Day 58 - Cederberg/Wolfberg

Before 04hrs this morning, boat Captains and crew were up and about and soon Snoek boats were putting out to sea. Yesterday 1000's of Snoek, here in Lamberts were boated. Imagine also in all the other little ports, the length of the West Coast? For nearly a year, these folk have waited for right now, to ply their trade, for money to change hands and kids to eat again.... happiness all round!

With the fish and Crayfish factory having closed down in Lamberts Bay, and consolidated in Saldanah, the old installation has been converted to a Potatoe Processing plant. Many local fisherman have lost their annual 'piece-jobs' and have either moved out or sit at home jobless. The euphoria of a Snoek-run is contagious to the entire community. For a week or two and maybe a month, life will be good! Last night the testing and tuning of boat motors, chatting and sharing the days war-stories, way into the night. I fell asleep thinking of the day watching the little kids, barefoot running through the blood and guts and gore of slaughtered Snoek on the quayside. Seagulls dodged, themselves avoiding being massacred. A Snoek Fisherman was just too proud to show off his lacerated fingers and hands to Karen. Snoek bites and fishing line gauges, 'granny-finger' prints, softened and soaked white by the sea.

Once the snoek have been 'flecked' and gutted, they are washed and scrubbed with a domestic scrubbing brush, with bloodied water in black dustbins. On the pier side, salted right there as we watched, dozens of fish carcasses loaded into bakkies and cooler trucks, standing ready. Evidently Covid is not an issue here in Lambert's. That 'medical doyen, Karen' says... "Covid is only for the delicate"!😖

On our way here yesterday and I wanted to say we passed it, but clearly it passed us, the 'Orex Train' from Sishen to Saldanha Port. The longest production train in the world, 375 coaches and a mix of 10 electric and diesel locomotives connected in one long spine, like a giant Python! (Google-it)

More Forex, hopefully falling into the right hands and bank accounts, with minimal salary expenses😖

Having left Lamberts Bay, we agreed that if all the 50 odd nights on the road, this Lamberts Bay Caravan park has pretty much failed all the benchmarks set, and we have agreed on number last position 😖 No toilet paper!!! and the camp staff from just after 08:00 stood around together moving, only ever so slowly as they tracked the very cool sun rays! Pretty much a shocker!

After packing up we left at 10ish, greeting the staff goodbye as they still stood loitering only ten paces further west from where they stood two hours earlier.

Though I have been down the R364 from Lamberts Bay to Clan William several times before, I was struck by the amazing rock formations left and right of the road. Secondly, this is the land where fat sheep survive on sand, stone and rocks. Browsing through square kilometers of barren land these poor things are surviving😖

With a quick visit to Clan William to fuel up, down the N7 for a short distance to a turn off sign posted 'Cederburg and Algeria' (of all places). We drove down such a magic gravel road for roughly 100km into the middle of the Cederburg Mountain Range to a place called 'Sanddrift'. This beautiful place in the middle of the range incorporates the Cederburg Brewery and Winery and the last entry point up and into the awsome 'Wolfberg Cracks and Arch'. We checked and pitched camp into the most lush and organised campsite, equal to the best we have experienced so far. Pricey at R450 per night and equal to any of the top we have stayed at.

We quickly returned by to the Reception to book our Permit up to hike into the Wolfberg Cracks and the Woldburg Arch. On our return from the Reception Office, we were high jacked to attend a Wine tasting of their products. Just the two of us and we received a full on expert presentation.

After a braai we went to sleep comforted by the coldest night of our trip so far 4°🥶 in addition to a substantial windchill factor🥶🥶🥶

Here at Sanddrift, other than WiFi at the reception, sadly or happily there is no Cellphone signal, nor are there any people!

Love, Peace and Light!
M&K
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