Here’s the second Part of the GBS Holiday, enjoy.
We left Brenton-On-Sea and travelled the 30 odd kilometers to Wilderness, where old PW Botha also had a home.
Here we stayed in a Hotel for 3 days, giving us enough time to go to all the sights around Wilderness and George. I’d lived in George in the early 90’s and therefore know the area well.
I took the family to Victoria Bay, to Map of Africa, via the Lakes area and back roads to the Big Tree and all the way down back roads to Sedgefield.
I also had the opportunity to catch up with old friends I had not seen in years.
BonzaiGBS goes to school in George, so I collected him from the Airport in George and he spent the day with us, prior to his Matric year starting the next day.
Wilderness:
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On Monday 18 January we were on our way again, via Herolds Bay and all the way to Hartenbos, where we stayed at the ATKV Resort.
This is probably where we had our greatest time around the beaches and rock pools.
We also made a day trip to Mossel Bay from here, where we went out on a boat from Mossel Bay harbour to Seal Island and back. That was the calmest I’d ever seen the Ocean, it was like a dam… flat and virually no swell to speak of.
We also went to the Diaz Museum and old Postal Tree. Bartholomeo Dias was a Portugese Discoverer, who sailed into what is now known as Mossel Bay, in 1488.
We also visited the Cave at Cape St Blaize (Mossel Bay Point) and on the hill above that the St Blaize Lighthouse.
Hartenbos & Mossel Bay:
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On Thursday 21 January we left Hartenbos, reluctantly, took the In-Laws to George Airport, for their flight back to OR Tambo International Airport near Johannesburg and then started heading inland, away from the sea.
We briefly stopped at a Strawberry Farm just outside George and then proceeded via the Outeniqua Pass over the beautiful Outeniqua Mountain range.
We quickly drove through Oudtshoorn, without stopping and went to Calitzdorp, 57km from Oudtshoorn.
Calitzdorp and the valley there, is famous for it’s desert wines and port wine.
Here we visited Calitzdorp Winery, where we had a sit-down wine tasting session with cheese and biscuits galore. From there we moved on a kilometer or so to Boplaas Wine Estate and another wine tasting session. From Boplaas it was another kilometer or so to De Kranz Wine Estate where we sampled more of the Angels Juice of the area.
We bought boxes and bottles of these superb wines, ports and desert wines from each of the 3 wineries.
In he evening we went to Karoo Life, a nice restaurant in the area with their own Executive Chef. BonzaiHandbriekie had a Fillit Flambe and Handbriekie and myself each had a Fillit with Camenbert Cheese and bacon and caramalized onions on top….. and we sampled a bottle of fine red wine and another bottle of even finer white wine.
We stayed over at Spekboom Cottages B & B, which basically are old converted “Nagmaal Huisies” (Communion Cottages) which was used in days gone by to accommodate the farmers from afar when in town for Holy Communion at church every few months. Lovely place!
Removed a huge spider from our bedroom, and when I say huge I mean BIGGG, with the old shaving cream trick as seen on TV. Scooped it into a pot and released it outside after hosing it down to remove all the shaving cream.
Calitzdorp:
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The next morning we travelled back to Oudtshoorn, stopping first at Highgate Ostridge Show Farm, where we did the tour, fed some ostridges and where I rode an Ostridge like a pro…. and where we also watched an Ostridge race.
Then it was off to Kango Wildlife Ranch where we also did the tour.
After that it was off to Prince Albert via the reknowned Swartberg Pass, a dirt mountain pass over the impressive Swartberg Mountain range which seperates the Klein-Karoo from the Karoo.
It was well worth it!
Oudtshoorn & Swartberg Pass:
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Just on the other side of the Swartberg Pass is the quaint little Karoo town of Prince Albert, where we booked in at the Karoo Khaya. This little town still has water furrows (Leivore) where each stand gets a turn to block the water off and let it run over their property to irrigate.
We ate at the Swartberg Arms Restauant that evening, a local hang-out and the next morning visited the local farmers market in town for some Roosterkoek, pannekoek and gingerbeer and to mix with the locals.
At about 11:00 on the Saturday morning we left Prince Albert for our second last stretch home, through the Karoo to Gariep Dam on the border of the Cape and the Free State.
It was cloudy, luckily for us, because the Karoo sometimes gets up to 50 degrees Celsius, this time of year. We had pouring rain through parts, especially near Richmond and every farmer’s dam, every stream and big dam was full to the brim, except of course near Beaufort West, where they have been suffering severe drought.
At Gariep Dam we stayed at the Forever Resort Gariep Dam where we walked to the dam and drove to the dam wall to see the torrent of water released from the sluce gates, gushing down into the rushing Orange River.
Prince Albert and Gariep Dam:
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The next morning, Sunday, we tackled the last long stretch home, through the rest of the Karoo and the Free State, into Gauteng.
Hope you enjoyed this quick glimpse.
Hel ou pel, sien jy het jou smile terug, nou doen jy die ding jaarliks. Die tille kan wag.
Bly om te sien julle het dit geniet.
@gbs so vir interresantheid die oranje rivier se vlak is nou ongeveer 2,5 m onder die wal so dis basies nog 3m hoer as toe julle daar was
oooh nou maak dit vir my sin!!!!!!!! Ash kom van gamkaskloof af 🙂
wonder of hy banjo speel 😉
1@ superBul:
Ja, ek het gesukkel om van die smile ontslae te raak… maar met blerrie Helkom wat nie my kantoorlyn kom fix nie, het hulle dit sowaar nou reggekry…. vandag is die 4de dag sedert ek die ding rapporteer het.
2@ smallies72:
Waar? Daar by Gariep?? Die karrevaanstaanplekke daar waar ons tuisgegaan het in die Chalet by Forever Resorts Gariep was juis reeds halfpad onder water toe ons daar was, dis seker nou heeltemal toe….. demmmmm
Of praat jy van daar by Aliwal Noord?
3 & 4@ Tripples:
Miskien het ou Asbakkie ook so ekstra verdwaalde handjie wat uit 1 van sy elmboë groei…. hehehe
Deliverance!!!
@gbs aliwal noord die dam loop nog steeds oor en sommer sterk ok
Photos look good gbs, can see you had a good time and it seems like you were clever to go outside the main holiday season cause everywhere looks so quiet from the pics. Was good to see some of the places I’d visited long time back, had forgotten how nice the Hartenbos beach was, Mossel bay seems to have grown quite a lot.
Your picture of the map of Africa is really impressive, nature can be really amazing.
The ostrich ride looked like loads of fun, just one thing don’t give up your day job to take up ostrich racing … unless they are able to breed much bigger ostriches 🙂
Hey sakkies…dog maar ek drop vinnig in en se hallo!!! Hallo almal. Sal seker binnekort my internet uitgesort he, dan kom praat ek weer lekker bollie saam met julle. Mooi bly en praat een van die dae.
bos_otter wrote:
Howzit bos long time no ‘see’, was wondering what happened to you was even considering asking around here if anyone knew, will be good to have you around again. Are you still over here in UK?
8@ bos_otter:
Hello Bos-Totter… is jy nou al terug in SA?
7@ Bullscot:
I’m actually not THAT big…. if SuperBul had to sit on an ostridge, you would hear OEFFF and the ostridge would be down and out… hehehe
11 @ grootblousmile:
You egotistical bugger you have probably been bragging to everyone about how good you were to ride the ostrich for so long, meantime the poor bird just didn’t have the strength to throw you off 🙂
12@ Bullscot:
No really… at the time of the Bungi jump I was only 86 kg… now probably closer to 90 or 92 kg after the whole holiday.
Tell you what, Handbriekie and BonzaiHandbriekie were canning themselves whilst I rode that ostridge, they thought it was pretty funny… and so did I.
An Ostridge weighs here in the vicinity of 150 kg PLUS.
@ grootblousmile:
Ok well thats actually not heavy cause you look quite tall. Must have been a real good day for you and family at the ostriches sure you gave them loads of entertainment :-). As for Bungi you’ll never get me anywhere that, anyone who does that is either very brave or crazy! Don’t want to sound stupid but where does the nickname Handbriekie come from?
14@ Bullscot:
Handbriekie comes from the fact that she has to act as my Hand Brake once I start getting in a festive mood.
Hahaha
The Bungi thing is fantastic… did you have a look at the Bungi pics on the Part 1 Article?
@ grootblousmile:
Haha ok thanks for the explanation, I get it now. Yeah I had looked at them just been back to take a closer look and even more convinced not for me, don’t do heights very well, but looks like you really had a ball, loads of adrenaline flowing I’m sure.
Ostrich Racing!!!
What is the world coming too!! 😆
So, I have a question…..When is Rugby Talk going to burst back into life again?
You have done your holidays now folks, get blogging….please – not just during the day either, some of us have to work!! 🙂
@ Blue Bird:
No the holidays are not over , i am going to my yearly bush camp. Check it out on this web page. Look at that price it is a must when you come to my area , bookings must be done early , the camp is well booked.
http://www.zestholidays.co.za/AngelasSafariCamp_26.cp
@ superBul:
Looks very relaxing…I hope you and your better half have a great break.
@ grootblousmile:
92 kgs..Fatty !!
My mates place in the Sneeuberge has now had over 150mm of rain, but the lamb crop for this year is just about nil, they are raising 10 hanslammetjies otherwise the rest of the lambs died in the veldt when their mothers abandoned them. Some obviously made it through, but this puts them back 18 months to two years before stocks are what they should be again.
@ 4man:
Hi 4man, makes British farming look a breeze! Difficult times for your mate….
How are things with you today
Did you like the Sharks Cherleeder shots today, have to say the Bulls girls were a bit on the ropey side…Have to thank K9 for that one!! lol
So, sammajoor & BlueBird…. do you like the Photos… and what do you think about the Bungi thing?
@ Blue Bird:
Count on K9 to publish the worst photos of the Bulls girls. 😀
@ grootblousmile:
It looks like you had a wonderful trp with your family, little Bonsai is not so Bonsai now!!
The bungie looked breathtaking, I would however love to do the zip wire thing, that looked amazing.
Come join our Varsity Cup prediction game on SuperBru! It’s free and loads of fun. Just click here:
http://www.superbru.com/varsitycup/pool.asp?p=147515
Pool name: R-T Varsity
Pool code: berkcase
Come join our Six Nations prediction game on SuperBru! It’s free and loads of fun. Just click here:
http://www.superbru.com/sixnations/pool.asp?p=147526
Pool name: R-T 6 Nations
Pool code: eerythud
26@ Blue Bird:
Great holiday, lots of fun.
BonzaiGBS is now officially taller than me… and bysy with his last year at high school. He wants to go study Graphic Design after school.
Victor on twitter, guess what is the good news…………
VictorMatfield Sorry kan nie. Almal sal more hoor
about 1 hour ago · reply
VictorMatfield Nou net baie goeie nuus vir Bulle gekry
3 hours ago · reply
VictorMatfield Het weer vanmiddag by Crawdaddys Menlyn geeet. Bly maar net die restaurant met lekkerste en grootste verskeidenheid kos.
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