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When I was younger, we'd travel up the West Coast to Saldanha Bay every weekend, and while it was a great little road trip for us every time, it was merely a drive home for my mother to visit parents in her hometown.
I remembered asking my poor father every few minutes "are we there yet?" during the two-hour trip in his immaculate mint-green Ford Escort Mk2 1600 Sport so that I would scream at the top of my lungs "Saldanha Bay" as soon as we entered the serene fisherman's village. A silly tradition I'd pass on to my younger brother.
My parents taught for more than two decades, and I also remember the school tours I did with them all over the country with Norma Road Primary School via bus, and quite often by train. There were trips to Oudtshoorn, and even as far as KwaZulu-Natal.
Wheels24 editor Janine Van der Post with her dad's Ford Escort Mk2 1600 Sport back in the late 80s, taken in Saldanha Bay at her grandparents' home. Image: Marcus Gordon
But besides the scenic drives on long, open roads, there was always the 'padkos'. My mom used to make rainbow sandwiches, always made some chicken the night before to pack in, and of course, deviled eggs to snack along the way and other baked goodies.Gosh, we went everywhere in that little green Escort, and my dad absolutely loved it. He still speaks so fondly of it whenever you ask him anything about it, along with the Mk1 he had bought prior.
The Mk2 was the car my parents used to make the 80km round trip commute to work from Somerset West to Athlone every single day as teachers, I attended the same school during the first four years of my educational life. It's also the reason why I consider driving to the CBD daily, or to my husband's hometown in the Swartland municipality as nothing but a "drive down the road".
Driving long distances has always been the norm, and I guess it's no different now - except back then traffic was hardly as congested as it is now.
So it's no surprise that our readers have been reminiscing about their glory days on the road this week after reading Charlen Raymond's article about road trips and padkos earlier in April.
And of course, bakkies reign supreme as our top-read story this week when we look at the most expensive used bakkies you could buy in SA. We also look at some would-be bakkies if these brands had to enter the segment.
Here are the top 5 motoring stories on Wheels24 this week:
1. R1.5-million for a second-hand Toyota Hilux? These are SA's most expensive, used double-cabs
Image: Autotrader
2. If Ferrari, Rolls-Royce, and Dodge built bakkies, this is what it'd look like
Image: Budget Direct Insurance
3. How to take care of your parked car before lockdown ends
Image: iStock
4. REVIEW | The Mahindra XUV300 in my driveway keeps turning heads
Image: Clavern Van der Post
5. OPINION | Toto Wollf and Lewis Hamilton jumping ship to Aston Martin in 2021 not an impossibility
Image: Getty Images / Peter Parks
