One Man in South Africa

Pressing on from Britstown and Cape Town is within reach, but you should know me by now... Prince Albert Road on the sign post as I head south on the N12 and I wonder why it got the name?  A short turn off revealed a once busy railway station complete with sidings now fallen into disrepair. On down the road is the town of Prince Albert, I wonder if he visited either location?  I had a look around and pondered the reason for the high central partition on the footbridge to stop you seeing that your train was approching or just to stop your hat blowing off I wonder.  I saw my first dust bowl or mini tornado here too as it swirled across the car park.  The nearby truck stop tells the story, no use for the mighty railway engine now.

October 11th . One of the things I like about my adventures is that they really are adventures. I had debated about spending another day in Kimberley but could not extend my stay in the Settlers Inn. Perusing the map I noticed that a night Britstown would afford a full day in Kimberly and I could also satisfy my curiosity as to the name whilst travelling south on the N12 to Cape Town. Was it full of 'Brits' I asked myself. Little did I know of the adventure awaiting me. Entering Britstown I stopped to ask where the Smartt Guest House was located, despite having the address I could not find it. A local pointed to a sign to my now right and somewhat sheepishly I observed the sign. It turns out that sheep are a prominent part of the area.

Up early this morning as today I am visiting the 'Big Hole'.  There are many things to see and much history attached to Kimberley but this is the reason for my visit.  Believe me once you enter the museum, which is well signposted as are all the places of interest, it can take a day to look around.  I had no idea what to expect other than that this was where Cecil Rhodes and others made their fortunes and the fate of nations decided by that wealth.

After one last attempt to see the interior of the Anglican Church in Mahikeng it is time to head south to Kimberley.  Before we leave here is a link to the South African Tourist Website which will tell you all about the history past and present of Mahikeng. It includes the Anglo-Boer War and Baden-Powell's formation of the scout movement during the 217 day siege of the town. All the information you need on Mahikeng, Mafikeng or Mafiking Now we could go the easy route down the national route N18 but that would be boring. Instead we will head off down the R503, longer but, I hope, more interesting. I was amazed at the vastness of this fertile countryside. An abundance of water makes this area rich in golden grain rather than gold nuggets. I stopped to talk to a group foraging for firewood to try and find out what type of trees and why they were there in the acres of flat field. I only succeeded in a clamour for a group photograph. If the size of the fields was amazing so too wa...

I awoke to the sounds of nature all around me and breakfasted in the main house before setting off to explore this famous town. As with most towns here it follows a block formation so I tried to find the centre without success. After a little while I spotted a sign to the Tourist and Heritage Centre, crossing a bridge and driving for a short distance I found an impressive building and shaded car park to my left. I drove through the gate and parked up. Imagine my disappointment when I found that the building was not only locked but completely empty. Returning to the main part of the town and enquired at a government building but no-one seemed to know anything relating to tourism in the town. Eventually I was introduced to the son of a lady who worked there. You will see him on the photos but I do not have his name (I lost my jotter with all of my notes on the trip). He offered to show me around. 

Monday morning and I am planning my departure from Pretoria, my route is south but a name caught my eye to the west and it is almost on the border with Botswana, who could resist? Memories from my boyhood were conjured up, days in the boy scouts, adventure stories in 'Boys Own Paper' published weekly at the time and, playing with friends in the gardens of Mafeking House near where I lived. Yes, another piece of South African history would come to life as I decided to visit Mafikeng as it is now called but more of that later. With the help of Katerina, the proprietor of the Dinkwe I booked accommodation there and she explained that the only route was to head along the M4 toll road. These roads are generally wide two lane affairs with hard shoulders each side, they afford smooth travel but little adventure. In the course of the discussion she pointed out that I should try to visit the Pilanesberg Game Reserve to the north of my route. The description of the intrigued me but, ...

It is Sunday, the sun is shining and a day for relaxing, all of which I had forgotten about when I decided to head out to the large man-made lake at Hartbeespoort as half of the population of Pretoria probably had the same idea.  Actually it wasn't a problem until arriving at the approach road to the dam itself where the crossing is single carriage and light controlled by a man who either counts cars or times it on his watch.  Beware the 'lookie, lookie' men trying to sell anything and everything to the captive audience. A gift isn't  a gift as they will eventually turn it into a purchase.

It is Saturday and where does everyone go? Down town of course so off I went. Following the 21 into Pretoria after changing my rental car my first view of the city was a building resembling the great wall of China. Is this going to be an 'IKEA' city I asked myself but found to my delight that pockets of history remain amongst the new. I followed a pigeon’s route into the city i.e. my head told me I was heading in the right direction. I pulled over next to a beautiful park as there happened to be a parking slot to consult my map. The sign said 'Bergers Park' and eventually with the help of a local I found out where I was.

South Africa 'Series Two' or should it be 'Have boot will travel'? Those of you who know me are aware that I have damaged my leg again and it was touch and go whether or not I would make the flight. Ever the adventurous spirit I had booked my flight with 'Quatar' departing from London Heathrow at 16:00 hrs on the 1st October flying via Dohar to Johannesburg arriving 13:45 the next day. Everything went smoothly, the airline ferried me around in a wheelchair, my case didn't get lost, my new 'Cabin Max' hand baggage holdall at less than a kilo allowed me to meet the 7kilo weight restriction with the same amount of hand baggage that I normally carry and I was well fed throughout. A different menu with a different airline. The both ground and air crew were excellent but, if you are having a stop over of more than an hour or two ask about the sleeping lounge at Dohar's magnificent new airport. Apparently it has reclining seats and blankets which wou...

Leaving South Africa, my two months are up. I hope that this blog will continue on my next visit, hopefully in October, as there is so much more to see in this vast country with such a diversified story to tell. Perhaps you will visit yourselves one day. In the mean time....

Day 9 and I have to make it back to down-load my boarding pass. Fortunately everything is packed and travelling with me. I was hoping to have lunch and a guided tour of the more interesting places in East London but my contact was ill and could not make it. Having encountered major road works in the centre of the city at the start of my journey a brief stop at 'Kentucky Fried' was all I chanced on the way back and I was desperate to fill up the tank as it was between here and Port Alfred that Toby ran out of fuel on his trip. All of the gas stations seemed to be on the wrong side of the roadworks!

Day 7 commenced with breakfast at the Regal Inn before a leisurely departure along the Route 102 out of the city down the south coast as far as Port Shepstone. This road runs more or less parallel to the N2 toll road which, because of the storm, I had used on Day 2 to reach Durban. This area is known as the 'South Coast' as far as Port Edward. There are views both inland and of the various resorts south of Durban on Indian Ocean. I was making for Port Shepstone where I could join Route 61 and pay a visit to Margate, closely followed by Ramsgate and on down the coast.

Day 6 – I had returned to Durban specifically to visit the aquarium at Ushaka Sea World and I was not disappointed. The 'Ushaka' complex houses 'Wet 'n Wild', Kids World, Village Walk as well as 'Sea World. You can shop, eat and play here so ticket prices are on a sliding scale, I paid R105.00 for the aquarium (about £6.00). I spent most of the day looking around the aquarium and the dolphin and seal pools. There are also reptiles and other nasty things should you wish.

Day 5 – on the trail of the Boer War. Some twenty years after the end of the Zulu war we were fighting the Boer along roughly the same battle lines. After my trip to Rorke's Drift I had planned to drive down to Ladysmith to have a look in the siege museum and emplacements there. As I mentioned in my previous post a chance view of a pamphlet at my hotel in Glencoe made me backtrack to Dundee. I had driven past the Talana Museum site, noticable from the road because of the steam train, but was not aware that this was also the site of the battle of Talana hill significant as the first battle of the Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902. What better place to start!

Day 4 and I awoke early which was just as well as this was to be the start of another great adventure. Looking at a map whilst planning options for the trip to Durban I noticed that Zululand was the next province up. This put me in mind of the famous battle at Rorke's Drift popularised by “Not a lot of people know that” Michael Cain and I wondered how true to life the film was. The whole area on the map bordering Natal and Zululand is designated 'Battlefield Sites' and I realized how much fighting had gone on in the area against the Zulu and then the Boer shortly after. Much is mentioned of the First and Second World Wars but we in Britain have ancestors in many a forgotten field throughout the world.

I awoke to find that I, once again, had a sea view, albeit between the buildings. I sauntered down for breakfast (R50.00) to find that it finished at 09:00 hours. A quick enquiry and a cooked breakfast was laid before me, just the way to start the day. Due to my limited time in Durban I wanted to take their equivalent of the 'Red Bus' tour of the city as this is always a good way to get the feel of a place. Reception informed me that in Durban these are the 'Ricksha' city bus tours, if I walked down to the next block and turned right I would see the bus stop before the Police Station. As luck would have it a 'Ricksha' bus passed me as I walked out of the hotel. The sky was overcast but at least it was not raining. I found the stop which stated that a bus would arrive every thirty minutes. Just time to nip over to the sea front and take a couple of photographs.

I awoke to sunshine and a hearty breakfast in the dining room before departing on my Landrover trip to 'Hole in the Wall' the main purpose of my visit. There are a myriad of walks and other challenges along this coastline but time and age dictated a drive. My guide took me to his 'roundhouse' on the opposite hill so that I could see the view back across the bay to the hotel and so that I could see the construction of his house. The ancestors say that evil spirits lurk in corners but, as an expression of wealth, more 1 st world style houses are being constructed. Later I even saw one with and integral garage, though no car, drive, gate in fence or road visible. Back to the roundhouse, the thatchwork is guaranteed to last six years though his had been there for twelve and showed no sighns of deteriation. The walls are made of brick, either cement or a mixture of mud and straw or hardened earth blocks which have been dried out. The soil here is deep, very fertile an...

I like to keep things reasonably ecologically friendly but, after much discussion and soul searching, I decided that a 'road trip' was necessary given my remaining time left in South Africa. Initially I was going to work my way along the 'Garden Route' ending up at Cape Town however looking at the changing weather patterns as we are now in the autumn season I decided to head west instead, my destination Durban. At least then I would be able to dip my toe in the Indian Ocean! During a last supper with friends in Port Alfred I was given a small guide book to look at. Flicking through the pages gave me the gem of an idea and we will see if I can reach this ultimate destination.

The entrance to what was 'Cook's Castle' I had been discussing with my sister and Toby what to do before I returned to Europe, having decided on a road trip I thought I would nip out this morning to take some photographs of two local places of historical interest which I had seen previously.  Unfortunately it started to rain.  On my return the day was to develop an historical theme, my sister had discovered that there was a Port Alfred Museums competition in the afternoon. At that point I was not aware that there were five museums in the area.

Norma and Toby returned from their holiday in the north having decided to close the restaurant on the Thursday for 'deep cleaning' so why not throw a staff party.  Not just a braai, everyone was ferried down to the marina in the buggy and commandeered cars. Drinks and a buffet lunch were loaded and off we set for a cruise up the river Kowie.

I awoke bright and early on Monday morning as, according to the Tourist Information Office, the South African Air Force (SAAF) Museum only closed at Christmas and New Year. There was also a 'Heritage Trail' to follow around the old town which sounded interesting. Despite this being another public holiday I thought I would have a good day. Alas, when I arrived at the SAAF Museum it now closed every Monday! I headed back to Beach Road and followed it in the direction of the town to see if I could find the park and the 'trail'. I found myself at the Market Square and turned left up the hill. This proved fortuitous as I ended up parking next to a large open grassed area. 

No - not my hotel lol As it happens Monday 28 th is a public holiday so a busy weekend for Guido's. On Sunday I borrowed the truck and set off for Port Elizabeth a little later than I had expected as Toby and I had a wine tasting session the night before! I went up towards Grahamstown then along the N2 to Port Elizabeth as this is a more direct route though the scenery is just as dramatic, it reminded me of Scotland when I went to Pumba Game Reserve. Lo and behold a signpost to 'Lothian' a little further along the route. I drove into Port Elizabeth not recognising any of the signed routes so headed for the airport and then down to the beach road looking for the 'Road Lodge' hotel I had been booked into when I first arrived in South Africa. Driving along I couldn't spot it so turned across a convenient junction to book into a hotel opposite, easier said than done. Three hotels in a row and I couldn't find a door into any of them. Eventually I entered...

Easter Monday, I know this has taken a while getting here but you try to decide which photographs to leave out from this adventure! I booked a safari trip at the Pumba Game Reserve about 20km along the N2 road from Grahamstown to Port Elizabeth. Amazing how much you can find in the Eastern Cape. When the settlers arrived game roamed free over the whole of the African continent whilst the indigenous tribes co-existed hunting only for food and clothing. The farmsteads divided up the land and drove the wildlife out, introducing our own farming species and crops including trees from Australia which were of use as windbreaks in the new environment.

Sunday and the place to be for breakfast is the 'Fish River Sun' Hotel, once a casino. This tied in nicely with my exploration of the N72 towards East London having seen the lighthouse yesterday. I pulled off on the west side of the river and had a look around before proceeding across the road bridge to find my champaign breakfast, at only R120.00 a bargain and a pleasant way to while away your Sunday morning.....

Easter weekend Saturday, this time I turned in the opposite direction along the N72 heading towards East London to see what I could see. Was that a pair of cats running across the highway? No, I realised at the last moment that the long tail disappearing into the bush belonged to a monkey. I pulled over onto the verge and waited by the truck to see if they would reappear, a horn blast from the other side of the road made me turn to see three more scamper across behind me. Hmm, this blog requires patience! I was rewarded after about 10 minutes or so by a head poking out of the bush opposite and the rest as they say is history. I came to realise that, just like buses, monkeys can be seen all over either darting across roads or playing around in the bush as I saw many more during the day.

It is Good Friday and another fine day in the Eastern Cape but, in the absence of hot cross buns, I decided to go on a road trip and have a look along the route signposted 'Frontier Country to see what I could find..... Heading out along the Port Elizabeth road I turned left this time and headed inland. When you look at the photographs you will get some idea of the vastness of this country and I am only exploring in a 60 km radius at the moment. South Africa will definitely take a year!       I came to a settlement called Salem which was founded by the Septon party, one of 60 made up a total of 4000 settlers landing in 1820. M any of them poor were sent here by the British Government to bolster the hold on the Eastern Cape. They were given a plot of land, farming equipment and seed and left to get on with it. Many later departed for urban conurbations such as Bathurst so that they could use other skills such as glass making in order to survive. A church built form mud ...

Wednesday 16th and the sun is still shining, I took a drive out along the road to Port Elizabeth. Trying to admire the view as you travel is much more difficult when driving at the same time.  About 27 km from Port Alfred, having already crossed two rivers, I came across the sight post to 'Boesmanriviermond' (established in 1897) which is africans for Bushmans River Mouth.  After following the road down to the slipway at the river mouth where there is also a very pleasant place to swim, this turned out to be a very attractive spot to venture along.  I drove back along the side road parallel with the river through the houses and cottages which were originally a holiday retreat for farmers and people from the towns inland and now appear to be inhabited year round. In the early days farmers would trek to the area in ox drawn wagons carrying everything they would need including fresh water, now it is much more civilized. Seasoned boaters in the area are still caught out when ...

It has been a blazing hot weekend, I went along to Kelly's Beach on Saturday for a swim but decided to head inland on Sunday. Following the reason for the building of the wharf in my last post I decided to follow the trail of the settlers in 1820 who proceeded inland and created Grahamstown some 60 km inland. It took me about one hour to drive there following a narrow road which winds through the hills and valleys. It must have been a daunting task on dirt tracks using an ox-cart. It must have been at least 30 degrees under a clear blue sky as I alighted from the truck to wander around the amazingly spacious main streets. The architecture leaps straight out of the founding era with elaborate wrought ironwork and ornate architecture reminiscent of 'home'. There appears to be a church on practically every street corner and there is also the Cathedral of St Michael and St George. This imposing building looks down the high street at the clock tower of Rhodes University (I ...

  We set off around lunchtime on Thursday 10 th with me driving along the East London road turning off at a small development of thatched roofed 'cottages'. It turned out that my sister had tried to visit this restaurant on two previous occasions and, true to form, it was still closed. This proved to be a rather fortunate occurrence as it led to two interesting days spent around the area of Wharf Street back in Port Alfred. Yes I really am here! We parked outside the Brew Pub and entered for a superb lunch. Whilst there I explored the building which includes a cellar and an art gallery in the dining area upstairs along with many photographs of the history of Port Alfred. A tunnel leads from the cellar to the river which now houses the wine cellar. There were various rumours attached to this tunnel from slavery to smuggling. In fact it was used to transport stored rainwater to replenish the freshwater stores on the ships before they sailed. Whilst there Toby booked a tour of...