395Km
Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face, or in our case you land on the R572 to Tom Burke. But more about that later.
We’ve learned our lesson with ‘early’ starts and this morning we really want to get an early start. We’ll go without breakfast and gamble on getting something to eat before turning on each other. So at 4h45, I start packing, Izabel left her pants outside to dry and must shake out a few spiders first. Just after 5:30 am we hit the road and it is already clear there will be more of what we had yesterday – heat.
It is a beautiful day and I ride thinking how the first 30km feels so much different than the last 30km of a day. Early in the day you see the smallest thing and stop to admire a female caterpillar next to the road but during the last 30km, you don’t even see the albino elephant, 1 of only 3 in existence standing in the middle of the road and when you do you hurl insults at it for standing in your way. Suffice to say that the first 30km is like riding on a cloud.
But then all hell breaks loose, slowly. At first, just a few potholes, then a few more, and then hell came down. All of a sudden it dawned on me to take ‘broken tar’ on the Maps4Africa map seriously. Much like a super moon, it is extremely difficult to show this in pictures so I’ll try to explain. The tarmac surface is disintegrating leaving potholes large than the tarmac and heavily corrugated gravel session. So unlike a gravel road where you can find a rhythm, there is none to be found here. It is just relentless.
After 30km of this I desperately started looking for an exit as it was clear I won’t make it to the other side, the GP Ice says still 60km of this to go.
I find one but it is a 50km detour and I have no idea what the road is like but at this stage, I’m willing to gamble it and I make a short left to Tolwe. What do I find less than 1km in?
But I push through and what a nice road it turned out to be. Deep sand and lots of flooding but way more ridable than the road we just left.
Today I wade through the water, as deep as the front axle, slower than yesterday sparing Izabel a muddy spray.
It is at this stage that you regret the decision you made earlier in the day like having a late start or faffing around. The midday heat does not come gradually, one minute it is pleasant the next you know it’s going to be a swamp ass day. We are a bit worried about food since it is the day before New Year and most shops close early. We pass through Lephalale and only stop to fill up and drink some water.
From here it is a long hot 150km to Thabazimbi. We stop regularly to hydrate, something we did not do yesterday and that took its toll.
When we enter Thabazimbi we find the place buzzing so I stop for some meat and wine, tonight we braai!
Stocked up we get going, it’s just 9km to go to Marekele Animal Sanctuary. Here we stay in one of their safari tent just a few feet away from one of the Lion enclosures. Tonight is going to be wild.
You have been warned. The sad thing is that we often hear about tourists being attacked by these animals and then the animal is put down. There is no such thing as a tame wild animal, GET IT THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULL HOMO SAPIEN. Just the fact that these signs need to be put up is proof of how stupid our species are.
Some of the magnificent creatures at Marakele Animal Sanctuary.
This is our last night before returning home tomorrow. It’s bittersweet. We’ve missed the grandchildren a lot but we loved everything we’ve experienced together during these 21 days. But we could not have ended it on a better note, in the bush surrounded by the sounds of nature while eating braaivleis and drinking wine. Tonight when we go to sleep it will be while listening to the sound of lions roaring and hyenas laughing.
Happy New Year! Here is to a great 2022 and many more trips and adventures. I know that I will be planning the next trip for sure, regardless of what 2022 brings.
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