South Africa Archives - Page 15 of 24

AUTUMN

Autumn must be my favourite time of the year! I love the rich tones of autumn, the leaves silently falling to the ground and forming a thik carpet and the rustling of the leaves when the dogs walk over it. In South Africa we have a tendency to rake up all the leaves – which my Malawian gardener is very good at by the way – to have a spotless garden in contrast to the European style where you get a leaf wonderland in autumn. Although I am a hardy South African I rather prefer the European image of a picture dotted with beautiful leafs. Winter is slowly creeping in on us. The days are getting shorter and chillier. Very soon it will be time to get the fire going in the hearth, tuck in with a glass of red wine and a nice book. —oOO— Autumn is a second… Read more >

KAROOBOOM

Hit the road and pay this establishment on the famous Route 62 a visit. Driving in the direction of Cape Town it is approximately 33 km from the ostrich town of Oudtshoorn in the Klein Karoo on your left-hand side. When you see this old car you know you have found it. Coordinates: 33°33’24.8″S 21°53’07.2″E It was a nice and interesting Sunday morning breakfast run with the Garden Route BMW Motorcycle Club which ended at the Karooboom. The wind was really huffing and puffing when we left George along the Outeniqua pass where we had to hold on to the bikes. As soon as we reached the Waboomskraal valley the wind subsided and it was just a beautiful Karoo day. Today we followed the back roads via Kandelaarsrivier and De Hoop and so did the rain clouds. As we pulled in at Karooboom the heavens opened on us – time… 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 >

AT THE WATERHOLE

Plan your trip and times and choose a waterhole where you want to spend some time. The best time to observe the activity at a waterhole is early morning or late afternoon when the animals come for a drink. You may see different animals at different waterholes as the vegetation may differ considerably – be choosy. When approaching the waterhole drive slowly as to make the less possible noise and dust when arriving. If you arrive in a fanfare the animals and birdlife will be gone before you even know it. We are all there to have a once in a life time experience! Be considerate and pick a spot where you will not obscure the view of other people already present. Wait your turn. They were there first and we all want to experience the animals. After all that is what we all are there for. Go prepared. Take… Read more >

CEDERBERG RIDE REPORT

It was weekend and on the “to do” list was a bike trip through the Cederberg Mountains. The “not so little anymore” daughter just completed her introductory course to off road riding under the watchful eye of Countrytrax instructors so hubby was confident that she will cope with the ride. And she? She was excited as hell to prove her new skills. It was an early start in Stellenbosch as dawn was breaking and we needed to avoid the early morning traffic as we still wanted to sleep at Clanwilliam that night. So a long day (some 300 km via the R303 ) in the saddle! Our breakfast stop was just around the corner at the Wimpy in Wellington (you cannot start your day without a Wimpy breakfast). From here on we followed the tar road via Hermon through Ceres and up Gydo pass to hit gravel where the… Read more >

A CENTURY OLD WRECK

Shipwrecks always have some sort of mystical ambiance about them for me. If you are willing to take a more or less 6km round trip eastwards along the beach at Glentana you will reach the mossed skeleton of the floating Port Natal dry dock resting on the beach since 1902. —– oOo —– HISTORY OF THE WRECK: It was stranded after the tow rope from the steamer Baralong parted during a tow operation from Durban to Cape Town. The dock was a Clark Standsfield self-docking design and built at CS Swan & Hunter’s yard at Wallsend (Yard No. 279). It was oredered by the Natal Government for the Harbour Commissioners of the Port of Durban. It was to be the first floating dock introduced into South Africa. The dock was launched on the 6th of October 1902, and it was originally intended that the Dutch Smit Tugs, used to tow… Read more >

RADICAL RAPTORS

One of the most rewarding places I visited is Radical Raptors situated at The Heath on the N2, just outside of Plettenberg Bay. This safe haven for raptors is doing phenomenal work! During the daily flying displays you interact with amongst others Barney the owl and other rehabilitated feathered friends which cannot be released into the wild again for various reasons. After all, the very knowledgeable Dennis only uses birds with permanent injuries as ambassadors. And boy oh boy they behave like head boys! Not one step – or should I say feather – out of place. The trained birds are tame and well adapted to visitors. Therefore, during the flying display you are given a glove and the opportunity to invite the bird to land on your hand. In other words, opportunities by the dozen to take that perfect picture in natural surroundings or try and try and try… Read more >