December 6, 2025
Rest day in Victoria West
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A welcome rest day after 3 hot days on the road. I woke feeling well rested and looked forward to staying out of the intense sun and giving my skin a small window to recover.
After breakfast, I went for a morning stroll. Victoria West is a small town made up of about 4 parallel streets, with small shops, a couple of local restaurants, a couple of churches, an impressive cemetery and a Spar Supermarket. Many walls are adorned with colourful art, adding to the town's character and charm. People are friendly and curious, asking me where I am from and what I am doing in their part of the world. They don't see many tourists around here, so I am a novelty and celebrity at the same time.
I noticed there are many people of mixed race in Victoria West, all speaking Afrikaans. These are the "Coloureds" of the Northern and Western Cape Provinces, who make up 8 percent of the total population, and are concentrated mainly in these two provinces. The Coloured people are a multiracial ethnic group with the highest levels of mixed ancestry in the world. Their heritage typically includes descent from indigenous African people, Arab and Indian slaves, and Dutch settlers (Boers). Their fairer skin makes them easy to identify. I find this demographic change, and the groups' fluency in both Afrikaans and English interesting to note, the former being the preferred language.
"Ubuntu" is an African philosophy that emphasises humanity, compassion, forgiveness and interconnectedness, essentially stating "I am because we are". Ubuntu became a cornerstone of the building of post Aparteid South Africa, encouraging racial harmony, and reconciliation. It is a philosophy that contrasts starkly with Aparteid's divisive nature and is the reason that people from all racial backgrounds are accepted as South Afticans. I noticed a couple of wall murals bearing the word "Ubuntu", which I had not noticed in previous town's thus far. I find it interesting that Boer settlers who initiated and once endorsed Aparteid are now able to live in harmony with the people they once oppressed, thanks to the generosity of a philosophy upheld by the same previously oppressed people. I recall Nelson Mandella being a fervent advocate of Ubuntu.
I liked the laid back and friendly nature of everywhere I wandered. I stuck out like a sore thumb, but then I had done countless times during bike tours. I visited the Catholic Church and the more impressive Dutch Reformed Church, which Victoria West is known for. After a bit of fruit and vegetable shopping, I returned to the comfort of my guest house where I spent the afternoon doing bits of admin, reading by the pool, and watching a couple of episodes of Top Boy on YouTube!
Back in London, a severe fly infestation had gripped home on Brendon Gardens. Fumigation of the house was necessary to solve the problem, and poor Alks and Anokhi had to deal with all the cleaning up afterwards. I felt extreme guilt at not being there to help out, and this dampened my spirits somewhat. They were both heroic in their efforts.
Tomorrow I hope to continue my journey heading South and into more of the Karoo, which will require four more days of disciplined riding to traverse.
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