THE JOURNEY IS THE DESTINATION
“HEY, are you guys driving that Bethlehem karretjie ?”
A gentleman came strolling over in the hamlet of Klaarstroom, set in the shadows of the Swartberg Mountains. We were parked in front of the hotel. Not that you can park in front of much else in Klaarstoom. Maybe the general dealer. And the police station. But that’s about it.
We later found out the gent is a retired policeman who has secured a bit of reputation in the district for helping to keep law and order.
He was pointing at our Subaru Forester. Bethlehem car? The Forester has Gauteng number plates, not Free State ones.
He grinned, clearly pleased by the perplexed looks on our faces.
“Look at the stars in that Subaru badge, with that one big star. Like the star of Bethlehem?”
Ah. Okay. Bethlehem karretjie . Fair enough.
This region is full of stories. Like Meiringspoort, just a stone’s throw from Klaarstroom, and its infamous mermaid. This part of the world apparently used to be the ocean
