After 3 lovely days and nights in the Pilansberg, we set off
on our journey of exploring the old Western Transvaal. The whole idea of this
holiday was slow travel on gravel, where possible. Many secondary roads, which
in times gone by, was gravel, is now mostly potholed tar. We have decided that
gravel is a lot better than potholed tar. The great thing about the secondary
roads is that you see the country differently and the traffic is nonexistent
other than maybe the odd truck laden with maize or cattle feed or whatever they
are transporting.
I would think that this part of the country is not a tourist
destination, however there is beauty in every part of this remarkable country
of ours and there are resilient, hardworking, fantastic people everywhere. One
thing that is noticeable in the North West is the fact that the farms are
manned, modern and operational. So many other farming areas in the country seem
to be deserted these days. Other than grapes and wheat, it seems like
everything else is grown in this part of the world, maize being the main crop,
by the looks of things.
Yesterday we travelled through towns like Swartruggens,
where we bought lovely wors, Coligny, where we found the oldest Silos in the
country and bought some wood and then we ended the day on a farm 11 km outside
of Ottosdal, where we camped for the night. The campsite, if one can call it a
campsite, was a place to camp on the shores of the dam. The setting is
beautiful. The campsite was largely built by the family’s grown up children who
had moved to the cities and used it as an escape from the rat race and it is
rustic to say the least. We spent the evening braaiing in the lapa and watching
the sunset and the cattle coming to drink water. The sky was alight with stars because there
was no light pollution. Coming from a city one can hardly believe that there
are so many stars visible.
The shower at the campsite was not functioning too well and
the owner of the farm invited us to go and have a shower at the main house in
the morning. The main house is well over a hundred years old and is run as a
farm guest house and what a house it is. It is filled with genuine old
furniture that has been in the family for as long as the house, pictures of the
family adorns the walls and lovely works of art everywhere. The guest house has got touches that set it
apart, like silver table ware only seen in movies like Titanic. We were invited
for an “after shower cup of coffee” with the proud owners of “Ouplaas” and what
an experience to listen to these people who have lived there for all their
lives, reared successful children, invested in the area and are proud of their
roots. We left feeling that we have made
new friends.
We left the farm at about 11.30 and then went to explore the
towns on our route. First stop was Ottosdal and the local butchery for meat for
tonight. I love the butcheries in country towns where you can select your meat
and still get advice from the butcher or his wife and where you know that the
wors is fresh and made to his special recipe. Lunchtime we stopped in
Schweizer- Reneke for a drink at the local Pub and Grill, which happens to be
the farm house of the original farm on which the town was built. It is well
over a hundred years old and has the most beautiful pressed ceilings. We also
happened to have the best priced gin and tonics we have had anywhere in SA!
Tonight we are sitting on the banks of the Vaal River in
Christiana. Our neighbours are the local Traffic chief and his wife who heads
up the Ambulance service in the town. They live in the town and have just
bought a second hand caravan and are
camping in their own back yard, so to speak, to test it out. Great idea, I
think! Often we do not appreciate what is right there in our own world and we
go out searching for things we think that can make us happy, instead of
appreciating what we have.
On that philosophical note it is good night. The Texan steak
from Ottosdal is ready, the red wine is in the glass and we are ready for
supper.
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