The constraints caused by COVID-19 make quite high demands on our imagination. After many days at home on my own, I obviously miss people, but I equally miss being able to travel. In the week before lockdown started, I spent two days in the Western Cape. The evening in between I went to the Strand’s beach to wait for sunset. It was one of the most beautiful ones ever and I still enjoy the memories and photos. A cast of gulls, one lazy seal and a group of surfing dolphins added colour to the picture. Despite a load of loadshedding throughout the day, the guy at the corner cafe was able to scrape together a chocolate ice cream for me. Yes, life could not have been better at that moment …

And then the long time at home started, which is really nice, but the seductive voices of distant horizons never cease calling.

Since the beginning of 2019, I had known that my mother’s brother and sister-in-law, their daughter, son-in-law and two granddaughters were planning an epic trip for 2020 through the Northern Cape and Namibia. Two more of their daughters and a son-in-law live in two different parts of England and their son and his family in the Cape. My nieces and nephew, their families and I have been in contact sporadically only, as happens with the hectic lives we lead. In the end it slipped my mind when the journey would begin.

On the 9th of May I was chatting to my cousin in London when she told me that the journey would just have started, had it not been for the COVID-19 lockdown. She said that the family had decided to continue anyway, but with a virtual journey on WhatsApp and Facebook. Best of all, they asked if I wanted to join them. In the end, a whole group of family and friends are now travelling along from the comfort of our homes in England, the Cape, Pretoria and the West Rand.

Early every morning, my aunt publishes a map of the route or various possible routes that will be followed that day. We then plan which tourist attractions we would like to visit on our way. Fellow travellers who are more industrious, may add a photo of our breakfast ‒ including porridge, scones and even waffles.

Throughout the day, people upload some of the most amazing photos ‒ some dating from previous trips to the same places, to scanned photos from magazines and brochures, and even online videos of the plants, animals, reptiles or birds found in that area. Family legends are also told, like this one about Kuiseb Canyon:

On one of our trips we travelled with Brother At ‒ it was through the mountains again (a shorter route than the main road) ‒ and as usual we stopped for lunch in the Kuiseb Canyon. There is a nice place for a braai on the sand in the shade of some trees. There At told me this interesting story.

 

 On a previous occasion they did the same thing, and while waiting for the coals to be ready, At’s son Jan, who was just a tjokkertjie at that time was playing around and got stung by a scorpion. They had no first-aid stuff in the car, and were getting frantic because Jan started showing symptoms of trauma. At remembered once hearing that spirits applied to the sting helped, but they had no such thing with them. He said a prayer, and immediately after that, on looking around, spotted half a bottle of methylated spirits just lying in the sand. They used that, and Jan improved immediately!

Throughout the day we devise plans for what we will have for dinner, discuss the attractions, tease each other, make jokes and plan the night’s accommodation.

As far as the photos are concerned, I have to mention that my mother’s brother is an excellent photographer and that his photos from previous trips there ensure daily highlights.

The Afrikaans vocabulary of the Brits who are travelling along, is expanding considerably and now includes words such as padkos and tjokkertjie!

Some of my favourite destinations so far have been the Richtersveld and of course the dunes of the Namib! Kolmanskop’s haunting images of deserted houses were scary, but beautiful, and Henties Bay recalled fond memories of a visit there with my parents in the 1970s.

This trip is a treat ‒ we literally see EVERYTHING there is to see. Money is no problem. Cars never break down. No one oversleeps in the mornings or gets lost. The weather cannot hamper our plans. Food doesn’t make us fat. But we learn a lot and also get to know each other better.

I will be very sad when we arrive “back home” again. I can definitely recommend such a trip. It is a good idea to choose a route with information that is readily available and that at least one of the fellow travellers knows quite well. Furthermore, a group of less than twenty people is nice, because while some of us have to work during the day, others have time to search and publish information. Everyone should have a good sense of humour. And of course a creative imagination.

One day when I am old and grey (DV), I will remember this as one of the best trips of my life and I sincerely thank all my fellow travellers for the privilege that I (and my dog!) had sharing this journey with them!