POTHOLES AND BYWAYS

Farewells are never easy, especially when you are having a good time with friends and family.  I left Sasolburg early on a Wednesday morning with two sad faces waving me goodbye.  I must admit it took me a couple of kilometers to regain my composure, wipe the tears and concentrate on the road ahead of me.  Unfortunately, saying goodbye is the not-so-good part of my journey-to-nowhere. 

My journey to nowhere

As I was leaving the Vaal Triangle behind, I realized once again that the hustle and bustle of city life is not for me.  I was heading for a small town in the Northern Cape Province where another lifelong friend was waiting for my arrival. 

The town is situated 120 km southwest of Kimberley, the capital of the Northern Cape Province.  Douglas is a green jewel, situated on the banks of the Orange and Vaal Rivers, midst the dry and parched land of the Northern Cape Province.  This is, of course, one of the most arid regions of South Africa. 

The town was named after Sir Robert Percy Douglas, a Lieutenant Governor of the Cape Colony.  It was founded in 1848 as a mission station by Rev. Isaac Hughes and declared a town in 1867 after an agreement was reached by a group of Europeans.

Glacial pavements and rock engravings dating back 300 million years, can still be found 10 km outside Douglas on the road to Prieska.  Diamonds were discovered in the 19th century and  the 'diamond rush' brought thousands of diggers to the area.  Diggers' houses or "delwershuisies" were a common sight in that time, but today only a few can still be seen. 

From the day I left Cape Town I deliberately avoided the popular national roads as much as possible and rather wandered off to the roads less traveled.  Unfortunately, these roads are not always in a good condition and, at one point, I really wondered why I do it to myself.  Luckily the landscapes, the locals and the stories make up for all the potholes, the trucks and the dust. 

These two hills are known  as the Tietkoppe (breast hills) and situated 20 kilometers outside Kimberley on the road to Douglas

The road to Douglas took me through the Free State Province which is suffering a very severe drought.  In small towns like Wesselsbron, Bothaville, Boshoff and Hertzogville  heartbreaking stories are told of farmers who already lost all or most of their crops.  These are crops that feed a nation.  Little did I know at that stage that it was going to rain not long after I left that area.

I stumbled upon a charming little Padstal (farm-stall), Ma-ki-tys,  (make yourself at home) which is situated just outside Hertzogville.  Farm stalls in South Africa usually consist of a coffee shop or a full-service restaurant and feature homemade baked goods, local wines and fresh farm-grown fruits and vegetables.  The moment I walked into Ma-ki-tys I  was immediately impressed by the detailed and careful restoration work done to the stall.  I was treated like an old friend and it sure felt like home.  Mariaan, the daughter of the owner of the farm stall, handed-down valuable information and especially, how the drought has affected the people and the land.  In an area where most of the inhabitants are farmers (maize, wheat, sheep and cattle) the weather plays a vital role in their daily existence.  This area is deservedly referred to as the bread-basket of South Africa. 

The Padstal

The Padstal

Hertzogville was named after South Africa's longest-serving Prime Minister, James Barry Munnik Hertzog and was established in 1915 on the site of the Donkerfontein farm.  One of the historical curiosities about the place is that the town could only be built on the condition that no hotel would be allowed in the town site for 100 years.

Although I wanted to spend more time in the company of the friendly Mariaan, my journey had to continue.

I arrived in Douglas hungry, hot and exhausted, but the joyful reunion with dear friends made up for the little discomfort I had on the road. 

My KitKat lunch in a car with no aircon and 40C.

Hes and Frik are the kind of friends you definitely want on your list of best friends.  Words to describe them, fail me. Hes and I have been friends since primary school days and together we 'conquered' the challenges of life.  Now, in the glow of our golden years, we regret our disappointments and failures and we celebrate the victories of the past. 

With Hes at The Nose

Hes and Frik at the Nose

With Frikkie

Frikkie has a wonderful sense of humor and is a bit of a trickster.  But he is most definitely a friend through thick and thin.  He is also a 'master' chef and after some bantering he willingly shared a few of his secret recipes with me such as his famous Marmite Bread which I have permission  to publish on my blog. 

Marmite Bread

 As I said, Frikkie can be a trickster.  He insisted we visit the local delwershuisie, (a digger's  small house) situated on the outskirts of Douglas the next morning, as well as pay a visit to the place where the two 'Mommas' (the Vaal and Orange rivers) meet.

That morning as we drove off on our outing I was looking forward to seeing the delwershuisie as I do have an interest in buildings dating back hundreds of years.  To my surprise Frikkie stopped in front of an impressively large and spacious complex situated on the hectare-sized property with buildings of 5-star status consisting of a mansion, designer horse stables (home to million dollar horses), expensive cars in the driveways and lush landscaped gardens.  Taken as a whole, such things spell only one thing: Wealth.!

The only connection between this plush property and a humble delwershuisie is that both structures have occupied the same land and both are part of the history of diamonds in South Africa.  In a sense the present structure, a private home, is a sort of delwershuis, but only because of its present owner's involvement in the diamond industry.  Of course, taking me there was just Frikkie's way of playing yet another trick on me.

We then traveled to the spot where the two rivers (the Orange and the Vaal) meet.  Die Neus (The Nose) as it is colloquially known.  Tranquility is written all over this special spot on earth.  The guard and caretaker, Izak, has been part of the park for many years and who better to get first hand information from.  His knowledge is remarkable and he gave us a 'colorful' description of the floods in 1988 and the trail of destruction it left behind.

Orange River

Vaal River

The confluence

This fertile piece of land, which is home to hundreds of birds and plenty of fresh water fish in both rivers, lush vineyards that grow on the banks of the rivers and an abundant wildlife all around, makes you want to return to Douglas over and over again.

Unfortunately this wine lover did not visit the Douglas Wine Cellar, but luckily there was no shortage of this region's wonderful wines at the local liquor stores.  I could, of course, not leave Douglas without a red and white Landzicht in the boot of my car.

It was again with sadness that I left my friends behind, but my journey-to-nowhere was far from over.

I have attempted retirement more than once now without success and plan to return to the workplace soon.  I promised myself when I'm old and grey and the memory frail I want to share a rocking bench with Hes and Frikkie.  We will sip our Landzichts and ponder the past and muse over the days long gone by; those days when we still had our own teeth,  no hearing aids or stainless steel walking aides.

FRIKKIE’S MARMITE BREAD RECIPE

YOU WILL NEED:

          One batch of ready-made bread dough (it’s readily available in South
         Africa in supermarkets and food stores and I’m sure most countries have
         the same, alternatively you can make your own bread dough from
         scratch)

          250ml. Fresh Cream

          2 Tablespoons Marmite  (I know Marmite is not available in all    
          countries, but  I am sure you will find something similar in your stores.)

          Form dough into equal size balls and place in buttered cast iron pot. Let 
          is rise till double in size.  Mix Marmite and cream and pour over bread 
          rolls.  Bake in preheated oven 180C for 45 minutes or until golden brown.