Off-roading in a VW Polo

Saturday 12th September

Groot Marico

Groot Marico River

I sit watching the sun go down over the hills with the Groot Marico River easy-oasying beneath my feet.  The whole day has not been this serene.

 

Not having far to travel today, we decided it would be worth visiting Kgaswane Mountain Reserve near Rustenburg where it is possible to leave the car behind and go on foot due to the low number of predators.  (There are a few leopards, but they prove very elusive.)

 

Having followed the directions to the letter, we found ourselves driving into what seemed to be an industrial estate so stopped to ask for directions.  As soon as I heard the fateful words, "It's easy - you can't miss it," I knew things would not run smoothly.  The couple then proceeded to argue amongst themselves in Afrikaans about which turning to take before dispatching us on a wild goose chase.

 

After much driving around Rustenburg and its suburbs (not always a pleasant experience) we eventually arrived at Kgaswane, around the time we had planned on leaving there.

 

It seemed as though there was little in the way of wildlife to be seen - a few distant zebra and a family of baboons, but we walked further into the undergrowth nevertheless.

 

Just as we were about to turn back, a rock at the other side of a dried-up stream looked like it moved.  Curious, I clambered down the banks to find that it was, in fact, a giant tortoise and quite a magnificent specimen at that.

 

Giant Tortoise, Kgaswane

Calmly munching away at the tender shoots of grass, it didn't mind as we got up close to examine it.  We spent a good 20 minutes in its company before heading off, already very behind schedule.

 

Running so late, we decided to get to our destination and collect the keys before venturing out to a supermarket.  We are spending the next three nights on a farm by the Groot Marico River, but hadn't realised quite how out of the way it was until the drive here.

 

Leaving Groot Marico, we crossed over 10km of rough dirt track: not unusual for this part of the world.  It was, however, particularly bumpy and took a long time to navigate.  As we turned off for the farm, a worse surface emerged - slate rock cliff.

 

An attempt at a track has been carved in to the sheer face of a slate cliff, with many sudden drops and loose rocks.  This road would present a challenge to any 4x4, yet here we were trying to cross it in a VW Polo.  Crawling along and doing my best to control the car, after 2.5km we arrived, only to be told by the owner that the nearest shop is over 40km away in Zeerust.

 

As we were heading back up that treacherous road in search of sustenance, the farmer took pity on us and offered to give us a lift in their pickup to a local petrol station where we could obtain enough supplies for tonight before tackling the road in the light of the morning to properly stock up.

 

We have food, of a fashion, and will make do until tomorrow, although the climb back up the face of the cliff in our Polo is already a challenge filling us with dread.  For now, though, all is peaceful and well with the world.