Switch off the GPS and Get Lost

[Harold]

Reading a magazine I note an advert for a GPS where the punch line reads says, “Without it you would be lost”. Lost! What’s wrong with being lost? Some of the most exciting places I have discovered was when I was lost.

Once in the Magadikgadi grasslands of Botswana we got lost. This was in the dark ages before camping fridges, cell phones, satellite phones and GPS’s. For three days we struggled through the wilderness. Desperately worried, women and children weeping. We shared our last rusk and a thimble of water, one for the adults and two for the children.
Like hell; we had bags of food, gallons of water plus crates of beer and plenty of fuel. One of the kids had a sheath knife with a compass in the handle. At least we knew the compass directions. We knew we had to go north and reasoned that if we reached the ocean it had to be the Mediterranean. However before we reached the beach we got to a road which took us to Maun. I’m sure if we put our minds to it we would have been out in a day but somehow the moment was exciting so we took out time being lost especially as we encountered a migration of thousands of springbuck. It was a memorable experience.

Another occasion we took some of the byways in the Eastern Cape. We encountered some roads not shown on our Caltex road map. We were lost! We saw a farm in the distance with a number of bakkies, tractors and trucks and a sign on the road saying ‘Veiling’.
If ever you come across a stock sale – turn in and you will get the best and the cheapest lunch you can imagine. With this in mind we turned in. The lunch consisted of delicious Karoo mutton, homemade bread, and salads. We spent the rest of the day enjoying the excitement of the sale. I got into the spirit of the moment and almost put in a bid for a fine looking Marino ram when my wife pointed out that it would not fit into the Hilux and if I thought it could have the passenger seat she would leave me. Reluctantly I withheld my bid. By mid afternoon we had been invited to the ‘Boere opskop’ that evening and offered a barn to sleep in; where we parked and put up our rooftop tent. It was a memorable day and evening and made me think of the movie ‘Brigadoon’ - we had discovered a lost valley with the most amazingly wonderful people. I was sad to leave.

So be adventurous, switch off the GPS, throw your trip plan out of the window, and be prepared to take routes into who knows where? – you will be surprised at what, and who, you will find – especially when lost.

[george]

Could not agree more with you

[heti]

Sounds great, but with the current fuel price, and driving a 6 cylinder, maybe the GPS is not such a bad idea!!