Just Ian and me left alone underground!

 

May 16th. Country Park, Gauteng

Our very last site was but a mere 130km drive, nothing compared to the kilometres we have driven over the last 5 weeks. In fact, Ian totalled it up to just over the 5000km mark! 

Anyway, we were off to the Cradle of Humankind. To read about why it is called this, click HERE, but a brief history,  

Subterranean limestone caves have turned up a rich fossil record for human evolutionary studies. These findings have led to the 'Out of Africa' theory, theorising that most human ancestors originated from one general spot… Africa. 

A group photo was taken outside the dome.

From left to right; Tracy, Rob, Ian, me, Bob, Kathy, George, Maureen, Helen, Simon, Ann, Colin, George, (his wife Jill was unwell so not in the photo) Malcombe, Annette, Jayne, Martin, Steve and Sheila. At the front was Andy and his wife Karen was also unwell.

 

Entering the dome, we were taken down several flights of stairs to an underground area where interactive exhibits explained the evolution of humankind. 

 MRS PLES

 Unfortunately, we only had 2 hours here because at 2 pm a booking to see the Sterkfontein Caves. It's a fascinating archaeological site and cave, famous for yielding the first fossil remains of the first adult specimen of Australopithecus africanus. Also the primary minerals found at the site include:

• Calcite & Dolomite: Dolomite bedrock makes up the cave system, while calcite is the predominant secondary mineral responsible for forming speleothems (stalactites, stalagmites, and flowstone) and cementing the fossil-bearing sediments known as breccia 

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• Quartz: Present in the form of chert and sand grains, quartz is particularly vital for scientific dating, as researchers measure rare cosmogenic isotopes within quartz to determine the burial age of the cave's fossils.

 

So what can I say about the cave...well, if I had known what we were in for, I would never have ventured down those steps!

In our younger days, we both did caving with hard hats and headlamps as our only source of light, negotiated cravasses and squeezed ourselves through some tight places, especially in New Zealand. Caves, therefore, worry us not, but with the old age of 73 and suppleness we no longer possess, what we experienced was most unpleasant.

It was explained by the guide that there would be some narrow bits, steep, uneven steps, and in some places, it could be claustrophobic. Whilst our group got kitted out with hard hats, more and more people joined the group until there must have been at least 50 people waiting to go in. Quite how this would work was something I did wonder about. 

The guide then called us seniors to the front, all 24 of our group, and said we would control the pace. I was quite impressed that he considered our ages, but that was all to change the further we got into the system.

 As more and more folk tried squeezing into a small space, the 'seniors first' idea went out of the window. Everyone was pushing to get to the front, and we soon found ourselves well behind. A small lake drew a lot of attention; it was down a series of steep steps, and so we could take photos, we were told to rejoin the group when we had finished. 

 

But this was where it went horribly wrong. Following the poorly lit path back to the main group, we were suddenly stopped in our tracks by a steep metal staircase rising up to a hole in the rock. Several people were in front, and I watched in horror as one by one they either crawled, bent over or sat on their bottoms to get through.

Oh eck...when it was my turn, I really was unsure as to how I was going to cope. I tried the 'lean forward' position, but the knees had to be bent, and even though my now decent right knee could cope, no way would my left knee be able to do that without a considerable lot of pain, and I couldn't risk crawling, so on the bottom it was! Got through okay and managed to stand up again, only to be greeted by yet another jagged hole, but bigger than the first.

This time I went through backwards, found that easier to do, and when I again straightened up,,,OMG there was another! Ian followed, but where was everyone when we finally emerged? 

 

Left alone, I was really peeved! What sort of guide would not stay until the last person had got through! He had led the rest back to the surface without even checking the numbers. And it was only because Deidrei, Kobus's wife, was concerned we weren't with the group that she came back to find us. Needless to say, no tip was given to the guide; Kobus was furious and said as much to those in charge.

Only another 30km to go to get to The Country Park campsite. Waiting for us was a chef spit-roasting a whole lamb over a braai. it would be ready for us to eat at around 6 pm, so in the meantime, we spent the free time cleaning the inside of the motorhome and packing.

 

Kobus came to tell us drinks were laid out on a table, and to help ourselves, it was all included in the organised braai. No need to be told twice, we left what we were doing and joined everyone around the fire. We raised our glasses to Kobus, Deidrie and Ryan for making this such a memorable holiday and sorted out any problems we had. The drinks flowed and went late into the evening. Once the freebies of wine and beer were gone, we all brought out what we had left and continued the merriment. Food was served by the chef, we had lamb, chicken, vegetarian dishes, pasta, rice and salads. It all helped to soak up the booze. 

Right of the photo, Bob, Kathy (Americans) Simon and Helen.

Chap in black was another Ian with his wife, Vannessa. They were missing in the group photo above

Kobus with Ian

 Tomorrow we fly home. Motorhomes will be dropped back to BoBo campers at 11 am, and a bus will collect us to take us to the airport. Our flight isnt until 8.25 pm so it will be a long wait. Hopefully, we can get into one of the airport lounges.