3400km to Cape Town:  an encore of the rainy season, the Victoria Falls. Two steps forward and we are flushed. Two steps back and the sun shines. So it should always be. Yes, they are impressive, these shatter water masses which thunder here over a width of nearly two kilometers into the depth, onto the rocks a hundred feet below us, swirling high, clustered together in clouds and raining down on us. Two steps forward and we can see it, the subtle rainbow. Sparkling rays in thousands fine droplets. We wipe the wet hair out of the eyes. Two steps back. So, but for now enough of the rain!

3000km to Cape Town:  in the Caprivi Strip we meet Dan. The Briton leads here a simple Ecocamp on the banks of the Kwando and offers boat tours along the river, which flows a little further south into the vast Okavango Delta. We glide through reeds, white and pink water lilies on their thick stalks are reflected in the dark water. Kingfishers dart through the air, a small alligator is sunbathing on the bank. At night we hear the hippos snorting and puffing right next to our tent. However, we don't see big animals. Now at the end of the rainy season, water is available in abundance. The large herds have spread far beyond the region. The border between Angola, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana is one of the most extensive wildlife corridors in Africa.

2600km to Cape Town:  by the Mururani gate we cross the veterinary border in Namibia and from one moment to the other, we seem to have left Sub-Saharan Africa. We have reached the land of white farmers. High fences along the road, only occasionally interrupted by a gate, secured with chain and lock. The campspot search is every night a new challenge. Can we find a gate that is unlocked and is not wearing a too clear "no entry" sign? Or is somewhere a hole in the fence? Are we faster when we heave our stuff over the fence or sqeeze it down by? Sometimes we find the perfect bush camp, but often we have to be content with simply taking what is offered at the moment. An excavator hole or a concrete underpass, where we enjoy the African sunset out of the tunnel.

2000km to Cape Town:  in Windhoek we meet Aschi. He has just gave his farwell to his tour group at the airport and to our happiness he has some days left over. He invites us to visit with him for four days the Etosha National Park. We have drawn the lottery sixes. Aschi knows the park like his pocket, we are always at the right time at the right place. Now in the spring, many animals have babies, and we discover during our game drives not only huge herds of wildebeest, zebra, kudu, oryx 'and Springboks with their offspring, but also lion cubs, waiting patiently in the shade for the return of their mothers. The overnight camps are all near of illuminated waterholes and we sit there until late at night to watch the rhinos, warthogs, elephants and hyenas pass by as they quench their thirst.

1500km to Cape Town:  we leave the main road and cycle now through the southern part of the Namib Desert. The panniers are full, the water container heavy. The days have become significantly shorter, the temperatures drop to zero degrees at night. We climb the dunes of Sossusvlei and later we ride through the surreal landscape of the Tiras Mountains. Orange, ocher, red, brown, the warm colors of the rocks and sand shine forth from the yellow prairie grass, while a soft pale blue sky spans across the width. Later, the green of the Orange River valley creates an exciting contrast. The area is lonely, only now and then we pass simple farms. Probably descendants of Voortrekkers, the Dutch settlers who have evaded to the north during the colonial period of the British regime.

700km to Cape Town:  we enter South Africa. The dry desert climate is behind us. The weather is unfriendly, cold and wet. A trip like through the Scottish Highlands in October. We hope for better weather and hear iPod. The speaker of the news tells what is happening in Burundi. A civil war seems increasingly inevitable. Only just two months ago we were cycling there. Concern - and even anger, that a single man, a president, can break a whole country into the abyss.

400km to Cape Town:  the rain is followed by four crystal-clear autumn days. We decide to ride a loop on gravel roads through the Cederberg Mountains, home of Rooibos teas. A Mediterranean mountain scenery, fantastic views from the top of the Uitkykpass, and then a thousand meters descent down to the sea.

100km to Cape Town:  we pass through wineries, one last ridge and then we already cycle through the first suburbs of Cape Town. Townships of tin huts, surmounted by floodlights, then a high wall, electric fences and barbed wire, the villas of luxury quarters. Never before we have seen such a stark contrast between rich and poor as here in South Africa. A breeding ground for social unrest and violence. For us, a mirror what happens when those who have everything shield themselves against those who have nothing.

Finish line:  in Cape Town it is pouring down with rain again. We make ourselves comfortable in front of the fire in our hostel. Shall pour it yet! A backpacker is trying to take us for a hike stubbornly. When we reject again the second day, he asks annoyed, why we have been come specially to Cape Town when we were actually going to just sit around goofy. We give him only a weary smile. We have earned it to only sit around and to do nothing. Only after a week we hike up Table Mountain, the 1000 meter high mountain of Cape Town. At the summit, a metal panel is attached. It says: "One of life's most precious gifts is time."

Encore:  a part of our journey comes to an end. Ten days left before we fly for a month to Madagascar. There we will lead our group travel to the West Coast. We are looking forward to it! Madagascar remains, even after crossing the whole Black Continent our favorite African country. And so we cycle with this anticipation in the stomach along the coast to Cape Aghulas, the southernmost tip of Africa. It is a leisurely ride with plenty of breaks to sit out the bad winter weather. In between, there are also sunny days. We listen to the waves, watch how the penguins topple into the sea and how the fishermen bring in their catch. We are just enjoying to have reached the target, to have arrived - and naturally we are also diligently making plans, how our trip will go on.