Trip Notes
Letter from the Editor
It was during our visit to N/a’an ku sê Wildlife Sanctuary in Namibia when the link with our previous odyssey to Botswana in Mitsubishi’s new Pajero Sport (also featured in this edition) was revealed …
Marlice van Vuuren, co-founder of N/a’an ku sê, provided the clues which exposed connection between these two destinations. Having grown up with the San people – and now also running a clinic for them at Epukiro in eastern Namibia – she possesses a good understanding of their history and culture.
According to her, the San community at D’kar – the small village we visited in Botswana – is mostly from the Naro and Dcui San, but members from the !Xun (!Kung) and Khwe also live in their midst, displaced by the onset of the Angolan war when they were banished from Namibia for not siding with the South African security forces.
And, while all these San groupings have a common heritage and shared customs, they are now spread all over southern Africa – most still living in precarious circumstances in a state of migrancy.to think, we learnt all this while setting out to do a mini-dakar journey and a road trip to meet a cheetah!
In keeping with the heritage theme, we further uncovered some of the history of our country when we participated in an Isuzu tour in the Eastern Cape; not only to commemorate the 80-year old heritage of the manufacturer, but also to celebrate the Xhosa culture and its heritage.
We also joined the Braai Tour, a road trip along the Garden Route towards Port Elizabeth to promote National Braai Day, while Jim Freeman pursued another traditional favourite by visiting the so-called Brandy Route – all in the name of heritage, of course …
For those more internationally minded, we undertook a trip from Burghausen in Germany to Bled in Slovenia with Hyundai’s latest Priusfighter, the Ioniq. While we probably will not see this hybrid in South Africa anytime soon, it is interesting to see how frugal it can be on a European road trip.
Amid our travels for this edition, we stopped in Paternoster, the jewel of the West Coast, took a BMW X1 to Bainskloof Pass, investigated how upmarket tented camps can really be, and evaluated some new rubber from General Tire specifically aimed at the 4x4 and leisure vehicle market.
So, join us on our heritage journeys to all parts of our beautiful country, and feel free to share your own heritage memories with us. Who knows? Your photograph might just win you some great prizes …