2017 Archives - TRAVELBUCKET

BOGGED DOWN

As things in our lives changed our travel patterns also changed. We went from travel as a family to travel as mom and daughter or maybe it is daughter and mom. Anyways, we are dong women only trips these days. For the moment we are making “safe” solo trips to discover the smaller towns of out beautiful country. Some of these trips took us on some backroads to Rietbron in the Eastern Cape and Sutherland in the Northern Cape and Van Wykdsorp in the Western Cape. All did not go without glitch though. On a leisurely round trip to Van Wyksdorp the little Zook’s battery decided to die on us when we stopped for the umpteenth time to snap something in the hope to get THAT perfect picture. Now the roads to Van Wyksdorp are all gravel travel and big stretches are without cell phone reception that is not a… Read more >

YOU ARE NOW ENTERING THE TRANSKEI : THE KEI BRIDGE

For most of us this bridge confirms that you are officially crossing over from the Eastern Cape into the former Transkei. Running parallel with the new bridge over the N2 you will notice the old stone bridge to your left when driving eastwards. Find the road to the old bridge and have a look at it. I was quite impressed at the engineering skills considering the period in which it was built and the machinery available to create these types of structures. The steel bridge built by Westwood Bailie Engineering Works from London and completed in 1879 so nearing its 150th year soon. Although the bridge’s length will not make the Guinness Book of Records, as it is only 0.46 kilometres long, it is still used by local farmers and pedestrians in the vicinity. Attempts to build a bridge over the Kei River started in 1877 when materials were shipped… Read more >

TSITSIKAMMA GARDENS RESTAURANT

A quaint little restaurant situated conveniently along the N2 highway in close proximity to Storms River, Tsitsikamma Gardens Restaurant is a welcoming stop exactly halfway between Port Elizabeth and George. Here you will find anything from home cooked South African meals such as Bobotie to lighter lunches such as quiche and toasted sandwiches. This gem can easily be passed by and before you know it, you end up missing the most delicious venison pie and you will have to settle for a garage pie at Storms River petrol station. At Tsitsikamma Gardens Restaurant, you can park your car in the shade and take a stroll through the beautiful garden or relax on the ‘stoep’ while sipping on the homemade Ice Tea. Or maybe you were adventurous and tired yourself out on one of the many activities the area has to offer. The refreshing garden salad, all locally harvested from the… Read more >

THE GOOD OLD PAPER MAP

Why still a hard copy map? Yes, yes, yes I know all the modern technology is available – and I do own a GPS and a smart phone with navigational abilities, but I still love a good old map with all those red lines connecting places. You see this is where the practical me jumps in again. I like it because: There is nothing more rewarding when you are planning a trip than to spread out the map on the table and say that is where I want to go. Yes, yes, I know the GPS shows me where I want to go, but sometimes we get so blinded by tunnel vision focussing on what the GPS tells us what to do that we do not actually know where we are in the bigger picture. Driving in town that is fine, you can just replace/recharge the batteries or plug into… Read more >