Week 34: two nights at the Labuschagne farm: "Warmshowers" hospitality

November 17, 2015

After the sequence of riding across Botswana, this warmshowers stay was a much needed break. Tinus had just signed up for WS hosting and we are his first guests. We connected up with him and his parents, Jannie and Lilla, at the apartment that they have for when they are in Gobabis. They have a farm, Sarie Marais, 100kms away from Gobabis.

The evening of the day we arrived in town, we rode with them to their farm. In the morning, we join Jannie and Tinus on a "Farm Safari" as they do their morning chores. We are in the back of the truck with Tinus as Jannie drives the perimeter of the farm checking the fence. The farm is vast and there is a network of fence rows with a road along the fenceline that keep the farm in sections for grazing. We stop at different points to leave feed for the cattle.

Then suddenly, two Ostrich with chicks are spotted and the hunt is on to gather the chicks up. It's a frenzy as Tinus jumps out and starts catching the little ones that have scattered. Then Patrick joins in and Jannie catches a few. The Big Game Hunters have captured 9 of the chicks. We take them back to the house to a pen where they will survive whereas in the wild fewer would live. Eventually, they will be released back onto the farm.

After lunch and a seista, the second half of the days work begins. This afternoon, Jannie is checking the water line that fills the water tanks for the cattle. We follow the fenceline and at certain points Tinus jumps out to bleed the air out of the line. We reach the section where the sheep are kept. Along the way, Janie and Tinus explain to us life on the farm. There are no close neighbors that they can rely on, so they have learned to be very self sufficient.

The evening ends with good African braai (BBQ to Americans)! The next morning after lunch Tinus drives us back to Gobabis and we stay in their apartment and do shopping for supplies for the next two and 1/2 days ride to Windhoek.

We appreciate the wonderful hospitality shown to us by strangers that we now feel are friends. We promise to pay this hospitality forward.

The Labuschagne Farm, an oasis in the middle of nowhere.

We are taken on a tour of the farm. Tinus needs to jump out regularly to open and close gates.

They spot ostiches with chucks. We jump out and chase/catch the chucks. They don't stand much chance in this drought and Janie wants to raise and release them on his farm.

One of the chucks we caught this morning

They work from 7 until noon and from 3 until dark on the farm. A nice cold watermelon before the afternoon shift.

Tinus takes a shot at a young springbok buck.

Jannie, Lilla and Tinus Labuschagne. Thank you for your hospitality!

Leaving the Labuschagne farm. Tinus drives us 100km back to Gobalis.

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