Colesberg to Graaff-Reinet (overnight here)

31May2011

Had a great dinner at Colesberg last night, just two min walk from Coniston House, our lodging place. On arrival back at Coniston the door was locked but Liz was waiting for us in pyjamas and dressing gown, and the hearth fire was still blazing in the drawing room, where we'd shared a bottle of red with Liz before dinner. A special experience...

After an amazing breakfast spiced by tales of Africa related by the irrepressible Liz, we left on a cloudy morning for Graaff-Reinet, some 200km south.

One of the passes we went through was at an altitude of 1800 metres, around 5,500 feet.

While we weren't surprised to see the sprinkling of snow, I was surprised to find a troop of baboons making snow men nearby. I was joking about the snow men but not about the baboons, who seemed quite adapted to the climate, as they would have to be to survive in those overnight temperatures.

A diversion to the west to travel through the tiny town of Nieu Bethesda had been recommended by Sias and also Christine. The track from north into NB was unsealed but quite good quality and as we travelled west much of the way was dominated by this snow capped peak.

None of the streets of NB is paved, an unusual situation in South Africa for us, although it did bring back memories for me of towns in western Queensland 50 years ago, whose streets were similar, dusty when dry and muddy when wet.

Soup was on the menu at an eatery in NB so Mary and I lunched there before moving on to Graaf-Reinet, which is where we're overnighting.

Tomorrow we're moving on to Outeniqua Strand, near George, to stay with Lee's parents, Johannette and Sias, for a week, one of the two main reasons we're visiting South Africa. Our journey up to now has been completely hassle free and immensely enjoyable, being sprinkled with wonderful wildlife encounters and intense and interesting discussions with B&B hosts and fellow travelers.

We have two weeks left in South Africa, this time, all to be spent either on the Garden Route and in or near Cape Town. Stay tuned for more info.

Senekal to Colesberg (overnight here)

30May2011

Our hostess in Senekal last night, Janny, reckoned the only place to eat in town was Wimpy, an unlicensed chain restaurant so we followed her advice and downed a glass or two of red afterward in our room. Janny couldn't do brekky for us this morning as she had a prior commitment with her trailer rental business so we left early, hitting the road by 0730am after first washing the ice off the car windows using lukewarm water. Yes, another frost!

Colesberg was our target, some 400km away to the SW along the N5/N1 and we made good time as there were few delays due to road works and very light traffic.

In fact we got to Colesberg so quickly we considered driving the extra 200km on to Graaff- Reinet, our next planned destination, but we resolved to take a look at Colesberg first. I'm glad we did because we stumbled onto one of those gems which occasionally come our way.

Coniston House (www.colesbergconiston.co.za) was built in 1835 and among other notable events in its history was its use as a meeting place between Paul Kruger and the British in a fruitless attempt to avoid the subsequent war, and its use as a hospital during that war. Tonight we're staying at Coniston, and have arranged to have a glass of red with Liz, the lady who has inherited the house, in her drawing room this evening.

In need of a little exercise we took a stroll down the lively main street and visited the museum as part of the stroll.

When we returned to Coniston House we were enthusiastically welcomed back by Ash, one of widow Liz's two gun dogs.

Should be an interesting evening, especially as the dogs are also invited.

Driving Mooi River to Senekal

29May2011

Senekal is a stop-over town on the N5 highway. As such it bears a resemblance to small towns in Australia also located directly on main highways. We've found a basic but comfortable and roomy B&B cottage which will suit us for an overnight rest which is all we need before continuing our journey toward the SW early tomorrow.

Today we had a spectacular drive through the Golden Gate NP on the way here, having been tipped off by Sias, Lee's father, to travel that way rather than stick to the main highways, which was our original intention.

He was irresistible, the only merchant on this windswept spot overlooking the valley in which was his village.

The tiny but beautiful town of Clarens was on our way as we exited the park travelling toward the main highway at Bethlehem. Our arrival at Clarens coincided with lunchtime and the sunny eating area next to the bakery was so inviting that Mary and I decided to pull in and take a break. The home made pies with salad served on a plate (one each) were delicious, as were the chocolate milkshake and the latte. The free Wi-Fi was appreciated also. The cost: 83 Rand, about $12 Aust.

The mountains have been left behind for the moment but we're still at altitude and expect a another below zero night tonight. Our target tomorrow is Colesberg, some 400km away so we plan a start around 8 am.

Technical: The iPad and personal Wi-Fi combo continues to pull its weight in helping to get around and stay in touch (and also entertaining enthralled fellow guests with kayak fishing videos). In Mooi River, our previous stopover place, we found that at our accommodation we had marginal and sporadic Internet access via 3G, while in the town itself some 5km away, especially in the bar at the Argyle Arms pub, we always got a fast 3G connection. It's difficult to predict the connection quality and I've been surprised at some of the out of the way places where a workable connection was possible. In some places even local residents were unaware that 3G was available.

Day 3 at Mooi River

28May2011

Another frost this morning. Now I remember why I moved from Canberra. Our booted feet crunched across the frozen lawn this morning on our way to brekky at 8am. Again we were dressed in layers, again the sky was stark blue but today the wind had dropped.

Mary made up a packed lunch and we headed for a wildlife reserve about an hour's warm drive to the NE. This small reserve is no Kruger NP, but it was conveniently located and in an area we hadn't previously visited.

Weemen Game Reserve is about 25km NE of Estcourt, a town name which receives mention frequently in Boer War accounts. An entry fee of 60 Rand, about $9 Aust, bought us day trip tickets for the two of us and our car and I believe that we were the first guests today, arriving about 1030am.

The roadside grass was up to two metres high and the animals here were noticeably more wary of cars than in Kruger NP.

We ate at the Argyle Arms again this evening. Tomorrow we start our road journey toward the Western Cape. This entails three nights in a row in single-night stays and where we'll be staying on the next two nights we can't say for sure. Hopefully we're heading for warmer overnight conditions as it has been very cold here during darkness.

Day 2 at Mooi River

27May2011, at Mooi River

Not quite so cold this morning as the previous day in Volksrust, and another brilliantly bright blue sky day. After a sumptuous breakfast we dressed appropriately (four layers on top for me, two on bottom, using my Skins as bottom half long underwear) and meandered west in the car toward Giant's Castle. This prominent geological feature, which includes a World Heritage listed Park, stands starkly and spectacularly on the western horizon, but is only about 25 km away.

The westerly wind stood at about 15 knots, bending the grasses and chilling the bodies of anyone exposed to it. Inside the car we were cosy with the heater going while outside the indicated temperature was around 9 Celsius. Then we came across Victor. He was walking in the same direction as we were travelling and held up his arm in the universal signal "How about a lift?" so we pulled up and he hurried over and gratefully climbed into the back seat. "I'm very tired," he told us, and then explained how he'd been trying to get work and and walked many kilometres only to find that the machine he was hoping to operate was broken down and so there was no work for him. "No work in South Africa", he told us, and asked if he could come to Australia to do maintenance on our house. How do you explain to a person such as Victor the difficulties involved in such a proposition? We dropped him at his home "village", a collection of small huts on the side of the road.

Now gloomy about the prospects for Victor and millions like him, we continued the 15km or so along a road becoming quite potholed and for a small fee were admitted to Giant's Castle Reserve. Our main intention here was to hike up the gorge, following a crystal clear stream to Main Cave, some 40 minutes, where a guided tour of the caves and their early human artworks was available.

The San people occupied this cave and lived off the surroundings for millennia before being displaced by other, more forceful, humans. They decorated their rocky habitat with beautifully executed art, examples of which can still be clearly seen today.

A visit to the Park shop was of course essential after our return from the cave. Mary charged in, credit card at the ready, and helped to contribute to South Africa's economy by buying a colourful locally-made table cloth. Look out for it on our verandah table in the near future.

By now it was time to retrace our steps toward Mooi River, the town near which we are temporarily domiciled. Our trip this time was more leisurely so we travelled very slowly along the narrow roads which held many school children, colourfully and uniformly dressed, walking home from school along the road. This slow pace allowed us more time to take in our surroundings and before long we spotted several lammergeyers, a very large and rare vulture, circling above the road.

As we travelled we were struck by the simple beauty of the mud walled homes, with either thatched or "tin" roofs, of the people of the area.

On the way home we deviated to the local pub, the Argyle Arms, established by a Scotsman, as you'd guess, in 1898. The present owner, a South African of English extraction who has owned the pub for many years, came over for a chat while Mary and I sampled his excellent draft beer, and his equally excellent pub grub. Everyone here is interested in discussing with visitors from other countries the prospects for South Africa and it's a very enjoyable discussion that ensues, with opinions on both sides being freely given.

I think we'll return to the Argyle Arms for dinner tomorrow evening.

Technical: A fast connection on 3G is available in the town, and a much slower one once you're about 3-4 km away.

Driving Volksrust to Mooi River, 26May2011

Volksrust to Mooi River

Ten degrees Celsius at 2:00pm, under a clear sky, that's what we found here on arrival. We're 1500 metres above sea level and it snowed nearby this morning, and may do so tomorrow. Fortunately we have a cosy self contained room on a farmlet and are booked in here for three nights.

The forecast minus six degrees at Volksrust last night eventuated.

We had around 300km to go, due south on good roads which were being built as we drove on them. The result was that we had to wait several times for up to 15 minutes for north bound traffic to clear the single available lane.

As we neared Colenso, a place which the Boers successfully defended against British attacks for months during the Anglo Boer War, 1899--1902, we were reminded that our friends Sandra and Bob Carson lived in Colenso Crescent, Puckapunyal, where many streets were named after places where Australians had fought.

Having read two histories of the Boer War in preparation for this particular trip, I was interested in finding one obscure memorial along the road south of Colenso. Pinpointing a likely location based on personal accounts, Internet research and using Google Earth, I was delighted to find that the memorial was exactly where I worked out it would be, not far from the railway line and accessed by a nondescript track but preceded by a small easily-missed signpost.

Churchill was a 25 year old war veteran at the time, and was operating as a war correspondent for a British newspaper. After being transported to a prison in Pretoria with many of his fellow countrymen, he managed to escape, alone, to what is now Maputo, Mozambique, where he promptly boarded a ship back to Durban to take up his journalistic duties on the front once again a few months after capture.

For the next couple of days we intend to explore this area on the eastern fringe of the Drakensburg, not far from the landlocked nation of Lesotho. Hopefully the weather will warm up a little.

Smalkloof Guest House, Volksrust

Smalkloof Guest House, Volksrust, 25/26May2011

Just an overnight stop here, about half way on our journey south to the Drakensburg area from Graskop.

Except for the inconvenience of extensive road works just after Mary took over the driving our road journey to Volksrust was uneventful. In contrast to the previous few days, much of the scenery today could be best described as bleak. We emerged from the mountains onto a huge veldt, almost treeless and blasted by a cold westerly wind similar to those we experience in southern Queensland in winter.

In the town of Ermelo where five main roads converge I pulled up to take a pic of a statue

and while there we spotted a familiar name:

As we pushed south we gradually emerged into terrain which had some vertical elements and then our target town appeared, nestling in a shallow valley. The ambient air temp indicator in the car read 15 degrees C so suddenly we were glad we'd brought warm clothes.

Our chosen B&B was a little way out of town to the NW and we found it without difficulty despite the fact that some streets now bore the names of more recent political figures instead of those of the politics of the past, a common problem we find as we travel around (ie the maps are out of date in that respect).

Our young hostess, Madeleine, and her daughter Mia met us and announced that tomorrow morning's forecast temperature is minus 6 degrees C, but that our room has underfloor heating. We opted to take our evening meal in the guesthouse rather than go into the town. The cost for dinner, bed and breakfast for the two of us is 800 rand, about $120 Aust. And we can bring our own wine, of which we have a dwindling supply in the wine rack in the back seat. Must top it up tomorrow!

Wonder what's for dinner?

Greetings from Graskop, Mpumalanga Province

Graskop, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa 25May2011

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.

Last morning in Kruger NP, 23May2011

Our last morning in Kruger NP

Kruger NP had one last big surprise for us. We'd agreed to go out with Lee & Nick for one last look on Mary's and my last morning at Skukuza. With checkout time for Mary and me at 10am and a journey to our next stop off place facing us we nevertheless piled into our trusty hire car at 0715, all armed to the teeth with enthusiasm and cameras. Lee chose the route we would take, a short loop which would bring us back to Skukuza camp in time to finish packing our bags and clear the room. Breakfast was planned for after our return.

Having encountered four of the Big Five the previous afternoon, we were hopeful for the fifth, but strongly aware that the chances were slim, for leopards are few, largely solitary, relatively small and beautifully camouflaged.

Again the weather was perfect; clear sky, no breeze. Eyes keen from a good night's sleep, we all scanned the roadside scrub as we trundled along at low speed. A small mongoose and its mate held our attention for a while and then the antics of a pair of small antelopes, probably bushbuck, further ate into our precious time.

We moved on. Clearing a small rise in the road we had a clear view straight ahead for about 200m and there, less than 100m away, a leopard sauntered along the road, its back to us and seemingly intent on getting across the bitumen road from left to right but in no particular hurry to do so. No other cars were around. If we'd been 30 seconds earlier or later we'd have missed this wonderful encounter. Cameras were readied amid great excitement as I, the designated driver today, manoeuvered the car to try to get into the best viewing position without causing the leopard to take fright. Lee, in the back seat behind me, was in the best situation to take photographs and this was fortunate indeed because she's the most experienced photographer and was armed with the best equipment. Having cleared the road the leopard unhurriedly crossed a small grassy area which gave all of us a clear view when it turned its head and looked squarely at us. I was still driving along gently at this stage, keeping pace with this most graceful big cat.

And just as suddenly as it had started, the encounter ended, the leopard rapidly becoming invisible as it blended with the vegetation. Possibly the whole event occurred within less than a minute but it was a very memorable minute and all the more special because we four experienced it together and alone.

The Big Five in well under 24 hours!

Kruger NP is amazing. To be able to drive your own car and follow your self-made plans or wander without a fixed plan enhances the experience because there's that element of personal involvement which is not present otherwise. The comfortable overnight accommodation and meal arrangements available are important if not crucial to the experience also. If you come to South Africa, come at this time of year and visit and stay in Kruger NP.

Mary and I were on the road to our next destination, Graskop, by around 1130am. The distance from Skukuza to Paul Kruger Gate is about 15 km, during which distance travellers are still within the Park boundaries. Two last photo opportunities were presented during this short trip.

Hope you enjoyed Kruger NP. We certainly did.