I’ve said it before, but now it can be put into writing… Whoever invented the headlamp needs a medal. It was probably an underage Welsh boy, carrying a canary in a cage, or a filthy tin miner in Devon clutching his lunch by the rolled up crust… Whoever it was… Hats off to you.

How could we have managed braaing in the bush on a moonless night without one?

For all its wild appearance, & in your face nature, there’s actually nothing natural about Sterkfontein dam. It’s a beautiful, gigantic man-made bathtub. A massive reservoir of water, pumped in & out as required to produce hydro-electric power… Eish, bloody clever, these umlungus. However, the pass up & into the heart of the Free State beckoned… The Golden gate… Nothing man-made here, except for the ribbon of tar dissappearing into towering sandstone heights. Driving through the mountains is a very humbling experience. The well maintained road twists & turns through hundreds of millions of years of history. At times like this I envy the geologists, & wish I could read the ancient stories told in the huge, multi-coloured striations standing out like mountainous billboards. There’s a rest camp towards the Clarens end of the reserve, its nestled in the bottom of a canyon, all shiny & squeaky clean… Paved roads, perfectly symmetrical camping sites with trimmed edges… Mmmmm, nothing wild here. Not so lekker for Nyati, but, for tonight, it’s home. The receptionist asked what my residential address was, I told her, “NU 11399”. Hee hee, I love it.

Nyati & I bade farewell to Midmar dam & it’s very accommodating camp sites, & headed for the OFS. It had been a great place for the first stopover. Close enough to home for disbelieving friends to drive up to, to make sure I was REALLY going. Can you believe it ? :-).

No more N Roads if it can be helped… back roads from now on.

Immediately, I recognised the forgotten beauty of the Nottingham Rd, Mooi River & Estcourt farmlands all along the old R103. How had I forgotten so quickly ? Our new, but soulless tollroads have put another, unforseen price onto fast road travel… WOW… I remember now, slow down, if you can, take the old routes…meander… We live in a very special place.
At one time I thought perhaps I was on the wrong Road, then I remembered… there isn’t one. 😉

Through Winterton & Bergville & onto the daunting Oliviershoek pass. Nyati’s most daunting hurdle so far. Water temperature up into the 90’s, slowly, very slowly we crested the mountains & were rewarded with breathtaking views all across Natal. This’s a sight no one can ever forget. I can’t get enough of it…from sitting in a berg cave, or in Nyati’s warm & comfortable embrace… Soul food.

No, before you ask, I couldn’t see your house from there!!

Finally, onto Sterkfontein nature reserve, similar to Midmar, but very much wilder. Nyati’s 4wheel drive capabilities took us to an otherwise inaccessible spot in the wilderness where the truck was surrounded by all sorts of edibles… Tempting, but the fridge’s still well stocked. :-S

Hey, hey…altitude + sunset = bloody cold. The moment the sun went in, so did I.

Here’s the “new look”, pimped up Nyati. Carrying the STS logo, Nyati’s own logo, Nyati’s blog address & a pic of a couple of happy, healthy rhino (as we want to see them all) Hopefully this will raise awareness of STS, & generate much needed cash donations to this great cause. www.rv-nyati.com

Inevitable, I suppose, something was bound to derail Nyati’s march towards final departure. It was all going so smoothly… Slowly, but smoothly, The news that my bookkeeping wasn’t up to date came as no surprise, but, oh God, how can ANYTHING take THIS long to sort out ?

So Nyati’s been hung up here, parked in the “cottage” driveway, for the past couple of months. Gathering dust? Maybe, but living on board has given me the opportunity to get all sorts of bits & pieces done. Again with the help of some friends.

Alan brought around a bloody great big manually operated recovery winch that can be hung off the front or back, as needed.

Carolyn put together a terrific tent-like mozzie net… Very, very cool.

Calvin produced some beautiful signage to promote awareness of Saving the Survivors. The DSTV installation was eventually sorted out. A complete inventory of spares & equipment like a lightweight aluminium trolley & telescopic ladder was bought & stowed away.

How the hell did I imagine Nyati was ready to roll without all this stuff? Not to mention loading the bicycle, chucking out the drinking water tank gauges & replacing them with a basic, can’t go wrong, dipstick system. Buying a great Nikon & on & on & on. Come on you bloody accountants, get on with it… Nyati needs to roll…

Soon, before it bursts at the seams.

From the moment I learned about *Medicin Sans Frontiers* (Doctors without Borders) I’ve admired the organisation. They’re big, international and fearless. They do SO much good for humankind all around the world. Surely a good cause that Nyati could assist. But… Nyati’s an AFRICAN odyssey, running on pure energy, passion, and *joie de vivre.* Everywhere you look, our African wildlife is spiraling into extinction, pushed along by a mixture of obscene international greed and local, poverty stricken, ignorant people who, born without a shred of compassion, would hack the teeth out of their grandchildren for a pair of used red Reeboks. It’s mayhem out there. So… who’s going to stand up for our wildlife? Drs. Johan Marais, Gerhard Steenkamp, their assistants and sponsors, that’s who! They’re local vets who’ve been at the forefront of the effort to fight the effects of this slaughter through their organisation Saving the Survivors for years now. Take a look at their website, you’ll see. ( http://savingthesurvivors.co.za) *Au revoir* MSF you are an awesome organisation … but I’m more passionate about Saving the Survivors… This is an African fight. It’s immediate, it’s here, and it’s NOW. Lets get to it. Spread the word… better still, if you can, donate MONEY!!!

The stark fact that business still has to be concluded should never intrude on our wonderful relaxed lifestyle.

I just LOVE Nyati’s current executive office suite… Works though. 😉

As the Bahrs twins used to declare smilingly from advertising boards all over the country, “Oh Man, Life is great”… So true. Nyati finally drove away from the safety net of Bellevue Rd., home & support base for all these years on Friday 17th April 2015. The mission, to spend time in the great outdoors without any logistical support whatsoever, with the intention of testing all the on-board systems, before returning to “civilisation” to undertake any tweaking that might be necessary. Here, in our magnificent KwaZulu-Natal, one need not travel far to find a wilderness paradise… Less than a half hour’s drive (even at Nyati’s fully loaded pace) is the pristine nature haven of the Shongweni dam… PERFECT. It surely can’t get much better than this… Idyllic setting amongst the trees, perfectly protected from the elements by towering cliffs with kilometres of calm, clean water. The wildlife, zebra, impala, guinea fowl, Egyptian Geese & of course… Those bloody vervets, just kept coming… What a way to start !!! I always intended to keep my glass full, but this is perhaps over filling it. 😀 Nyati performed brilliantly. Barring a few minor glitches such as the water pressure pump running on because it had sucked air into the system… Nothing to worry about. Oh Man, Life IS great !!!

Mmmmm, what a great life… Instead of running around making up wage packets every Friday, I can now have an afternoon kip. 😉

So here they are… Operator card & licence disc. 😀 Nyati’s now 100% legal, licensed, insured & ready to roll. Just a few personal details to iron out… This’s getting exciting now. 😀