South Africa Archives - Page 24 of 24

SANDSTEEN ROETE, OUDTSHOORN

Terwyl ek tyd moes verwyl in Oudtshoorn het ek besluit om my lyf bietjie toeris te hou en deur die dorp te stap en die sandsteen geboue te bekyk. So begin ek onder in Baron van Rheedestraat en stap verby die indrukwekkende CP Nel museum wat ongeveer 122 jaar oud is. So leer ek dat ook Cecil John Rhodes hier op Oudtshoorn ‘n draai moes gemaak het toe hy die hoeksteen in 1892 gelê het. Net ‘n klein entjie daarvandaan geniet toeriste ‘n koppie koffie by wit gedekte tafeldoeke op die bekende Queens Hotel se stoep. Na bewering ook die derde oudste hotel in Suid-Afrika! Maar ek is nog nie lus vir koffie nie en stap nog verder af in Baron Van Rheedestraat. Dan kom ek op ‘n interessante oudhede winkeltjie af met die gepaste naam van Die Neelsie – dit is mos CJ Langenhoven wêreld die – waar jy… Read more >

A WALK IN ST GEORGE’S PARK

Today we opted to walk instead of drive in our exploring stint. A leisurely afternoon stroll (actually in search of a geocache) took us to the historic St George’s Park and surroundings to learn and appreciate a bit of history. Our first stop was at the historic Port Elizabeth Cricket Club (PECC) which was established in 1859 where a club match was underway. The grounds boast a couple of unique achievements such as: being the second oldest cricket club in South Africa; being the venue for the first cricket test the first women’s international Test the last Test before South Africa was expelled from world cricket the first ever test series win against Australia the first Rebel test was played here and last but not least it is the sixth oldest cricket ground in the world In 2003 it was only the second season that PECC and Crusaders Rugby Club… Read more >

A WEEKEND VISIT TO HOGSBACK

During December of 2013 we took a quick pre-Christmas break to Hogsback to celebrate our daughter’s successful academic year. The road took us high up into the Amathole mountains amongst cloud and rain. As we arrived at the beautiful Hogsback Arminel Inn the rain was pouring down and our hopes to do some walking diminished. So we were on to plan B at J R R Tolkien’s place of Hobbits and fairies! Plan B included driving the road (indicated on maps as a normal road, but do not be fooled as this has degraded to a 4×4 track) from Hogsback to Seymour, which was on hubby’s to do list, as well as picking up some caches in the area. However the weather did not have a sunny outlook so we followed the road less traveled through the forest to Keiskammehoek Thanks to Geocaching we passed traditional huts and villages,… Read more >

AN EPIC JOURNEY WITH A 1962 LAND ROVER

A classic 1962 Landy was an item that was on hubby’s bucket list for a very long time. So it happened that while he was working somewhere in Africa he bought this old lady over the internet and had to pick it up at O R Tambo on his homeward journey. So off I go on a Kulula flight to O R Tambo to courier the necessary tools, several other items as well as some warm clothing that (we thought) would be needed for this epic journey after the late snow falls that had the country buzzing. A bit of TLC here and there and we set off on a 1 200 km road trip to take her home. All went well until just before Kroonstad where our first of 42 unplanned mechanical stops started. With a speed of about 20 kmph and a stuttering Landy we arrived at the Shell… Read more >

A WEEKEND IN MONTAGU

An all girls weekend wandering took us to Montagu in the Boland region. The town was named after the former secretary of the Cape Colony, John Montagu. It was also known as Agter Cogman’s Kloof. With its picturesque setting Montagu is famous for the mineral springs nestled on the verge of the town, impressive rock formation as you drive westwards on the R62 towards Robertson, outdoor activities such as hiking, biking and rock climbing, good food and local wines and of course the Montagu Dried Fruit Company. We used Paul and Shirley’s Koo Karoo Cottages as our base and explored the town and surrounds. Our first wandering took us to the Old English Fort – declared a monument in 1999 – perching on top of the “tunnel” in Cogmanskloof about 4 km from Montagu as you drive towards Ashton on the famous R62. The fort was built by stonemason William… Read more >