The riding conditions today were wet but pleasant. We took our time and stopped quite often. In Swartruggens we met a couple at the old station, living their dreams and planting new plants.
We got to Groot Marico, the area made famous by Herman Charles Bosman (and mampoer - Schnapps for the German readers). We decided to ride through the small town looking for a camping site. Keat saw an information sign board and we stopped. The information office is an old farm house, manned by Santa van Bart. She told us many interesting stories about the history of the house and the area.
Another lady joined us. Wendy Gainsford lived for seven years in New Zealand and returned to South Africa recently. Life in New Zealand felt like waiting to die, according to Wendy.
Then Santa went inside and returned with a bottle Marico water (mampoer). All guests normally get only two drops of mapoer mixed with honey. The two drops are huge drops. Massive drops. Small glasses actually.
Sandra organized for us to stay the night on a farm 12 km from Groot Marico, with Johan and Sarie from Marunthwane Guest Farm.
Johan is a character, one of those people that could entertain people for a whole evening. As we got there he and his wife welcomed us like old friends. He described himself as the mampoer master of Groot Marico. We had to brush teeth immediately with his high quality mampoer. And then another set of teeth, and a third set.
Wonderful people. What a privilege to have met these wonderful couple.
Tomorrow is going to be a long riding day. We are (hopefully) going to cross the border close to Lobatse. Then follows a long ride of nearly 370 km of nothing except the barren Kalahari. There is only one fuel stop at Kang where we plan to camp on Thursday night. We will have to stretch the legs of the KLRs as there is no fuel until we reach Kang. I look forward to the ride tomorrow.
Listerning to the stories of Santa (Keat and Wendy)
Hmmmm....
Keat and Johan preparing two "spatsels" per glass
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