It's been a life changing couple of months exploring this misnomer, the bad-land, this high, dry country.
The Kalahari & Karoo have thrilled my senses & captured my imagination on so many levels.
Most farms are completely self sufficient… No "Eskom", certainly no "Regional water supply", cell phone coverage's patchy at best. They can't "Pop up to the shop", delivery of anything's out of the question, medical too.
So they're very self reliant people.
Loners. A little distant.
To me, it appears that everyone & everything's living "on the edge" there, resulting in a serious "push back" culture.
Don't talk… Just do.
Lets not even start on what it takes to survive Summer… Or Winter.
I've tried to visit in between the extremes, but MAN it's been BLOODY HOT out in the open.
I'm now sure that unless you're born to it, that life would destroy the strongest of us.
Here's the thing… Everyone I was privileged to meet & speak to, loves living there.
They're generally quiet, humble & self-assured but very well grounded.
They're an integral part of the nature of the place. They know where they've come from & they're not going anywhere.
There's nothing transient about any of them. These people arn't given to flitting about. Generations of them've been born, lived & died in isolation, on those same farms.
Lately there've been life changing developments in solar energy, battery technology, communications & of course DSTV.
I think of the children being born into the Internet age, in the Kalahari, like soon to arrive, little Adam Bekker on Ka Kolk… What does life hold in store for him & his sister ?
Will they have families of their own on Ka Kolk ?
Will Johann leave a "Jackal free" enterprise to them, or will Adam ride the scorching range with his trackers… Just like his Pa, Oupa & theirs before them ?
Whatever the future holds, it will be determined by their decisions & actions, theirs alone.
There're no handouts & no safety nets given or expected here.
Adios dry country.
Nyati's leaving the Tankwa Karoo now, down through the Swartruggens & Witteberge mountain ranges into milder climes.
Wow, beautiful landscapes but so bleak, if it wasn’t for the blue skies some of those photos look like they could have been taken on the surface of Mars. I bet you’re looking forward to seeing the ocean again.
Yup I'm sitting in Ceres right now. It's SO nice & cool & the TREES. I really have missed having trees around.
It's going to be wonderful to hear the sound of surf again, that's for sure.
Eish Paul, that’s really some baron landscape there, I bet people don’t buy land there they get paid to have it lol…..
Ja, it's hectic Man.
Take a look at the NASA feed from their Mars explorer "Curiosity"… It's similar in appearance.
I guess sheep would need even more hectares per head there. 😛
Following your movements man…..just stay alive ! Sunday 25th October.
Thanks, you can count on that George.
But will YOU ? 😉