcome back, now try to stay put this time

Why didn't you get an RT again?????????????

...because now there are GS's that go everywhere an RT ever could...and more besides?

Ja OK, OK tog

Welcome home. Bikers paradise this country.

tj wrote:Why didn't you get an RT again?????????????

`cos i need to go forward in life! new things, changes for the better and new challenges ar the essence of my life !!
thanks for asking anyway....

Welcome back Shangali. Manne ,dus lekker hier in S.A. met al ons sonskyn en braai vleis. Shangali,if you still understand Afr. ?? Welkom teryg.

szalek wrote:Welcome back Shangali. Manne ,dus lekker hier in S.A. met al ons sonskyn en braai vleis. Shangali,if you still understand Afr. ?? Welkom teryg.

Dankie,slazek,ek het jei claar verstan! ek praat ek verstan, mar ek can nie skreyf nie! ek het afrikans slegs van die tv & radio gehoer and geleernt to praat! mar ek kan jey versieker daad ik versuek beter te wees in paar maande!! ek sal alle mails end die mark binnne die bmw-forum in afrikaans de antwoerde!
dit is en promis!! ok?!
as i mentioned in the intro, i am a very proud South African!! .... i did all i could to promote this Land in Europe! since my return zo S.A. in september, ecactly 12
"swisslis" did get to my pride & joy "dream-land"!!
some of them returned with the best remembers in the "hard-drive" of their Brains! the others have not left by now, but so far only good and positive reports!

by the way, did make my first "dive" today! was in the real mud in the morning at boshkop! found a road in da land who showed me my limits!
twenty centimeter thick mud was to good for me, stood still and sliped sideways from the "deck"!
rolling over my shoulder into the gras by the side and court my right rear-mirror and.... yes of couse, borke it off!!
but i was happy not to end up in the dirt! it was horrid! standing on snow or ice is easy for me, but this was a challange just to stand upright, nevermind driving in it with my knowlege! i come just off the tar after 26 years driving!
i was only 300meter into that path! but realised it was to much for me, got the beemer upright again and slided back to the big sandroad i left just minutes ago!
today was a sunny day, here in kwekwe where we park right now! i try to better this one in the morning houers of sunday!
hope to find better conditions to have some fun!!
You want to join the party?? ...... departure is 07:00 in nkwe caravan park!

seen jey later slazek .... het a lekker naweek.....

Aawww.. be asured.. youre not the only one who lost a mirror .. mmm or shall I say mirrors!
My last mirror went in May 2008 in Mozambique, with a broken hand in the process!
But all worth it!

Thanks for sending the pictures of your muddy experience - and good luck for the ride tomorrow!
(I'll be on the tar for a day's ride to the north-west)

Seems your Afrikaans is from netherlands perspective. Nevertheless - you will pick up on it fast enough.

Welcome Shangali! I rode with the club on your first off-road ride and was impressed that you didn’t fall down once! Heck I was impressed that I didn’t fall down once!!! Your new-found enthusiasm is inspiring!

May you ride many memorable off-road kilometres!!!