Forgotten Towns of the Karoo - a photojournalistic essay

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Plooysburg | Douglas

Day 1
16 December 2005 FRIDAY

Packed with only the basics, camping gear, clothes and very little food, according to me who constantly get hungry, we packed the Jeep and headed off into the direction of the Karoo. Two full jerry cans where safely stored in the back of the Jeep for the possibility of a fuel shortage catastrophe. I was the navigator and found myself in quite confusion as to how to get us on the highway out of Gauteng. All of a sudden my trips from Pretoria to Johannesburg just confused me to such an extent that I really felt useless. Fortunately enough, we somehow managed between all the stops we made in our search for ice, to travel in the right direction. It was unusually warm for the time of the year and everyone seemed to have stock up on ice because the only thing we did find in shortage was ice and not petrol! We stopped numerous times to find ice, but were met with, “Sorry, we’re sold out.”

The start of the journey on the highway was filled with the usual holiday makers rushing off to their destinations, with constant tension running through our muscles (traffic stress). Only quite later on did we turn off from the highway and it was amazing to discover how traffic stress tires you out. It must be mentioned that all the dirt roads (and very little tar road that we did drove on) where in very good condition, except of course for the trip to, The Hell, (which will be mentioned later on – Day 4). Somehow it was felt that it was mandatory to turn off the radio, because nothing could fill the peaceful melody of the Karoo.

We turned off from the highway just past Kimberly coming from Pretoria, heading towards Plooysburg. This was just the start of our adventurous Karoo trip.

On our way to Plooysburg Etienne stopped the car in the middle of nowhere and I asked inquisitively why we had stopped. But I was oblivious to what he had seen in his rear view mirror and he just smiled and told me that this was absolute beauty. It was only when I turned around and looked behind me that I saw the most beautiful rain showers in the horizon. The sun lit the earth with the warmest glow I had ever seen and the backdrop was this dark thunderstorm with occasional lighting, giving you a slightly mysterious feeling while the atmosphere was absolute peace and beauty. I think this was one of the images and a feelings that would always be in my mind and heart. What a brilliant start! We took our cameras and explored the landscape for a few photographs and just lingered around and absorbed everything we could for as long as possible, before heading once more in the direction of Plooysburg.

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