RI7ER JOURNAL POSTS

We departed the Dankbaar farm after a lazy start of writing and coffee on the stoep, visited the few sickly lambs. Lucky looked he was gonna make it. A chatty breakfast with the family, discussing the Orange River. It was raised to my attention again by Jomari whether the river starts in Lesotho or South Africa. It is a fine line . My older maps say Lesotho.

We were now going to drive a lap of the Gariep Dam.

We then met Lappies at Oviston, in our passing by we quickly discovered that Lappies walked the Orange River from Aliwal North to the sea over 30 years ago, took him about 7 months he says. Here i was in a modern vehicle telling him what a journey we are currently undertaking. I felt rather humbled and dwarfed by his exploits. He also walked from Durban to the old Rhodesia.

Stops at the Bethulie bridge where i spotted a tree i had camped out under earlier this year and realised it was an actually an island, and not a a flat plain over to Bethulie town.

A cold coke in the gum tree shade in Bethulie and we continued and completed the Lake Gariep Tourist route.

Then off to Waschbank Game Lodge at Norvalspont, for a night in beds, hot showers and a restaurant meal, contributed by Stefan Botha of Dankbaar.

By Rob Wilson