UPINGTON AND FURTHER NORTH

The road from Olifantshoek to Upington, is long, flat and straight. Trucks carrying goods to Namibia hog the road, as they slowly creep to the border post at Upington. The Land Rover was swallowing fuel in great gulps. We would need to re-fuel in Upington. In an effort to reduce the fuel consumption, we would not switch on the air-conditioning. I was hot, and my hair had blown around with the open windows. The temperature was climbing to 37 degrees C. I envied the Mullins in their Nissan X-Trail, as they sat in cool comfort, with their air-conditioning unit keeping them cool. They did not need to re-fuel so often either.

Suddenly, green vegetation appeared on our left. We were admiring the lush, vertile valley of the Orange River. The Orange River was named many years ago, after the Dutch Prince of Orange. It flows through this semi-desert region, giving it its name of "The Green Kalahari". The river creates a cool micro-climate for the growing of grapes. The soil consists of alluvial deposits, granite, dolerite and shale. The grape varietals are sultana, columbard, chenin and hanepoot. These make up some of my favourite semi-sweet and dessert wines. Only 3% of the grapes are red varietals. The wine route stretches 300 kilometres, and vineyards are found on both banks. All together there are 794 wine farms in this region. Cotton and lucerne are also grown here. The Orange River with its fertile valley brings life to the harsh and dry landscape.

We stop at Upington, refuel, and off we go on the long, straight road which leads up to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. I remember the days when the tarred road suddenly ran out about five kilometres after Upington. In those days, we had 280 kilometres of sandy and badly corrugated gravel roads. I recall one year it had rained, and Noel had to tow a farmer out of the mud, and then a few kilometres on, a Park visitor.

The scenery changed to high rolling sand dunes, and flat grey salt pans. The salt pans reminded Dave of the World Land Speed record which was set by Malcolm Campbell in 1929. The salt pan was Verneukpan, and it is some 30 kilometres south of Upington. We saw a salt mine with a large heap of salt crystals glistening in the sun. We passed modest, little homesteads, which housed members of the local farming community. Big untidy bunches of dried thatch-grass appeared on telephone poles. These are communal nests for the small Social Weaver. I looked out for the ochre-coloured and burnt-orange sand dunes decorated with rows of sand ripples. I enjoy seeing these. It was already a hot Sunday afternoon, and then...

 

The new gate to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

 

 

The road lead to a gate, and a sign saying "Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park" and then a big round building with a sign outside saying "reception". Twee Rivieren, at last !!!

The new reception building at Twee Rivieren