2014 Archives - Page 2 of 3

UITSPAN TYD BY UITSPAN

Dit is een van baie lekker kampplekke in die Baviaanskloof en hier doen ‘n mens net wat die naam sê – uitspan! Omdat ons by die see woon vermy ons gewoonlik die malligheid van ‘n Desember vakansie by die see en kies eerder koers binneland toe. Karoo toe. En waar meer kry jy Karoo as in die Baviaanskloof? Hier is dit boeklees-tyd, koffie-tyd, gesels-tyd en vriende maak-tyd weg van tegnologie en die gewoel van die stad. Die staanplekke is met groot sorg uitgelê sodat elkeen ‘n koelte kolletjie het, wat belangrik is in die somer, maar tog nie so ingedruk dat jy oor mekaar kamp nie. Dit is nogal iets wat vir ons baie punte tel. Hier is oorgenoeg om te doen, as jy iets wil doen! Jy word begroet met ‘n blouste blou plaasdam swembad met ‘n groen grassie wat sorgvuldig elke dag nat gemaak word en waar die… Read more >

THE QUEEN OF THE YELLOWWOODS

There are a lot of attractions and things to do in the Tsitsikamma region of the Garden Route that stretches more or less from Mossel Bay in the west to more or less Humansdorp in the east. Some of them is well known and others not. The most visited one is probably the swing bridge in the Tsitsikamma National Park, but today we are not stopping there. Instead, I am taking you to a big tree in the forest aptly named “Big Tree”. I left the home base a bit earlier to give myself time to stop in the heart of the Tsitsikamma. The big trees of our native forests are not as big as the massive Red Woods that you find in the United States, but they stand tall to reach the rays of sunlight. The Outeniqua Yellowwood tree is South Africa’s national tree which makes this particular big tree… Read more >

A CAR FOR THE NATION

I am pretty sure most South Africans has one or another Volkswagen advertisement that lingers in their minds. Be it Gugu Zulu with his little rally car or David Kramer and his red veldskoene and the Volksie bus. Which one is your favourite? As the interest in motor sport runs deep in our veins we have visited a couple of motor museums in Europe in the past. This is no Porsche Museum or Alfa Romeo museum that spread over several floors and hosts any model that you can think of and more. This is rather an intimate display of loved Volkswagen products on the premises of the factory located at 130 Algoa Road in Uitenhage. In the “Meet the Beetles” area you will meet Herbie from the movies who needs no introduction. Delilah which is in pristine condition with no plastic surgery done and less than 1 000 km on… Read more >

END OF THE LINE

Turn tables are interesting objects which not a lot of people know about or what its function is, unless you have a special interest in trains. I grew up around trains, but never knew that the picturesque town of Knysna had a turn table tugged away in its bowels. This is just another hidden gem of the Garden Route. So, what is a turn table all about? Or before we go there, why am I writing about a turn table of all things under the sun? Because I think it is worthwhile to write about it as it is not something often seen in South Africa. I discovered this one by accident in the beautiful town of Knysna, next to the waterfront at an almost forgotten spot next to a parking lot. On your next visit in Knysna head over to this GPS location to see it: S 34° 02.393… Read more >

WANDERING IN WILDERNESS

When you visit the beautiful village of Wilderness, that lies in the heart of the Garden Route, you will experience rivers, lakes, beaches and forest, all within easy reach of each other. With many accommodations to choose from this is a perfect base to explore from. You can spoil yourself with some good eateries, adventure activities (kloofing, abseiling, paragliding), excellent farmers markets and beach strolls. So, why NOT visit Wilderness? This is South Africa’s own lakes district. There are various bird hides along the lakes system that you can, well, hide in, to watch some bird life along the lakes. Find Gullilule and Malachite Bird hides for some splendid bird activity along the lakes. The chances are good that you will be the only person in the hide. By far one of the best kept secrets still in the Garden Route! Stop at Dolphin’s Point and enjoy the view both… Read more >

TIPS ON HOW TO NEGOTIATE AFRICAN ROADS

This post is mostly for the inexperienced first-time visitor/driver to the African continent. Always remember that Africa is quite different than any other continent. So be aware that you sometimes need to come out of your comfort zone to survive the continent. Things that seems abnormal on other continents is sometimes quite normal in Africa! Check your tyres before you drive off. It sounds a bit foolish, but this can safe you some embarrassment if you just walk around your vehicle once to check if all your tyres are still okay and inflated to the correct pressure. Now you are ready to hit the road and enjoy the rest of your trip. Tyre compressors and gauges at garages, especially in remote locations, are not always correct. Be aware of that. We have a habit of using our own tyre pressure gauge that we carry in our cubbyhole. Part of… Read more >

….. AND WE ARE OFF TO THE BAVIAANSKLOOF MEGA RESERVE

This will be our eighth escape to the magical world of the Baviaanskloof in the adventure province of the Eastern Cape! From all of our trips we entered only once from the Eastern access gate and all the other times we entered through the Nuwekloof pass on the Willowmore side. It does not make any difference from where you enter, the rugged beauty is always special to us. On 15 March 2019 the catchment area of the Baviaanskloof had a down pour of about 75 mm in a time span of 40 minutes which caused huge damage to roads and alike. Once through Raaskrans and crossing the first “drif” we noticed that big amounts of water rushed through the kloof. Debris was hanging from trees to indicate the water’s reach. This was the trend for the next two days – short and easy water crossing, longer water crossings, washed away… Read more >