#Driving

Happy New Year! Thorsten and I recently returned to Joburg after an incredible 10-day road trip through Limpopo province. I have many stories to tell about that trip, but before I get into that I want to write a quick review of my first two months driving Greylene, my new Suzuki Jimny.

Some of you might remember a post I wrote last year about bicycle spinning and stance in Soweto. The bicycle stance subculture, which is the art of transforming regular bikes into flamboyant showpieces that ride very close to the ground, stemmed from the car stance culture – same thing, but with cars.

For those of you who didn’t see on social media already, I bought a car. Her name is Greylene and she is a 2022 [Suzuki Jimny](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_Jimny#:~:text=The%20Suzuki%20Jimny%20(Japanese%3A%20%E3%82%B9%E3%82%BA%E3%82%AD,Japanese%20automaker%20Suzuki%20since%201970.).

I have never been a “car person”. I have never thought much about cars and never understood why people spend such insanely large amounts of money, time, and brain space on cars. My previous car, Henrike – named for the very dear, now-departed friend who sold her to me – was a tiny, no-frills, 2007 Hyundai Atos, and she suited my needs perfectly for a decade.

My mom came for a visit and the two of us took a weeklong road trip through the South African platteland (Afrikaans for countryside). We drove from Joburg to Bethulie, Bethulie to the Garden Route, up through the Karoo Desert to Hanover, and then back to Joburg.

Before reading this post, read Part 1 and Part 2 of the Blogitects’ Excellent (Mis)adventures.

After our double-tire-puncture fiasco, Thorsten and I were stranded at the entrance to the Tembe Elephant Park (about an hour from our accommodation in Kosi Bay.) We had escaped death by elephant trampling but we were still in a bit of a bind.

Before reading this post, read Part 1 of the Blogitects’ Excellent (Mis)adventures.

Thorsten and I woke up early on Friday morning, eager to explore the Kosi Mouth beach and estuary. Amangwane Camp sits right beside the entrance to the nature reserve, run by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, and the beach is about ten minutes’ drive down a steep, sandy forest road.