You might well ask where it is. Google it and you'll find all about it, which isn't much really. A small town, Graskop stands at 1400m ASL, is supported mainly by a timber industry (pine plantations) and tourism. The area is scenic and the roads are good. The people are friendly and somewhat old-fashioned, but pleasantly so.
Mary and I have spent two nights here, having driven from Kruger NP in under two hours. We think two nights is enough.
Eating out in South Africa is incredibly cheap by Australian standards. Two can eat very well, including a bottle of red, for under $50 Aust. Take our experience last night at Canimambo, a popular local restaurant (www.canimambo.za.net). Mozambique is not far away, and Portugal was the colonial ruler of that part of Africa until fairly recently. So the food at Canimambo is a combination of Portuguese and Mozambican. We sat near a blazing wood fire. The Peri-Peri chicken was delicious and generously served up. The bottle of South African shiraz went down well. Mary had to call for the fire extinguisher when she over indulged on the chilli based spread which she applied rather too thickly on the complimentary home baked bread. The owner, Lance, happily discussed the local and national situation with us for about 45 minutes, giving us an insight into life in this part of the world. Another pleasant and interesting evening.
The Museum of Man
A few hundred metres down a dirt track you come across a crudely hand painted sign. The name, The Museum of Man, overstates the situation somewhat, but was worth a visit. The two female attendants roused themselves from lassitude to deal with us as we, the first visitors of the day (at 1130am), approached on foot. This largest cave shelter in Africa, according to another sign, has telling evidence of continuous human habitation for 85,000 years. The floor has been excavated to a depth of at least 5 metres and stone implements and human remains brought to light by scientists from the University of Pretoria. The hole remains, its walls tagged with markers showing the locations of the various finds.
We're heading south today (340km) and have booked dinner, bed and breakfast at Smalkloof, near Volkrust. Then tomorrow the plan is to continue southwards another 300km for a three day farm stay near Mooi River, on the eastern side of the Drakensburg mountains area.
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