Text and photographs: Leilani Basson
So what do you do with your last bit of retrenchment money in the last month of being your own boss? You go on a solo road trip – somewhere you’ve always wanted to go. Well, ever since my hairdresser once mentioned the underground tunnel that was dug with a teaspoon under Jan Kempdorp, I’ve been looking for an excuse to go there.
With locals sporting names like Oom Gawie Gif and Oom Piet Jas the place must have character. To top it all, Kierie referred me to them. Yes, Kierie van Jan Kempdorp, as he is stored in my phonebook, who I met on a 4×4 trip last year. Hearing he was from Jan Kemp the teaspoon-tunnel story grabbed me again, and so it started. One stranger referred me to another stranger until complete strangers were helping me plan my freelancing swan song: a trip to the Vaalharts Valley.
