Normally all are in hurry and do not spend a lot of time intown apart from filling up on fuel, visit the loo and get something cold for the road.  With the sharp hike in the fuel prices, we started to explore closer to home.  The road took as to Laingsburg and Matjiesfontein.The most famous happening that put the town on the map and earned a place in history was probably the disastrous flood on 25 January 1981. With an annual rainfall of only 175 mm per year a flood was for sure not on the minds of this Karoo town when it started raining on 24 January 1981.  The Buffalo River burst its bank and with the confluence of the Wilgehout, Baviaans and Buffalo Rivers near the railway bridge disaster struck and 184 residents lost their lives and 184 houses were destroyed.  10 survivors from this flood were found in the Floriskraal Dam about 21  km form town.  You can visit the small Vloed Museum in town that tells the sad story of that day.  Note that most of the exhibit is in Afrikaans.

Tucked away behind the Shell garage is a stone church with an interesting steeple – to me it looks like icing on a cake. It dates back to 1905 and stood the test of the flood waters of 1981. Amazingly the sermon Ds Jacobs delivered that same Sunday morning of the flood remained preserved in his notebook in his flooded study. He, however, lost his life.

When you enter the town from Ladismith’s side you will pass under the railway bridge which are now dressed with rainbow colours.  If you are looking for a photo opportunity this spot makes a nice backdrop for pictures.

As you leave town driving northwards to Beaufort West you will see a blockhouse that dates back to 1900 and the Anglo Boer War.  Blockhouses were normally strategically placed alongside the railway line which was of major importance during the war.  You cannot enter the blockhouse but stop in the parking bay and admire the skill with which it was built (33°10’32.41″ S 20°59’08.06″ E)

The area is also known to produce some of the finest garlic in the country.  These products are stocked at Hakkiesdraad coffee shop in front of the museum.  I fell in love with the pepper garlic!

If you are interested in South African history and the Anglo Boer War follow the link below to read more on our visit to Matjiesfontein.

travelbucket.co.za/a-step-back-in-time-matjiesfontein

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The Great Karoo with its vast openness and many tumbleweeds, offers beautiful gems in between the hard rocks and dry veld.  Prince Albert is certainly one of these diamonds in the making.  Prince Albert was established in 1842 with town layout on the De Queekvaleij farm.  The farm was granted to Zacharias de Beer as a loan farm and the town was initially called Albertsbrug. It was renamed in 1845 to its current name of prince Albert, after the husband of Queen Victoria.

Spending a weekend in the town at the foot of the Heritage Site, which is the Swartberg Mountains, recharges the soul.  The many accommodation options, such as Skrywerskop, offer a country feel stay and the opportunity to stroll through the town from wherever you lay your head down at night.  Nothing is too far from the main road in this little town.  Referring to a little town will probably not stick for much longer.  The town is growing, that is for sure.  With the Zoom town concept taking flight with people streaming in from elsewhere to put down their roots and work remotely, this gem is not exclusive to non-South Africans anymore.  Where you used to mostly hear French, German, Italian and British accents to name a few, you will now hear more Cape Townian, Gauteng, Free State and Natal accents (if you can distinguish between them) while sitting at one of the eateries.  We replenished our hungry souls at African Relish for the night and while the venue seems like it was fully booked with reserved tables everywhere, we still had some of the best pizzas that I have had in a while.  Not your ordinary fast food restaurant pizzas, but flavours so unique to the Karoo.  This Cooking School is going the extra mile when it comes to quality.

Saturday morning is the perfect time to take a walk through the open Karoo plains.  While the breeze is still cool and the sun is starting to show its rays, the area around Gordon’s Koppie with its multiple zigzag trails is bound to get the blood flowing while pure air is filtering through your lungs.  Being very fond of anything rocky, we soon found ourselves dwindling off the paths after the most interesting rock formations. The Saturday Market where locals offer anything from good old-fashioned jaffels and pannekoek to artisanal fudge, preserves and fresh produces, makes for a good start to your day.  Nothing is rushed and a day’s planning will soon happen when you sip on your morning coffee while locals greet each other and strike up a conversation or two.

A good place to start is the Fransie Pienaar Museum.  Here you need a clear mind as there are so much information to process.  The ladies at the museum are so knowledgeable and will take you back all the way from where the town originated, and how the museum came into existence, up until the goldmining stint (yes, it seems like goldminers where everywhere) and the local rugby team.  We even found some articles in the museum that we still have in the house and some familiar surnames popped up of the role-players in the area.  The most interesting pieces for us, was some of the weaponry display behind bars in one of the rooms.  We could just imagine carry some of those rifles on horseback, it must’ve been challenging.  Right next door is the Prince Albert Tourism Info Centre and, which houses some leaflets of the activities and venues in the area.

A lot of time needs to be spent walking through town, admiring the different styles of gables.  Before doing this though, we would recommend you pay your R20 entrance fee to the Museum and get some more information on how the gables came about and which style suits which architect.  Suddenly, the Prince Albert Town has new meaning, and the old buildings are not only the restaurant that serves the nicest coffee or the one with the best ice-cream.  It gives another dimension to the history of the town. 

A weekend is just a little to short to do everything in town.  You would think that a small gem like this can be covered in two days, but you will only be scratching the surface.  Although we did pop in at Kevin de Klerk’s studio and were treated by a personal tour from him through town, we left the Gallery visits for next time.  The amazing bin project that Kevin is doing needed our attention and the level of art that he’s doing for worthy causes in town is incredible.  These bins are just bringing colour to the town and uplifting the community through awareness.  The Showroom theatre is another must-do.  If you are ever lucky enough to schedule your visit around a show in this little theatre, you will be treated to an intimate, small theatre vibe.  Here you can dress-up or dress-down and sit back while sipping on a glass of wine and be entertained by a local top-class act.

The Swartberg Mountains are the perfect opportunity for an early breakfast while the sun finds it’s way through the mountains onto the snaky road.  It was time to head home, but not without the last stop at the top of the Heritage Site.  It was a freezing 7 degrees with a chilly wind that almost blew the Jimny over.  We came to recharge in the royal Karoo Town, but left feeling that we have only seen the tip of the iceberg.  Our advice is to not rush your visit.  This is a place where you need to return to, multiple times.  Don’t try and fit too much in at once, you will be overwhelmed.   The tumbleweed in the Great Karoo that is Prince Albert, is not blowing anywhere.  It is growing and it is waiting for you!

-oOo-

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On our recent visit to Prince Albert we noticed these beautiful bins dotted all over town and we wanted to find out the story about it, because this is not just ordinary bins; it is designer bins with a message.  We tracked the master behind it down in the name of local artist Kevin de Klerk who hand paint it with care and precision.

Kevin tells us that there are a total of 33 bins in the village and some of them has the most interesting stories behind it.  There is the cat sterilization awareness bin with, of course, a beautiful cat on its side.  We all know that cat numbers can multiply astonishingly quickly if you do not keep a finger on it.  So, this one goes towards cat sterilization awareness.

The one that I love the most must be the little owl that promotes reading and loving books.  I have just listened to a program on the radio where the principal of a rural school explained the importance of reading for children as it develops so many other things in a child’s life.  I am fond of the “real” book smell and feel and thus this awareness bin speaks to me personally.  Please, if you have any old, unwanted, or preloved books at home and you do not know how to dispose of it bring it to Prince Albert. 

There are also some surprise bins that you would think what is the relevance of it as it looks a bit out of place.  Go and discover Eporia, the mermaid in front of Luttig’s Mill.   She is the water nymph that once lived in the dark water pools of Meiringspoort.  Eporia’s bin also has a secret sign at the bottom of the bin …..

If you want to get involved in this project contact Kevin de Klerk at Watershed, Prince Albert or visit him on his page at:  https://kevindeklerk.com/  As with  any charity drive there is always a need for resources and a helping hand.  At the moment Kevin sources drums and collect, paint and install it all at his own cost.  This all to the benefit for a better Prince Albert.  Please reach out and help him in this project.

As there are still many other interesting characters that once colour the palette of Prince Albert we will have to return to explore more.  A visit to the the Gamkapoort Dam is also on the list, but that will be on our next trip.

oOo

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It is time for sun, sea and sand and happy holidays again.  Vleesbaai 4×4 route is the perfect destination for those windy and cloudy days when the weather does not want to play along for a beach visit.   

Early morning when you are first on the route you will encounter many fresh spoor ­– some very cat-like (I was thinking in the direction of a vaalbos kat), small antelope, mice and birds.  As they say the early bird catches the worm or is it spoor in this case? 

The interesting thing about this route is that it changes according to the time of day that you visit.  Early morning the sand can be firm and easy to drive, but during the day it can become a different play field altogether when the dunes heat up and the sand gets progressively softer as the day develops.  It also depends a lot on who drove before ……

If you are a first timer, listen to the advice – deflate your tyres – although it might seem ridiculously low to you – just do it.  I can guarantee you that it will make a huge  difference on your driving ability of the dunes.    And lastly, listen to some more sound advice (and warning) from Riekie.  Do not use alcohol when you are on the dunes as he will not hesitate to banish you.  Not only will you spoil your own day, but you will also spoil the day for other members in the group.

The highlight of the day is always the last obstacle, the “long dune”.  Most of the time on the route is spent here,  attempting and accomplishing the “long dune”.  And it is great fun. In general it takes more than one attempt to conquer this infamous obstacle.  This is also where the men reckon boys and men are separated from each other …   So, ladies let men play as they will always be boys in their hearts and their toys are their toys.

The route is rather popular with holiday makers and numbers are limited during peak season to preserve the sensitive dunes.  So, remember to book with Riekie and his team in time for your Vleesbaai experience.  And no sorry, no dogs are allowed on the dunes.

Some golden rules:       

Do not veer off the route – the dunes are monitored by Nature Conservation

Do not litter – always apply the trash in, trash out attitude

No pets allowed – there are some smaller wildlife in the dunes

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At the celebrations held at the southern tip of Africa it was only love for Landies that was going around the whole weekend.  Everyone was discussing and checking out other Land Rovers, smiling and waving the Landy wave to your fellow stalwarts.  Make no mistake there were also the “no lover of Land Rovers” that were curious (and maybe envious) who made their way to the festival to have a look at the goings and doings of the Landy lovers.

What an iconic weekend it was!  Sharing your story  (everyone who drives a Land Rover has a story), sitting around the camp fire, listening to other people’s stories, seeing great sunrises, making new friends, strolling through the campsite to see what fellow Landy owners has figured out to make life easier, lining up and driving in convoy to another icon where two oceans of the great African continent meet for a short church service in the open air and take the obligatory pictures, of course.  And one night when we looked towards the skies we  also saw a beautiful moon rise.  What more can you ask for?  Life is good when you drive a Defender.

Of course there was the odd Land Rover that had its usual niggles to arrive in time, but then the inspirational stories surrounding it, how friends supported him, and made a plan, so that he can arrive and attend the bash.  The camaraderie within in the Land Rover fraternity is amazing – you are not alone;  someone is looking out for your all the time.

We also had the privilege to drive on some stunning super white, unpolluted sand dunes on a private farm where we visited one of the oldest water aquivers in the region where the San collected their fresh water from.  As part of my New Year’s resolutions of 2018 I also did my duty and picked up my five pieces of plastic that washed up on the beach.  (Feeling proud of myself!).

The festival was also honoured to have the very first Land Rover that was imported to South Africa on the show.  It was still in mint condition and attracted lots of attention, poses and pictures taken with it!  Some of the very latest models were also present and then, of course, an array of models that fits into the Land Rover range, even a forward control that served in Afghanistan as an ambulance – you see there is the story!

When you follow the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_RfMbfaIss&feature=share  to Youtube you will catch a bit of the vibe that was going around during the weekend.

And a final picture, for those of you who are not familiar with the Landy wave,  to demonstrate how it is done!

We as a family are proud to own one of the collectable icons of the motor industry.  I am raising my glass to Wallace (as our Landy is aptly named) and many more happy hours and kilometres that we will spend in him.  Being on the topic of names, I still need to do a blog post on Landy names in the future, because I noticed some interesting ones at the bash.

—ooo—

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If you like to explore the back roads of South Africa the route through the Overberg that will take you to the pont at Malgas across the Breede River is a worthwhile, one of a kind experience.

What makes the Malgas pont rather special?  It is the only remaining hand-drawn pont of its kind in the country. There are at least two other pontoons that comes to mind when writing about this topic, but they are not hand-drawn – the one over the Kei River in the Eastern Cape and the one at Sendelingsdrift in the Richtersveld crossing the Orange River in the Northern Cape but it is not the same as the hand-drawn one at Malgas.  I am adding these two pontoon crossing to Wallace’s travel list!

The service begun in 1860 and is still operational today from sunrise until sunset, weather permitting. It will take you about 10 to 15 minutes to cross the river.  Just enough time to take the compulsory pictures of the Land Rover on the pont and have a chat with the friendly operators of the pont.  As they were walking up and down on the pontoon I was wondering what is the total amount of paces that they take every day.  Surely, during the holiday season and over weekends they walk further than during the week when there are less visitors.

The village of Malgas peaked during the year 1860 when it boasted a hotel, shop, boarding house, school, church, goal and a powder store.  During this period fresh water was also transported in flat bottomed boats down river to Port Beaufort and Infanta at the mouth – a distance of about 40 kilometres.  However, today all the hustle and bustle are gone and you will find mostly accommodation, a couple of holiday homes and a little country store along the shores of the river.

Malagas was the name of a Hottentot chief, whose kraal was situated near the site. The name of the village was changed to Malgas because in the olden days, post for the village ended up in Malaga Spain!  Today both versions of the name are still in use.

If you are willing to travel on gravel you will find this unique experience at: S 34° 18.132′ E 020° 35.410′

NEED TO KNOW: 

They take only cash – no card machines in this part of the world.  The fee we paid during April 2018 was R55 per vehicle.

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Parrie is not just another stingray.    He or she (I do not know how you distinguish between them) has been featured on local television in recent years.

Stingrays and manta rays (there is a difference) are cartilaginous fishes.  So, what is the difference between them?

• Stingray is a group of rays with about 100 species while there are only two species of manta rays.
• Manta ray is much larger and heavier than stingrays.
• Stingray has barbed stings, but not manta ray
• Stingray could be harmful for humans, but there are no accidental attacks on divers from manta rays
• Manta rays are found mostly around tropical waters and barely in subtropics, whereas stingrays inhabit tropical, subtropical, and occasionally temperate marine waters
• Manta rays get their gills cleaned from other fishes frequently but not the stingrays.

Round about four in the afternoon, normally when the fishing boats return from sea, the stingrays decent on the harbour when Parrie and his friends arrive.  If you want to get a good spot arrive early and position yourself on the small pier to have a good view to take those awesome pictures of them.  You will not regret it.

With their “waving wings” they put up a display and entertain the people.  Some of them took the food that is offered to them.

With modern technology at hand a friend launched a drone to capture these amazing animals in the bay. I counted a total of about 13 in the clear blue waters.  However, not all of them is as tame as Parrie and they keep their distance.

Parrie is famous.  Go and like Parrie’s Facebook page

ooOoo

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So, why named Cape St Blaize?   It is so-named because Bartolomeu Dias, the Portuguese explorer, and his crew first landed in Mossel Bay on St. Blaizes Day (3 February) in 1488.  Originally the lamp was visible as a single red light for 15 nautical miles but after several upgrades and electrification on the 6^th of April 1931, today it can be seen at 22 nautical miles.  Then in 1914 the lighthouse received its first foghorn and  later a radio beacon with the call sign ZRF was added.

This manned lighthouse with a tower height of 14.9 metres is open to the public and is situated at E22 09 25 S34 11 10 or just follow your instinct if you do not have a GPS to the Point in town.

When out at sea it can be recognized as a group flashing of two every 15 seconds.  The lighthouse was commissioned as a result of the number of vessels using the bay as safe anchorage and also to replenish supplies.

 Visit our own piece of Greece with white washed buildings steeped in history, breath-taking views over the ocean and blue, blue skies right here in the Garden Route.

I think an appropriate way to end this post is with  the lyrics from a song by a local singer, Elvis Blue.

 LIGHTHOUSE — Elvis Blue

“Know where I am and where I’m going.
Lost at sea, I see you shine for me
You are my lighthouse,
You are my lighthouse”

Listen to Elvis Blue performing “Lighthouse” — click, click, click – you know what to do!

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This no frills-no-fuss fish and chips take away is located on the water’s edge in Mossel Bay Harbour.  Things work simple here – decide what you want from the minimalistic menu, place your order, pay at the window, get your order slip and go on the top deck until your food is served in a white Styrofoam dish.  That’s it.

With the smell of sea and fresh fish in your nostrils you have a fantastic view over the glistening water of the bay  towards the Outeniqua Mountains, which also forms the back drop to George.  Looking towards the front side of the bus you can observe the operations in the small working fishing harbour.

Well, what can I say?  I just LOVE the Garden Route with all its unexpected gems.  Come and enjoy my world!

“Whatever you are thinking; think bigger!’

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First you have to understand what Namaqualand is about.  This is a very dry area with little rain throughout the year.  Then when the warmer weather arrives, the vibrant flowers appear on the barren landscapes.  You might feel that you do not need any tips on flower spotting, – how difficult can that be? – but there are some points that you need to consider in making your experience memorable.  It is always difficult to predict when the flowers are going to bloom, as like many things in nature, they are weather dependent, but keep the following in mind to ease you into flower spotting:

The flowers are dependent on the sun to show their faces.  So, the best time of day will be between 10:00 and 16:00, which is the hotter part of the day.  Enough time to enjoy a hearty breakfast before you hit the road for the day.  However, the flowers will not show on a heavily overcast day or in rainy weather.  For that you will need a Plan B at hand to explore some other gems of the area if that might be on the cards.

Travel with the sun behind you so that you are always facing the flowers.   When planning your daily circular route, try to travel in a westerly direction in the morning, southerly during the day and turn east in the afternoon.  Get out of your vehicle and walk among the flowers to see their beauty up close and personal.

Ask at the friendly local tourism office where to find the best spots as it is a bit of a guessing game where the best flowering areas are every year.  Local knowledge is tops!

There is a saying that you have to visit Namaqualand at least twice in your life time.  The first time should be when it is a year of drought and the barrenness stretches out for kilometers in front of you and where the “nothing” grows in silence.  Your return visit should be in a year after good rains when the fields are blooming with colourful flowers.  I tend to agree with this saying, because only then you appreciate the real beauty of the vistas.

Last, but not least, take advantage of National Parks Week (18 – 22 September 2017) when the National Parks in South Africa offer free entrance.  For example:  entry to West Coast National Park will set you back R70 per adult and R35 per child, but plan your visit carefully and you and your family can enter free of charge.  If you plan to stay over book in advance, because this is peak season in Namaqualand.

As I was browsing the internet I came across a picture of me and my Daisy (published in the Country Life magazine) on our flower trip.   Click on the link below the picture to see it for yourself.  Man-oh-man was I surprised!

https://www.countrylife.co.za/flowers/confessions-of-a-flower-stalker

Enjoy the scenery, but don’t pick the flowers!

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