Putsonderwater

I recently rode through the Kalahari desert and stopped in Kenhardt for coffee and cheese cake at a lovely place called Oma Miemie Café. The chef asked me where I was headed and I told her that I wanted to check out Putsonderwater, the place we South Africans so often refer to when we want to speak of a far-flung place in the middle of nowhere.

She said there's actually a man living there.

I thought her statement was bizarre - obviously there will be a whole community living there, not just 'a man', right?

The road there is never-ending, and it was hot, and I started looking forward to an ice cold coke when I got there.

The picture above shows what I found: Nothing. A ghost town. Except for one house where a car and a tent stood sadly against the sand and sun.

​Below is a picture of the road towards Putsonderwater.

And here below is the Put that is sonder water. (Putsonderwater means Well without water). Here below is the dry well...

And here below the road that leads one out of Putsonderwater, towards Marydale...

When the well dries up, when day zero is reached, when we have no water, only ghosts can live here.

This is what we want to draw attention to on our trip.

​JC