hi jami, congratulations on getting to capetown, you must have some stories to tell!

good to see the forks kept together, i hope no more dramas.
when you noticed the oil low, how much was required to bring it to an readable level? usually being out of oil will damage the rod bearings and thats a game stopper right away, are you sure it's not just a case of a loose bracket/ sumpgaurd combined with a lower quality oil making you think the worst?

all the best bernard