I should have known! Every time the man in my life spoke about The Ostrich Run he got this boyish glee excitement glow that I find so irresistible. He told me all about the scrumptious and abundant food at Kleinplasie in Oudtshoorn where we would stay, looked at me with bright, eager eyes when he asked if I would join him.

After our previous trip through the Richtersveld I should have known that the boyish glee is almost certainly caused by adrenalin which he loves to get from physical sports of many kinds…marathon running, swimming, diving, hiking, cycling and the king of kings: motor biking!! Preferably off road -the rougher and the more technically challenging- the better.

As a relative newcomer to the world of motor bike riding, I am finding this biker’s world a great adventure with a lot of new experiences and little details to learn along the way.

The thrill and freedom (and sometimes sheer terror!) of travelling at high speed on the back of our white BMW GS 800 is amazing. Everything seems brighter and clearer and more beautiful. I don’t know whether it is fear of death that makes for such a heightened sense of awareness – all I know is I love the feeling!

The world of motor biking has something for everyone. If you are into clothes and fashion, a delight awaits you .. There are accessories, garments of all kinds, gadgets and gizmos too.  When my love took me to buy kit, I absolutely drew the line at wearing the word :”Assault” on my person and opted for a jacket with a feminine touch.  You do get pink biker jackets, but that seemed like cheating to me ..too girlie …I am a biker chick now I growl.

I love the buffs and have one in almost every colour! This indulges my love of colour in a relatively inexpensive way.  I can even wear them as scarves or arm and head bands when not riding, but I digress.  Buffs are really useful to keep your neck warm or keep the dust out or even to tame unruly hair under your helmet. I have found it great to wet your buff to keep you cool when it is  hot. And ladies (or should I say fellow newcomer pillion riders to be gender pc!) , in case your driver forgets to tell you… your jacket will probably have vents that you can open to cool you down in hot weather.

I love the people I have met on the outrides we have done with others . They seem to be a wide and varied bunch united by their passion and love for nature, fun and motor bikes. They are jovial (often a wee bit competitive in the nicest possible way)and love to tease. It takes a while to get all the insider jokes, but my advice is just laugh any way – you can’t go wrong. It is all about having fun!

Kitted out. In the Richtersveld with the cairn we built.