Aliwal North

Aliwal North is just in the Eastern Cape province, other side the wide flowing Orange River. There's already an incredible bleakness, also parchedness and exceptional quality of sunlight about it that is so Great Karoo. And wide open spaces too, not unlike the smiles of the people on the side of the roads in towns with names like Zastron, Rouxville (both in the Free State) and then Jamestown. My only regret today is that I was in a hurry.

Yesterday I squeezed in 200km before sunset. Today, although I was up at 3am tearfully loving a dog retching blood because of severe bronchitis (knowing, too, it would be another six hours before the vet was available), I was on the road from Volksrust by 7am. By sunset I had covered just over 1000km. But a rush it was, which is not how I like it. Not one of the jewels on my path was I able to savour.