Post 4 Build it Journey

BLOG POST 4

I went to sleep last night with the vision of a bright splash of stars across the ink blue sky which could not be seen from within any city imprinted on my eyeballs and woke up this morning with the early morning sunlight shimmering off the glassy lake just outside the bedroom window of our cottage, no breeze and total tranquillity. Why had I lived in the city so long I asked myself? After doing some household chores and gulping down a light breakfast we traversed the gravel/dirt farm road and then on towards our first destination which was the Greytown Build It 50km away. The road wound through hills of breath-taking scenery of tens of square kilometres of timber plantations stretching as far as the eye could see. There were many large herds of cattle grazing on the farms in the area too. We entered the quaint hamlet of Greytown with its attractive old restored residences and pulled into the parking lot of the local Build It store. I introduced myself to the very friendly Adele and Robyn who patiently listened while I went through their listing.  We were also joined by Georger Du Toit who kindly helped fix my cubbyhole which had been acting loosely and needed some DIY. George was definitely the man for the occasion and fixed it in two jiffs. After fighting to get a few pictures and a successful meeting we were off.

I decided to refuel at the local petrol station afterwards which still had reserves in spite of the nationwide strike which had been playing on my mind as it would be a serious obstacle to overcome if we could get no gas to proceed. I aimed my trusty mobile towards Kranskop, our next port of call and after a short fight with my GPS we were on our way again. We passed the tiny village of Hermansberg with its magnificent Lutheran church and I stopped to take pictures of the stunningly architectured edifice. We drove through long winding valleys and passes before descending on Kranskop with its very rural atmosphere trying desperately to avoid hitting several goats and chickens who seemed hell-bent on wanting to collide with my vehicle. I found a safe place to park and met with Sifiso the manager. I had called earlier and the owner Leroy was at his second store in Tugela Ferry, so after making some plans to meet there later I showed Sifiso through his listing and all went very well. I was impressed with the neatness and order within the store compared to some chaos down the main strip of the town outside. In saying that Greg and I agreed how wonderful it was to be going through the heart of South Africa and experiencing it’s rural towns in there wonderfully energised and workmanlike state. Seeing livestock mingling with merchants carrying and pushing bundles of goods across, down and up the main street in this desanitised very human and real environment, if looking at the glass half full) was truly wonderful.

The last stop on today’s schedule was the Build It store at Tugela Ferry. Greg and I embarked on the long drive through some very rugged terrain of rocky mountains and valleys with desert like succulents and acacia trees dominating the sparse passing scenery, a stark contrast to the fertile and abundant timber forests/plantations we had recently left behind us. We eventually came into Tugella  Ferry which was still alive with the remnants of yesterdays municipal elections and packed with locals from the nearby rural villages. We hunted down the Build It store, parked outside and Greg stayed in the car while I proceeded into a great meeting with Willem and Buyi. I was so impressed with Buyi who having seen the www.homeimprovement4u.co.za  listing for the first time knew immediately what it was all about, how much it could benefit her store and why Buld It HQ have listed all the Build It stores on our website. Later we were lucky to be joined by the genial Leroy who could not have been more welcoming and friendly. This is a man going places and felt privileged to have got to spend time with a man of this calibre. I was also privileged enough to meet Leroy’s wife and if I could have stayed for a few more hours I would have.  The drive home entailed trying to miss many dangerous looking potholes, a terrifyingly steep long drop off cliff on our left climbing up what must put the famous Long Tom Pass to shame and after another long trek we made it back to Rietvlei and our oasis sanctuary. Another successful day on this wonderful journey.