Saturday, March 13, 2010

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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