Dag 20: Montagu tot Robertson

Onse mense (ek praat nou oor die algemeen van die blanke Suid-Afrikaners [is nie naastenby so plesierig nie!]) het ongelukkig, weens omstandighede, bietjie die klits kwytgeraak. Ons (en ek sluit myself in - en weer eens, dis 'n veralgemening) is socially bietjie retarded. Ons het lankal vergeet hoe om mens te wees.

Kyk nou maar na die plattelanders. Die klein-dorpie mense. Hulle is sosiaal, joviaal, vriendelik - nog mens. Dan kry jy die (waarskynlik verwilderde Gautenger) wat jou aanstaar asof jy van Mars af kom. En ons lyk seker tans bietjie verweer en of ons dalk nie meer blank is nie van te veel ure in die son deurbring, maar rerig - dis nie nodig om oopmond te staar nie. En waag een van ons dit om te groet, val die ou se tor heeltemal af. Wat gewoonlik gepaardgaan met 'n nek afdraai 180 grade in die ander rigting.

Vandag weer sit ek by 'n padstal onder 'n boom - waar en hoe dan nou anders? Verbygetrippel kom mammie met 'n wye draai en staar so dat sy byna in 'n Corsa bakkie vasloop. Pappa word aan die arm gepluk om ook te kyk, waarop hy terstond hom dwars draai om die gedoente onder die boom te sien. En natuurlik moet mamma kyk dat pappa reggekyk het, en ek waag dit liewer nie om te wuif nie.

Die rede vir ons a-sosiale gedrag is waarskynlik omdat elke wuifende hand gewoonlik draai na 'n bakhand en elke 'hallo' eindig by 'n 'geldjie'. Ons het afgestomp geraak.

Vanaand op Robertson, eet ek 'n kilogram groente op! Moeg gepasta, biltong, tuna, pruimedante en neute. Ek kan nie onthou wanneer ek laas eiers, uie of kaas geeet het nie! Murgpampoen! Wortels! Eiervrug! - meer as 20 dae gelede laas.

Met die Argus op sy rug, was die pad vandag baie besig. Heelwat fietsryers met 'n mengsel van baie vriendelik tot baie onvriendelik. Die pas net buite Montagu is 'n pragtige kronkelende paadjie tussen die berge deur - nie eintlik bedoel (of spasie!) vir voetgangers nie. Het 'n paar benoude oomblikke beleef, maar dit was heeltemal die moeite werd.

Ons arriveer teen half-5 by die Robertson Backpackers waar Charles en Landy uit hul pad gaan om ons welkom te laat voel. Ons maak vinnig kos en na 'n glasie wyn, is ons in die vere. More is weer 'n lang dag.

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Day 19: Akkerboom Cottages to Montagu

Today started quiet and uneventful. We left the lovely Akkerboom cottage shortly after sunrise, and set on our way to Montagu - a fairly long distance of about 40kms away.

The first 5-10kms we walked in the shade of the surrounding mountains, making for a cool, almost chilly walk. After the big climb of the previous day, today was pleasantly undulating. After walking for a few hours, I mentioned to Wouna that this seemed like one of those plain, uneventful days you can summarize in a couple of short paragraphs.

This was not to be the case, however, not if a certain Stuart Byrne had any say in the matter... As we walked past an impressive looking farm called Mont Byrne Estate, a stout, blonde man on a tractor waved at us, shouted a greeting, and we started a long distance chat/shout, explaining where we came from and where we were headed.

'Do you want a bottle of sweet wine?', he shouted. Of course we were not going to decline. 'Come in, make yourselves at home!'. After showing his family the strange people he picked up from the road, we were served coffee, and then Stuart enquired whether we've ever bottled our own wine. Next thing we were escorted into his private cellar, where his 2008 port was lying ready for bottling. 'Grab some bottles and fill them up here,' he said. With the bottles filled, he showed us how to cork them, and then we were off to his office to do the labelling. Great fun.

Turns out that, in addition to the Mont Byrne boutique winery, Stuart also owns the Montagu Wimpy. So, besides giving a us 3 bottles of wine, he also arranged with the Wimpy manager to deliver burgers, chips and fruit shakes to us around lunchtime, wherever we were on our way to Montagu.

We left quite amazed. What a great experience. And what an amazing, jovial, full-of-life man.

The rest of the walk was fairly uneventful. A couple of lift offers (as we get most days) a very nice Capetonian couple who stopped for a chat (the guy is himself a keen runner and was wearing a Puffer t-shirt), and as promised our en route Wimpy lunch 15km from Montagu (thanks again, Stuart!).

We arrived at our destination, the Mystic Tin and Karoo Brew(ery) Backpackers, a place every bit as quaint and interesting as it's name suggests, where we were warmly welcomed by our hosts, Wayne and Kirsten. Wayne offered us each a glass of his home-brewed ale - a great end to a very intersting day.

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Dag 18: Barrydale tot by die Akkerboom Country Cottages

Ons stap vanmore nog so lekker - want dis wat ons op die oomblik maar doen - in die koel Barrydale luggie toe daar 'n klein maleier/koi San vrou van voor af kom. "Waar stap mevrou heen?" wil sy weer. "Weskus" se^ ek. Nee, vertel sy, sy loop nou maar net dorp toe. Ek se^ toe, ja, sy't nog so 3km oor. "Hoe ver moet mevrou nog stap", vra sy, waarop ek antwoord dat dit net bietjie verder as 300km is. "Haai, ek hoop mevroutjie kry 'n lift" se^ sy bekommerd voor sy vort is.

Die stap wat voorle^ is een van die kortstes - net 22 km, wat beteken ons kan die Saterdag rustig vat en bietjie padlangs kuier. Ongeveer 12 km uit Barrydale oppad na Montagu kry ons die Joubert-Tradouw wynplaas (hulle het ook 'n tweede label genaamd Unplugged 62). Ongelukkig vir die binnelanders is die plaas nog te klein om baie wyd te bemark. Die Joubert-Tradouw reeks is baie lekker en die Unplugged 62 reeks is heel quaffable. Great value for money, as jy ooit hierdie rigting kom en jou versameling wil aanvul.

Na 'n paar proeseltjies, 'n bottel Chardonnay in die rugsak en 'n tros Cabernet Franc in die hand is ons weer op die pad. Snaaks, maar die Cab Frank druif is maar effens - klein korreltjies wat maklik breek as jy dit pluk, maar baie lekker.

Tradouw is 'n koi-San woord en beteken blykbaar "the way of the woman", soos in weg of pad, nie manier nie! Hier is blykbaar 'n pad deur die vallei wat die vroue gestap het, na slawerny afgeskaf is, om op Swellendam te gaan trou?

Die Tradouw vallei is ongelooflik mooi. Pragtige berge en heelwat vrugteboorde - groen en pragtig. Lyk amper nie of hulle ook swaarkry met die droogte nie.

Ongeveer 2km verder is die Karoo Saloon, waar ons amper oornag het, was dit nie so naby aan Barrydale nie. Tyd vir 'n bier! Karoo Saloon is nou 'n "padstal" met vavawoom. Groot kuier-stoepe en grasperke, all sorts of curios en selfs chalets as jy wil oorslaap. Oorspronklik was dit meer beplan om te cater vir bikers, maar nou is enigiemand welkom.

Ons chat bietjie met 2 bikers, later die eienaar en dan is dit nog net Tradouwpas wat tussen ons en ons slaapplek le^. Die pas is ook, soos baie ander in SA, 'n Sir Thomas Bain skepping en soos ons hoer en hoer gaan, het jy die mooiste view terug oor die vallei. Pragitg man. Ek sal sommer hier kon bly.

En dan bereik ons die Akkerboom Trading Post waar Jodi vir ons die sleutel gelos het (nog 'n wonderlike "padstal") en ongeveer 2km verder is ons in Plumbago - die naam van die cottage wat Jodi vir ons aangebied het. Baie mooi, in 'n vrugteboord tussen die riete naby 'n stroompie. Nou moet daai Chardonnay vinnig afkoel!

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Day 17: Warmwaterberg Spa to Barrydale

Meet Joe, Joe from Germany. Joe is a cyclist we met en route to Barrydale, shortly after passing the (in)famous Ronnie's Sex Shop (which we basically missed as it was too early when we went past).

Joe started his cycling journey in Germany 19 months an 27000kms earlier. He has since cycled down the West Coast of Africa, all the way to Cape Town, and when we met he was on his way to the East Coast via the R62, planning to possibly cycle all the way back to Germany. Alone. Unsupported. Respect...

Meeting Joe has been quite a humbling experience - makes our own little venture feel a bit insignificant.

After wishing each other a safe journey, we were on our way, inspired and motivated. A few kilometres later a car stopped and a lady got out. 'I read about you in the papers', she said. 'I also recently cycled 1000km, for a woman with Wilson's Disease'. More inspiration...

It turned out to be quite a social day on the road. A farmer we met as he was moving his cattle from one field to another, caught up with us to enquire about the reason for our walk. An elderly gentleman, Oom Christie from Barrydale Cellars, stopped to offer us a lift. After we explained what we were doing, and why we couldn't accept his offer, he insisted we at least stop by the cellars, where he would make sure we got a good tasting of their wines, and especially their 'Best in the World' award-winning potstil brandy. We obliged, of course.

And best of all, Mrs De Vries from Warmwaterberg Spa (bless her soul) was so kind as to pack some Orange Maid suckers and juices especially for us, which she dropped off with us on her way from Barrydale to the Spa.

Barrydale itself is a lovely little town nestled among the mountains - a refreshing retreat from the hustle and bustle of city life. Which is why it is fast gaining popularity as a breakaway or retirement spot for the rich and famous. As is often the case with these hip country towns, Barrydale sports one supermarket, no pharmacy, and about 20 restaurants. Weird.

We spent the night at Barrydale Backpackers, a delightful, brand new establishment right on the R62. Thanks to Karen to Mark - we had a great stay.

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Dag 16: Rusdag by Warmwaterberg Spa

Blaaskans. Eienaardige woord, maar gegewe my blase-situasie heel gepas. Ons besluit om my blase 'n kans te gee op Warmwaterberg Spa deur 'n dag oor te bly en in die warmbronne rond te hang. Dis veronderstel om healing powers te he.

Al ooit gewonder hoe dit is om vir ongeveer 'n maand met twee stelle klere (wat boonop eners lyk) dag in en dag uit te lewe? Een aan die bas, een in die was. En darem 'n spaar tshirt om in te slaap, iets warm en iets vir reen. Dieselfde paar voos vrot skoene. Elke dag. Selfs as jy bed toe gaan of in die nag 'n draai moet gaan loop en jy slaap buite?

Die antwoord is eenvoudig: who cares?Ek moet erken dat dit hoegenaamd nie pla nie. Die elke dag se wassery is bietjie van 'n nuisance, maar in terme van wat jy aantrek? Huh-uh mister. Who gives a shit.

Ons maak die lewe vir onsself baie complicated. Lewe 'n slag vir jouself en vergeet van die bure! Of mevrou dominee. Live en let live. :)

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Day 15: Ladismith to Warmwaterberg Spa

Long day today, too long, really... We wanted to split the 50km between Ladismith and Barrydale into two days, but the feedback from everyone we asked was that there's NOTHING before Warmwaterberg Spa, our next scheduled overnight spot. So 50 km it would be...

Wim, our host in Ladismith, was kind enough to get up early to take us into town at 5:00, so at least we didn't have to walk the extra 5km from Elandsvlei. (Thanks again for the lovely farmstay, Gerda & Wim!)

We were underway shortly after 5:00, and walked in the dark (overcast with almost no moon) for almost an hour, and even after sunrise we were blessed with lovely cool overcast conditions. As far as our surroundings were concerned, the people we spoke to were right - nothing happens in the first 50kms after Ladismith. You even have to create your own photo opportunities... But a day isn't made up of surroundings only...

After about 15kms walk, two cyclists came up to us from behind. Turns out 6 buddies were cycling from Howick to the Cape, doing their own version of the Freedom Challenge, culminating in the Cape Argus this coming weekend. They call it the Long Ride - all the best to them!

As we were chatting about long rides and long walks, they mentioned a guy (Tony Tractor :)) who is soon going to embark on an around the world journey on a vintage tractor - apparently it is likely to take something like 5 years! Now there's an interesting new take on endurance sport- sounds amazing!!

A couple of kms later an elderly gentleman stopped to offer us a lift. When we explained that we were doing an unsupported endurance walk and thus couldn't accept his offer, he was quiet for a second, then smiled and asked: 'Shall I go fetch you a doctor, then?'.

While this day has been perhaps the quietest yet in terms of scenery and activity, it definitely takes the prize so far for the loudest support. Trucks and cars honk their horns rhythmically from a 100m away, and keep at it long after they've passed, police vehicles amuse us with an array of their most melodious alarm sounds until they disappear over the horizon, people wave jovially... A lot of fun all around, and it definitely helped the kms go by faster!

With all the foot-niggles and long kms behind us, Wouns (AKA Blister Sister :) ) has lost some speed, so even with all the emotional support along the way, and only short rests every few hours, we still ended up walking until after dark. When we got to the point where, according to our calculations, the turn- off to Warmwaterberg Spa should be, there was still no sign of our destination. As it was getting quite dark, we decided to phone our hosts, who were kind enough to come pick us up on the road. Turns out we still had just under 3kms to go, but we'll make up for the bit of 'cheating' by walking the 3.5km from the Spa back to the R62 at the start of our next leg.

After the 50km leg, and with 8 days of walking without a break behind us, we felt Warmwaterberg Spa was just the place for a day of R&R. Thanks so much to Frieda for throwing in an extra day for free - this means the world to our tired bodies!!

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Dag 14: Amelienstein/Zoar tot Ladismith

Dag 14: Amalienstein/Zoar tot Ladismith Die snaakste ding gebeur. Ons stap nog so lekker annerkant Zoar toe 'n kar van voor af verbyry, omdraai en langs ons kom stilhou. Uit klim die Vader van die Anglikaanse kerk op Zoar en begin staaltjies vertel oor sy werk en die gemeenskap.

Interessant genoeg dink meeste mense (insluitend die Vader) dat ons uitlanders is. Lyk my min locals ervaar ons land op hierdie manier. Kom kom maters - pomp daai fietsies se wiele op trek jou walking boots aan en vlug bietjie uit die corporate en concrete jungle vir 'n paar weke! Jy's gewaarborg om die lewe in 'n nuwe lig te sien :).

Ons praat die laaste paar dae so met locals oor die locals en gemeenskap in die omgewing en een ding blyk tellens na vore te kom: 'n groot persentasie van die gemeenskap is ongelukkig baie lui. Hulle kry mos All Pay so waarom dan nou self worry oor kos op jou tafel. Die arme Vader is skoon moedeloos oor al die gemeenskapsprojekte wat hy al begin het wat tot niks lei nie, omdat die mense nie 'n vinger wil verroer nie. Dis baie sad as jy 'n ou wil leer visvang sodat hy nie altyd iemand anders in die oe hoef te kyk nie, maar hy wil nie self nie. Hy verkies dit om net te kry.

Vroeer het iemand ook vertel dat hulle gratis musieklesse vir die locals aanbied, maar dat die kinders dan net vir 'n maand of twee opdaag. Die moeite om te oefen en op te daag vir lesse, is te veel.

Vertel die vader dat hy by die kerk in die klipperigste grond 'n groentetuin begin het. Skeptiese mense uit sy sak betaal het om te help grond omspit en toe die groentetjies begin groei, staan almal verslae. In 'n poging om die gemeenskap sover te kry om dit volgende keer self te doen, verduidelik hy hoe, en leer hulle en praat en vertel, waarop die een man toe net se^: "Maar Vader moet dit doen". Moedeloos gee Vader die man so een kyk en se^: "Ag gaan kak man!". Ek dog ek lag my 'n papie daar langs die pad. So 'n uitgesproke man :).

Die scenic roete deur Hoeko is pragtig met baie vrugtebome in 'n rural area wat deur die berge kronkel. Die paadjie word uiteindelik 'n grondpad en na ongeveer 16km bereik ons die kant van die dorp. Draai regs af en weer regs tussen die plase in om na ongeveer 1.5km die ronddawel te bereik wat Wim en Gerda le Grange vir ons aangebied het op hulle gasteplaas by Elandsvlei. Heerlik landelik!

In die nag word ek twee maal wakker en hoor hoe dit lekker reen op die dak. Ons hou duimvas die hittegolf is gebeek, want more is weer 'n lang dag van 50km tot by Warmwaterberg Spa.

Oja, vergeet maar van 'n R100-noot in jou skoen wegsteek vir in-case. Binne twee dae het ek al die ink afgeloop en die papier het poreus begin raak.

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