Beyond Lockdown – Day 22

“All I wanted to do was get back to Africa.
We had not left it, yet,
but when I would wake in the night
I would lie, listening,
homesick for it already”…
– Ernest Hemingway (Green Hills of Africa)
Expedition: #BeyondLockdown
Timeline: Day 22
Distance: Nearly 9000km
Province: #westerncape
Destination: #HomeSweetHome

I’ve always thought that Hemingway – despite his larger than life ego – somehow captures the nuances of man’s relationship with the Mother Continent better than most, and the above quote cuts to the quick of my sentiments following on from our

Isuzu South Africa

#BeyondLockdown journey. I’m back with my beautiful family, but deep down you’ll never completely douse that seminal yearning for the wild places scattered upon this untamed tip of Africa

It has been an incredible journey with Chief Adventurer

Peter Van Kets

,

Peter Kirk

and

Zane Schmahl

, with dozens of adventures which will remain etched in our minds. When you try to think back on the three weeks of travel, it is impossible to even decide where to start…

Jumping into the surging cauldron exploding from the Wild-Coast’s #HoleInTheWall; sketchy scrambles up #BlouPunt Pinnacle in #NamaquaWestCoast; hugging the 2000-yr old #KurisaMoya tree in #Magoebaskloof; cranking past vibrant graffiti art on an urban adventure in #Jozi; gap-jumping rock chasms on rugged #Mariepskop; aqua encounters with morays and flamingos in #iSimangaliso; dune-tracking with the San people in #Kgalagadi; free-diving a fresh-water sinkhole in #GrootMarico; or star- struck nights in #KarooGariep Conservancy …
But I do know where this all coalesce and take shape, and that is within the hearts and minds of the awesome people shaping our gritty Rainbow Nation. It is they who make this country what it is, building up what has been broken down by bureaucrats and politicians, starting from grass roots and never, ever giving up. These are some of their faces…
We met dozens of intoxicating and quirky characters, from bird-wizard guides and #eBike activists, to barefoot organic cheesemakers, Honey Mama beekeepers, snaggle-toothed octopus hunters, bearded and utterly feral tree-huggers, wild-eyed moonshine distillers, Zen beachbum surfers, big-picture ecologists, boerboel-bedonnerde boertjies, proud Boesman dune queens, and the full gamut of ordinary Joes and Janes, all believing South Africa is worth saving.
But to do this, we have to all pull finger, and get the hell out there & support #localtourism. Your weekend visit may just be the deciding factor as to whether an upstart #Thongaland travel entrepreneur gets to feed his family, or whether a Xhosa kayak operator on the Wild Coast pays his staff for another month. Loads of tourism individuals have literally not earned a single cent since lockdown started, and are staring down the barrel of a loaded gun.

So be the change or, as PVK says, ‘keep the HOPE fires burning’, if only for all the good folk fighting for survival keeping in Namaqua West Coast, Khomani San, Karoo Gariep Conservancy, Eelco Meyjes, Magoebaskloof, Zwakala Brewery, Kruger2Canyon, Thongaland Travel & Coffee Bay Kayaking … you may not have ever heard of any of these operators or places, but once you meet the people behind the scenes, you’ll end up friends forever.

Our 9000km Beyond Expeditions road trip with #IsuzuSA & #DunlopTyresSA to support #SAtourism may be over, but there are so many stories left to tell, so please stay tuned. We’ll be sharing the imagery, footage and content we generated over the next month or two, and do our best to convince you to #playloacal and #staylocal. And once again, kudos to the folk at #Isuzu for believing in #BeyondLockdown: this trip could not have happened without the unstoppable #DMAX & #MUX, or the top #GrandTrek tyres from

Dunlop Tyres SA which helped us #TakeTheRoad!
Front Runner South Africa
SPOT Africa
Outdoor Warehouse
IHFProducts – Polar in SA
Core Merino
Squirt Cycling Products
DarlingBrew
RSi SmartCanopy
SnoMaster
Weber Braai SA
Galefele Matlhwăi Molema
Sony
FIRST ASCENT
Vagabond Kayaks
Baleia Wines & Olive Oil
Northern Cape Tourism
Utshwayelo, Kosi Bay Mouth Lodge & Camp
Groot Marico, RiverStill guest farm
Fryers Cove Winery
The Fat Olive Country Restaurant
Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region
Ocean View Hotel, Coffee Bay
Pure Endurance Solutions – Pty Ltd
#ISUZUSA #WITHYOUFORTHELONGRUN #DUNLOPTYRESSA #TAKETHEROAD #FRONTRUNNERZA #BORNTOROAM #SPOTAFRICA #GETLOSTSTAYFOUND #POLARSA #LISTENTOYOURBODY #BALEIAWINES #WEBERBRAAISA #OZONEAFRICA #ANDBREATHE

Click here to view the pics

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