Creeping into the Cape, and heading home

Fog on the road

They started off from Citrusdal on this cloudy morning, there was fog in the valleys and since they had to take a long pass, they decided to tread carefully because of the radiator.  Visibility was not too bad but one still had to be careful. By going through the suburb roads, they made it into the Peninsula early enough. They dropped the aunties, settled them into their hotel and then went up to Peak road to  unload at Kobus & Lizette.

And in the valley

She phoned to enquire about the fellow divers from Mauritius when the guy said he was not aware of any divers coming from Mauritius!!! Hugues and Co, were arriving from Mauritius that day, so she sent them an sms too. It was one big misunderstanding that found the divers staying at the Boulders for one night because Steve (the organizer) forgot to book for them.

Later that afternoon, the aunties had to be fetched for dinner. They made one trip of it: they went to see the divers at the Boulders to find out what the programme was, they fetched Kobus from the station and then the aunties and made it up the hill for dinner. It was a nice animated affair. 

Penguin on Cape coast

The next day, at the crack of dawn, they had coffee and rusks and sped to the Simon’s town jetty to meet with the rest of the group. No one was there yet. After a while Hugues and his lot pitched, then came the guys for the cage diving. That was the plan, sail out to seal island and do cage diving. That, for her, is not diving.

Well, on the plus side, at least the lot they went with, SharkExplorers, the guys: Mornay, Steve, Ernest and Brock, seem to know what they were doing, they were organized, worked efficiently and kept a clean boat. Their PR girl was the first to arrive to greet us, and then the crew arrived a bit later.

Once we settled that for cage diving not much equipment would be needed, Coen left and we boarded. It was not only us (as in the Bluewater Diving group) but an array of other people was coming with, among others a baby of a little more than a year old, in a push chair!

Cape Point from the sea

The sky cleared and the sun was out when we motored past the  Cape Point. Nearing Seal Island, the whiff of seal, penguin and bird dropping was most pungent, not to mention the dead fish. Here, they moored and prepared chum. It was a process of squashing the fish, mixing with seawater and then pouring bucketfuls of this mixture overboard.

There was another boat, on the same mission as ours, moored not far. With the chum of the two boats, soon some dorsal fins appeared. They came after the bigger bait that hung off a rope held up by a buoy. When there were more frequent visits from these great white sharks, she got dressed and entered the cage with a couple. A few times they saw the sharks whilst still on the surface.

These sharks certainly know that they are at the top of the food chain, they seem totally fearless as they dashed after the bait. Steve was giving the signal when to dive into the cage for an underwater view. But at one point, he was also manning the bait and as he told us to dive, the shark was onto his bait and they had a tug of war with the shark struggling with the bait against the cage, right in their faces.

This was close, too close for a good look because the thing was bigger than the cage, and the cage was rocking against the boat for a while. After this close encounter, they got out of the cage to give the others an opportunity to have a go at it. The other group was not that lucky. The view from the top was nicer because they got to see the activities going on around the other boat as well.

Simonstown port

The guys had snacks and drinks on board. That helped to keep hunger at bay. Finally, the sharks had had enough and stopped coming. The cage was lifted on board and the boat headed home. They planned a pelagic dive for the next day.

That meant that it was also another day starting at the crack of dawn. This time, full equipment was required. This was an open ocean dive with pelagic sharks. The outing was done with the same dive club but with more divers on board. It was a glorious day and there were many boats out at sea, each radio-ing each other about visibility, fish and the presence of sharks.

Much of the morning was spent looking for a site to attract the sharks. In the wake of long liners there were lots of birds and even seals because when the long liners pull in the fish, they promptly cut off the head of the fish and send it back to the sea and keep the part that is going to be filleted.

Finally, after a few dead ends, they managed to attract some sharks that were circling around their fish bait tank. That day, only blue sharks came up and they stayed a long time with the divers. The water was as cold 16C and it was a static dive where everyone stays within the 10m.

These sharks are not big but they are curious. They came close, bumped into her a few times and also swam along her legs. Before she got very cold she opted to go back to the boat. There, she changed and got dry, had a drink and some nibbles while talking to the guys about their operation.

Quite a bit later, when all the divers were on board, Steve made some sandwiches and they started back. However, a long liner passed by and the guys opted to go after it and fish in its wake. That was not really fishing but gaffing whatever was getting lost from the long lines. It was a grim sight; mainly hake and kingklip were being brought up from great depths. The signs of decompression sickness were very visible: expanded stomachs, bubbles below the skin and the agony in the eyes.

The sun was getting towards the horizon when they turned back. The trip back was long and the sun burned her face in the process. Coen was not impressed at the time they landed because there was a biryani dinner at Kobus & Lizette’s and guests were waiting.

The next day, they were dropping the aunties at the airport and then proceeded onto Villiersdorp to visit Stephanus and Mariana on their fruit farm. It was good to see them again. They took them to visit the only cellar in town and then spent most of the afternoon catching up on news, having dinner and visiting some more.

Rooiberg cellars

The next morning they had to be off early because the meeting was in Hout bay at 10 for seal diving. They got there on time but parked at the wrong entrance and had to walk all the way to the port with the equipment. Steve of Animal Ocean was taking us. He was also pretty well organized.

Two dives were expected that day, on the seals and on a small formation not far, both in 11C waters. It was fun once you get the hang of your gear and find a good place to watch these things waltzing around you, trying to bite the fins and even taking a taste at the hood. Back on board, they poured warm water down the wet suits, it was suddenly more comfortable.

With a few snacks and some hot coffee they started off to the next dive. Fascinating place with crayfish, crabs, abalones, starfish among others, and kelp – quite some life that she does not see on tropical dives.

Back at port, they sorted out their kit, piled it into the car and walked over to the jetty restaurant for a snack. Patricia was driving and the best option was to take the expensive but more practical Chapman’s peak road. The scenery is always stunning there. They dropped her in Fishoek and proceeded on to their place.

Their last dive in the Cape was at the reserve, going out from a place just outside Simon’s town. It was not the crack of dawn, so there was no rush. Coen dropped her with Hugues who was in town looking for his jacket that he forgot with the Shark Explorers. They made it to the point and there came Steve and his boat. It took a while to sort the equipment and fill the boat that then had to be towed down to the jetty.

There they met with another diving outfit going out with some tourists. The blond who was there mentioned that on the spot where they wanted to dive there was a John Dory. John Dories, as it goes, in these waters, are NEVER seen at these depths. They live at great depths. But, there was one there, among the seven gills sharks.

So, off they went. Steve decided to do the further dive first, in case the sea picks up. That was off a small island with seals on it. The sea was not calm and even underwater they were churned around. So after a while, they lost the other members of their tribe, she and Alain went for an explore where it was calmer and fell on a small gully shark (or was it a shy shark). The poor thing was lying there minding its own business. But they thought otherwise. Alain needed a neat picture for his book, so they took the shark and placed it a bit more in the open and as it was slowly going away, managed to get his pictures.

Vishoek by night

After more water in the wet suit, snacks and hot chocolate, they moved to the reserve. There, somehow, she found herself with Hugues who was taking pictures as the sharks were slowly passing by. There were quite a few of them; they came very close to check on the people. One could look them in the eye and really count their gills.

Eventually, when they stopped coming by, they swam along to explore a bit. Hugues was leading and as he turned back, she saw this small fish. She was on the point of dismissing it when it opened its dorsal fin and three fine long spines and she also the spot on its flank. That was the John Dory; how could Hugues (who sees all) not have seen this. She nudged at his fins and showed him the fish. There started another photo session. The fish practically swam into her hands.

And by day

Before freezing point, she went up leaving Hugues in the water. Later, when everyone was on board, Steve was mentioning this rare fish on this site when she told him that they saw it. He stood there not believing until Hugues showed him on the camera.

Patricia went shopping and then came to fetch them when they were done. They again piled into the car and ended up at the guesthouse, the Bell. Making accounts, getting promises about photos etc, she left when Coen was ready to come fetch her. Coen had had a successful day with a good Land Cruiser mechanic.

Back at the house on Peak, she showered, had a bite and went back to work. The next few days were spent working and relaxing. They also had dinner with the Hanekoms one evening.

Calitzdorp guest house

Then, they chose to leave the Cape on Saturday. It was pouring and two oceans race was on as well. Getting out of the town was slow.

On the route 62 they went through these quaint small Cape towns. It was a pleasant drive with not too much traffic. They made it to Calitzdorp in good time but the Estate they wanted to visit was already closed.

Route 62

They settled into their guest house, had tea and cakes brought by the owner and then she sat down to work a bit while Coen had a nap.

Later, for dinner, they hit the Dorphuis where they made an excellent repast. The night was quiet and rather cool. After a great breakfast of smoked ostrich carpaccio with eggs, they started off on their road up to Graaf Reinett. Again the road was not too busy. They did meet with some people racing back home after the holidays and the long week end but it was not too hectic.

Roadside snack

On the way, they stopped by a little side road café and had a great sandwich of braai bread and home made game wors. It was still daylight when they reached Graaf Reinett. This is a cute little historic frontier town. It has well restored buildings and seems to be quite well managed. It was Sunday and it was rather dead.

Main street, Graaf Reinet

Our hosts were waiting for us; an elderly couple who seem to have a rather big family (who have all left the house). The room was comfortable and clean. The aunty offered tea and cakes before they settled for a rest and relax. Later, on the recommendation of the aunty they went to Agave restaurant and had an excellent risotto meal with Karoo lamb.

Karoo mountains

After a copious breakfast, they left Graaf Reinett and headed towards Smithfield. They had to do a bit of the highway which was packed with speeding cars, fully loaded 4x4's all driving like maniacs in order to get home, settle the kids and prepare for work/school the next day. It was hectic. Luckily they turned into a country road and trundled along slowly and peacefully to sleepy Smithfield.

Road to Smithfield

The guest house they booked into was rather 'folklorique'. The owner was not there and had to be called and then he showed them around and disappeared again. He said the doors could be left open. They noticed that in a few of these small towns, security was not an issue. People were very laid back and not too worked up about locking up.

They got there quite early and lunched at the pub. The pie was quite copious but the pub no longer has an atmosphere. It is now plastic chairs and modern décor that makes it quite cold. Had they found the 'Pig' they would not have had dinner there. Dinner was rather standard.

Smithfield dinner

That evening it was very cold in Smithfield. They put the heater on. They had seen frost on the mountains on the way. It was plain that winter was creeping in.

They left after a rather greasy breakfast. They went through country roads and saw great scenery of farms and wilderness in Autumn. Traffic was not too bad. The car's radiator was giving problems again and they opted to wait for the Johannesburg traffic to abate at Hester's place. They stopped there for tea and a chat.

They got home just before it got dark. The dogs were happy to see them.

Setting off to the South

Breezing down to Betesda and on to the Cañon

Road through the 'grass' desert

They again had a most complete breakfast at the hotel and started off south. It was hot and they were in the desert. The scenery started off with the sand desert and evolved into the grass desert and then more bush desert. In these parts they passed vast farms seemingly in the middle of nowhere. 

Rock formation 

It must be quite a feat farming in these parts what with the lack of water, the dry, the dust …. But these people seem to be making a living out of it. However, the place is also very well geared for tourism and there are lodges, camps and sites indicated all over. What they also saw were signs leading to view points where it is written ‘permit required’.

They figured that there ‘permits’ were mainly for the authorities to know where people are, not necessarily as a control measure but to keep track on the people who trundle along on lonely tracks in  the barren parts and get stuck, or have vehicle problems and such. The desert is quite forbidding and if there is a problem and no one knows where you are ….. quite recently they found a vehicle with skeletons in it, the people got lost, had car problems and then ran out of water…. In the desert, it is as simple as that!

Sailing by the Tropic of Capricorn they landed in the great metropolis of Solitude where they were greeted by old cars lying in the bush and a quaint  petrol station and the town’s ‘everything’ shop. There, they filled, visited the loo and shopped for essentials before taking to the road again.

old car in the bush

Lunch at Betesda

Betesda is a Christian rest camp. A comfortable place to stop on this long sandy road. The staff is welcoming and discreet. The swimming pool was very welcoming after the hot dusty roads. They rested and then went to watch the starts and the new moon. Then they went in for a buffet dinner.

  

Watching the new moon

After breakfast the next day, they took to the road again. This time they were aiming for the Fish RiverCañon.  The aunties had had enough of the desert but they had to stop somewhere on the road and that part of the desert was new to all of them. When the Cañon roadhouse said there was room for them, they were delighted to be on the rim of the Cañon at least.

Train going up to the coast

Cañon formation

This was not endless desert. It was desert but the scenery changed with rock formations, ridges, canons and cattle and wildlife. Fascinating how man managed to brave the elements and settle in what could have been quite forbidding areas in the time when travel was either on foot or animal-back. There are wild and wonderful tales (and sometimes  tragic) of people who have/had settled in these parts such as the tale of the Dwisib Schloss built there. 

                                                                          The sky was turning grey when they reached the Roadhouse. This place, like Betesda also looked like a lost oasis in the middle of nowhere. And it also had an array of old cars as well as old road related bric-à-brac. By the time they were booked in by the friendly staff, it started raining. It actually rained in the desert!

Dinner at the Roadhouse

But it quickly stopped after quenching the thirst of this vast empty land and its little oasis of life. They rested, visited the place and check out the mules that are used to take tourists into the famous cañon and worked a bit. Then they went to dinner where the staff was already taking orders from bigger and more boisterous groups.  

The food was nice, well served too, with no fuss. Back at the room, they worked some more and retired for the night. It was very quiet and peaceful except for a mule that had a cough.

Shopping at the Roadhouse

In the morning, a good spread awaited them for breakfast. Again, with a full tummy they took to the road down to the Great South. The border crossing was pretty painless. Their system was down and forms had to be filled again but it was very swift, the border was not busy.

From there to Springbok, they had a tarred road on which they had been before. It was greener further south and cooler too.

And thus they slid into Springbok.

Scenery on the road south

A town that caters mainly for the mining and farming that goes on around it, Sprigbok spreads quite far out. It has this busy main road that suddenly goes empty after 17h00. They were booked at a nice guesthouse  - Annie’s - on the slopes of the town. It was peaceful and quiet there. The rooms were nicely decorated, the whole place was done up with a lot of taste and planning.

Sunset over Springbok

After settling in, they sat on the verandah and had a bite and tea and then retired to some reading and resting. Coen had to find some internet connection because of his online course and we found some rather pricy internet ‘café’ on the main road that was also closing at 17h00!

She also had to submit some work that she had done. So they left that aunties at the Springbok café that has a good display of stones to look at and a scratch patch too and they did the Internet thing. Quickly the aunties joined them and they drove back to the guesthouse.

Breakfast at Annie's

That evening they went to Tauren for dinner. Pretty much the standard steak house, it was quite busy when they got there but there was space for them to sit and have a copious dinner.

Breakfast at Annie’s was a nice affair in a cozy dining room. The egg Florentine was nice and filling and they met with aunty Pam the owner of the place who had some nice anecdotes to tell about life in Springbok as opposed to Johannesburg where she comes from.

Of shoes and warm baths

Signs of agriculture in the Western Cape

Long before reaching the town, they saw signs of extensive agriculture: vineyards, flowers, citrus and other fruits and what could be wheat or oats. 

Road to ClanWilliam

Down to Clanwilliam on a nice and not too busy road. They had booked rooms at the Long House, just off the main road. They checked in and sorted out breakfast with the owner; had a late lunch on the stoep while enjoying the nice garden.

Trying shoes.....

Later the decision was to go to the shoe factory and then on to the Rooibos factory. At the shoe factory, Coen and mother bought shoes. Strong, sturdy and honest shoes that have not changed in decades. Pity they have not introduced some more styles but at least they are still operating in the area after more than 100 years.

The Rooibos factory visit was interesting. They got shown a film about the tea, had a taste of it and then, got to buy some rooibos tea and its derivatives. The prices are very good, the products interesting and would make interesting gifts.

Stoep of the Long House

Back at the ranch, they rested and worked a bit more while the aunties curled in bed for a nap. After the nap, they made a decision to have dinner at the Reinhold Restaurant. Mama was having a raging headache, so the three of them trundled off there and had a great time, with great food and stories.

Dinner at Reinhold

Old post of Clanwilliam

As there was no room for them to stay longer at the Long House, they moved on to Citrusdal where they booked to stay at the ‘Baths’. A camping and lodge place graced with hot springs. The rooms that were available came with their own private hot baths. After they booked in, they had a bit of lunch and then rested while the camp slowly filled up with lodgers and campers. That afternoon, they went off to town, Coen looking for a place to repair his radiator and them looking to buy the necessary for dinner.

When they got back, the aunties got busy making dinner while they filled a bath and soaked in there. Slowly, as the sun set, the camp also settled down. They spent a quiet and peaceful night again. The next morning she went to the big hot pool just before breakfast. She had served Coen coffee in bed with rusks.

View of the valley

Sun opening on the valley

They decided to back into town later that morning to see about radiator repair. They were told about some Otto person who will be able to help. And Otto was found in one back road where Coen got a powder that did the trick. Meanwhile the ladies went walkabout and saw this little shoppie where there was a multiple of interesting products. She bought Citrusdal honey among other things.

Ox cart at the Old Village

Outside the post house

So, the radiator was patched and they took off to see about having lunch at the Old Village. This is the  old village of Citrusdal when it was only a stopping point on the road north and the old post house is now a little restaurant that serves good food. What they claim to be home baked bread turned out to be a disappointment but the rest was nice and well served too, quite generous portions in fact. 

They went back, she had another dip in the big pool and then worked a bit more and rested. They had an improvised dinner of mushroom fondue on toast and went to bed while rain was beating down. More people had arrived and pitched camp that day and a few had some damages due to the heavy down pour that came that evening.

Isabis and onwards

Breeding stallion at Isabis

The next day, after a hearty breakfast they got onto the road, again this graded dirt road up to Stampriet. From there onto Rehoboth it was tarred and then they left the tar to engage into the direction of Isabis where they were expected on Isabis farm.

The owner of Isabis farm, Joachim Crantz was in touch with Coen since their Congo times, Coen bought his Uri from him. When he mentioned that they were doing this trip into Namibia Joachim kindly invited them to visit the farm and stay the night with him and his wife. And so, they shuffled their dates around and made it to Isabis farm that day.

They got there earlier than even they expected and Joachim and Adele practically opened their house to them, gave them lunch. He does intense cattle farming while she raises horses for endurance riding. Their farm is a beautifully developed place, very peaceful and quiet. Their guest quarters if very tastefully made up from old storerooms and very comfortable.

View of the waterfall on the farm lands

They have the HESS project running on one of their farms and the people running the project often stay with them too. It is mainly for them that they made some conversions: rooms, living quarters etc.

Sunset on the lands

Adele explained that she has recently acquired this stallion to breed with her mares and it was one great experiment for her since the stallion has some ‘health’’ issues and she is really keen on this breeding idea of her.

They had a short nap and left Adele to struggle with her mares while they went on a sun down trip across the farm. Joachim took them to spots where they could see the extent of the farm but also the cliffs and waterfall they have there. As most waterways in Namibia, this waterfall was not ‘falling’ but there was water at the base.

They admired the scenery while the sun was setting and the baboons were barking in the distance. The view was absolutely stunning.

Baboons in the distance 

Back at the homestead, they showered and met for dinner. Their chef made springbok fillet to perfection. The rest of the meal was a delight. The malva pudding was excellent. After dinner, they sat talking for a bit and then the Crantz’s wanted to see their ‘trip’ pictures.

Landscape on the way to the city

It is a very quiet place and they all slept the sleep of the just. The table was set for breakfast when they got to the main house. Adele was also going to Windhoek on business that day. They made a hearty breakfast, bade their farewells and hit the road north. The whole place looked very green because of the rains.



It was a good sand road that has had regular grading. They even saw a grader working on it that day. They passed endless cattle farms that are popular in those areas and some game farms too. There were cattle grids this indicated where the one farm stopped and where the next one started.

Cattle grids on the road

In Windhoek they soon found the place where they were booked for 2 nights. Once settled, they had a late lunch of sandwiches. They booked the aunties on a city and township tour and settled to work a bit, nap a bit, work some more and then go to dinner at the Nice restaurant. This is a place run by chefs in training. It is in a great set up, very nicely decorated and fitted. The food was nice but service was rather slow.

The next day was Namibia Independence day. They had breakfast and then went to tour the city. The one stop they made was at the craft centre that has expanded quite extensively since she was last there. It had very nice things. The aunties had a grand time choosing what to buy.

Dinner at Joe's Beerhouse

Back at the lodge, they worked some more. They made some snack food for lunch and she went back to work while some took a nap. That evening they were booked at Joe’s Beerhouse for dinner. It was a hearty affair of game meat and fish.

Cruising to the Coast

After breakfast the next day, they hit the road east. They missed the one petrol station and when they realized there were none to be had on that road, they turned back and filled in town before starting off definitely eastwards.

Welwitchia mirabilis

After doing a few passes through the mountains, the scenery changed from green savannah to yellow grassland to sand desert. It was gradual but very noticeable as they progressed on the road. When they reached the Namib they found the dinosaur plant – welwitchia mirabilis. Strange plant that survived the ages in the oldest desert on earth.

Dunes close to Swakopmund

After this long road that seems to lead nowhere, suddenly, before them, the signs of civilization, Swakopmund. It is a very ‘coastal’ town but also has a German flair to it, and at the same time it is in the desert.

Lighthouse

With time the settlers have managed to grow quite a bit in that piece of desert. The town is very well laid out with trees growing on the sides of the main roads. They found their hotel, Rapmund hotel next to café Anton, not far from the beach and the lighthouse. It is a pleasant place except that they were having renovations done that day and it was a bit noisy. By 17h00 it was nice and quiet again.

That afternoon, while Coen worked on his course, she took the aunties for a walk in the shopping area. They went into some very nice little shops catering for tourists mainly. As they were getting the hang of shopping, the shops started closing – 17h00. After making up their minds where they go walking the next day and where they were having dinner that evening, they walked back to their lodgings.

They dined at a small place around the corner that evening, Farm Kitchen. Well prepared food and served by efficient and pleasant staff too. In general, in Namibia people seem very laid back, welcoming and pleasant. The staff of all the places they went were forthcoming and keen to assist.

Salt pan with red colour

The next morning, they had a most complete and very German breakfast and then set off to visit the Crystal Gallery. It was very interesting to see what they do with the crystals. They even bought a few pieces from the shop and then carried on with their discovery of the town before setting for to see Walvis bay and have lunch there.

Seagull landing

It is the port town and also very well laid out. They had lunch at the Raft on the sea front where they could see sea gulls taking off and landing. Carrying on with the main road, went on to the salt ‘factory’. They passed the saltpans and also the red residue that is said to give flamingoes that reddish tinge.

Lunch at the Raft

Lunch was tasty and the surroundings were quite pleasant too. They drove back to Swakopmund where  they worked for a while longer. Later when Coen took a nap, she went out with the aunties to browse the town.

Waiting at the bar of the Brauhaus

Dinner at the Brauhaus

They decided to dine at the Brauhaus that evening. They set off earlier in order to have an hour at the internet Café before dinner. It was Friday evening and they did not book. So when  the aunties joined them later, they had to wait at the bar for some people to vacate a table before they could eat. Here again the meal was copious and tasty. They had a good time watching the very ‘German’ pub life of the place.