Blogs from Graaff Reinet, Eastern Cape, South Africa, Africa

Es war eigentlich eine spätere Abfahrt angesagt, aber ich bin früh aufgewacht und habe dann halt gleich gepackt, gefrühstückt und bin abgefahren, um 8.00 statt 9.00 Zuerst ging es die gleicher Strecke, die wir gestern zum Addo Elefanten Nationalpark gefahren sind - durch Orangenhaine, entlang der aufgelassenen Bahnlinie (es dauert zu lange, die Orangen per Bahn zu verfrachten, deshalb wurde die Bahnlinie aufgegeben). Tanken in einem kleinen Dorf, in dem der Hauptteil der Bevölkerung auf der Straße herumlungert und auf den Abend wartet (oder auf die nächste Sonnenfinsternis). Der nächste Programmpunkt war ein kleiner Pass und dann eine Abzweigung. Sie war nur schwer zu finden, da Navi gab sie nur preis, wenn man wirklich weit heran zoomte. Machard hat mit fester Stimme behauptet, dass diese Strecke geteert war, aber sie war es nicht. Weil die Straße ... read more

Barbara & John in the Garden Route, Graaff Reinet and North East Highlands of the Eastern Cape This newsletter covers nearly two weeks of diverse areas and has to say the least been a little tiring, but apart from one day, it has been absorbing and fascinating. Our period in the Garden route commenced at the western end, in Mossel Bay. The weather here was misty and cloudy but warm. Our apartment was large and had a great view of the harbour and ocean. We spent 2 days here, one on the beach, where I got sunburnt and the other touring many of the beaches up to and including Wilderness. The area is a popular tourist spot and so the beaches are generally pretty good, our preference being Herold’s Bay and Victoria Bay, which are both ... read more

So Thursday morning we set off heading for the small village in the Karoo called Nieu Bethesda. I had been told about the place by Andrea in Pietermaritzberg and during a conversation he had told me that the Karoo is his favourite place in all of South Africa and that if I headed that way I should stay at the Owl House Backpackers in Nieu Bethesda. So when I met up with Paula I told her that we were going to be doing a diversion for a couple of days but she was more than happy to join me for the ride. Initially our route took us north and we motored through Somerset East where we witnessed what seemed to be a peaceful protest outside the local butchers. There was a gathering of people holding up ... read more