Photograph: Tortoise warning in the Klein-Karoo

The road out of Oudsthoorn towards Calitzdorp runs through dry country in a long valley between two mountain ranges, the Outeniquas to the left and the Groot Swartberg to the right. The Swartberg was covered in cloud.

This stretch is suitable for sprints in the inaugural Tour of South Africa and I did just that, once I had warmed up.

It was shongololo season in the Klein-Karoo. I noticed many of the dark millipedes crossing the road, usually from the direction of the Groot Swartberg towards the Outeniquas. It seemed there was a pecking order on the road. The shongololos were at the bottom of it having to avoid being crushed by my bicycle wheels. I was in the middle and the passing vehicles were at the top as I had to avoid being crushed by them!

A road sign warned motorists to be aware of tortoises. Minutes after passing it I noticed movement underneath what, at first, seemed to be a rock. It was a splendid Karoo tortoise.

I also had ostriches to cheer me along. But they were photo shy and would flee from the roadside whenever I pulled out my camera.

At mid-morning an advert for a “Karoo Breakfast” at a roadside farm stall proved tempting. A gathering of local farmers occupied the seats next to me. As I heard them speaking, in Afrikaans, I picked up that they were pronouncing their “r’s” with the distinctive “Malmesbury brei”.

There was no doubt about it, I was in deep Cape country.

COMMENT: Have you ever noticed that people from different places in South Africa may speak the same languages a bit differently to one another, using words not used in other places and with different accents?