Johannesburg to Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park via Kuruman

We departed Jo-Burg on the 22nd after picking up our 4 x 4 camper and headed west to Kuruman for a pit stop after a long 7 hour drive. The landscape was primarily flat (unusual for South Africa so far) and arid prairie. We spent the night camping at Red Sands Lodge. This was our first night setting up the camper and spending a night so we were very smart in our planning…we picked up a bucket of KFC and cole slaw for dinner, lit a fire, dug into the chicken and slaw, sipped on wine and beer and sang along with “one two three o’clock rock” that was blasting over the campground from a wedding being held at the lodge nearby.

We departed the next morning for an approximately 350 km drive out of which about 160 km was washboard, pot-holed gravel and sand. Our bones didn’t stop rattling until an hour after our arrival in the Kalahari desert at Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in North Western SA. The desert is as they say, hot during the day and very cold at night. It was -6 C this morning and warmed up to at least 28 C in the afternoon. We took it easy today and updated the blog, relaxed in the sun and barbecued chicken, squash and scalloped potatoes over the brai (BBQ) while the sun set over a dusty hue in the distance. The stars are amazing at night in the desert and the Milky Way (absolutely stunning) can be seen from the Northern to Southern horizon. After much contemplation on our existence on this tiny blue planet and our place in the universe and feeling a little numb from the cold I crawled into bed (Joyce crashed earlier) and dreamed about driving down endless bumpy gravel roads! My place in the universe for the next 6 weeks!