From Beaufort West — the birthplace of heart transplant pioneer Christiaan Barnard and very little else — we continued east-northeast towards Bloemfontein.
The long drive through the Karoo — a shrubby wilderness too vast to comprehend — was a feat of concentration for us both. We completed our first 1,000 kilometres during which overtaking manoeuvres were often difficult, especially when the huge truck hogging the road in front was also pulling a trailer. Dust devils whipped across our path every few minutes.
The road sign at the beginning of the day told us everything we needed to know about traffic casualties around these parts: High accident zone – for 200 kilometres !
We stopped in Colesberg for a break where a huge banner told us to enjoy our lovely day. So we did.
