Krugersdorp

Up, Down, Repeat: A Morning on Ground The Venue’s Koppies

I'm standing at the first high point when I feel it starting. Nothing dramatic, nothing that announces itself — just heat, and a faint pressure building somewhere behind my nose. I press two fingers against the bridge, hold, and wait. A minute, maybe less. It passes before it becomes anything worth mentioning to the people around me. ... Continue Reading

Sign of Stockyard Salvage Co in Cowboy Town

Cowboy Town: Krugersdorp’s Most Unexpected Day Out

Where do we park? In the distance, a car guard was waving frantically like an aircraft marshaller. I drove towards him slowly; as I got closer, he pointed me left. We found parking in a field — grass underfoot, music already carrying from somewhere ahead, and more cars than I expected for a Friday, until I remembered it was a public holiday. ... Continue Reading

Brown Lions at the Bothongo Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve

Bothongo Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve | Into the Earth and Back Again

All crammed into the lift, we descended into the earth. It smelled like cold rock and old air. Five of us, elbow to elbow. No one said a word. We drove 45 minutes out of Pretoria. Turning onto the reserve, tar gave way to dirt roads as signs guided us toward the Wonder Cave. The parking lot was shaded by trees. There were four of us. ... Continue Reading

I tiny hole to fit through inside the Bat Cave

The Bat Cave Adventure, Krugersdorp

I am standing in a field outside Krugersdorp looking for a hole in the ground. This is not a metaphor. The guide is somewhere ahead, walking through dry grass, and we are following him because apparently this is where the cave is—not a cliff face, not a dramatic entrance, just a field, and somewhere in it, a vertical drop of seventeen meters into the earth. It felt a bit weird. It was a bit weird. ... Continue Reading