All good things come to an end.

And so we left Matjiesvlei on Saturday morning and tackled the last stretch back home. Ebony, our Jack Russell was over whelmed to see us and ran around like a “mad dog”. Khula, the cat was a lot more aloof and did not show such uncontrolled emotion as the dog. She was a lot more reserved and just came to sit on the washing basket when I had a bath last night. Sort of “this is our bonding time” Clearly they were both well looked after and even more spoilt by our house sitters, first Roberta and then Mieke.

It is a strange feeling to walk back into your house after you have been away on holiday for so long, or rather, it was for us. Obviously not used to such long holidays. It is nearly a feeling of what do we do now? Open the mail, put it aside because it is only bank statements and IRP5s and new bank rates and junk mail. Nothing really changes, only yourself due to your different experiences. The rest of life just goes on as per normal. Luckily my mom had left us some supper for the evening, so we did not have to think about that and then it was off to a hot bath and our own bed. What a lovely feeling that was.

So this is the end of the 100 day holiday that ended up as 102 days. Thanks to the friends and family that followed us around on our trip. Thanks for the feedback that I got from some of you and apologies for all the spelling errors and incorrect grammar usage. Most of the time the writing took place late at night with minimal light after a few glasses of wine and often it was only posted days after it was written, due to no connectivity.

So for now it is:”Fluit fluit, my storie is uit” until a next time. Now it is Unemployment, the garden, a haircut, back to the gym, catching up on all the travel magazines  and then a job to get some money saved up for another trip and who can say where that will be to, but believe me the planning will start shortly!!!

The last night.

Aloes in Bloom

Here we are tonight at Matjiesvlei on the very last night of our holiday. It is with mixed feelings that I write this, as it means the end of the holiday and the beginning of another phase of our lives and obviously all the uncertainty that goes with that, however it does not prevent us from enjoying the holiday to the very end.

We left Gamkasberg this morning in mist so thick that you could not see more than 5 meters and it was freezing cold. Well, as always there is never a day not to find something to do to fit the conditions and so we were off to Calitzsdorp, about 33 km away and the first stop was Calitzdorp Cellars and we tasted the Port. Lovely Port and a friendly lady to assist. From there we went to De Krans, also well known for the Port, tasted some more, bought some more and generally felt that we were in the process to beat off the cold. We also stopped off at Boplaas, also a well known Port producer, but left without being tempted to buy as there were so many people and no real attention to customers.

We headed off into the town, parked the car and walked. What a lovely town Calitzdorp is. Lots of old houses and restores buildings, but without the intrusion of the well known estate agents. There are lovely restaurants and we went to The Dorpshuis for lunch and had Lambs liver and mash. Where on earth do you still find that on a menu, other than in the Karoo. It was lovely. When we went to the restaurant for lunch the mist was still thick and we were still freezing. An hour and a half later we emerged into blazing sunlight and it was warm and clear. It is amazing to me that it can change so rapidly. Suddenly the whole town looked differently and brighter and we set off onto another photo journey.

Our last stay of the holiday is at a really special place. It is the Cloete Huis on the Matjiesvlei  Guest farm and thanks to my brother Bert and his wife for introducing us to this wonderful place. It is just across the mountains from Gamkasklooof, where we had spent 2 nights earlier this week and it is beautiful. The Aloes are in bloom and it is special. There is an article on the 4X4 route on the farm in the latest copy of the Drive Out magazine.

Cloete Huis

Our little house is so special. There is no electricity, only oil lamps and a fire place. Luckily there is a gas greaser, as I have become a bit anti cold water showers.  We said that tonight is a slow merge into home comports again. Sleeping in a proper bed, using real towels and have a bathroom and a loo under the same roof!!We had hardly got here and we were joined by a Jack Russell who just came along, wagged  his tail and made himself at home on the stoep with us. When we came into the house he trotted off to where ever his home is. He looked a lot like our own Jack Russell and we wondered if he was not an off spring of Butchie, Bert’s dog, who has visited here often!!!

Now we are sitting by the fire, the last of our lamb is in a Potjie on the gas stove and we are enjoying some of the best Shiraz of the area. What a way to spend the last day of a holiday. Tomorrow we head off home and our own bed and our dog and cat and the pool and the garden and the taxman!!!

The Mountains towards the Huis River Pass.

From Gamkaskloof to Gamkasberg.

We left “The Hell” this morning on a bright and clear day with no clouds and crispy cool air. The trip out of the Kloof was spectacular as everything was open and the sun was shining and the peaks of the Swartberg mountains were covered in snow. What a beautiful picture that made. We travelled down to Oudtshoorn for the last shop of the holiday. We have slowly been running down on our food, however running down and running out are decidedly different. We then headed off to Gamkasberg, about 33 km from Oudtshoorn, towards Calitzdorp.

Snow on the Swartberg

We had originally booked to stay at Oukraal, which is a rustic shelter about 16 km into the reserve, but when we got here the Tourism officer on duty advised us against staying there as they have had quite a bit of rain and the camp was too wet.  We drove there today  along the 4X4 track to see it and it is wonderful, but truly “rustic”, as in built around rocks and no real walls and the winter wind that blew trough there was icy. It is the hikers overnight stay, but open to the public if you book and it is available. The views from there are over the Outeniqua mountains to the one side and the Swartberg on the other side. We even saw 6 Cape Mountain Zebra close to Oukraal.

The view across to the Outeniqua mountains from the top of Gamkasberg

The endangered Mountain Zebra in Gamkasberg

As Oukraal was not on we opted to stay in the Stables at the Camp site. There are 2 rooms with 2 bunkbeds in both and in between there is a fully equipped kitchen. We made ourselves at home in the one room and made a bed on the floor, as we only have double bed bedding. We slept so snugly and warm.

Our Stable.

We have spent many nights in many camp sites over the last 3 months and we have seen and experienced various levels of service and facilities, but none was a patch on Gamkasberg where we are now. We were met by the Tourism official on duty, with a full pack of info on the park. We were fully briefed on what we can and cannot do. The facilities are superb and the level of upkeep and attention to detail in the park is something we have not experienced anywhere else. We will definitely be back to this one and again I think spring will be a good time.

Tomorrow morning we are off to Majiesvlei and Cloetehuis for our last night of holiday and then back to Bellville and home and our animals and our bed!!!

…..And then we went to “The Hell”.

On Monday morning we set off from Prince Albert after breakfast at the Lazy Lizard and refueling and getting the required bit of Karoo lamb. All this has to be paid in cash as most places in the town do not take any cards. I had run out of cash by this time and much against my financial good sense, decided to go and draw some money at the local ATM, which is an ABSA one (I am a FNB lady). There was a queue of half the town’s population outside the ATM all waiting to draw money, but the ATM was dry. No money in the machine at all and no refilling as yet as they were waiting for the cash to arrive! Luckily Dick had cash, so breakfast was on him.

Once we left the town we headed out on the Swartberg Pass towards Gamkaskloof, otherwise known as “The Hell”. It was just before 12 noon and the temp was 8 degrees  and there was frost/ice all the way along the road. It is a 2 and a half hour drive from Prince Albert and about 57 km in total. It is beautiful country. The mountains are high and it is green as they have had a well above average rainfall this winter. The road literally goes into the mountains and eventually you are within sight of the camping ground and still about 4 km away and all that is between you and the campsite is the road DOWN and down it is, with many twists and turns and hairpin bends and beautiful Karoo plants all the way down. We stopped at the top for a picture and walked a little way down and on our way back I picked up a R100 note just off the side of the road. We have now called that the R100 turn!!It is more than I have ever won on the Lotto, with no ticket!!!

The road into "The Hell"

Mountains and more mountains.

The road DOWN.

We arrived at the camp at about 2pm and drove to the end of the road, which is another 10 to 12 km away just to investigate and see what all the SanParks houses and developments look like. There are quite a few of the Old “Kloofer “cottages that they have restored and that one can stay in. I would imagine that it is quite popular in the warmer part of the year. We got back to our site later and put up our camp. It was COLD and the Rain was threatening and we had just got it all up and the rain started, soft and soaking and continuous. In fact it rained the whole night, but luckily we were warm and dry in our tent and our gazebo.

This morning it cleared and we went for a long walk up the pass. There are so many plants and after the rains of this winter I am sure the spring flowers are going to be magnificent. We might just be back in September again.

Tomorrow morning we are off to Gamkaberg, near Calitzdorp for 2 nights and then only one night left at Cloetehuis at Matjiesvlei and then home and the new reality!! 

A Wonderful Weekend in Prince Albert.

Some restored buildings in Kerk Straat. Prince Albert.

When we arrived in Prince Albert on Friday we set up our home, went for a walk and had a braai and then we decided that we are going on a “braai strike” for the rest of the week end and that is what we did. There is so much to do in the town and wonderful places to eat.

On Saturday morning we walked into town and started off at the Saturday Market, which clearly is the weekly meeting place for the locals. Jaffels and coffee and fresh veggies and we were part of the scene. It was freezing cold and our next stop after the market was again PEP stores to get gloves this time. Red fleecy ones for R9.95! Even with Woolies discount this was a better buy! We spent the morning wondering around the town and popping in here and there and buying the odd mohair sock, having the odd glass of wine and generally enjoying ourselves and the town. Our best stop of the day was at Soet Karoo and our encounter with Suzie Perold the garagist winemaker. When we were in Pretoria, our friend Carl encouraged us to pay her a visit and how glad we were that we did. She is an eccentric and so she should be. She and her husband have been making sweet wine and port for some time. They planted their vineyard, of 1 hectare, in 2000 and made their first wine in 2004 of their own vines. She appeared in her warm winter woolies and stained jersey and hair all over the place, but she was great and wonderful and clearly loved what she and her husband were doing. We tasted the Port like wine and the sweet Hanepoot tipe wine and then Suzie se Soetes, which is made from all the leftover bits. Needless to say, we bought of all. It was so cold that all we could think of is to get  enough to keep off the cold!

An old original shop, closed on the Sunday morning

We stopped off for a light lunch at the Swartberg arms and then walked home. We really just chilled and enjoyed the town and the environment. We had booked to go for dinner at the Karoo Kombuis and walked there at about 7pm. What a wonderful experience that was. The restaurant is owned by Michael and Theuns and Denise. They have been there for 13 years and the menu has essentially been the same for all that time. The choices are Roast lamb, Chicken pie and Bobotie and on a week end night there is an extra, which is Lamb pie. You can also get a combo of 3 dishes, if you wish. They  are not licensed, so you take your own wine and it was really a very affordable evening in a great atmosphere and with great food.  No frills and a good plate of food. 2 bottles of wine later we wandered back to our home, filled with a sense of well being and content.

The Sunday we again walked around the town and stopped for coffee and a glass of wine.  At 5pm we met with Ailsa, the Story Weaver, to take us on the historical and the Ghost walk of Prince Albert. What a treat that was and something that I would encourage every visitor to Prince Albert to do. She took us along the streets of the town and told us all the wonderful stories about the people and their lives and in between were some stories about the ghosts of the town. The whole trip cost R50 per person and takes about 90 minutes and it was pure delight to do it. We ended the evening off with dinner at Café Albert and yet again we had some Karoo Lamb , this time presented totally differently and equally delicious. Again the restaurant was unlicensed and we could take our own wine and this time we went with the 3 liter boxy of Robertson Shiraz. It is the first time in my life that I have gone to a restaurant with a box of wine, but what could we do, it was all we had. We did not finish the box and we did share it with one of the local guys that came in for dinner on his own. We walked back home looking for the ghosts, but none were out on this cold night.

Beautifully restored houses in Prince Albert

The Journey to Prince Albert.

We left Kgaligadi and the travel plan changed as we went. We got to Vanwyksvlei earlier than expected and on the slow trip through the town we also realized that there was in fact nowhere to camp or overnight. Carnarvon was only about 60 km further and we decided to carry on and spend the night there. The book of the Road also indicated that there was a camping site, so we were more hopeful.

We arrived in Carnarvon at the Voortrekker camp site and were met by the caretaker, Mr Groenewald who informed us of the exorbitant camping fees. It was R 22.50 per night for the site and only that expensive because we were using power!!!!!If all fees were this low, we would have been away for 6 months. We were the only people in the camp, which also meant that we had the ablutions to ourselves and piping hot water from a shower that sprayed in 1000  different directions, other that where you were standing. The price did not, though, include toilet paper! Mr Groenewald came to chat and informed us that Carnarvon is famous for 2 things, the one being the Corbell houses built by the “trekboere” and the other the “Blikkies bar”, which is featured in the Guinness book of records as the biggest collection of beer cans in the world. Well we set up camp and then we were off to the Blikkies bar to go and see for ourselves and we were impressed. It is an amazing collection of beer cans from all over the world and it covers the pub and adjoining rooms. Quite impressive. The visit to the pub also revealed quite a lot about the goings on in the community. There were family frictions and disagreements and hunters on a package deal and a wedding and us. The hotel owner is a big hunting man and he brings in hunters who then stay in the hotel and he takes them hunting, etc, etc.

A little sample of the Blikkies.

After another morning of frozen pipes and no water we were of to first visit the museum in the town and to see a true Corbell house. George, from the municipality, who is a walking library on the local history took us through the museum and showed us the Corbell house. These houses were built of stone from top to bottom . They are round like a Rondawel and has a stone roof, which, in this particular one, weighs 4 tons. These engineering wonders were built by illiterate people who moved across the area  with their cattle. It took about 6 months to build and then they stayed until the food was depleted and moved on and left the houses. Such a shame, as the houses really took a lot of hard work.

The Corbell house at the museum in Carnarvon

From Carnarvon we were off to Fraserburg and Prince Albert through the Great Karoo with its ever changing scenery. It is flat for kilometers and then suddenly we were going through the Nuweveldberge and the Theekloof pass and al changed. Once we crossed the N1 at Leeu Gamka we were back on a gravel road from Kruidfontein to Prince Albert and again the most incredible scenery. We knew that we were nearing home as we were suddenly in mountain country again, with the Swartberge towering over Prince Albert. We booked in at the Olienhout Camp site, which is a 15 minute walk from the centre of town after a stop at the local PEP stores to buy another warm blanket for R80!!Lovely camp site with superb facilities. We parked right in front of the ablutions and we feel like we are having an en suite again.

The road from Carnarvon to Fraserburg.

The view from Theekloof pass

The Mighty Swartberg