TANKWA CAMINO – Arrival (Calvinia)

22 AUGUST 2019

LANGEBAAN, VIA CERES TO CALVINIA

We left our home town, Langebaan, early in the morning to travel the 146km to Ceres. From Ceres, the team of the Tankwa Camino will transport us to Calvinia (where the hike will begin).

Early morning on the way to Ceres

In Ceres we were able to leave our car in a safe place for the next 10 days. Here someone from the Tankwa Camino support team met us with a shuttle. We (and our luggage) were then transported to Calvinia where the Tankwa Camino officially begins. Some walkers prefer to drive to Calvinia and then leave their cars there. Whichever option you choose, the Tankwa Camino team is very accommodating to assist the hikers.

We were quite a few hikers who chose to travel from Ceres and two shuttles were needed to transport everyone. It is about 369km from Ceres to Calvinia via the N7 and we arrived in Calvinia in the late afternoon.

Time to refuel in Vanrhynsdorp (119km to Calvinia)

Upon our arrival in Calvinia, our luggage was dropped off at the local church hall from where we will depart tomorrow.

We have checked into a guest house for the night before our hike starts tomorrow. Calvinia is a fairly small town (the population is around 10,000), but today the town is packed with hikers and their families.

All the hikers met later that evening in the church hall for a “meet and greet”, as well as a delicious dinner. The organisers of the Camino certainly go out of their way to make us feel welcome and there is a sense of anticipation for the next ten days.

All the hikers were treated with a warm welcome and dinner

(Credit: Diana Pieterse)

Each hiker was also given a red flag on a pole that should be tucked into your backpack every day. In this way, one is always visible to the (occasional) traffic on the road. The red flag on the Tankwa Camino can almost be compared to the scallop shell on the Camino de Santiago in Spain.

Berto and I have already met several people who would later become good hiking friends. That’s the magic on any Camino – the opportunity to meet new people.

Berto and I enjoyed dinner with our new Tankwa Camino friends (on the Camino in Spain, this is called a “communal meal”)

(Credit: Diana Pieterse)

And what would a Camino be without the company of one of our four-legged friends? Zeva is the beloved dog of Anri (one of the hikers). She immediately caught my attention and Zeva and I would form a close bond later on the Tankwa Camino.

Zeva accompanied her owner Anri on the Tankwa Camino

(Credit: Diana Pieterse)

We were also introduced to the team that will accompany us on the Tankwa Camino:

• The Tankwa Camino is the brainchild of Danie Pieterse and together with his wife Rhina, they form a formidable team. Rhina knows all (and more) about pains and blisters! And she can cook up a storm with her team.
• Then there is Johan (Danie’s brother) and his wife Diana. Johan drives one of the trucks with our luggage. He’s also the guy who helps set up camp every day and helps dish up the food for tired hikers during dinner. Johan is actually quite versatile on the trip. His wife Diana is the official photographer of the Tankwa Camino – you will see some of her beautiful photos on our blog. She is also the “cheerleader” and encourages all hikers along the road throughout the day.
• “Dominee” Edward (that is like a reverend or minister) is the person who encourages and motivates us (you always need someone like that on a long hike). He basically provided us with food for our hearts and souls. He always had wisdom and humour to share with all of us every night around the fire. Oh yeah, and he also drives the other truck. So he too is a very versatile man.
• Truia and “Ouma” Lisa (which means grandma), are a mother and daughter team who made the most delicious food on our ten day hike! They are caring people with wonderful hearts and always made sure that the hikers had more than enough to eat.
• Then there were about 8 men on this trip who set up the campsites and loaded all our luggage on and off the trucks every day. Some of them also set up the water points and mobile toilets along the route early in the morning. And although they were in the background, it was partly thanks to them that everything always went smoothly.
• There are also other people, like Louwna, who help behind the scenes with communication via email and other social media platforms. She certainly also contributed to the smooth running of the Tankwa Camino.

Together, these people are an extremely successful team!

Danie welcome all hikers. Ds Edward is at the back and Rhina on the right – the “matron” of the Tankwa Camino

(Credit: Diana Pieterse)

After dinner we all went back to our guest houses for the evening. I couldn’t help but notice this quote on the fridge:

What a great quote

We (and the other 60 hikers) are ready for the Tankwa Camino!

Click here to read about Day 1