By: Russel Harris and Nicola Mawson
There we were, barrelling down another dual lane road riddled with potholes somewhere in Gauteng, Mpumalanga or the Free State, feeling both lost and found all at the same time.
It was exhilarating. We woke up that morning keen to hit the road (but not the potholes).
All three of us had not been out of Johannesburg for a combined total of 26 years and we were all sick of our city and all the people, places and things that were weighing us down.
This is why, the three of us humans - plus a cat-sized dog named Ginger - were on our way to Clarens, albeit an hour later than planned as one of us needed to collect a camera and extra clothes, and another lost his wallet, twice. And then another needed batteries for his film camera.
Like any reasonable South African smartphone users, we chose our favourite GPS apps to get to our destination: Google Maps and Waze. How were we to know these would both drag us wildly off course - under the pretence of getting us there via the shortest route, to avoid traffic or who the heck knows what.
Not long after we left the big sh**ty, we plunged into what was technically a large pothole but was more akin to a donga or a meteorite crater the size of which would have wiped out an entire species of dinosaur on its own.
We had no choice but to take the middle path over the hole to avoid oncoming traffic or lose control of our high-tech SUV and roll it into the veld. We got off lightly, barring the wheel alignment that resulted in the car pulling heavily to the left.
Fortunately, the other 200 or so potholes we encountered reset the alignment, so we didn't need to call the AA or find a backyard mechanic en route.
During this journey past endless fields, one of the Three Musketeers sat in the back supervising (hugging) doglet who was fastened into her seatbelt.
Despite the detours and craters, our fellow Musketeer was enjoying himself and just chilling. It became a mantra: “I’m ok, I’m chilling, and I have Ginger.”
A blessing in disguise
After two hours of driving, we were pulled over by a traffic cop. In Mpumalanga. Apparently, that’s where we were. We had been in and out of the province where the sun rises, three times and back into Gauteng twice. And doing a U-turn to go through the same toll booth twice! The traffic cop was a blessing; he was able to give us directions to the very dodgy town of Balfour.
After another 30 minutes later, we found the empty local pub that two of us had visited almost a year ago to the day and fuelled up on food. Let’s face it; we didn’t know when next we would eat.
From there, according to the barkeeper, we went straight down the road out of Balfour, with a few turns, until a T-junction with a cellphone tower, where we would turn left and eventually find ourselves en route to Bethlehem and then Clarens.
Hopefully before sunset. But there was no T-junction. Just more kilometres in the wrong direction on a sand road that ended at a game farm.
With no one manning the entrance. Trusting the GPSs again –they were still saying the same thing – we headed back up the crappy dirt road, right, and finally, onto the freeway. Sighs of relief all around. Then bad drivers almost ran us off the road. And there was a sheep in the middle of our lane around a corner between Warden and Bethlehem. This time, we had the road to ourselves, thankfully and could swerve.
The plan had been to stop in Bethlehem and get food and other items instead of taking these with as the boot was fully loaded.
Of course, at 7pm the town had pretty much rolled the streets up and packed away the traffic lights. Onwards we went, Bethlehem would have to wait.
A long history
Clarens is a small town located in the Free State province, nestled in the foothills of the Maluti Mountains, and a short drive away from the Golden Gate National Park. The area was originally inhabited by the San, who were later displaced by the Basotho who, in turn, were evicted by the Orange Free State itself.
Following that, a new town was established, named after the Swiss village of Clarens on Lake Geneva, which was a favourite holiday spot of then-President Paul Kruger.
Clarens first served as a hub for the surrounding farming communities. However, in the 1920s, the town's economy began to shift towards tourism, as visitors flocked to imbibe its scenic beauty and mild climate.
Today it has evolved into a thriving artist's colony, which, as avid photographers, suited us perfectly. We city folk are not used to having the freedom to carry a camera in broad daylight, much less photograph anyone we please without experiencing any hostility.
Two of us had brought along seven cameras, including 35mms, DSLRs, and a medium format film kit (or so we thought). After an eight-hour journey to go 300-odd km, we were keen to take pictures of the moon and Milky Way, which you can actually see in Clarens.
Neither of us brought a monopod. Instead, we took two very compact tripods, and there was nowhere to rest them. There was no chance of spotting the Milky Way through the viewfinder, much less getting a stable enough image.
The stars looked like they were streaking across the sky when we were done. We fell about laughing.
We did get some decent images of the crescent moon on our last night, using the Mahindra’s roof to stabilise the DSLRs. The Dachshund cross Italian Greyhound cross Jack Russel – aka the cat-sized dog - was constipated.
On our first morning there, we ventured into Bethlehem to find a vet, as well as supplies. Along the way, we spotted an airfield; our first real opportunity to take photos.
Picture opportunities
The next morning, we walked the town flat, taking snapshots of the locals and their charming homes, restaurants, and places of worship. We were captivated by the town's natural beauty. What a change it was to experience autumn colours in all their diversity as opposed to Johannesburg's evergreen flora with only a handful of trees turning a dull brown to announce that winter is coming.
We chilled, sampled cheese, coffee, and the local craft beers. Gifts aplenty abounded and one of us bought enough fridge magnets to adorn an entire appliance. Taking a chance down a quiet road, we stumbled upon a hiking trail and walked along that for a while, getting even more photos of the beautiful surrounds.
Golden Gate, too, provided a wealth of targets. We might have done a hike, or the dinosaur trail except the nature reserve, like the arty town, is closed on Tuesdays. Again, there was no one at the entry point on this route, which led to Harrismith.
We almost ended up there too as we stopped the SUV along the way to shoot. Clarens was an amazing break from Johannesburg, and we enjoyed every minute, apart from cold showers thanks to Eskom. Hot during the day, temperatures dropped substantially at night and braaing outside was not an experience for the faint-hearted.
Laughter became a key part of our trip, and, despite all the calamities, we had a great time, bringing back amazing memories – many of which were captured via digital cameras or film. Except for the 120 mm – we took the wrong cameras for that. And then, having had enough of driving past endless fields, we hit the freeway home without the help of GPS.
Some people go to Clarens for the artist festival in late April. We missed that. But the town did give us a chance to breathe again, to forget, and to challenge ourselves creatively and socially. And it sure was pretty.
IOL