Home Away from Home - The First Leg
In my forty six year when I should, as most men my age, been contemplating the next tablet I should be taking or the state of the world and its economy, I decided instead, to do something I have never done before, not even in my youth. I decided to go on a road trip and what a journey it is turning out to be.
Driving through the North West Province I was struck by the lush vegetation that had sprung up as a result of the good rains. The saturated ground was dotted with water and in the open fields the first signs of the farmers labour was visible as little shoots of maize crept slowly skyward to capture the rays of the sun.
People lined the junctions, leading to small towns, in the hope of procuring a ride as taxis, cars and busses, packed to capacity with people, boxes and various other paraphernalia, raced past eagerly transporting their patrons home just in time for the festivities. Trucks, fully laden, occasionally caused a slowdown in traffic, as they made their final deliveries before the long weekend.
And then the familiar colours of the semi desert as you pass Olifantshoek on the way to Upington. The dryness of the earth, painted in various shades of brown, by plants that have been starved of water for far too long. Sheep dot the landscape adding a touch of white to the scene. Here and there kokerboome rising high above the ground with their thick succulent crowns. The road, a ribbon of black snaking its way across the landscape.
I turn of the paved road and onto a secondary unpaved road. Dust rises up behind the vehicle like a veil blowing in the wind. The final stretch of the journey and rising from the distance a farm house, its shed and lush little garden. Full of warmth and love. An oasis in the desert. A place I have the privilege of calling “home” ;-)
Driving through the North West Province I was struck by the lush vegetation that had sprung up as a result of the good rains. The saturated ground was dotted with water and in the open fields the first signs of the farmers labour was visible as little shoots of maize crept slowly skyward to capture the rays of the sun.
People lined the junctions, leading to small towns, in the hope of procuring a ride as taxis, cars and busses, packed to capacity with people, boxes and various other paraphernalia, raced past eagerly transporting their patrons home just in time for the festivities. Trucks, fully laden, occasionally caused a slowdown in traffic, as they made their final deliveries before the long weekend.
And then the familiar colours of the semi desert as you pass Olifantshoek on the way to Upington. The dryness of the earth, painted in various shades of brown, by plants that have been starved of water for far too long. Sheep dot the landscape adding a touch of white to the scene. Here and there kokerboome rising high above the ground with their thick succulent crowns. The road, a ribbon of black snaking its way across the landscape.
I turn of the paved road and onto a secondary unpaved road. Dust rises up behind the vehicle like a veil blowing in the wind. The final stretch of the journey and rising from the distance a farm house, its shed and lush little garden. Full of warmth and love. An oasis in the desert. A place I have the privilege of calling “home” ;-)
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