Modest BEAUTY
Even though I don’t come from Namaqualand, it always feels as if I’m heading home when I take the N7 north. There are so many kitchens, stoeps and cattle kraals along the road that my thoughts wander to – places where, over the years, I have stopped as a stranger and left as a family member. Because that’s how it is – a Namaqualander doesn’t just greet you, they talk to you.
Before you know it, you’ll be shown where to park your car and another place will be set at the table for you. And it’s no trouble at all, it’s just how they are. As Piet and Sarizé Retief, two dominees who were called to Garies, three, four years ago, learnt quickly: In this district, you never visit parishioners without your toothbrush!
I’ve been here during flower time and that’s an amazing experience. But I still prefer this countryside without its Sunday best, when you experience it as a traveller rather than a tourist.
Wait, let me first make it clear: Irrespective of who you are, a Namaqualander will always receive you
