Heading out of Springbok we just went the same way we have been heading since we left Cape Town – straight north. The landscape gradually changed and it was as if the rocky hills lost more and more of their harshness and became softer as we went along. Quiver trees stood between the rocky hills, as if they were sentries stationed there for life, guarding the hills and all life sustained by it. We reached Steinkopf by noon and sat at the garage in the dust and sun, undecided whether to push on to the border or whether we should just keep going and sleep next to the road. Enter Manny de Gouveia, the owner of the garage and many other businesses in the area. This man called us in, had a chat, offered us lunch and next thing we knew we stayed for two days. He is a true character and nothing is a problem to him. He drove us to Vioolsdrif for a braai at a shop he owns there, and the next day he took us to the beautiful town of Port Nolloth.
Port Nolloth is a town unlike any other I had ever been to. The entire local economy is centered round diamonds. As you enter the town you can sense that the glory days are maybe over, but people living in this part of the world just continue doing what they know best. A “To Let”-sign on a big building with the words “Wealth 4 U (Pty Ltd), Diamond trading and Shareholders Lounge” painted on to the front of the building was perhaps the most pungent reminder of the glory days gone by.
Tomorrow we will be cycling the last stretch to Vioolsdrif before we cross the border and enter Namibia, can’t wait!
