Barrydale Online

My wife, Helen and I arrived on our farm at Somewhere, Lemoenshoek around 17h00 on Saturday afternoon. We unpacked and I set about getting a fire going for a braai.
 
The fire was just going well when I heard a voice calling out of the dark. A figure pushing a bicycle, fairly heavily laden with satchels, moved into the light. I greeted a rugged looking, young man, who apologizing, in broken English, for interrupting us. He said he and his friends were looking for a place to camp since darkness had caught them still 18km short of Barrydale. His friend, a older bearded man then also moved into the light. A while later another young man appeared with an equally laden bicycle.

CONTINUED...

I asked them where they had come from, meaning which country and the younger replied that they had left Ladismith rather late and covered only 60km. I rephrased the question and he said Poland and that they had been cycling through Africa, heading for Cape Town, for past eight months. They introduced themselves as Mariusz, Ryszard and Maciej.
 
Our little house on the farm could not accommodate them but they insisted that they would camp out on the bare rock surface that surrounds the house, where there is no lawn or soft soil. Eventually they settled on a section of back stoep and set about erecting 2 tents. Ryszard appeared with a tin which contained what looked like instant noodles, for which he wanted boiling water. I told him to put it away and hauled out some more meat and potatoes and Helen set about making sandwiches for toasting on the grid. When a half and hour later it was ready they tucked in with meaning. You can't really cycle a day long on noodles!

Afterwards we talked about their travels and experiences and their impressions of it all. We asked about their lives back in Poland and what they would do when, shortly, having reached Cape Town, they fly back home. But they were tired and we let them get to their sleeping bags on a rather hard, cold surface, at least knowing that they were pretty much used to this.
 
The next morning before 08h00 they were packing and we offered them breakfast of scrambled eggs and sausage on thick, brown bread and coffee, which was again consumed with gusto. When asked if they would like more bread with jam, a half a loaf quickly vanished.
 
From Barrydale they intended going to Swellendam and then Cape Agulhas and asked about what lay ahead and Helen then suggested that when they head for CT, they should come and stay with us in Brackenfell. Unfortunately, we will away until the 10th but gave them our son, Roland's number, which they could call and he would be certain to welcome them.
 
After a photograph we wished them well and they set off, probably intending to camp somewhere between Swellendam and Bredasdorp. We are sure that passing through Barrydale they would receive a hospitable welcome too. With regret we though back to our own young days when we should have been more adventurous but then life was made just too easy for us by our Government and other Governments made it difficult for us.
 
Peace and joy
 
Len