Reaching the half way mark

The sight of Table Mountain means its time for a rest
For onward transport from Vanrhynsdorp I had to hitch from the N7, a short walk from town. There are some vehicles I don’t bother stick my hand out for: middle-aged men in white BMWs, and women with children. Its a surprise then when a woman with two children in the back stops.
‘I didn’t think you would have stopped for me’ I say.
‘I think my husband would kill me.’
A little further south lies Clanwilliam, in the Cederberg mountains, mountains which Dias called ‘the three wise men from the East’ when sailing to the Cape. Its in Clanwilliam I meet a lovely man who takes me on to Lambert’s Bay:
‘You’ll have to forgive the car’ he says, ‘these European imports don’t like the Western Cape heat.’ Then he says: ‘So, answer all the usual questions for me…’
‘Well, I came up with this mad idea to circumnavigate Africa – ‘
‘What’s made about that?’ he says. I really like the guy! He’s great company and takes me 50 km out of his way.
It’s fantastic to be back within the smell of the sea. A sign in town reads ‘the residents of Lambert’s Bay request you do not encourage 1) beggers, 2) crayfish smuggling, 3) car washers.
To head south still I must return to Clanwilliam. At the N7 junction there I only have to wait 20 minutes or so for a ride in a bakkie (pickup). From there its onwards through the towns of Piketberg and Malmesbury to Cape Town, and a well deserved rest. Cape Town marks the half way point of my journey, and the 6-month mark also. There’s a lot to celebrate.
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About Ian M Packham

Ian is a freelance travel writer, adventurer and after-dinner speaker. The author of two travelogues, he specialises in Africa and has spent a total of two years travelling around the continent, largely by locally-available transport.
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