A section of the road after it had dried out ( photo taken on our way back from school yesterday)Muddy roads. Thick, gooey mud, causing the Landcruiser to slip this way and that. The momentary panic as I feel the vehicle is about to tip over (“Impossible” says my ever optimistic husband, reading my thoughts “It will never happen” …. “Umpf” I think …. because that’s another thing you learn, living in Africa … to “Never say never”). We continue to slide. My husband turns the steering wheel this way and that, quickly, with an almost fluttering movement to right the vehicle and avoid being dragged in to a gully which will mean we will get stuck. Indefinitely.
I close my eyes and pray. Trying to act bravely in front of my daughter. Trying not to let my fear show. The road suddenly drops below us and we are going down … down …. and now we have to drive through a deep gully, filled with muddy cocoa coloured water … it sloshes half way up the wheels and sprays out to either side of us as we pass through it … safely, the vehicle crawls up to the other side.
I catch my breath, relieved - but before I can let the air out of my lungs, we are suddenly slipping .... slipping again …. and the vehicle is pulled, violently, so that we are now sprawled at a horizontal angle across the road and my husband madly spins the steering wheel to the right, willing the vehicle to face the proper way again. It does, and now we have to keep our speed constant – we cannot stop, we cannot slow down for fear of sinking axle deep in to the mud.
We finally reach the firmer, stonier main dirt road … ah, much better. After continuing for some time, we see the start of the tar road in the distance and my daughter and I begin our familiar ‘countdown to tar’ shouting …. 10 ….. 9 …. 8 …. 7 ….. 6 ….. 5 …… 4 …… 3 …. 2 …..1 - YAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now the road is smooth enough for her to have a nap in comfort.
Just another school run.
I’ll take it over rush hour traffic though. Anyday.
I close my eyes and pray. Trying to act bravely in front of my daughter. Trying not to let my fear show. The road suddenly drops below us and we are going down … down …. and now we have to drive through a deep gully, filled with muddy cocoa coloured water … it sloshes half way up the wheels and sprays out to either side of us as we pass through it … safely, the vehicle crawls up to the other side.
I catch my breath, relieved - but before I can let the air out of my lungs, we are suddenly slipping .... slipping again …. and the vehicle is pulled, violently, so that we are now sprawled at a horizontal angle across the road and my husband madly spins the steering wheel to the right, willing the vehicle to face the proper way again. It does, and now we have to keep our speed constant – we cannot stop, we cannot slow down for fear of sinking axle deep in to the mud.
We finally reach the firmer, stonier main dirt road … ah, much better. After continuing for some time, we see the start of the tar road in the distance and my daughter and I begin our familiar ‘countdown to tar’ shouting …. 10 ….. 9 …. 8 …. 7 ….. 6 ….. 5 …… 4 …… 3 …. 2 …..1 - YAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now the road is smooth enough for her to have a nap in comfort.
Just another school run.
I’ll take it over rush hour traffic though. Anyday.
