South AfricaProvince of the Western CapeSwellendamKeurboomsrivier34°2’12” S 20°25’36” E
January 13, 2016 in South Africa
Swellendam, Western Cape, South Africa
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Today has been a moving day so not too much to report.
'Martin' was in full cry at breakfast, minus 'Ann', who was not feeling too well apparently. Probably just couldn't stand the thought of a few more tales, which she has no doubt heard countless times before. He is great sportsman, as you might expect and has over the years become friendly and played with a number of international players (unnamed of course, as were the sports). He has been having a little trouble at work though, as one of his co workers hasn't spoken to him for 3 months (hardly surprising) and so he requested a meeting with said worker and their line manager to thrash it out. Various nebulous reasons were put forward, but as Martin said " such nonsense is not going to get me down, having been with Special Branch in Islamabad being stoned and spat on !!!” After a slice of Sheila's excellent carrot cake, we were almost sorry to move on and couldn't decide whether he has led a very full life or is something of a Walter Mitty character. I leave you to work that out for yourselves!
The scenery on the journey to Swellendam was different once more. We were travelling away from the coast to the base of the Overberg Mountains. The countryside is majestic and agricultural, with wide open fields as far as the eye can see, backed by craggy peaks in the distance. There were some livestock and rather like New Zealand, farms are isolated and vast. We saw cranes and birds of prey enroute, arriving in Swellendam mid afternoon. It is small, unspoiled and a bit of a one horse town and was originally an administration centre and stopping off point logistically for the Dutch East India Co. It is surrounded by beautiful countryside however, although we will probably have little time to see too much, as it is a one night stop.
However, the surprise package was our Guest House, Rothman Manor. A pure Cape Dutch Manor House complete with thatched roof and a garden to die for. I will include some pics. The suite is superbly appointed even to having a modern four poster bed. Nina, who showed us to our room, suggested we have a look round and discover the surprise at the bottom of the garden. No, not fairies, but zebra and springbok! There is a very deep haha separating the garden from the wild patch (plus an electric fence I should add) and there they were cropping the grass quietly. Now I believe we are in Africa.
Just out of interest the second surprise package came in the shape of a restaurant named Field & Fork this evening. A very old old building lit by candlelight ( a big help at our age of course!) It was fabulous and by far the best meal we have had. The chef is a 24yr old young lady who could hold her head up anywhere and we were still nowhere near the £40 mark.Read more
South AfricaProvince of the Western CapeSwellendamKeurboomsrivier34°2’11” S 20°25’39” E
January 13, 2016 in South Africa
Swellendam, Western Cape, South Africa
Thursday, January 14, 2016
We awoke to a familiar sound this morning, the pit patter of rain on the patio! The locals are ecstatic, as the whole of South Africa is in the grip of a drought after the winter rains failed.
It was a travelling day in any case, as we had 225kms to cover through the Little Karoo to Oudtshoorn the ostrich capital of the world. Rte 62 is the inland mountain equivalent of the garden route and tends to be overlooked as a consequence. It is takes you through dramatic passes and valleys, through small non tourist dorps (towns) and villages and gives one the opportunity to see South Africa behind closed doors. Our journey today did all of that, plus the chance to view the Little Karoo first hand. This is an area of arid semi desert, in contrast with oases of fertile green valleys. The landscape is majestic and awe inspiring as the road rises and falls through a series of badlands where the colours seem almost sepia like. It is clothed in low fynbos of yet a different mix. When you stop and look closely it is a different story, plants are beautifully adapted to their habitat and there are flowers, but subtle and often strange looking. In the spring this region is a riot of brilliant colour for a few weeks, when everything flowers at once with the spring rains.
There were a couple of interesting places en route that will hold in the mind. Firstly, Barrydale, a small but charming town through Tradouw's Pass, with a character that makes you feel that it could be named after Barry on the Eggheads. We dropped into the best organised small supermarket I think I have ever come across and this was only reinforced by the fact that they sold oasis. I did a double take. You can scarcely buy it in the UK, let alone in the back end of South Africa! For those of you who have no clue what I am talking about - it is floral foam used for flower arranging. On advice we stopped at Diesel and Creamery, a converted garage and gas station whose decor is 1950s kitsch and quirky. They serve the best milk shakes in the world. There were Butterick sewing patterns framed on the back of the 'senhoritas' doors, a pair of stilettos in the corner as an adornment and a vintage bra hanging by the wash basin. I dread to think what artefacts were in the 'senhors' and as Peter didn't require the convenience, I didn't find out!
Secondly, in the middle of nowhere, with no settlement in site, loomed a low white building by the side of the road. Plastered on the side in bold lettering were the words 'RONNIES SEX SHOP'. I kid you not. There is photographic evidence. Peter screamed to a halt; he claims to take a photo?! There were several cars parked outside and it was only later that we found out that it is in fact a pub and the unusual name is to attract the curious customer. Sheer genius!
We arrived here in Oudtshoorn about 3pm and are staying at a small boutique hotel called The Rosenhof. Pure Victoriana, antique furniture and all. This is of course very much in keeping with the boom time of Oudtshoorn, when Victorian fashion was desperate for the very best ostrich feathers and the land and climate are perfect for their rearing. By the 1880s hundreds of thousands of kilograms of feathers were being exported for vast sums and serious fortunes were made. We will investigate this further tomorrow.
As a postscript, Peter, on prowling the room, (as is his habit), has come across this curious plugged in device that appears to have no purpose. 'What do think this is?' says he? 'Do you think we are being spied on?'
'Well' says I 'if that is the case they are going to be seriously disappointed!'
And on that note I'll say Nite Nite!!Read more
South AfricaProvince of the Western CapeSwellendamKeurboomsrivier34°2’11” S 20°25’39” E
January 15, 2016 in South Africa
Oudtshoorn, Western Cape, South Africa
Friday, January 15, 2016
This morning we set out to visit the Cango Caves system some 30 kms north of Oudtshoorn, just us and about 500 Frenchmen on Harley Davidsons, or so it seemed! Thankfully, the tour was in English. The caverns were gradually formed some 20million years ago in Pre Cambrian limestone under the Swartberg mountains and discovered by a Karoo farmer Jacobus van Zyll sliding down a rope with an oil lamp in 1780. It wasn't until the 1960/70s that the Caves were opened up to mass tourism and a careful balancing act has been struck to safeguard the amazing formations that they contain. You can only visit cavern one, which actually consists of several chambers and access to the other four are carefully controlled as the calcium carbonate formations are still active in various fantastic guises. One can see an interpretive film to fill in the gaps that are not covered by the tour. We were unsure quite what to expect, but it was certainly worth the visit and the caverns are indeed a wonder of nature.
We followed this with a visit to the Cango Ostrich Farm conveniently placed on the return trip to town. Again, there was a degree of reluctance, but as I said to Peter, we cannot visit the Ostrich capital of the world without seeing an Ostrich! This is a show farm as opposed to a commercial enterprise and the birds live a full life of up to 70 years. These days they are farmed for their meat and leather, the feathers being a very incidental offshoot. Close too, they are intriguing creatures with a real character of their own. The males are the grander of the species with their beautiful black and white plumage, but as our guide stated, the smaller brown females are definitely the sharper of the two. This is of course relative, as their eyes are larger than their brains and her quote of the day was that 'the lights are on, but there is nobody at home!' The eggs are enormous and extremely strong. It takes the chick 10-12 days to break out of the shell and a fully grown man of 200lbs can stand on one without breaking it. We enjoyed the tour in the company of a young American honeymoon couple from Chicago and a family with two young daughters from Cape Town. We made a jolly group and it was both fun and illuminating. Ostriches were fed, kissed and ridden and a lot learned in between!
I must be strong and try the meat this evening. It is on the menu here and there will be no better time to break my duck, or ostrich, if you get my drift!
This afternoon seemed the right time to visit one of the feather palaces built during the boom period with money made from 'ostrich gold'. The Le Roux Town House was built in 1908 as a weekend retreat for the farming family. All these homes were constructed of sandstone, which was the local stone of abundance and no expense was spared by these feather millionaires to proclaim their wealth to the world. All the furniture and fixtures and fittings were ordered from catalogues and the contents of the entire house shipped from England to Mossel Bay, the nearest port and brought overland by Ox Cart. The family changed nothing over the years and continued to use it as their weekend retreat from their even larger home on the farm until the early 60s, when the Oudtshoorn Museum Trust purchased it. The furniture on show now is not original as the family obviously kept it, but the wallpapers curtains and carpets are all still there in a fabulous state of preservation, including an amazing bordered Wilton carpet specially woven to exactly fit the unusually shaped parlour. I suspect the fact that it was only used at weekends, plus the warm dry climate, has helped here. All the wooden doors, architraves and built in furniture are painted to resemble top quality wood in trompe l'oeil tradition. It was very much the fashion with the very wealthy to do so, as it required a master craftsman at great expense, to achieve such an effect. Art Nouveau stained glass is on show throughout the house, edged in copper as opposed to lead, again as it was a more expensive medium. Trying to outdo the 'Joneses' has been going on from time immemorial!
However, the piece de resistance for Peter, was in the study (probably no surprise there!). A beautiful wooden filing cabinet stood in the corner, which he really coveted. Some like diamonds, others............ On enquiry of our guide, the piece was donated to the museum for use here in the house by a retired accountant. Well, would you ever!
I am sitting tapping away to you on the verandah outside our room. The rooms here are situated round around a lovely lawned oblong courtyard, with trees to shade them and a central fountain tinkling away in the background. It is all very relaxing, warm and comfortable and we shall make the most of it all before moving on tomorrow to Knysna on the Indian Ocean and the Garden Route.Read more
You might also know this place by the following names:
Keurboomsrivier
