“Here we go again”, I thought… Nyati’d crested a rocky ridge & there it was…dejavu… On the left devastation, on the right, the Olympic Emblem, but in bright variations of green.
The centre pivots of Kakamos.
Again, the vines, citrus & lucern fields shone in the midday sun, streams of diamonds sparkling out of monstrous irrigation machines for miles in all directions. Who would be a dry land farmer when you could have THIS  ?

Nyati’s path had returned us to the banks of the Orange.

This was as far as we could go North West in this part of the Republic.  Across the river was Namibia, & a few kilometres ahead was the Augrabie Falls National Park, home to the famous waterfalls, run by The South African National Parks & the only destination I’d punched into Nyati’s GPS,  way back then, in Natal… I held my breath.

Oh no… “Don’t do it, please don’t do it”…

I’d read in the newspapers, that Zuma was the philanderer, with uncountable offspring spread across the country. Well looking at it from here, it looks like the other one, the one who sat in jail for so long while his wife, “the mother of the nation” reportedly cavorted in the jacuzzi with the bodyguards, throwing Stompies out of the window. The leader who, history tells us, refused to refute the use of violence, in return for his release. While members of his organisation planted bombs in shopping centres & exploded a car bomb outside the crowded Magoo’s nightclub.
How could he be responsible ?  He was safely tucked away.
Eish… From monster to Messiah at the stroke of a pen.
Yup…That one, he might have travelled this path… SO MANY look just like he did around here, except for the size & the toothy “come here, let me eat you up” smile.

“OH NO”. She did it… “Oh my God, why  ?
Corporate training, I suppose”.

A huge, happy, welcoming smile, as wide as the Augrabie canyon itself…
Everything in the front… gone…empty North & South.
Blue gums shining…
The perfect passion gap.

“Oh shit, don’t show any fear.”
She’d looked a lot like him, & filled the female uniform better than he would’ve…
Hee, hee,  this was a BIG Girl… Oh yeah.

Nyati’d caused quite a stir at the park gate & had to be inspected by several uniforms. It was all very good natured, & their sense of humour was infectious I breathed a sigh of relief, relaxed & knew the next few days would be fun.

They were.

The Augrabie Falls National Park’s a treasure. Very well set out, built, maintened, administered & run… Hats off to everyone working there… Not for long though… Those bloody midges will eat you alive.

As if to prove the small world theory, I bumped into a lovely Kloof couple, Reg & Vivi Taylor. They’d been given a heads up on Nyati by Dave Woodley & the Highway Mail article.  Note the “midge keepers” hat lifted to one side to chat to Dave…

Imagine what it’s like here in summer… It’s only September, Spring time now, & the Mercury’s touching 40c… The granite rocks crack… Yes, crack, in the heat. I took lunch & wandered out for a nice leisurely midday picnic watching the water… Yo, yo, yo.
Luckily I found a very smelly, but shady cave for shelter… The picture tells the story.  Blistering sun, soothing shade, midge swatting device, AK4.7 (anti baboon weapon) & lunch.
The falls ARE as spectacular as advertised, with a great network of viewing points connected by well constructed walkways. A fun, touristy place.
I stayed an extra night because I enjoyed falling asleep to the distant sound of the falls.

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