So, how was your Christmas ? I've had my battery on my phone go into ' melt down ' mode, with the heat in the Kalahari Desert. It was hovering at 40 degrees, but can hit 50 !! So unfortunately I could not do the blog. But, we are here now.
Christmas Eve was spent in Calvinia, northern South Africa. It's a small town of Afrikaans. ( Dutch of 400 years ago). I find the Afrikaans really genuine and hospitable people. Always there to help each other, with much higher levels of unity, humanity and comeradery, than would be 'normal'. (UK normal that is). I was in the hotel bar, messing about on Facebook, as you do. Nine Afrikaans guys were at the bar and of course speaking Afrikaans. When one came over to me and, in English, invited me to join them. They were all slightly confused why I had sat on my own, I'd even say, slightly insulated. (Oops).
Well the short version of the night would be, we sank a shed load of Jagermeister. (Which seems to be the Afrikaans national drink). Sang the Calvinia Men song, (which apparently is about drinking, fighting and sex). So all the important stuff then. Where I was offered a job as a Ranch Hand, on a 50,000 acre farm. Mind you, I do need to learn how to ride a horse, as they didn't seem keen on me herding the cattle on my Chonda !!
I've not had many Christmas dinners in recent years and I'd forgotten it's Turkey. So, when I paid for my hotel Christmas dinner, I was actually expecting roast beef, Yorkshire puddings, potatoes and gravy. (That's Sunday Dinner, Duh!!). Not to worry, what I actually got was cold meat and salade noodle things!! Not exactly the best, but hey ho.
So I had two days in Calvinia, as the petrol station was closed. But finally set off on Boxing Day through the Kalahari Desert. I had some 420 km to cover on the Chonda, to get to Upington. The road was looooong !!! Uneventful terrain, just a straight road ahead of you, and a 4x4 passing every half an hour. I just got my I pod out and pushed on.
Bar my mobile phone battery being cooked by the heat, the journey was very business like. Not too much to report. And little to take pictures of. That is apart from a comedy ......er....ahum.....Man Garden incident. Now known as Man Garden Gate!!!
But that's for the next blog. Just bring a fire extinguisher with you. :)
