It was once again freezing cold with frost on the car. We wasted no time packing up so that we could get the heater going in the car! There was hardly any traffic. This normally very dry area looked lush and green and the farmers had put out sheep in the veld again. Good rains had fallen and nature was rejoicing. Close to Britstown, we were tempted to turn of to the Smart Syndicate dam to see how much water the dam had received. It would, however, take a big bite out of our day and we did not want to drive through kudu country in the dark. So we continued. We opted for the Victoria West route, rather than go over De Aar. This road is much quieter, in better condition and much more scenic. The roadworks in Victoria West were thankfully now finished and there were no more STOP/GO’s. The traffic arrangements were very chaotic when we passed through here the last time. We love the beautiful route past Murraysburg. Here too the veld looked good and there was water standing in all the farm dams. While driving past Murraysburg, we thought of our wonderful time there on the mountain club camp which Gavin had arranged. It was fun seeing Spitskop, Krugerskop and Meelberg, all mountains we were now familiar with. We stopped in front of the manse and thought that we heard Gavin’s grandchild crying. It was tempting to go in and say “Hello”, but we did have to move on. By the time we got to Graaf-Reinett, it was lunch time and we decided to use our Wildcard and have lunch in the game area of the Camdeboo Park. We were surprised to see that the dam level was still very low and game was very sparse. The aloes were about to start flowering around Jansenville and the veld looked very lush here too. It was great to see Angora sheep grazing again. At the padstal near Kirkwood we bought a bag of oranges and then we were on the last leg of our “incredible journey”. What a trip it had been. Apart from the southern part of the Central Kalahari, we had been to all the places we went to, before, but it had been great to revisit these wonderful remote places again and we felt very privileged indeed! We also had good company and apart from the Troopy rear axle bearing trouble, which actually got solved remarkably easily and actually added to our adventure, we had no mishaps or injuries. Traveling though Africa has to be one of the most rewarding experiences one can have! I am already dreaming of a next trip!

Geschreven door Leartravels