Bokkom Lane

A row of quaint old buildings meanders along on the bank of the beautiful pristine blue Berg River. A developer with a sharp business eye might think "aha" and see visions of malls and playgrounds. Luckily for us, this little lane is strictly protected and regarded as a national treasure. The street had looked like this for hundreds of years and will continue to be the place where a age-old custom of drying sardines is still practiced.

I have blogged extensively about Velddrif and its bokkoms, and new readers may want to catch up, so I will lead you there: On the first anniversary of my blog, I showed the photogenic little fish in Bokkoms at Velddrif. I then showed the dried product and how I personally enjoyed my bokkoms in Bokkoms turning from Silver to Gold. As part of a set of four paintings for an architect's beach home, I also showed characterful Janine who worked at one of the factories in my post called Folks and Fish #3

My current painting shows part of the dirt road with little bokkom factory-shops. I show 4 tourists, but on a normal day that will be 3 too many! More people should become interested in the old customs and try to enjoy the living history of the West Coast!