Now "sh*t" is not something you want to hear first thing in the morning when you're sitting over 1km away from any other person who knows you're alive in a 4x4 next to a newly developed dam.
And then I felt it. I felt the truck schloop every so slightly down towards the dam. Yip, we were sliding. Sliding down towards the water. First thing I think is "hell, I just drove my car into a ditch because of mud, if I fall into this dam with my cell phone, nobody will insure me ever again". Okay okay, not the smartest thing to think of at the time. I reckon I'm getting out. The man says "don't even breathe".
So I don't.
There are some real benefits living with a modern-day McGyver, and it's not the hair style. He called the two Malawian men from the farm, told them to bring pick handles and a big pole....and make it snappy. They don't know I saw them snicker behind their hands. They're lucky the man never saw them chuckle. And still I am not breathing, not talking, not moving, and at this point, not worrying about my stupid cell phone, because if we land up in the water, someone will have to drag me out in my old slippers, pj's and my expensive leg will probably rust!
They bang the pick handles into the ground against the two tyres to stop any more sliding, lay down the pole (a stick actually) so it's a (pathetically puny) barrier between us and the water, and hey presto.....the man manages to very gently move FORWARD and away from the bank.
Enough excitement for one day, I think. And back in time for breakfast.
I'd like to know, though, what kind of 4x4 gathers enough mud on all the tyres to stop the traction and create a tyre surface much the same as using ice-skates on ice?
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