Trek Befok: Day Six: Feeling lonely in the Free State

Today was the first day of my trek that I felt lonely, tired, unenthusiastic, and just, bleh. I don’t know whether it’s because the two days off were too good or because I am feeling too much pressure, but it wasn't nice. Actually, no. The only part that wasn't nice was Winburg. That place just gave me the heebie geebies.

Winburg is a small town about 110 kms from Bloemfontein. It was important for my journey because this is where all the Voortrekkers met before splitting the land North of the Orange River between the five leaders (Gert Maritz, Louis Trichardt, Hendrik Potgieter, Pieter Uys and Pieter Retief). It is also where the Voortrekker Monument was originally meant to be built before it was ‘given’ to Pretoria. Lucky for me, a second monument was built in Winburg in commemoration of the Voortrekkers.

The symbolism of the monument is explained on a plaque inside: “The five columns symbolise the treks of the above-mentioned leaders. The lines extending skywards suggest the drive, struggle and restlessness of the Trek. The grouping symbolises the law-abiding community as well as the wagon laager and the concave shape depicts the wagon. The upward sweeping horns suggest not only the ox but the surge forward and upwards towards the higher ideals of independence and freedom.

The water bowl, linking the columns with five chutes, symbolises the faith of the Trekkers, and the outward flow of the water the spreading of the Christian religion and civilisation. Through the opening in the water bowl light from above falls on the bronze plaque in the courtyard, symbolic of the divine light.”

Pretty interesting, right? So why did this place make me feel weird? Honestly, I think it’s because the eyes of the people that I spoke to were just too blue to be normal. Like a see-through blue. It was creepy. And Natasha from the Winburg Guesthouse, who I chatted to in the hopes of learning something Trek-wise, freaked me out by telling me how she really doesn't enjoy living there. It’s really a case of ‘klein-dorpie syndroom’ (small town syndrome) and if you look out your window the whole town will know because that’s how small it is. It sounds silly, but my instinct told me ‘no ways dude, get out of here.’

So I did. And now I am in a weird BnB in Bethlehem praying for tomorrow. Okay, it’s not that bad. It’s just not as great as the previous few days. Luckily a wise and very handsome man said to me that it can’t always be awesome because then there would be no balance. Thank you Keenman.