It’s time to say goodbye
In Blade Runner, Ridley Scott’s iconic 1982 sci-fi film, there’s a scene where an android, right before he dies, says the following: “I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain”. The good news is that I’m not about to be killed soon, even if my wife might now and then be seriously frustrated because the braai meat isn’t done yet. The bad news is that I’m leaving Drive Out after seven very happy years. I’m referencing the Blade Runner dialogue because it aptly describes some of my emotions. Because you won’t believe how many things I experienced in these seven years that I never wrote about. Like the time I walked backwards in Iceland and, to the delight of a large crowd, fell over a block of ice. Or the time when I was in Mozambique and heard via an SMS from Dana Snyman that Western Province (finally) won the Currie Cup and I immediately cracked a beer. There were many times when I was standing somewhere to take a photo and saw a single shoe lying around, the other one nowhere to be found. To this day I still wonder where all those shoes came from. An where the other ones were. There were fun experiences like driving the legendary Moab 4x4 route in Utah, USA. During this trip a young colleague from another publication got better acquainted with an American girl and snuck back to the hotel in the early morning hours. We were planning on visiting a few shops, but he said he “wasn’t feeling well” and he rather wanted to sleep. Later that day a taxi driver recognised our Jeep caps and asked: “Are you also from South Africa?” “Yes,” one of us answered. “Why do you ask?” “Early this morning, about six o’clock, I picked up a guy at a girl’s house and took him to the hotel. He wore the same Jeep cap as you guys. He said he was from South Africa. Do you perhaps know him?” Needless to say we teased Mr X for a long time afterwards. In the Namib I saw a lone gemsbok standing against a dune. In the Richtersveld I saw how the sun’s rays painted the rocks gold right before sunset. In Mozambique I ate peri-peri chicken barefoot and washed it down with ample D2M beers. I walked along the Kuiseb Riverbed and felt the earth talking to me. In Lesotho my two-day-old bakkie experienced a head-on-head collision (which I thankfully survived). But I had amazing help from the Lesotho police. I even spent the night at a local policeman’s dwelling, enjoying a long chat. To this day I believe – no, I know – that Africa’s people are the friendliest, most helpful people that I’ve ever encountered. And I say that as someone who’s been in more or less 34 countries, from South and North America to Europe and Asia. Yes, Africa has its problems and frustrations, but with friendliness and the showing of respect you can get very far. Ask me, I did.
I’m going to be involved in some exciting projects. The one is as presenter of a series on kykNET, and the other is the planning of a international competition for adventure motorcycle riders. So I’ll still be outdoors and I’m returning to my first love: adventure motorcycling. Here at Drive Out there are big and exciting changes ahead. As of next month Drive Out and WegSleep will become one magazine called go! Drive & Camp. It’s also going to be thicker and we believe there is a lot of synergy between these two markets. Dirk Kok is a seasoned journalist who will be at the helm of this new project. You are in good hands and I believe it’s the start of an exciting chapter.
But it’s time for me to fold up my chair, pull out my tent pens, pack up, climb in my bakkie, and go see what lies on the other side of the horizon. Thank you for your loyal support. And if you bump into me sometime in the future, rather ask me whether I want a beer instead of “What’s the best 4x4?” Because I can tell you now my answer will be: “A white one”.
Right, so buckle up and hold on. Here we go. For the last time.
‘‘As of next month Drive Out and WegSleep will become one magazine called go! Drive & Camp.’’