So stop ek toe in Choma

(English below)

Laasnag se kampering was toe nie so koud nie. Ek het my tentjie mooi toegemaak en ek het lank en lekker geslaap.

Vanoggend was dit wolkloos. Na dae van ‘n bewolkte hemel was die blou van die lug vir my spesiaal blou. Die gras het hoog en witdroog gestaan. Die bos het daardie kenmerkende winter vaalgroen gehad. Ek het die ry geniet, sonder punte of kommas of leestekens (dankie Antjie Krog)

Die reaksie op die uitdaging was wonderlik. Baie dankie aan almal wat al inligting gestuur het. So gaan ons almal nou ons eie land nog beter leer ken. Die sendingstasie waarnatoe ek gaan, is Genadendal. Die foto van die wilde dier sal ek hier in die noorde  moet neem. In die verlede het ek al soveel olifante hier op die pad gekry. Ek hoop hulle gaan die keer weer hul kant bring.

Terug na die ry van vandag. Ek en die KLR het net aangehou ry en ry, moeiteloos, en ek het die dorpies dopgehou met ‘n plan in my agterkop. Ek wou nog altyd in so ‘n regte klein township dorpie bly om te voel hoe dit is. En aangesien ek vir die blomme van Garies moet wag, het ek besluit om vandag my nuuskierigheid te bevredig.

Ek het ‘n klein dorpie Choma binnegery. Langs die pad was ‘n bordjie Nellys Lodge. ‘n Lodge hier in ‘n klein dorpie is nie soos die lodges wat ons in Suid-Afrika ken nie. Dis ‘n gewone huis waar die eienaar ‘n kamer of twee verhuur. Ek het besluit om na Nellys Lodge te ry.

Dit lê in ‘n systraat, ‘n gewone huis. Ek het aangeklop. Nelly was  nie daar nie, sy is ‘n onderwyseres aan die plaaslike laeskooltjie. ‘n Helper van haar het my ingenooi. Ek was skepties. Ek wou eers die kamer sien.

Toe ek die kamer instap, het ek dadelik geweet dis ‘n verlore stryd vir my. Ek het ‘n swak vir enige kamer waarin ‘n winterson kan skyn, en veral as die son nog op die bed ook skyn. Die kamer was mooi gemeubileerd, en die winterson het tot op “my” bed geskyn. Ek het dadelik die kamer geneem.

Ek het die middag in die tuin in ‘n skaduplekkie gaan sit en eers ‘n bietjie skryfwerk gedoen. Buite was die gewone Afrikageluide. Ek het tuis gevoel, en gelukkig.

Ek het my kamera geneem en na die hoofstraat toe gestap om winkels en mense te gaan kyk. Ek het die hele tyd dit wat ek hier gesien het, met my tuisdorp Naboomspruit vergelyk. Choma se strate is skoner en netjieser as Naboom s’n. En (ek weet mens behoort nie ‘n sin so te begin nie) Choma se Spar is baie meer aantreklik om in te gaan koop as Naboom s’n.

Ek sit nou op my warm bed en tik hierdie berig. Ek is bly ek het hier gestop. Ek is bly ek kon nog ‘n grens in my kop afbreek. En ek weet nie of ek more gaan verder ry nie … Dankie kollegas Suzanne en Bronley!

English

The camping last night wasn’t that cold as I expected it to be. I closed my tent on both sides and slept very well.

After days of riding under a thick layer of clouds I got up under a blue heaven. The blue was a special blue for me. The grass stood high and white dry. The bush had that typical off-green winter colour. I enjoyed the ride tremendously.

The reaction on the challenge was tremendous. Thank you to the many people who already started sending information. I think the many people that suggested Genadendal as the mission station are correct. I am going there. If I want to find a wild animal that I can take a photograph of, it will have to be here up north. In the past there were so many elephants crossing the road in front of me. They just have to do it again!

Back to today’s riding. The KLR and I glided effortlessly towards Livingstone after leaving Lusaka not that early. I watched the many villages and towns passing by, and I started with a plan in the back of my head. I always wondered how living in such a township village was. As I had to wait for the flowers at Garies I decided to satisfy my curiosity today.

I rode into a small town called Choma. I saw a signboard to Nellys Lodge. A lodge here is not like a lodge in South Africa. It is normally a plain house where the owner rents out a room or two. So I rode to Nellys Lodge.

Nellys Lodge is a normal living house on a street intersecting with the main road that runs through the town. Nelly, a teacher a the local primary school, wasn’t there. One of her staff met and invited me in. I was suddenly doubting my plans and asked to see the room first.

As I walked into the room I knew the battle was lost. I love any room if the winter sun shines into the room and onto the bed. That was the case with “my” room. It was neat, well-furnished, and the sun was shining onto my bed. I took the room.

Later the afternoon I took my netbook and went to one of the shady spots in the garden where I did some writing. Outside was the normal Africa noises and voices. I felt at home, and happy.

I took my camera and walked down to the main street. The whole time I compared to my home town Naboomspruit. The streets in Choma were cleaner and more tidy than the streets in Naboom. And the small Spar in Choma was much more inviting to go and do grocery shopping than the Spar in Naboom …

I am sitting on my warm bed, typing this post. I am so glad that I’ve stopped here. I am glad that another wall in my head was torn down. And I do not know whether I am going to ride to Livingstone tomorrow … Thanks my dear colleagues Bronley and Suzanne!