Day 2: Humansdorp to Kareedouw

If day one could be described as uneventful, day 2 more than made up for it!

It started raining in the evening and we discovered with shock tha our trusty little tent is as waterproof as a sunroof. That had us running around the campsite until we found a spot under a bouganvillea bush on the concrete path leading to the bathrooms, that provided about 3/4 coverage. Luckily (?) the rain stopped and we had a peaceful nights rest.

We started around 6:30, a bit later than planned with perfect cool and sunny weather, on a road best described as undulating. You walk about 17 km along the R102 to the start of the R62 leading to Kareedouw.

Shortly after the start, clouds started gathering, and we had our first rain shower around 9:30. Combined with some howling winds, we were soon soaked to the bone. After about an hour the rain stopped, allowing us to dry out fairly well by the time we got to lunch.

Lunch was barely over when even stronger rain started to fall, soaking us for the rest of the afternoon. It was quite an experience being on the side of the road, soaked to the bone, with cars speeding past (a total of 3 people stopped to offer lifts) and with trucks showering you in a dense spray as they pass. Not something you experience every day!!

After a long and wet day, we finally arrived at our overnight spot at Die Plaaswerf in Kareedouw, where our hosts were so kind as to upgrade our tent spot to a lovely, cozy room. It's a lovely place - pity we didn't arrive earlier to enjoy more of it. The nice, dry bed was an absolute godsend after the tough day.

Tomorrow is another tough and long day, which will be a very hard challenge after today... At least it's raining in the very dry Langkloof, so that's really great, even if it's not always a joy to walk in!

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Day 1: JBay to Humansdorp

After a crazy rush the past few days (a last minute trip to Gauteng, some Moondance design jobs and photoshoots, a last minute scramble to sort out comma, etc) our trip finally got underway this morning around 10:00. Some kind folks saw us off at the start, including a 5-year old who desperately wanted to walk with us all the way to the Cape) and our short first leg to Humansdorp was underway.

Being so close to home, and on a road we know quite well, made the whole trip still feel a bit unreal. What is quite real, however, is the sore shoulders and tender feet - the typical effects of a first day on the road carrying a full kit. I trust we'll walk ourselves into a rhythm, but for now I know day 2 (53km to Kareedouw) will be tough.

Some of the people driving by were quite friendly, hooting and waving, and it was nice to have one car with 3 young people stopping for a chat.

The weather was nice and overcast but very humid because we're still so close to the coast. Still, despite the weather predictions for the day, no rain...

We're hitting the very dry Langkloof tomorrow, which should be interesting.

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Itinerary

• Wed, 24 Feb: Jeffreys Bay to Humansdorp – 15km (Ben Marais Caravan Park (TBC))
• Thu, 25 Feb: Humansdorp to Kareedouw – 53km (Die Plaaswerf)
• Fri, 26 Feb: Kareedouw to Joubertina – 45km (Die Kraaltjie)
• Sat, 27 Feb – Mon, 1 Mar: Joubertina to Uniondale – 82km (Louterwater Estate, Haarlem, Kammanassie Backpackers).
• Tue, 2 Mar – Thu, 4 Mar: Uniondale to Oudtshoorn – 127km (Louvain Guest Farm, Zebra Lodge, Karoo Soul)
• Fri, 5 Mar: Oudtshoorn to Calitzdorp – 52km (Bougainvillea Backpackers)
• Sat, 6 Mar: Calitzdorp to Amalienstein – 27 km (Barn 62 Backpackers)
• Sun, 7 Mar: Amalienstein to Ladismith – 22 km (Elandsvlei Farm)
• Mon, 8 Mar – Tue, 9 Mar: Ladismith to Barrydale – 73km (Warmwaterberg Spa, Barrydale Backpackers)
• Wed, 10 Mar – Thu, 11 Mar: Barrydale to Montagu – 61km (Akkerboom Country Cottages, De Bos (TBC))
• Fri, 12 Mar: Montagu to Robertson – 30km (Robertson Backpackers)
• Sat, 13 Mar: Robertson to Worcester – 54km (Da Rooms)
• Sun, 14 Mar – Mon, 15 Mar: Worcester to Wellington – 59km (Tweede Tol (TBC), Fisantekuil)
• Tue, 16 Mar: Wellington to Malmesbury – 38km (accommodation TBC)
• Wed, 17 Mar: Malmesbury to Darling – 36km (accommodation TBC)
• Thu, 18 Mar: Darling to Yzerfontein – 23km

Total: 23 days – a total of approx 800km

In the press

Walking for Water's first appearance in the print media. Die Burger, EC, 22 Feb 2010.

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Press release: 15 February 2010

Walking through the Karoo to raise water awareness

On 24 February 2010, husband and wife team Gerry and Wouna le Roux will embark on Walking for Water, a 3-week endurance walk in excess of 800km from the Eastern Cape Coast to the West Coast of South Africa, in a bid to raise awareness about the importance of water as a limited natural resource in the country.

The walk will start in Jeffreys Bay, south of Port Elizabeth, follow the R62 route through the Klein Karoo, and is anticipated to finish in Yzerfontein on the West Coast on 18 March. As such, it passes through areas suffering the worst droughts in at least 50 years.

“By doing this walk, we hope to do our bit to raise awareness of the critical importance of water in South Africa”, says Gerry le Roux. “We are not a water rich country, and we need to treat our limited water supply with respect. Given the current situation in the region, the importance of limiting water wastage goes without saying, but even in areas not suffering water shortages, more care needs to be taken by individuals and industry not to add to the already dangerously high levels of water pollution in the country.”

“We have not teamed up with a specific charity or aid organisation for this event, hoping rather to just create some exposure for grassroots level initiatives relating to water supply and water saving. We invite people to share and communicate information on such initiatives”, le Roux says.

The team have set up a blog (http://walkingforwater.blogspot.com) for the Walking for Water endurance walk, where anyone can comment and contribute, or just follow their daily progress. Alternatively, interested individuals are also encouraged to join their Facebook group “Walking for Water” (http://www.facebook.com), for discussions and regular progress updates. A detailed itinerary of the walk will also be made available through these sources.

“We have received wonderful support from the community so far, including free accommodation from establishments along the route as listed on our blog, for which we are most grateful.”

END

Issued by:
Gerry le Roux – Walking for Water
Tel 082-499-1555; email gerry.leroux@gmail.com

More thank you's

The list of kind individuals and establishments helping us out during this event just keeps growing - please see the list of accommodation providers under the "Thanks, hugs and kisses" post. Thanks everyone!

The event in a nutshell

On Wednesday, 24 Feb 2010, Wouna and Gerry will embark on a 3-week unsupported endurance walk through the Klein Karoo from Jeffreys Bay on the Cape East Coast to Yzerfontein on the West Coast, via the R62 route, a journey of approximately 800 km. The towns and settlements visited during the walk will include Humansdorp, Kareedouw, Joubertina, Misgund, Haarlem, Avontuur, Uniondale, Buffelsdrif, Herold, Oudtshoorn, Calitzdorp, Ladismith, Barrydale, Montagu, Robertson, Worcester, Wellington, Malmesbury, Darling and Yzerfontein.

The aim of the walk is to raise awareness of the critical water situation in South Africa and the world. We will be doing regular updates of the progress of the walk on our Blogspot (walkingforwater.blogspot.com), Facebook page and Twitter, and hope others will also contribute to these sites. We are aware of a number of local and international charity and aid organisations doing great work in the water environment, which we will be promoting via the above communication channels. We would encourage people to support these organisations as far as possible.

Why water, why now

During the past year, South Africa has experienced rather severe rainfall extremes. While much of the country, especially the north-eastern regions, had to deal with floods, the Cape province, and particularly the Eastern Cape, is suffering the worst drought in many years.

At the same time, while the local rainfall situation has again reminded us how powerless we are in controlling a natural resource such as water, it has also reminded us what a critical commodity water really is, both locally and internationally.

With this endurance walk, we want to do our bit to raise awareness about the critical water situation (in terms of quantity and quality), locally and internationally.

The South African water crisis

Some facts and opinions from the experts:

• South Africa no longer has any surplus water, since 98 percent of it has already been allocated. Furthermore the levels of pollution in rivers and dams mean that they have lost the ability to dilute effluents. – Dr Antony Turton, an expert in hydropolitics and transboundary water resources.


• Polluted water, poor management of dams and deteriorating infrastructure could lead to a major water crisis in South Africa. Although our average annual rainfall in South Africa is lower than the global average, our primary problem lies with sustaining good water quality rather than a limitation at the source. – Durban-based water researcher, Professor Faizal Bux


• Africa's freshwater resources are under serious threat from climate change and urgent adaptation measures are needed. –The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report 'Fresh Water Under Threat, Vulnerability Assessment of Freshwater Resources to Environmental Change, Africa', released at the 2nd Africa Water Week in South Africa in November 2009.


• Parts of Africa will suffer prolonged droughts by 2025, leading to a lack of water for domestic consumption and agriculture, while other areas will experience flooding. – Alfred Opere, one of the authors of the above UN report.

The international picture

According to charity organisation water:charity (www.watercharity.org):

• Internationally, almost a billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean drinking water. That’s one in eight of us.


• Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation cause 80% of all sickness and disease, and kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war.


• Many people in the developing world, usually women and children, walk more than three hours every day to fetch water that is likely to make them sick. Those hours are crucial, preventing many from working or attending school.


• Of the 42,000 deaths that occur every week from unsafe water and a lack of basic sanitation, 90% are children under 5 years old.

Water.org (www.water.org), another international charity focussed on water, cites the following statistics:

• 3.575 million people die each year from water-related disease.


• 43% of water-related deaths are due to diarrhea.


• 84% of water-related deaths are in children ages 0 – 14.


• 98% of water-related deaths occur in the developing world.


• 884 million people lack access to safe water supplies, approximately one in eight people.

The World Water Council (www.worldwatercouncil.org) states:

• While the world's population tripled in the 20th century, the use of renewable water resources has grown six-fold. Within the next fifty years, the world population will increase by another 40 to 50%. This population growth - coupled with industrialization and urbanization - will result in an increasing demand for water and will have serious consequences for the environment.

Charity and Aid organisations

If you are aware of, or involved with, any charities operating in the water domain, we invite you to share your details on this page.

We are aware of the following organisations working for water, which can really use your support:

• WaterAid – www.wateraid.org


• The Mvula Trust – www.mvula.co.za


• The Association for Water and Rural Development (AWARD) – www.award.org.za


• The Federation for a Sustainable Environment – www.fse.org.za


• Charity:Water – www.charitywater.com


• Water.org – www.water.org


• The Water Project – www.thewaterproject.org

Thanks, hugs and kisses

This endeavour would not have been possible without the support of the following:

• Thanks to DigiCape (South Africa's largest independent Apple retailer) for the generous discount on our brilliant new iPhone, without which staying in touch on the road would have been a lot more difficult.


• A special thanks to the following people who have thus far been so kind as to provide us with free accommodation during our trek through the Karoo:
  * Handrie at Die Plaaswerf outside Kareedouw (dieplaaswerf@telkomsa.net)
  * Elize at Die Kraaltjie Guest House and Caravan Park outside Joubertina (vgreunen@lantic.net)
  * Janine at Louterwater Estate between Joubertina and Uniondale (admin@louterwaterestate.co.za)
  * Norman at Kammanassie Backpackers in Uniondale (kammback@gmail.com)
  * Florence at Louvain Guest Farm between Uniondale and Oudtshoorn (info@louvain.co.za)
  * Marietha at Zebra Lodge between George and Oudtshoorn (0836323780)
  * Ilse at Karoo Soul in Oudtshoorn (info@karoosoul.com)
  * Elana at Bouganvillea Backpackers in Calitsdorp (bvbackpacker@telkomsa.net)
  * Barn 62 Backpackers at Amalienstein between Calitzdorp and Ladismith (van@barn62.co.za)
  * Gerda at Elandsvlei just outside Ladismith (gerda.krynauw@telkomsa.net)
  * Frieda at Warmwaterberg Spa between Ladismith and Barrydale (info@warmwaterbergspa.co.za)
  * Karen at Barrydale Backpackers in Barrydale (info@ctitours.co.za)
  * Jodi at Akkerboom Country Cottages between Barrydale and Montagu (reservations@akkerboomcountrycottages.com)
  * Lynda at Robertson Backpackers in Robertson (info@robertsonbackpackers.co.za)
  * Niel at Da Rooms in Worcester (darooms@vodamail.co.za)
  * Edmund at Fisantekuil Guest House in Wellington (info@organicwine.co.za)


• Nico, for a soft bed and some much needed pampering (nudge-nudge, wink-wink) at the end of the trek.