Day 52 - Pringle Bay
2022年5月6日, 南アフリカ ⋅ 🌧 16 °C
Friday morning kicked off with scurrying to get the caravan loaded and hitched before the rain came down, in buckets! With all hands on deck, we just managed success before it happened and down it came as we moved out!
So many thanks to Dawie and Shiela (and Noddy) for looking after us and spending such quality time. Much love to you all.
Heavy hearts all round as we departed for Pringle Bay. Like Arniston, Pringle has, for many different reasons, a very special place in my heart and DNA.
Back in the late 80's and early to mid 90's our regular sport/entertainment was snorkeling for Crayfish off the False Bay coast. This over the years became more than just that, an institution! We studied the weather, the Moon and the Sun, the currents and the exact times of the tides. We logged dives and Crayfish sizes. Dreamed and lived and loved every dive we managed to get in at Pringle. We laughed and shared, we drank and ate, we recalled practically every dip down amongst the thick forests of Kelp. We knew every nook and cranny (every Crook and Granny) as we called them! After years of diving for Cray's, we considered ourselves competent in every respect. Unlike the other Boys, Miles Hamilton-Brown and Johan Meyer who could pillage a full quota in a 2m square sea bed in minutes, we were less able and took a good afternoon or morning to eventually yield a successful innings. As apposed to the illegal poachers who could scrounge baby Cray's including women in berry and children, it must be said we played fair ball, every dive outing.
Driving into Pringle and down to the dive-site, was particularly rewarding, knowing that, when we could we did, and for now we wont or cant do it any more.
Pringle has exploded from the days we were here and has grown from a small hamlet to a village and soon even a town.
Back in the day, there was nothing. Now shops, bottle store, hair salons, Estate Agents and cute coffee shops and even boutique Mama n' Papa stores. Several roads are tarred and well maintained. A never ending battle between Baboon Huggers and their counters remains unresolved. Dune Lovers and their counters, likewise!
After all these weeks of successfully navigating, mainly rural South Africa, we got lost in urban Pringle Bay(?) It really has developed from the days of only a Public Toilet that has similar stories of mirth.
Eventually arrived at Gavin and Sandy, right on the Beach Front in Pringle Bay. Nothing between them and the smashing waves, except Cape Fynbos covered dunes and the beach. A complete 180° vista of another one of the most beautiful sea bays, anywhere in the world. Their original 'Diggs' elsewhere here in Pringle originally was, although basic and modest if not primitive to start with, overflowed with the usual 'Brown style' of a fishermans cottage, which it was meant to be. Then at the turn of the millennium, she got a glamorous face lift, converting the four walls into a beautiful boutique weekend cottage, that even Sandy loved and was proud of. Then Gavin, being a man of note, and in particular...projects, started getting itchy feet and not Athlete's! An additional, meager and empty plot was purchased down the road, still in Pringle.
As always, it feels so homecoming seeing Gavin and Sandy again after so many years. Their new house built in the sand and scrub, is nothing but completely awesome. Built of timber, large and with a sublime view of the entire False Bay!
.... my Editor is rushing me for urgent content and the pressure is killing me!!!
Love, Peace and Light
M&K👍🏻💐もっと詳しく
Day 53 - Pringle Bay
2022年5月7日, 南アフリカ ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Somewhere way past midnight on Friday evening, with the assistance of copious beers, war-stories, braaivleis, good friends, more and more beer and much laughter we surrendered and got to bed.
Saturday morning morphed with Friday night. A little war-torn, Gavin and I walked Mieka (the Golden Retriever) to a coffee shop up the road in Pringle. Even the great coffee and croissant was not able to bring any sort of equilibrium. I have to admit, that I did battle to right myself pretty much throughout the day! For weeks I had full ambitions to run here in Pringle at least a 7/8km outing. There was no way this could happen with the injuries I was contending with.
Whilst Gavin attended to a 'project' with a hardware delivery (or whatever) Karen, Sandy and I took a stroll down the Pringle Bay beach.
Here although the beach was immaculate, in every way, it just wasn't good enough for a few souls digging up to their knees in a mixture of mud and beach sand, at the mouth of the little stream on the far side of the bay, searching for any minute piece of plastic. All very dapper, whilst others are digging-in wind-barriers to prevent the dunes blowing away and up against foreshore houses, others are removing alien 'Port Jackson' bushes, which were preventing the sand blowing away in the first place. At the same time the Bunny/Baboon huggers are confronting the 'Baboon Scouts' who we saw armed to the backteeth with weaponary of sorts, armed with placards trying to avert a war!?
Meanwhile the entire night and on the far side of False Bay, the city suburb of Khayelitsha, lights burned brightly! What was happening there tonight was a far cry from the incidentals on the False Bay extremities. The crime/rape/death/drug/prostitution carnival of South Africa or even the world was no doubt in full swing! Full scale War in the meantime still rages unabated in Eastern Europe!
Today and tonight (Saturday) was subdued in comparison. No beer at all, all day and night, speaks to that! The four of us snacked on delicious 'Woolies' bites throughout the evening, only Karen was 'man-enough' to partake in the fruits of the vine, whilst she cleaned us up playing several rounds of 'Rummy'. There is a message in there somewhere?
Love, Peace and Light!
M&K
👍🌺もっと詳しく
Day 54 - Darling/Langebaan
2022年5月8日, 南アフリカ ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C
Back on the move again on Sunday, still head-butting a vague and dull headache!
After wishing both Karen and Sandra a Happy Mothers day, Karen went back to personally show up for Shielas Mothers Day, in Kleinmond, which was very special for them both.
By the time Karen got back at 09:15 Gavin had finally got the builders going and for the time being, stopped harassing and/or micro- managing their progress. When we eventually dragged him away we went for a Mothers day breakfast at the same place, as the previous day!
Many thanks Gavin and Sandy for your kindness and super dining and accomodation👍Your home is really beautiful, and that is an understatement and no lie!
We aimed for the West Coast specifically Langebaan via all the backroads. Circumventing False Bay between Hangklip and Pringle Bay via Rooi Els and on into Gordons Bay is another iconic and the most beautiful Clarence Drive. Less beautiful, the N2 for a few kilometers from the bottom of Sir Lowry's Pass through Somerset West. Between here through to way past Stellenbosch, I’m guessing 1000’s of square kilometers of vineyards, already feeling the pinch of winter, as the leaves turn from green to as many shades of purple, orange and brown and fall to the ground. Then onto the R304 and R302 to Malmesbury through Stellenbosh and Abbotsdale. Malmesbury on the R315 to Darling, where we lunched at the 'Darling Brewery' before connecting with the R27 to Langebaan.
Family friends of Karen and her Folks welcomed us in for yet another 'out-of-caravan- experience', their home on the heights of the hills surrounding Langebaan. Stunning nighttime views of the Langebaan Lagoon and Saldanha Bay Harbour. Recycling raw Iron Ore, brilliantly earning Millions of USD$'s in exports, instead of Billions of USD$’s with added value pure Iron and Steel! Simultaneously getting as many unemployed South African's off their lazy asses and into overalls to support their own 'un countable's', in stead of wasting valuable time standing in 'SASSA' queues for nothing!
Trevor and Rina fed us well with a great Lasagne and after falling asleep in a particularly boring Miami F1, we chucked it in.
Love, Peace and Light.
M&K
👍💐もっと詳しく
Day 55 - Paternoster/Tietiesbaai
2022年5月9日, 南アフリカ ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C
As arranged on Sunday evening, on Monday morning Karen, Trevor and I took, what I was tricked into believing, an early morning 'gentle' jog around Langebaan. What was I thinking? Karen, a four times 'Comrades' finisher, and Trevor (@ 77years old) and a 10 times 'Comrades' finisher (9 Silvers).... man did I get my ass given to me! Nevertheless such a beautiful 6km, mostly with a view down over the Langebaan Lagoon, which is a salt water mass slowly silting up due to the Saldanha Harbour piers that have over the years influenced the tides and flow of sand in and out of the bay.😖
After breakfast Karen and I took a day drive around this West Coast peninsula. We drove out on the R27 towards Vredenburg and Velddrift. My Woolies work mate, Terry who we met in Arniston
weeks before, was not at home in Britannia Bay, so we moved on through to Paternoster and Tieties Bay (of course an obvious favourite of mine)!!!😂
Thankfully, on past the stench of the Lucky Star, Glenryck, and Saldanah Pilchards harbours and process plants onto the breathtaking bays of Paternoster and Tieties. We spent the better part of our day, just sitting on the rocks and observing what happens here, every moment of everyday and everynight, with or without us! Not a single person in sight at Tieties, and God must be thinking, what a waste of my time and effort, and I'm thinking, thank God nobody else is here! By now you and I know why?
Nostalgic memories of diving here in this West Coast Crayfish Mecca, where we spent life-changing hours in ice cold waters, with great mates, in and around heavens under the sea. Cold beers, to warm one up after these freezing but awesome dives and unforgettable moments, probably never to be experienced, again in my life😥
Looking out over the rock formations and massive boulders sprinkled across the bay, is spiritual, how, when and why?
Back into the Paternoster village, which has been nothing but f¥€ked-up, by ghastly modern residential, retirement developments. Going back to the 80's and as recently as the 90's, this was a genuine and authentic fishing village. Sounding like an 'old fart' I know, but.... whatever!
Karen says that I "must irritate myself"? Sometimes, too true!
Reluctantly we returned to civilization and the bustle of Langebaan, traffic and people! We sat in the car next to the Langebaan beach and thumbed some overdue 'blogging' by now, running a few days and so many beautiful moments behind!
Back at Trevor and Rina's, we saddled up to go out to dinner at Club Mykonos. Delicious Hake & Chips, and equally delicious beverages, with a guy singing greatest hits as the sun set over the Mykonos Yacht basin, was a super end to another unforgettable day in this stunning country.
Love, Peace and Light.
M&K
👍💐もっと詳しく
Day 56 - West Coast National Park
2022年5月10日, 南アフリカ ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
After Trevor's workout on Monday morning, I didn't feel the running thing this morning (Tuesday).
Rina, Karen and I sneaked off for a late breakfast down at the Langebaan Yacht Club, only a stone throw away, whilst Trevor attended to other commitments.
A leisurely drive through the West Coast National Park was really beautiful, with stunning views of the lagoon, severely contrasting with the dry, not quite winter West Coast style Fynbos. The almost dead brown and very harsh West Coast bushes, against a pallet of all the blues and turquoises of the Lagoon almost just doesn't make sense, but does. No Nikon, no Samsung and certainly no iPhone tells the truth! 🤔Just like Addo, this National Park boasts Eland, Gemsbok, Mountain Zebra bla, bla, bla... but doesn't! We must really be loosing our ranging touch. One Cape Gray Mongoose, one tortoise, one Ostrich, a hand full of Francolin and one live Mole Snake, basking in the middle of the road, alive! Another Cape Tall Story!Right?
Karen went to Woolies Foods while I attended to some caravan issues and kept Rina company, until Trevor got back.
Tonight is Sushi Special night, so let's get it on/in!😜 It would appear that there are various 'specials' at Club Mykonos every evening, and Tuesday night is Sushi night!!!
Once again thank you to Trevor and Rina for your friendship and kindness. You have provided us 'home-from-home' hospitality, and then some! We have loved every moment being with you both, as we enter can you believe it... the last third of our fantastic journey and our country. From here, for the next 6 odd weeks, we don't know anybody so, no 'specials' ahead for us!
Love, Peace and Light!
M&K
👍💐もっと詳しく
Day 57 - Lambert’s Bay
2022年5月11日, 南アフリカ ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
Slowly the road ahead emerged out of the midmorning mist bank, still lingering since daybreak. Thick low cloud obscured the Langebaan basin as we bid farewell to Rina and moved out toward the R27 and then the R365 en route to Lamberts Bay. From Velddrift => Laaiplek=> Dwarskersbos => Elandsbaai => Wadrifsoutpan to Lamberts Bay.
The dustbowl east of the R365 compared to the west's blue and jade Atlantic Ocean, again just does not add up? The temperature here up the West Coast is below 16 degrees for most of the morning but as the clouds and few raindrops cleared so it began to warm slightly to no more than nineteen!
The renowned 'Muisbosskerm' was empty, and the little guy cleaning an already clean venue, advised that it has closed down and only opens for functions 😖 So sad, but not as sad as driving through the Lamberts Bay CBD via the main street. Dilapidated homes, once happy weekend cottages, now have broken and soiled couches on verandas and washing in the main street from pillar to post. Wednesday at 14:00 there was nobody, not a soul, closed house doors and not a moving vehicle. We noticed more than a few cars down at the harbour, but other than that, totally deserted. In the caravan park there were only 2 or 3 tents and no caravans, but still other than the security guard, nobody around. No one even at the few tents already pitched. Not even the nasty rotten fish smell from the fish factory.... Lamberts Bay, as if the 'rapture' had taken place and the toll of the Catholic Church bell
was ominous. The sea and the squawking gulls almost sounded like vultures!
We left our caravan in the park and drove to 'Isabellas' restaurant on the docks, making it even more eerie, with no one there either.
On the far side of the harbour and at the entrance, there was a small commotion which was clearly growing as we shared a bowl of 'Mussels in a Green Curry', two beers and two carifs of Red Wine, just before the 'Sea Food Platter' arrived. In the meantime the gulls making a noticeable increase in the use of the airspace above 'Bird Island', and a slow string of fishing boats entering the harbour. Parking at the harbour entrance was now at a premium as Karen and I made our way around to the dock entrance, to find just what we actually came to witness. Screaming women and children, cursing, dirty, exhausted, smelly and satisfied fishermen. Snoek everywhere lay gutted and 'ungutted'! According to one, they (the Snoek) had arrived over the weekend "Laat maar, groot en honger meneer, hulle wil net eet"!
Thousands of 'geflekde' fish everywhere, heaps of guts and gills with red rivers running back into the ocean and the fishing boats kept docking, way after sunset. "Ons het die dik geslaan"!!! We were eventually escorted out of the harbour in a cloud of a different mist! Not all the blue we saw was the ocean and neither was the mist, that blue either! Wafting past were more than a few blue clouds from dried twigs and leaves not really noticed as we past thousands of hectares on our way in of untouched natural vegetation, apparently way less dynamic!
After rigging a 'one night stand' caravan we went down to the ocean with a glass of wine each and watched the sun.
Back at the caravan, it was cold and the air already condensed on the car and tents!
So loved being with friends and family for the past week and a bit, has revived the 'lus' to be caravanning and out on our own again. Loved being with each and everyone of you, for what may just be the last time, was both wonderful and saddening!
Much love and blessings to you all .... and thank you!
Love, Peace and Light!
M&K
👍💐もっと詳しく
Day 58 - Cederberg/Wolfberg
2022年5月12日, 南アフリカ ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C
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
👍💐もっと詳しく
Day 59 - Wolweberg Arch and Cracks
2022年5月13日, 南アフリカ ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C
Pretty much alone in the 'Sanddrift Campsite' all night, we were in the carpark at the foot of the Wolfberg, a fraction before 08:00, remembering the sun here in the Cape doesn't shine before then. A chilly sub 4° start, at 0800 was a reasonable start time. At the get go, an evil wind blew, and felt like it more than halved that temperature!!! The Wolfberg is a 'mother' mountain ridge within the greater Cederberg Mountain Range and runs pretty much East to West. The morning sun thus doesn't even reach the South Face of the cliffs all day. Hence the wind from the south was bitter and the suns warmth never reached us all morning.
En route we past the 'Valley of the Red God's' an incredible array. Hundreds of grotesque stone pieces, sprawlled across the landscape, some several meters high on this confused chest board, and all different shades of red. How and when did this ever happen, is simply inconcievable!?
Immediately we started to climb, briskly at first and soon we realised that we were only ascending, very gently on a contour path, up to the foot of the most incredible cliff faces. Until we started our journey and over all our years, we had only ever heard of the Cederburg and probably last in a Standard 5 Geography exam. These days the word 'awesome' has been denegraded and chucked around left, right and center! What happened next, can only be described as 'AWESOME'!!! May this now precious word be spared and only used when no other adjective or adverb can be replaced, and only if all of you have scaled the Wolfberg, to the Cracks and the Arch!!!
Three massive 'Cracks' have parted the cliff face, at first only 5 or 10 meters from wall to wall, and also only 5m or so deep! Vertical slabs of mainly Sandstone mixed with granite and marble pebbles stones, rocks and boulders, rise 100m or more into the sky. These cuts into the wall extend eighty to a hundred and maybe more meters, deep into the Earths wound. What ever the hell happened here millions of years ago must have been almighty! Wind, water, snow and ice. Hot and cold, rivers of larvae and seas, storms and gales of note. Seismic explosions, implosions and avalanches and floods and drought, everything and anything possible including all of the above. Petrified rocks and gullies hundreds of meters deep and high, to crevices and cracks only wide enough to creep through and over. Fallen shears exactly where they shouldn't be meant squeezing, crawling, slipping and sliding, searching to find minute crevices and foot holes just out of reach.
The lady back at the reception glibly scribbled a route with a pink highlighter on a very vague and 'un-scaled' map the route up and through. We had (and neither did she) ever imagine the extent of this excursion. "It could be very technical in places..." she told us as she marked the map, and very sweetly sent us on our way, to what was next door to hell! Even Indiana Jones would have been amazed and probably even petrified himself.
Dangerous? Very definitely, and every step was a concentrated and measured shuffle or leap. There was zero room for any slight error. Tiptoeing in places where Angel's fear to tread! Suddenly I was reminded of my first movie date, one of those.... 4 male and four female teenagers, now you were on a date! We went to a musical movie back in the late '70's the original, 'A Star is Born' starring Chris Christoffersen and Barbara Strisand. The words of one of the movie title tracks.... "When it gets scary, dont look down" came to mind🤔
We measured the total distance hiked at just over 16km and probably only half of that, as the crow fly's. The rest a snake, gradually up (and down), but mainly shear elevations to the top and through. "Technical" I guess, was heaving ourselves up with rope 'handles' and wooden foot-cleats bolted into the rock wall at strategic places. A flimsy rope, but professionally attached to the side of a cliff was all we had, as we shuffled slowly around the flat belly of the cliff, more than 100m vertically above certain death! Perched on the edge of a lip only a ruler wide and 20 meters long, Karen screamed so loud it echoed across the valley, so loud I thought she had slipped! The 'drama queen' had literally put her hand on a frog, hiding in an erroded cleft, nearly 200m above anything! A 'padda'... Johan Meyer, not a 'Parra'!!!All the while, above giddy cliffs hundreds of meters straight down to fallen boulders and sheared rock. Several tonnes in weight, and many more than 10m high and just less in diameter!
As the sun rose, and rays filtered into the precipice's, the most incredible prism of colours converted dark and dingy gullies into the most beautiful walkways and coves. Unlike the Cango Caves, no need for colorful artificial lighting. Massive shapes, reflecting light into these endless passages and the way forward, all the time ascending inward and upward into the gut!
Indy movies could be filmed in here and on top of the mountain and way down below in the valley, Cowboy movies mixing it up with the 'Red God's' would be epic! These grotesque and gigantic shapes ranging from upward of 2m to 7 or 8 in height were amazing. Once we emerged hundreds of meters higher, and out from under these rock-falls we still had all of 3 kilometers to the Wolfberg Arch. (Check out the pics). Under the Arch, we sat and ate our 'padkos' Breakfast, way after lunchtime. All six of these kilometers were not just on a flat plateau and a walk in the park. Up and down and around rocky formations and undulations extending the distance, two fold. All of ten meters high a natural and perfect Arch, making those previous wooden 'pose-frames' in other parks, pedestrian!Peering down from both sides of the Arch the view down into both valleys, was breathtakingly beautiful. Just before we commenced our decent off the Arch, a little Robin joined us and ate every crumb we offered, right next to my foot. I noticed it had been ringed with a tag on its foot, but didn't get the opportunity to read the number or whatever, stamped on it.
The decent was certainly not as fearful as going up, although every step down also needed to be measured, and at any moment could have meant something broken, even more than once! No cellphone signal, no logbook to check climbers in and out, no one in the world even knowing where we were and if we had returned safely.
Seriously bushed but unscathed we got down, had a mean shower and very many cold ones that I had promised myself all day🍻
That hike was easily the toughest and most 'awesome' outing on our journey so far, if not the toughest since the 'Comrades Marathon' years ago!
A blissful eight hours sleep though cold outside, meant a late start and on the back-foot for the rest of the day, chasing daylight hours!
Love, Peace and Light
M&K
👍💐🥶もっと詳しく
Day 60 - Cederberg/Tankwa Karoo
2022年5月14日, 南アフリカ ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C
We woke up this morning like we had been attacked and gang raped by the 'Red Gods' themselves and inoculated with their 'blasphemous poison'! Every muscle and joint was agony. Yesterday was no jaunt up 'Jeans Hill' in Kleinmont! To aggravate the situation, we still had to pack up!
Knowing full well we had a full days drive ahead, we still only managed a 10 o'clock exit from probably the best campsite so far. Everything was exactly as it should've been, and the thrilling memories of yesterday, way on top of the 'most spectacular list' yet, if not ever! Lush green grass to camp on, in a valley although still with a green tinge from the recent unexpected and unseasonal rains, was starting to feel autumn sniffing around. Established Oaks and Elms rusting in as many shades of crimson, as the gigantic rock Red Gods themselves. Not quite bitterly cold but very fresh, the overnight visitors who had arrived on Friday night, were making their way to the 'Wolfberg Cuts', by now too late to hike to The Arch'.
Travelling south toward Ceres on roads without names or numbers (R303) we made good time on a fairly dodgy road surface on our way to the Tankwa Karoo. Through various unheard passes, Grootrivier Pass, Blinkberg Pass, Katbakkies Pass, Skittery Pass to the Ceres Karoo. These passes west of the Kouebokkeveldberge and between the Skurweberge and Swartruggens ranges without navigational errors by Karen, we connected with the R355. A dusty but well maintained gravel surface, we crossed into the Northern Cape out of the Western heading North, to the Tankwa-Karoo. There may well have been showers here over the past few weeks, but no evidence at all. East and West was completely barren land, not a blade and not an animal for near on 100km's! Dusty dams and now and then a green bush and even a tree barely surviving in what might have been a small riverbed once. Dilapidated buildings and farmhouses, worn out rusted windmills and water tanks. Coils of brown barbed wire in stacks, lay just where they were left the only remnants of trashed family dreams of how many generation's hope?
These were and some still, farmers, men and women of diehard longevity, only trying to make a living and surviving on the bare minimum! These people cant have any aspirations for a better life, there cant be one, better than this! There is nothing and nothing needed either. The beauty cannot be explained, at least not by me! This is a feeling of peace and an absolute disregard for whatever is happening elsewhere in the country and world. Here, tomorrow is just another day, not tough by any means to them, anyway. This is their life they love so much, and I want to identify with it. Nothing is wanted other than to survive, peacefully to the next day. From where we look, it would seem horrendous and maybe impossible, but having been here now for a couple of days and hundreds of kilometers, one can only but love the simple life.
In our lives, we cannot shake the want of striving and succeeding, of keeping up, of racing around meeting deadlines, listening to the daily news and other peoples bullshit, whoever! These insular communities, whilst in touch with each other, share the same daily challenges, but way different to ours, simple and meaningless in comparison, to us anyway. Our daily survival is artificial and plastic, theirs is hand to mouth and real!
Would you want to live out here? YES! Could you live out here? NO!
We are so entangled with our own and others bullshit, we don’t and cant even live our own lives!
Here in this wilderness and out of nowhere, the 'Tankwa Padstal' right on the edge of the R355, in the middle of nowhere! 'Delicious' fast- food, cold beer, including a massive steel Flying Saucer crashed into the earth. A scrapped car perched on top of an old windmill frame and another buried bonnet deep into the ground. We had hardly passed a single car all day but here they people were eating, drinking and making merry! Bikers from everywhere, and at least 10 other cars (and a donkeycart), people chatting about the previous days 'Bike-Burn'. Apparently an annual get-together of bikers, but the exact story is still to be established (no cell phone/data signal or 220v electricity for 2 days now.
The very kind lady at the 'Padstal' assured us that we would not make the Tankwa National Park by closing, so diverted us to 'Die Mont', which was not worth the effort.
A shocking road off the R355 of some 30km, we rattled and bounced, shaking the whole rig full of dust. The farm road for the full 30km long, not a drop of water, neither a blade of grass! Fist to head size rocks everywhere and only one Gemsbok! Nothing!
We eventually arrived short of 5 o'clock at 'Die Mont'. A true Oasis, a large dam full of water and even some trees and green grass, no signal, no 220v and not much love either! At R450 for the night, I think the wench at the Padstal and this lady had us duped! All night a herd of sheep grazed around our caravan, bleating and lambs searching for their mothers, chomping grass next to our caravan, and answering back.
We had eaten big at the Padstal, so nothing on the menu and to bed.
Love, Peace and Light!
M&K
👍💐もっと詳しく
Day 61 - Gannabos/Hantam Karoo
2022年5月15日, 南アフリカ ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
Not a great night-over at 'Die Mond' we tackled the road back to the R355. Other than a crazy Ostrich that tried to outrun us at 60km/hour, which then stopped running straight after it crossed over right in front of us🤔What was that all about?
After that and onto the R355 north to the Tankwa National Park, this is all a National Park, except for at least 6 or 7 mad motorcyclists topping over 120km/h on this road throwing up as much dust as us, at a max of 80, not one person to be seen over a distance of 120 kilometers.
Flat, sandy wide open spaces littered with stones from, who knows where? Hundreds of square kilometers of nothing but uninhabited and uninhibited peace.
Trying to make contact with National Parks to make a booking at Tankwa Karoo proved impossible and equal to trying to simply book into the Kruger, back home! Oh wait, I had forgotten, home is right behind us😉
The same R355 cuts off the edge of the Reserve anyway, en route to Calvinia via yet another scary pass… ‘Blouberg Pass’. By now Diesel running scarce too. Here in the Tankwa, nearby means in excess of 200km and more than 3 hours. Arriving into Calvinia (and everybody knows Johny Louw here), it was beautifully clean and totally vacated. Empty streets except for some loitering little boys and the odd piece of washed up 'Seaweed', but at least we could fuel up and after enquiring, everyone told us we were already in the Tankwa Karoo.
That morning before we left, thanks to some other folk, who informed us about a place to stay between Calvinia and Loeriesfontein.
After our arrival at 'Gannabos' way deep into the Hantambergge and we got lost several times. No cell signal, but when we eventually arrived, Merwe our host explained that at my age I should know by now... "Women shouldn't give directions and men don't follow them anyway"!!!
What a beautiful place to stay over. Gannabos, each campsite(of only two) still no signal, no 220v but the basics, Twin-Ply, beautiful bathroom and scullary, hot shower and that's it!!! Except to say the owners of this farm Merwe and Nakkie(Liezl) are such fantastic people and that makes a huge difference, especially when you dont even like people!
Although we really enjoyed the Tankwa-Karoo for its 'nothingness', the Hantam-Karoo Region has even another dimension. It might have had more rain but it as stunningly beautiful with plant growth hiding most of the rocks.
Well earned, we pitched camp right next to our own, very fashionably appointed bathroom and scullary.
As per usual not without a braai, a few of the very best and a shower, we turned in, on a very warm end to Sunday.
Love, Peace and Light
M&K
👍💐もっと詳しく
Day 62 - Kokerboom Woud/Gannabos
2022年5月16日, 南アフリカ ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
Here on the hill's north faces are forest’s of 'Quiver Trees' (Kokerbome), so very Karoo and indigenous to this neck of the woods, and we have never seen one, in the flesh before.
The only indigenous 'Quiver Tree' forest in the Winter Rainfall area in South Africa is on this farm, 'Gannabos'. No lie, hundreds of thousands in one forest spread over several very large mountains.
Just like the 'Wolfberg Cracks', and 'The Arch' a life-time bucket list is, a visit to Gannabos Farm. That word... 'awesome'! The Hantam-Karoo and more particularly the ‘Gannabos Farm and Guest Cottages’, is awesome too!
The 'Gannabos Farm', 55km from Calvinia on the R355 towards Loeriesfontein is over 20,000 hectares of genuine Karoo veld with the Hantambergge overlooking from behind and partly included. The extent of the farm stretches up into the Hantam Mountain range offering Merwe different grazing options, according to the seasons.
In the riverbed there are untold hectares, currently cultivated and planted with Wheat, and now only awaiting the follow-up winter rains. Weather is late this year, as a result of the previous early rains, if this makes any sense? 🤔 These early rains have caused havoc all along the road in this massive farm. Burst dam's, washed away drifts and small bridges, gone!
In terms of irrigation, the farm is divided into many cultivated lands surrounded by ground, banked up to create dams, in which crops are sown and watered by means of 'flood irrigation' and also to combat erosion. When the river comes down, these many 'cultivated dam's' are flooded and the water just drains from there.
We spent the day washing clothes and generally conducting domestic affairs, really just spending 'downtime' catching up and consolidating. Later in the afternoon we drove several kilometres into the farm to view the amazing ‘Kokerboom Forest’. (Quiver Tree’s)
We had planned to move on tomorrow in the direction of Springbok and Port Nolloth. However, 'Nakkie' (our hostess) has given us special permission, to hike 7km up the riverbed and into the mountains to see a breading pair of African Black Eagles and their nests! ln addition, a 'freebie' night-over, all on the house. Everyday and night spent in the Karroo, makes it more difficult to leave and move on! 'Meatloaf' once sang, "...Too much is never enough🎼🎹🎼..."!
Love, Peace and Light
M&K
👍💐もっと詳しく
Day 63 - Gannabos/Hantam Karoo
2022年5月17日, 南アフリカ ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
Someone said before we left the 'Homelands' back in Mpumalanga, we needed to "Beware of the harsh winter Karoo nights"! Both evenings and early mornings here in the Hantam-Karoo, have been at least 20° and the day's north of 30!
Still my all time favourite... no people!
At slightly past 0800 this morning we drove three kilometers into the farm and left the car on the side of the riverbed. At first we proceeded on foot along a 'two-spoor' road and then connected with the riverbed, completely dry, sand and dust. The only indication of recent rains was the hard, dried and caked soil like a giant chocolate puzzle, as well as the high water mark of trees, branches and other natural debris, no litter! At least 1.5m above the riverbed and clearly pretty recent. Apart from October'21 for seven years before then, like no, zero, mahala, f○@#l, nothing, niks rain at all!
We continued all the way up the riverbed, as the walls started to converge into a proper gorge.
Cliff walls emerging from naught to over 100m high at the far end, and around 3km in length, 300meters and more apart from each other. Vertical stone, again with clefts, crags and cracks and the odd bush finding purchase in any of these, still green and alive. Along the way, any amount of animal tracks from small to large buck to sheep and baboons.
A few hundred meters from the end, we noticed we had been joined by the African Black Eagles we were searching for. One at first and then soon backup arrived, two flying large circles in the sky, way above the top of the gorge, like silent drones. Every so often one would glide deeper into the gorge and lower, right above us, just keeping us honest! Keeping an 'Eagle-eye on us' says Karen! FFS!!! Here we are observing the most dynamic and authentic aeronautical display live, and then that comment!😫
Where both walls finally met at the very end, was a dried waterfall face, all of 100m high. At the foot, a deep pool still full and every bit of 30m wide and 10 across, any ones guess, how deep! To the right of the waterfall face were the three Eagles nest's clinging how, I have no idea?
After an hour or so and no further action we started our retreat back and as we left, one of the two Eagles landed back on a nest. Clearly, I think they were unduly disturbed by our presence but really special to experience.
Back at the ranch we lunched and took time out.
Soon after and no rest, we drove 6km to the homestead for a WiFi signal. So poor was the connection, we could not send any more 'Find Penguins' 'documentaries'!
What was unreal, Merwe invited us to witness the 'shearing crew' at work. Shearing at least 14 Marino's per hour each and there were 4 sheares in a shift. They shear at least 900 sheep per day.😳 He couldn't (or wouldn't) tell us how many 1000's of sheep were on this 'Working Farm'
Back home, like anywhere else other than here, you all would be so jealous.
A few hours just after sunset, and the moon hadn't shown its face yet, the sky was pitch black, but only for an unbelievable show of star's, last seen in South West, so long ago! There is a Kickass party happening in Heaven tonight! Possibly the few cold beers and as many glasses if wine, may account for this? The 'Dark Side of the Moon' has nothing on this! The 'Dark Side of the Earth' was truly stunning.
As the warm wind blew off the Hantam and cooled the evening heat, and the Heavens sparkled, I'm so sure I saw Ted and June waltzing between Orion and the Southern Cross. They only disappeared as the Moon stuck out its ugly head and spoilt a party about to get going! I say ugly, only because it spoilt what was about to become an epic evening!
The Karoo is such a place to love, and more is just never enough!
Love, Peace and Light
M&K
👍💐もっと詳しく
Day 64 - Springbok/Namaqualand
2022年5月18日, 南アフリカ ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C
Hectic wind throughout last night Nakkie told us was apparently very welcome, as it brings big rain! Overnight the wind pumped up the tents on both sides of the caravan, like a miniature 'Blimp'! Strong enough to move the caravan off the wooden blocks under the jockey wheel and dislodge Ted's reinforcing pegs!
So hot and dry, you can feel that in just a few days those 10cm high little Wheat leaves will shrivel and the parched soil/sand will start to crack and blow away! As Merwe says "Whatever happens here is not in his hands, they can only hope and pray everyday and night, and do whatever he needs to do, every day to ensure their prayers are answered".
On our way back from the Eagles yesterday, we came across a Marino that had succumbed, probably not this week or even last month. The smell of skin, bones and wool still lingered, way after the event. A gentle reminder that 'shit happens and the struggle is real' out here in the Badland's!!!
After farewells, we left Gannabos and headed toward Nieuwoudville=> Vanrhynsdorp=> Garies=> Kamieskroon to Springbok via two more passes, Vanrhyns and Burke's Pass.
How the hell do people survive out here, small little homesteads every 10km or so? Not an animal to be seen, dead or alive? Rusted, crippled windmills, motionless, long ago stopped filling crumbling reservoirs.
Surely a conducive political empathy, serving helpless people should be more important than squabbling imbesiles, promoting their own pathetic little agendas. In comparison to the population density in other provinces, this Northern Cape has more, incapacity and neglect and only promoting the ANC criminals and rapists, masquerading in their BMW's, Porches and Merc's, than any other? These cars in the semi-desert 'Namaqua'... Huh? Posh suits, when all the time there are 'all people' battling in ‘Overalls’ against severe odds, their own elected leaders, weather conditions and the Rand/Dollar Exchange. The escalating Food and Seed Prices, Fuel, Wages and Fodder. Not to mention decreasing Wool prices, internationally!
The sad reality of living in this harsh world, is real and so wonderful to feel the spirit of optimism as apposed to the resignation of fate! Men and women working, hard under tough conditions and overcoming!
Arriving in Springbok at last, all the way against the wind, took the whole morning. We checked into the Springbok Caravan Park (empty), not surprisingly though, the frontman resembled a cross-fertilization of Frankenfurter and Riff Raff! Having pitched a 'one-night-stand' campsite, off to town for replenishment. Whilst there, we took in a local restaurant and ate well. Not to mention that it is situated over the road from the mortuary 😱 True story!!!
Taking the liberty of 220v and speedy WiFi for the first time in 5 days, we spent good time catching up on 'Find Penguins', now several days behind. A Dom Pedro took the edge off this world's problems!
The wind continued to batter, long after our trip between Gannabos and Springbok ended, around 14:00ish. My little 'Franken-Riff-Raff’ advised that this Westerly wind, would bring much needed rain to the 'Badlands' of Namaqualand…. and so it did!
Good night and...
Love, Peace and Light,
M&K
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👍💐もっと詳しく
Day 65 - Port Nolloth/Namaqualand
2022年5月19日, 南アフリカ ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
The sweet smell of damp earth early this morning proved it had indeed rained last night, despite the racket of trucks up and down the N7 keeping me awake, most of last night.😖 Franken-Riff's false promises of a pleasant night was bullshit! After so many silent Karoo nights, to hear all this traffic was chaotic!
Springbok is a town like you would see on an American horrendous 'who'dunnit' movie. The guy pulls up at a Motel with his 'gay' bakkie, goes into the Saloon, meets a chick and he/she gets murdered... and wa,wa,wa!!! And tonight there is loadshedding, not unlike last night and every other night in every other coastal town we have visited!!! Luckily 'Franken-Riff' is way down in the Springbok conubation right now (I hope)!!!
Around every curve and over every hill is a different vista. Mainly flat open and sandy spaces, sparse karoo scrub and rocky ridges and ranges. Just when I thought we had done the worst, the 'Badlands' were still shimmering agead!
With the thick mist and distant rain, 'Franken-Riff' could easily have been lurking anywhere! Over the one hundred or so kilo's covered today, I think only one car passed us, and ten from the opposite direction. The wind continued to pummel us head-on, but at least Merwe and Nakkie might get a look in for some rain, back at the ranch!
As the caravan continued to buck like a Bronco, slowly we entered Port Nolloth, by now as slowly as we descended Aninous and Windpoort Passes. I'm calling myself the 'King of the Passes', while Karen prevents herself hurling out of the side window! Nothing like overtaking an 18 wheeler long-rig, grinding down a Namaqualand mountain-pass, with a 'Fortuner and X-Cape' rig of our own, with a belching wife alongside! Makes Disneyland Amusement Park feel like a 'damp-squib'!!!
All the while, Karen and I are entering the last third of our unbelievable adventure. Nothing today happened yesterday and equally tomorrow will be so different to today! We may not have had a run or a swim every day in the past fortnight, but like everything else time is simply running away with us. We have packed-in, enjoyed and lived every moment of every day for the past two months now, the UK better be bloody up to it, when we get there! If we ever come back and down to Earth.
The Port Nolloth campsite is right on the beach as the crashing and cold Atlantic pounds outside!
That's not noise, like the wind that's the sound of life, alive!
Love, Peace and Light
M&K
👍💐もっと詳しく
Day 66 - Lüderitz/Namibia
2022年5月20日, ナミビア ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C
Still unable to get a conclusive answer from any of the RSA authorities (if the phone is ever answered), we took a chance to enter Namibia via the Alexander Bay/ Oranjamund Border Control.
As it was only a pipedream to visit Lüderitz in Namibia, we really didn't have all the doc's we needed. Quick as a flash whilst we sat on the quayside harbour bistro in Port Nolloth sipping some of the recent Cederberg harvest last evening, we arranged Nedbank to email all the doc's required to us, which they did. At the same time two 'DeBeers' diamond dredging ships were docked, bobbing out on the wharf.
The kind lady at the caravan park then printed them for us this morning and we departed at just after 09:00 for the border post. The drive from Port Nolloth all on tar, took just on an hour.
Knowing full well we had meat products stashed and no certificates, permits and papers for the caravan, we sailed through without any issue. By the time we left, we still had no answers from authorities regarding Covid testing or any other related immigration and customs protocols.
Fortunately Karen had produced and had printed by Selma back at the caravan park, copies of our Covid Test certificates. This turned out to be the only critical paperwork required. No checks on the car and caravan nor any banned product (or substance)😖
Initially all along the Orange River on the Namibian side, we drove on into the start of the Namib Desert. The odd patch of white sand between rocky outcrops quickly became vast tracts of dusty plains and less and less desert grass and weed. The wind had picked up again even before we had left and by now gusting heavily, the car registering 8° at 14h00. 🥶The high mountain ranges in the distance and all around us were beautiful, conflicting with the ever-encroaching dry ‘seabed’s’.
The tar road all along the 'Spergebied' which was a highly prohibited zone long ago (Diamonds), was quiet and perfectly maintained... not a single pothole for over 300km's. The rail-line ran alongside the full lenth of the road between Aus and Lüderitz also in perfect nick. The whole track was properly cleaned and not a single weed to be seen. The upper-surface of the actual rails, shone in the sun and no evidence of any sand dune build up, and we witnessed even two trains on the hoof! More than I have seen at any one time, since I was a little boy.
There were workers sweeping desert sand off the tarmac and even in the ‘blizzard’ every one of them working, here on a Friday afternoon. Via Rosh Pinah=> Aus=> we arrived about three hours later in Lüderitz.
While the diesel price in Vanryhnsdorp (RSA) was R23.40/l, two days ago, today in Rosh Pinah it was R20.54/l ? This whilst we take note of a Russian registered oil tanker spotted in an SA harbour.... FFS!!!😖
Only Karen could note the full display of 'Flying Fish', Windhoek Lager and several other German brands in the Engen Fuel Station shop in Rosh Pinah. Making up for the low gross profit on motor fuels no doubt?
The vegetation and landscape eventually became completely white desert sand dunes. We only had a brief glimpse of two lonely Gemsbok and a dozen ostrich, as the wind still gusted over the road with clouds obscuring our vision. Eventually we could see the Atlantic shimmering in the distance between sand dunes, as the sun started its descend in the west.
The Namib sand dunes are for real and 'The Lonely Planet', 'Discovery' and all other documentaries do not exaggerate, they are, awesome, massive, shifting and growing, with every blast!
Arriving into Lüderitz this afternoon was like a throwback into the previous century. Bravarian mansions in Kolmanskop mixed up with other Kaiser-era shops and 'pensioen' style flats. Situated well out of town, are all the locations and RDP- like houses. All along the full length of the road between there and here not a single bottle, tin or other piece of garbage. Probably all blown into Windhoek by now !
Where are all the people, the campers and the locals? Nobody here either!
Eventually we found the caravan park situated on the small peninsula jutting out into the Benguela Current and protecting the harbour, but certainly not the caravan's. Here on 'Shark Island' we were able to find a semi-shelterred spot partially hidden behind some massive exposed rocks, but the gale-force, still found us and had not lost its fury!
Having pitched another 'one-night-stand' camp given the wind, we surely could not have only come all this far for one night and to tick a box?🤔Let's see what the morrow brings?
Love, Peace and Light
M&K
👍💐もっと詳しく
Day 67 - “Kolmanskop”/Namibia
2022年5月21日, ナミビア ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
In the early nineteen-eighties when South West Africa was still fighting for their independence and international recognition, they had been through more than twenty years of war, mainly in Ovamboland. When this all eventually ended, Namibians had a choice to either travel the proverbial High Road or the Low. Unlike South Africa with a similar choice years later, Namibian's chose the former and opted for the High Road. Granted a lot more at stake in SA and certainly more complicated, but the lack of a willingness to toil and to work at taking the country forward from this sad and poorly 'ground-zero' position, did not happen. Here, self and individual gratification and entitlement is not a given, as it is in neighbouring 'Big Brother'!
Namibia is a vast, expansive and beautiful country, with so much to offer. The infrastructure inherited was kept in tact, developed and maintained. Commercial Fishing, Mining, Tourism, Livestock Farming and still a strong alliance to West Germany (at the time) enhanced a more amicable transition from SWA to the Republic of Namibia.
Despite a real war in Namibia and in relation to South Africa, Namibia has a way smaller economy, but as arid as it is, they are by no means poorer. In comparison to the 60m South Africans, Namibia has only 2.5 million and thereby lies the answer!!! This world needs no more people especially South Africans, breeding ten to the dozen!!!
Though the 'Ghost Town' of Kolmanskop ten kilo's outside of Lüderitz stopped operating in 1936, (started in 1908) and totally abandoned in 1956, the relics still stand, not so proudly today! By this time the diamond stocks in Kolmanskop were severely depleted and in 1928 the richest diamond bearing deposits ever known, were discovered on a beach near the mouth of the Orange River, now called Oranjemund.
As if walking into a graveyard, more than a century old, one senses an authentic feeling of yester-year! Architecture straight out of 18th century Bolshevik Germany. Aristocratic Hun's living 'Colonial Dreams' dominating who ever and wherever they could lay their grubby little hands on Diamonds and Africa. German South West Africa was first seized here in Lüderitz by the Germans in 1884 in their part of the 'colonial fun and games'! Deals were struck, money, guns and ammunition changed hands for the control of large tracts of 'loaded' desert. Some of the beautiful houses in Kolmanskop bare testimony to this era still today. Mike (our guide) showed us through, an on-site museum and right through the towns hospital, bowling alley, bio scope, butchery, cold room and kitchen including an ice-making factory and more. Though not renovated at all and only used as a living monument to a bygone era! In retrospect, this historical town, cannot in any way be compared to 'Gold Reef City' or even 'Pilgrims Rest' that have been so commercialised. This is an authentic and genuine, coldblooded history, deteriorating, off the beaten track, way out of sight and mind! Obviously in this country, there is no willingness to preserve such an 'atrocious' relic and not even DeBeers have a vested interest. Certainly not, should it be wrapped in tissue paper, but at some point the rapid deterioration needs at least to be halted! How?... Who knows?
The 'Diamond Rush' dating back to the 1880's had a massive impact on Southern Africa, and more so in this German Colony. Even here at the turn of the century German Colonialist's rejected the imported and expensive South African labour, in favour of the harder working Ovambo's! Our personal guided tour of Kolmanskop was so worth every RSA Rand or Namibian Dollar! The diamonds mined here, all have their origin and source in Kimberley, we were told and have over the millennia been washed down the Orange River into the desert plains, and out to sea!
On our return to ‘Shark Island Campsite’ in Lüderitz, via the Sailing Club for lunch which was mostly forgettable, however the beers were cold and the view excellent, we found the campsite war-torn itself. The wind had ripped through unabated over the Atlantic and blown our 'Windydrier' out if its footings and far away, including any and all potential campers, were all gone! The afternoon regressed into a dismal but clear, cold and windy winter sunset. Even the Gulls could only manage a hover for a while, then dropped their ailerons and disappeared over and behind the rocks, to start again.
I would so hate to be anywhere else on Earth, except having you all here with us, would be amazing !
Love, Peace and Light!
M&K
👍💐もっと詳しく
Day 68 - Lüderitz/Richtersveld
2022年5月22日, 南アフリカ ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
Early this morning and well before sunrise, the throb of seriously large diesel engines 'chugged' seriously large fishing boats out of the Lüderitz harbour.
We needed to hit the road early, to make the long return journey back via Aus=>Rosh Pinah=> onto Sendelingsdrift Border Post on the edge of the Trans-Frontier Park of Ai-Ai's/ Richtersveld. On our arrival at Rosh Pinah, we were delayed at the ‘Engen’ fuel station by a motorcycle gang of at least 20 bikers, all filling up!
Shortly after our departure, there is were I lost any hope in humanity! The turn off to Senderlingsdrift clearly indicated in bold standard green and white lettering, followed up moments later by a brown and white board, the fact that the pont across the river back into RSA was ahead. We took the turn and drove all the way on a horrific gravel road only 30 odd kilometers but at least an hour.
We made good time however all the way to the Orange River, to enter the RSA, only to find that the Pont was not operating due to the flooded Orange.... no one there in sight! Not a sign, not a love letter, nothing! For the first time in 4 days, Karen could make comm's and 'Googled', for info in this regard… it was “CLOSED”until further notice!
We had to drive all the way back another hour wasted, then back to Oranjamund/Alex Bay all along the Orange River back to Sendelingsdrift again, but on the other side of the river😖 In real time we lost over three hours of precious daylight! In fact we actually lost an entire day, as we would have been able to get to the next camp, called ‘Potjiespram’ by nightfall, but we couldn’t!
We just managed to slip under the Richtersveld gate before closing time. So here we are in the 'transit camp' called ‘Senderlingsdrift’ listening to the screaming and shouting of a live Football match.
All-in-all not a memorable day here in Africa!
Love, Peace and Light
M&K
👍🏻💐もっと詳しく
Day 69 - ‘Potjiespram’/Richtersveld
2022年5月23日, ナミビア ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
Settling in at ‘Senderlingsdrift’, in the Richtersveld last night reminded me of the Grootfontein and Oshivelo 'deurgangskamp' back in '79😖
Tucked away between the sandy football field and the heavy duty machinery garage's and workshops was our overnight spot. The campsite completely empty and no where to hide!
Brent, the Park Manager told us on the phone last week, that he would never stay here, is now very obvious why.
At 6:00 this morning very heavy, bulldozers, Caterpillars, trucks, tractors and trailers moved out towards the mines like an army convoy, belching black clouds. Shouting louder than all these engines, every worker like a Sergeant major on the parade ground! After two months of complete peace, the cacophony of yellow giants and people is a gentle reminder of the real world, and I so want to rewind, to mid-March again!
Is there no longer any respect for the fatigued elderly?🤷🏻♂️😖 The struggle is real!!!
Our late arrival yesterday was because of the !@#$%^& closed pont, (which we were not advised of earlier), by signboard or anything)!!!😖
This only added an extra 3 hours to our drive, to end-up exactly just across the Orange from we were in Nam!
From early this morning things started to regress. Firstly all the start-up chaos and then a persistent grader siren in my ear, constantly reversing! Screaming and shouting people followed, much like a strike or riot organized by the 'National Union of Mineworkers'. Turns out only to be a few ladies walking happily down the road between their 'Diggs' and their place of work, with only a very transparent dried, reed fence-screen between us!😖
After chatting to Brent, who was most helpful, giving us the best possible route around the 'Richtersveld Trans-Frontier', Karen did some last minute shopping in a scant little operation, merchandised with very little other than emergency rations.
Fueling up with the most expensive Diesel ever (R24.54/l) when someone has you by the 'sinker's', nothing is ever going to end well😖 Oh wait, we're back in the RSA, how the hell does Namibia have cheaper fuel and better roads?
After passing a number of diamond digging's, we headed into the park, proper.
It turns out we are the only people in the park today. 162,000 hectare's of, (apart from the road) untouched virgin countryside, unlike you have ever seen elsewhere. Magnificent mountain ranges, desolate, mainly rock formations,...... The park boasts having the biggest, most diverse collection of flora anywhere in the world. Whilst animals are few, the landscape and the complete wilderness adventure is unreal!
Sadly my vision of looking like ‘Kingsley Holgate’ by the end of the expedition, was stoned-dead right there as Karen insisted on cropping my beard!
Tonight in the 'Potjiespram' Campsite in The Richtersveld, and after devouring one of two mega T-Bone's, purchased from the same butcher in ‘Springbok’ town, who supplied the restaurant we ate at, and Karen mashed up the last of the potatoes, we called it a day. Where as in the past we had the sound of the ocean and wind, here there is not a breeze and only the sound of crickets and a huge rapid, slowing the raging Orange River outside. With the recent heavy rains in the Orange and Vaal catchment area's, all those dams are full and the Orange River is at full spuit. Judging by the recent high water mark, it must have been quite a spectical. In addition to the Senderlings border crossing being closed several others have also been temporarily shut, firstly the Covid-19 crisis and then even before that ended, the flood waters have ensured that these smaller ports, will also remain closed.
Instead of people destroying my day, the monkeys are here in numbers!
Love, Peace and Light
M&K
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Day 70 - ‘De Hoop’/Richtersveld
2022年5月24日, ナミビア ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
The first two nights in the Richtersveld were not great, if not wasted, in comparison.
We escaped from 'Potjiespram' at just after 09:00, heading for 'De Hoop' campsite about 50km apart, also on the Orange River.
Now let's just understand this properly! 50km in 'The Richtersveld' is not just a sneak around the block and up the road to visit some mates in an adjacent town, for a Pub Lunch (which is way overdue), in less than a half hour. Up and down,'Swartpoort', 'Halfmens', 'Penkop', and 'Akkedis' Passes were epic!
All of 5 hours, over 5 mountain passes and also not just a stroll up and down 'Van Reenanspass' either. The paths across the sandy valleys and plains, littered with rocks and mainly very corrugated, enough to make your back teeth rattle! In the mountains, passes are steep both ways and rocky and narrow. Thankfully we were the only campers in more than 162,000 hectares. To meet up with anyone oncoming here or to overtake would be impossible, or would mean one of the two reversing to a suitable point. Two track paths only and certainly no need for 'NO OVERTAKING' roadsigns. With a caravan trying to overtake the 'Fortuner' on the downhills is tricky, to say the least. Patients (of which I have oodles) is not negotiable!
Both up and down with the caravan, whilst not impossible tested mine to the limit, but most enjoyable! Particularly so to arrive at the other end firstly and secondly to have ‘home-from-home’, still on your ass!
Cold beers, droëwors and 'Chillybite' biltong, very much a staple lunch and still in full supply!
After a series of heart stopping twists and turns, and breathtaking views of unheard mountain ranges, the clinking of empty 'Windhoek' and 'Tafel Lager' bottles, could come to rest.
'Rest' is what was required, and it has been a... 🎵🎶'hard-day's night...🎶🎵!!!
The 'De Hoop' campsite is all one needs after today's epic trip! Completely alone except for "Boesman" (our name for the campsite dog, and all he just wants is some little contact, comfort and company and some food and love!🐶 (‘Remember ‘Boesman’ of ‘Trompie en die Boksombenders’… infame!)
Such a wild contradiction, this 'mountain- desert' and the Orange River in full tilt! So much water disappearing out so sea, along with carrots of diamonds! Apart from the bamboo and bush along the river bed the rest of the vegetation is mainly of succulent type, and one or two trees and bushes, battling for survival! A mixture of granites, dolorite, quartz, sandstone and shale were formed 200 million years ago when continents moved, plates shifted and softer material eroded, leaving barren, sandy plains behind, called the 'Springbokvlakte'.
"In 2003, an international treaty between Namibia and the RSA was signed, incorporating the Ai/Ais Hot Springs Park in Namibia and the Richtersveld National Park, resulting in the Ai/Ais-Richtersveld Teansfrontier Park. Before then and in 1991, The Richtersveld became the first contractual park, that brings SANPARKS and the local Nama community together in a system of co-management."
Love, Peace and Light!
M&K
👍💐もっと詳しく
Day 71 - ‘De Hoop’/Richtersveld
2022年5月25日, 南アフリカ ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
The gushing Orange River, still bank to bank, lulled the whole world, that we knew of. There are a series of rapid right where the'De Hoop' campsite is situated. The swollen 'Orange' gurgles all night as the brown water crashes over, even louder, than all the nights spent next to the sea.
A sharp crack of the whip and there along our bank in the early hours, came a flock of sheep and goats being herded by Joseph, 'Die Veeherder'! What an exact name for a shepherd! He and I, (as you know, I chat to all sorts of strangers), he asked if we had enough firewood? Now Ted (my Dad) had a ‘Dorper Sheep Stud Farm’, those white numbers with the black heads. Here was a flock of Dorpers with all sorts of coloured heads and even goats with black heads? Over the years, I have learnt enough of Dorpers to know their pure characteristic’s…. non of these qualified for either! The Rules if the Park are explicit... "No collecting of fire-wood in the Park"!!! Thinking he was actually asking for firewood, I truthfully told him we only had three pieces leftover for tonight. When we got back from our day drive, there was a proper pile waiting for us. Feeling obliged to pay for his stash of previous campers old leftover firewood, all I had was R100 note.... which we departed with💸😖😳🤣
Yesterday we felt that we needed a day off today, but Karen and I decided to checkout the lower half of the Richtersveld National Park. Leaving with ample time, we drove a +- 100km round trip, all the time through amazing passes, gorges and ancient river sand beds. Though plenty dead bush, there are so many varieties of living succulents just hanging in there. The illusive 'Half-Mens' still remains.... just that! 100's of 'Kokerbome' have died as a result of 12 years drought here in the Richtersveld. The recent rains upstream, have rendered some roads in the park inaccessible, there by limiting our trip but only for a small area, next to the river. Brent told us before we left that he had personally measured 60mm of rain on total, over the past 7 years he has been there. The average annual rainfall is recorded at 30mm p.a! All these millions if mega litres per second pouring past in these beautiful gorges, is just not justice!
We did experience some moments where my navigator momentarily lost us and the plot, but regrouped and saved the day😘 Although we did have several maps with us, when there us no Cellular connections, no Google Maps, no cellphone connections and my best, no people, and absolutely no one aware of our position, the complete isolation, almost becomes fearful. In reality, it could be days before anyone even misses a soul! During our full day's exploration, we didn't meet a single person, not that I minded, but seriously this is proper alone, solitaire!
After a delicious braai of 'Springbok' (towns) best lamb chops and wors, we sat out in the wide open dry river-sand next to the river (in Karen's ghastly blue beach chairs) and watched the stars for hours. Although the Moon was only a slight 'fingernail', it hadn't risen yet and the sky dark, the 'Milky Way' like confetti, full and abundant.
By now we had already packed up camp, ready for and early morning getaway. Our journey tomorrow, was to be long and certainly to start with... epic!
Love, Peace and Light!
M&K
👍💐もっと詳しく
Day 72 - ‘Helskloof Pass’/Vioolsdrift
2022年5月26日, 南アフリカ ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
Yesterday when we left camp for our day-trip out, I was stunned by the steep and dangerous almost precipice, we had come down to river-level and into the camp, the previous day! The fact that I needed to get back up with the caravan again, had plagued my mind all day and night!
All those worries and concerns that kept me awake, amounted to naught. Caravan and all, we left 'De Hoop' campsite at just past 08:00 and enough day light to see the nightmare ahead and above! In 4 Wheel-Drive, Low-Range and all 'diff's' locked we took it on, as Karen would say... "All Guns Blazing"!!!
Although 'shit-scared', we pulled it off, like a hot knife through butter! Karen leaning out of her window, checking how close we were to the rock wall, and me leaning out of mine, aiming not to go over the edge of the world, we crawled up and out! That 'Fortuner' is a machine and the 'X-Cape' caravan behaved itself well!
That was a good start, but only the start. Ahead lay wide open prairie's but confused by crazy kilometers of unbelievable 'krantzes' again with tracks only wide enough for one vehicle at a time! Having not seen anyone for days, I was okay with that... but what if?
To make up time we did the best we could on sandy but corrugated surfaces, as we knew what lay ahead? For the first time in the Richtersveld, we saw real Springbok’s, all 5 of them and even a nonplussed Jackal with the regular Ostriches showing face from time to time.
Help me out here, please someone! Why would you call a pass 'Helskloof Pass' on a mountain range called 'Paradysbergge'? FFS.... I'll tell you why!!!
That was in fact not the most frightening, but what came before was scary and equally exhilarating for me at least! Karen was squeaking, groaning and yelping and reaching for the good old concoction of 'Voltaren, Vaseline, Valium and Vicks'! Now she is never feint hearted, nor is she a timid little girl (by a long-shot).... she was shit scared as we up, overed and downed 'Domorogh Pass'! Brent and others back home (Pretoors) had mentioned 'Helskloof' before, but I think they too, had wiped this 'thriller' from their memories! Just as a reminder to you all, and a warning to the rest which come after us, Domorogh Pass is not the N1 Highway! Loose shale, large boulders, sever road surface (if any), not to mention the 'plummet's' left and right, and the rises that one cannot even see whatever, over the crest!
We eventually arrived at Helskloof Gate to exit the park.
On another godforsaken road between the gate and Kuboes, which incidentally has a paved main road. Having missed a non-sign-posted turn off we eventually connected with the road to real Hell! Worse than Commissioner St. and Eloff in Johannesburg and Genral Herzog in Vereeniging, this road needs to be driven every day by the local councillor in his 'Fat-Cat Mercedes, to fully appreciate what an atrocious road his electorate needs to drive from A to B! How and why he even picks up a pay check every month is beyond me? My guess is that he doesn't even live in any of the two places?
We were assured by the Bottle store lady, just outside Eksteenfontein that the shorter 4X4 route through another Helskloof Pass of only 54km was way worse than the road we had already traveled😳 So instead of sticking to our Policy and staying on the lesser known route, with time ticking and no prospects of fuel other than Steinkopf, that's where we headed. Via Tierkloof se Berge=>Skimmelberg=>Nana se Koppie=> Anenous Pass and between Narraberg and Klipfonteinberg on the R382, we arrived, near on sunset.
A late afternoon arrival at Vioolsdrif, our destination for the day, past Kabinaberg and Baviaanskop on the N7. An excellent stretch of tar-road 70km into the sun, toward the Namibia border post at Noordoever.
Karen now able to 'GOOGLE' for the first time in 5 days and nights, she found the only one camp on the Orange River that answered the call. ‘Orange River Rafting’, we found a very comfortable campsite, overlooking the river, also meters away from the flood plain, now still flowing strongly but slowly retreating. Flood debris and bent over brush visible, pretty high above the current level.
Whilst Karen conjured up a delicious bite to eat and I finished off other camp duties, I noticed another what I thought, locust on the lawn at the edge of the groundsheet. Knowing this could completely disturb the peace, in the semi dark I bent to throw it over the wall and out of sight. By now I had become quite accustomed to a locust’s gait… this was not it! Instead I stopped short of picking up a bright green SCORPION!!! Whether deadly or even just poisonous, now near Vioolsdrift in the Northern Cape, on the edge of the Orange River, on the verge of Namibia, probably more than 300km from a hospital at 19:30 at night was probably not the time or place to find out!?😳
We tucked into some 'leftovers' from the previous night and after pitching a more permanent camp set for a few days, chucked it in.
Love, Peace and Light,
M&K
👍🌺もっと詳しく
Day 73 - Vioolsdrift
2022年5月27日, 南アフリカ ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
Before going anywhere today, just to say thank you to everyone, for following us on this completely awesome 'Getaway'. So appreciate all your likes and comments, and you motivate us to continue, not just with the (ir)regular posts, but to just keep going, with the whole trip! Often had thoughts not even to come back and to just keep on 'choogling'!!! Truth is we both miss you all and can't wait to see you again! Back to the 'Big Smoke's'.... I'm not so sure😖😖😖
Back now in semi/uncivilized/civilization on a Grape Farm on the Orange River and also the home of the 'Orange River Rafting Lodge' we awoke to the gentle sounds of another possible riot! Farmworkers going about their Friday chores!
Before the farmhands and the villagers converge on the town, baring in mind that it's the last Friday of the month and before the 'Pap-Sakke' exit town from all angles, best we get down there and purchase, requirements!
Planning a full on shopping list and dressed in my best 'bib'n tucker' and preparing to pound the pavements of Vioolsdrift... all we found was a little Indian trader and a few dusty groceries, 'Sell by or Best before' dates, dusted or even rusted over! The bottle store shelves were at least clean, with a single facing of each item! A pretty little lady was so enthusiastic about serving us from behind an expanded metal grid, with a slither of a gap only, for money to change hands. She, a little perplexed that I produced a card, which I had to pay at the grocer nextdoor. Other than that, absolutely nothing! Not a filling station nor even a PEP!
In and out of the 'village' in less than a half-hour, we were back at camp.
Get this? Whilst at the bottle store a Police car pulled up and pleasantries were exchanged. Having already paid for 'Road Tax' in Oranjamund last week, we thought we would ask this 'Border Policeman' what the protocols were in this regard and whether we could re-use the same permit? "No... but..."!!! He then proceeded to advise us how to 'jook' the system'😳
If we told the Namibian Border Authorities that we were only going spend the night at a lodge called 'Felix Lodge' in Noordoewer, right on their side of the Border Gate, we only needed to pay R100.00 road tax instead of R350.00, should we advise them that we were going all the way to Ai/Ai's!!! Has Karen not learnt to shut her Mouth, at the appropriate time? Karen then lays into him about being 'skelem' and that HE should not be sharing that kind of info!!! And after all this, I am waiting with bated breath, to see which option she is going to choose, when it comes to paying the Namibian Road Tax?
The rest of the day we spent oaffing in the campsite. Later a Dutch family, Mom, Dad two young sons (8 & 7) and a daughter of 11, pitched on the other side of the reed screen for the night. Had dinner together at the camp restaurant, for our weekly date night! They were tripping for 8 months, two of which only in RSA.
Love, Peace and Light!
M&K
👍🌺もっと詳しく
Day 74 - Vioolsdrift
2022年5月28日, 南アフリカ ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
The whole day was spent in the Boardroom and was an admin and planning day for the week ahead. Washing, cooking some prepared meals for us on the move and even getting a glimpse of the Monaco Grand Prix Qualifying in the open pub, overlooking the Orange River.
It would appear that a 'Cold Front' has moved over today, and there is a cold wind blowing. Compared to the Western Cape vinyards, which have already lost their brown leaves, here the Northern Cape vines are only now feeling it and slowly getting the sniff of winter lurking. Green leaves are fading, turning purple and orange and starting to go to ground.
Time for us spent here, alone in the quiet desert, the sea, in the mountains, and vineyards along the banks of the river is precious. We shudder even thinking that we are on the back end of this trip. Though excited about the next chapter, we dont want this to end and everyday we consult brochures, maps, people and enquire as to the next move, prolonging the inevitable. Obviously we also have our own agenda and priorities but there is just so much, that none of us even know about. We just cant afford to skip a beat and search for reasons to extend this trip. That we are not under any pressure to return to anywhere nor any deadlines to meet, makes our lives so easy to kickback and enjoy.... smell the Rose's!
Different things that happen every day reminds us of each of you, in different ways and we miss you all!
Love, Peace and Light!
M&K
👍💐もっと詳しく
Day 75 - Vioolsdrift
2022年5月29日, 南アフリカ ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Saturday morning Boardroom meeting was fearsome! This morning was about taking stock, counting the losses and regrouping! Collateral Damage included some pot handles, loose table screws, and Woolies top-notch Rusks, now top-notch muesli! Nothing too costly other than the microwave oven that, in addition to it now being quite rowdy, smokes profusely from behind, which I'm guessing cant be optimal! Other than that, damage has been kept to a minimum.
So during the night and Karen rejects my accusation that it was her, out of hand and it certainly wasn't me, but someone had 'dumped' a foot away from the edge of our ground sheet!💩 Judging by the bore, it could well have been Pieters (the 'resort' manager) Boerboel or even Pieter himself, but by the coy look on some of the other camper's faces and the snigger and muffled chuckles as I walked by.... I suspect it was one of them!!!
Whilst Karen cooked a few takeaway Curry's for further down the road later this week, I unpacked the Fortuner and wiped several hundred kilometers of accumulated dust inside the car! I had already cornered an off duty member of staff to give the car an outside wash! What for I'm still not sure? The first 100km to and out of the border gate tomorrow is gravel😖
We settled into the Monaco Grand Prix on the banks of the Orange, simultaneously punishing a number of ice cold Windhoeks and equal numbers of Red Wine!
Love, Peace and Light.
M&K
👍💐
***P.S.***
Breaking News!!! 😖😖😖
After I wrote this last night and before we posted this morning, the following happened!
At around 04:00 this morning, and I suppose it was bound to happen, I was woken up by the Camp Managers dogs barking. Having now lay awake for over an hour and been out to the toilet and have a look around, I did hear light footsteps and a rustling of plastic. I unzipped the tent window and shouted, and then heard the @#$%^& @#$% run for it!
AND THAT IS WHY I HATE PEOPLE SO MUCH!!!
It so happens there was not much of value lying about anyway, A 6pack of Windhoek Draught, A 6pack of 'Buffelsfontein' RTD Bottles, a box of Wine and Karen's bag of knitting (99% complete) was what went missing. All of that, I'm sure you will understand... is not the point!!!! In the meantime Karen has discovered her ‘Havianahs’ have also been liberated🤬😤
Love, Peace and Light,
M&K
👍🏻💐もっと詳しく
Day 76 - Noordoewer/Ai Ais Namibia
2022年5月30日, ナミビア ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
After the incident this morning, it really put a dampener on the past, nearly three months where we had not experienced even one incident! We have put it down to us having dropped our guard slightly and oh yes wait, of course we are back in the Republic and at least we didn't get raped or killed, so we are just okay with all of that!😖
We shipped out at after nine having received our 'Border Crossing' letter from the bank and yet again, as we crossed over into Namibia via the Vioolsdrift/Noordoewer post, officials were really only concerned about Covid issues. Some scant purchases were made at the Oranje Supermarket in Noordoewer, topped up with Namibian Fuel and a Wimpy Burger at the Engen we headed for Ai/Ai's on the B1 heading North toward Grünau and for only 50 odd kilometers, then West on the C10 for 72km.
***FUN FACT***
"93.3% of the Gravel Roads in Namibia are better than 50% of the Tar Roads South Africa and the other 50% are also not as good as the remaining 6.7% in Nam!!!
Brought back many memories from a trip Paul and I did in the early 80's and not a lot has changed there since. All in good nick are the facilities there and probably have had a facelift or two over the years. When we were there, there was a tented camp which doesn't exist but a very fancy hotel accommodation is available leading right into the Heated Pool area.
Of all the venues we camped at, undoubtedly this is the first that even remotely looks like business is happening.
Dozens of hikers making ready to leave on the Fish River Canyon hike (all of 70 to 80km) including 5 nights in the canyon. As many having arrived and completed already. We met some good folk there and had dinner together, of delicious lamb saddle chops. Yum!!! That and several tankards of beer on tap and a bottle of 'Protea' Merlot were dispatched in the appropriate manner!!!🍻🍷
Love, Peace and Light.
M&K
👍💐もっと詳しく
旅行者You are already missed here in Kleinmond u two