Connecting locally by disconnecting

by Frida Verster (South Africa)

Making a local connection South Africa

Phones switched off, we started our journey during January in South Africa. We packed our Toyota Hilux with a few food supplies, mattresses and other camping essentials to tour the West Coast. “We will sleep when we get tired and stop when we feel like it,” my boyfriend said as he started the engine. From Bloemfontein, central South Africa, we headed in the direction of the Karoo. Somewhere between Vosburg and Carnarvon, through seven farm gates, we found our oasis for the night, beautifully equipped with a dam for a swim, an open-roof shower and toilets. Being the only people there, we enjoyed the African sunset over the fields of the empty Karoo. The owner later came by on horseback. “We don’t have a water shortage, we have a rain shortage” she explained. Drought still remains one of the biggest challenges farmers in South Africa face. The next morning the fields were decorated with the flutters of an eclipse of moths. According to the locals these moth plagues are a result of the lack of rainfall. After packing up, we headed 700km west to Hondeklipbaai. Drought and poverty were clearly visible as we drove. It reached about 41°C when we stopped for a quick lunch in Williston, a small town with a population of around 3000 people. Highways and gravel roads finally took us to our destination for the night. We slept in army-like tents, but fully equipped with electricity and beds. At the beach the horizon was not only decorated by colours of the setting sun, but by an array of birds in flight. On day three we took our mountain bikes to cycle back in time. We reached the shipwreck, Aristea, that came to rest on the rocks here in 1945. She was a fishing trawler and a minesweeper during WW2, until one day the captain was drunk and her story ended. We dug up more history at the rock that gave Hondeklipbaai its name. (Dog-rock-bay). It seems that the dog got tired and eventually sat down. Back at camp we enjoyed a cold drink with the locals. “We enjoy having your company, especially little Miki* (7)” the owner of the restaurant mentioned. Little Miki has a beautiful story of being adopted and given a second chance at life. She loves her pink bicycle and even cycled with my boyfriend. We also created artworks by cutting pictures from a locally published magazine. I can’t help feeling overwhelmed that she found happiness on the west coast of Africa. It was time to hit the road again, further south. Strandfontein is a popular destination but we visited out of season. Thus, we had the best camping spot overlooking the beach. Hammocks out, then we went for a run along the beach. This is also a popular spot for locals to propose. We even opted for a swim in the Atlantic but the local lifeguard warned us about unpredictable currents which are seriously dangerous. A taste of locally produced wines was in order, accompanied by mouth-watering roosterkoek (grilled bread). We even had some abalone (marine snails). As we sipped away at our selections of white wines, naturally cooled by the icy waters of the Atlantic, we enjoyed the misty weather. The waitress explained: “It is definitely extremely warm inland when it looks like this here. It is a battle between the hot air from the land and the cold air coming from the ocean. They clash here and that is why you see this phenomenon.” After a good night’s rest outside of Lamberts Bay we headed to the last stop of our tour. From historical shipwrecks to geographical phenomena, we were ready to enjoy a proper taste of local cuisine. Hungry, we waited for the delicious buffet menu to be prepared. Everything‒from corn, vegetables, rice, curries, freshly baked bread with homemade jams, angelfish, kingklip, hake and more‒rounded off with koeksisters (local sweet dessert) and coffee. It was a divine experience eating from tin plates and using seashells as cutlery. Muisbosskerm is definitely worth the visit. This was the best way to end a 3000km local holiday. The journey is the destination. Time to switch our phones back on.