This part of the trip starts about 50km before we reached Werda where we had to refuel and do the other humane things.
| The road that was a wide, two laned sand road that was easy enough to negotiate petered out to a single lane that seemed to stop inside someones farm. Well, we had to do what we had to do. We hauled out the map. We also tried to figure out a GPS we did not exactly know how to use at that stage. A nifty tool that we managed to negotiate (eventually). | |
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Disaster struck!! The road
was almost not visible as it seems that no-one has driven this part from
the farmhouse for years. It is indicated on the map, but that is almost
it. It is full of big holes dug by wild animals (Aardvark??) and by us
trying to make up time as we had a long way still to go Vinkie drove into
one of these holes and busted the oil sump on the engine. It being a
Toyota Hilux with a Ford Essex V6 engine the diff and the sump are a tad
too close for real work.
Well, we had to camp just there and then and take the sump off, plug it with heavy duty glue (which I fortunately had) and fill up with oil (which I fortunately had). How's that for planning for a trip. |
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The problem with the sump was discovered when we arrived at a makeshift fence of thornbush. We moved and as Vinkie went through his friend noticed oil pouring from under the vehicle. Next morning Vinkie convinced his friend to take the lead for a while and would you believe it the road was improving and we could move faster again. Another minor disaster struck a little later as Vinkie wanted to stop for a drink and his friend was somewhat enthusiastic about the prospect and stopped so fast that Vinkie was too late to avoid a collision. |
| You will notice in the picture of the sump episode that the front of the vehicle is covered with some shade netting. It is intended to catch most of the grass seeds that is being picked up in the radiator of the vehicles. This picture show what happens if the net is not there. Get down and get the grass out otherwise overheating is imminent. |  |
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Werda is a town on the Southern border of Botswana where we did a pit stop. To the left is the petrol station and to the right is the other refuelling station. | 
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From there we proceeded to Makopong and just before the town is the turn-off to Mabuasehube. | 
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| Not too far from the Mabuasehube main entrance we decided to have lunch. | 
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Now which way is it, Dad?
Oh yes, that way!! |
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