I pulled into Colesburg and went straight to my accommodation for the night - Toverberg Backpackers and Guest House. Jurie the owner is an interesting fellow having worked for many years in Malawi and Zambia as a theological lecturer at their respective national universities. His mom lives in Colesburg and subsequently Jurie and his wife moved there to be closer to family. I have stayed at Toverberg on a few occasions and enjoy my stay there every time. Toverberg isn't your usual backpackers. Its a quiet place that serves its purpose well as a layover on the long road between everywhere...
On this occasion I stayed in one Toverberg's Guest Houses. I was impressed with the quaintness of the cobbled road and the old platteland architecture. The house has wonderful old yellowood floors and some nice pieces of Karoo furniture.
After settling I went to my usual haunt - The Plattelander restaurant. The Plattelander is a family run affair and has a nice warm friendly feel to it… Just what a lone traveller like myself enjoys. OK – lets be honest, it also helps that the daughters are pretty! There is always the allure of the fantasy of the 'untouched - untainted' innocent country girl. All fantasy of course... In the real world the daughters and friends couldn't peel themselves away from the couch and MTV. The main hostess of the restaurant is well turned out and dresses as if she were on her way to Sandton - a little out of place in the Karoo. But perhaps that's just my stereotyped perception on how a person should dress for the Karoo? I couldn't help but look at her and wonder if she longed for the big city and all its trappings. The program flickering on the box was about spoilt 16-year-old American teenagers having little flaps and fits over the prom.... If I could slap wireless I would!
I love the irony. Big city people longing to become 20th century refugees in a small town where they can again get in touch with themselves and turn their attention to making jam and milking the cow... versus small town people who feel the pull of the big city where they can expand their horizons and find a new less constrained life. Humans. Were never satisfied.
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