Sucker for punisment?

When they said “Kgalagadi, here we come!” were they brave words uttered in the heat of the moment or just misguided bravado? Deon Boshoff from St Francis Bay elaborates.

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The Boshoffs travel exploits are well-known in this publication.

We last heard from them in #60, the April-May 2024 issue where they were singing the praises of their Suzuki Ignis' as towing vehicle for their little home-built caravan. Christened “Karretjie” and “Vaantjie” they took to the Cederberg where they managed to conquer loose-gravelled hills and tooth-rattling corrugations, proclaiming proudly “Kgalagadi, here we come!”

Deon says it seems like eons since those words leapt off his laptop onto these pages. They had subsequently found their way to the Kgalagadi, which had a few surprises in store for them...

We had read the recommendations regarding suitable vehicles for the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park beforehand, but to be honest, I've mostly tackled the 'don’t do's' in my life with very little respect. Some rightly so, while others got me into trouble.

We weren't supposed to need 4x4 or any more ground clearance where we went, yet... here we were... our little Ignis with the small caravan in tow stalled in the sand, 30 km from Nossob. The height and width of the soft corrugations acted perfectly like those truck traps on their way down on steep mountain passes.

Caroline, my wife, gave me that look. You know the one. Fellow travellers on the other hand gave me different looks. Either 'I told you so' or 'brave idiot'. Luckily, Johan from Newcastle was sympathetic and came to our aid. He was very apologetic that his replacement knees prevented him from offering any physical help.