Having barely made it into town on Monday evening, I woke on Tuesday feeling weak & not overly interested in moving particularly far… especially not with a heavy load. So I made the decision to stay in town for another 24hrs and rather rest & allow the body to recover as much as possible before making the push towards Matjiesfontein – roughly 55km from here.
I managed to stomach a ‘dry’ breakfast and then set off on a gentle cruise through town, to see just what state this old transport hub was in.
First stop was Loganda Lodge, a 3-star hotel at the entrance to town. Here I was met by Brett, the manager, who has been here for seven months and is really trying to turn things around. While the hotel is busy, it’s mainly passing traffic and people using it as a pitstop for national trips. They’re opening a tourism office in the hotel soon, and he hopes this will spark some life into the area… because from what he was saying, it certainly needs it.
I headed down the main road, walking in the middle of the road, and only had to move for one car. The high school seemed closed, and appeared to have been that way for a while. The police station had several buildings, but not much going on. And then the Spar, there seemed to be a hive of activity here.
I continued down to the end of the road where the junior school is situated and the kids were playing… but that was it! So I headed left towards the train station, passing house after house, building after building with nothing… completely locked up and abandoned.
Even the Lewis furniture store had security gates pulled across the front & locked – no action at all. The grass is long in open areas, and most buildings are in a state of neglect… and then I saw the train station. A stunning collection of old buildings, all with rotting wood, broken glass and chipped paint. Rusting metalwork and weeds growing through the cracks finished off the sad state of affairs for what used to be one of two major transport centres in the area.
Several photographs later I headed across the tracks back into town, passing houses where it’s clear people are still living… but absolutely nothing is being done to maintain the property. In total, I reckon I counted no more than ten houses that are in a good condition!
A quick turn at the Spar for a drink & back down the main drag, I passed the communal swimming pool – sparkling blue water with a team of staff who were so proud when I complimented them on how blue it was and how beautiful the place was kept. The entire facility was immaculate, such a stark contrast from the rest of town.
Don’t get me wrong, the town itself is clean – no litter or anything lying around – but it’s just run down!
The pool is next to Gideon Joubert Park, which has an old steam locomotive parked in it… marking the 100th centenary [I assume of the towns existence – but can’t find more info from anyone in town]. Again, the garden is immaculate… although the locomotive could do with a little TLC.
Back to the BP where I was staying & I chatted with Barry at the wine shop about what’s going on in town, and this is some scary info:
– less than 11,000 people now living in Touwsrivier [was 45,000 a few years back]
– of those, more than half are unemployed
– high school closed about 6 years ago
– main businesses in town: BP complex, Shell, Total, Loganda Lodge, Spar
– other businesses barely survive [Pep, a few small corner cafe’s, another clothing store with no signage, a butcher]
– most workers in the area aren’t interested in permanent work
– most trade in town is generated by truckers & passing travellers using it as a pitstop
That’s some scary stuff indeed!!
Back to bed it was for me, as that all seemed way too much for my weak body to handle. Then, after a good nap & tried lunch – which worked 🙂 YAY! Solid food – how cool!
The afternoon was spent catching up on e-mail, chatting to mates online and getting some admin out of the way, and then re-packing my pack with what I hope will be slightly better weight distribution.
Then off to bed for some more R&R…
Thanks to everyone for the get-well wishes, they are immensely appreciated. My body is certainly weakened but on I am going and will just have to take it easy as I rebuild my strength…
