December 1, 2025
To Kimberley
Leaving Warrenton, I tuned right in the direction marked for Kimberley, and found myself on a new national highway, the N12. I also found the N12 to be much wider and smoother than its predecessor, the N18. The winning factor was that I got a nice wide hard shoulder back! I was smiling in the morning sunshine and cool fresh air, under a clear blue sky, as I pedalled along singing "Radha on the dancefloor...", for some unknown reason!
The scenery changed again from farmland to open grassland, first a little arid, and later a lush green that I had gotbused to seeing in South Africa. The road undulating all the way, I kept a steady cadence that I was comfortable with. Today I encountered more friendly hoots from passing motorists, for some reason, and always raised my arm in recognition and gratitude. Again, as I have mentioned before, I was alone but not alone.
I also came across the first sign so far, warning motorists to look out for cyclists. This was reassuring, and possibly suggested that cyclists frequent this route, but most likely local cyclists as opposed to tourers. Either way, I kept my eyes open for any company, to no avail.
I rolled into Kimberley just before midday. The town was buzzing and very clean, with the usual wide streets and lack of litter. It reminded me a little of Harare during my school days. Imposing houses, protected by high walls and electric fences, lined boulevards. I cycled through the main part of town, and past an impressive memorial to those who died during the Boer War. I checked into the "75 at Milner" Guest House, which was very pleasant. Run by an elderly couple, it provided a lovely garden, pool and even filtered drinking water on tap! The lady owner told me the mall is less than 700m walk away... it turned out to be 1.6km. When people drive everywhere, as is the case amongst those that afford cars, I think they lose the concept of distance!
In the evening, Anokhi and Alks called for help because the fridge door at home had fallen off its top hinge. With careful instruction, Anokhi heroically managed to get the hinge nut back in place while Alks held the door steady. It was a massive international team effort, which centred around a controversial discussion of what direction "clockwise" was!
Kimberley is the capital city of South Africa’s Northern Cape Province. It’s known for its 19th-century diamond mines, like the deep, hand-dug "Big Hole". The famous De Beers diamond company was born in this town in the 1860s after diamonds were found on the De Beers' brothers farm just East of Kimberley. I hope to explore some of this interesting history, during my rest day here tomorrow.
Today's ride: 75 km (47 miles)
Total: 1,644 km (1,021 miles)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 2 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |