Blogs from Rustenburg, North West, South Africa, Africa

Should we take the low road or the high road? Driving to Mountain Sanctuary Park from home, the distance is shorter going via Breedts Neck pass than going via Hartebeespoort dam, probably by about 30km. The only trouble is the 'gravel' road over the pass. The last time we travelled that route was quite a few years ago and then already the road was in a bad condition. How much more had it deteriorated? Reports from the 4 x 4 forums and others that had travelled it in the last couple of months varied. We would just have to see for ourselves. It has become a tradition to go to Mountain Sanctuary in the Magaliesberg at Easter time. Traffic is not as bad - always chaos down to Natal, chaos travelling north, with too much delay, ... read more

We experienced the most wonderful re-introduction to Africa I could have imagined. Friends of our family from the time we lived here welcomed us into their home, and what a beautiful home it is. An understated lavender-coloured and surprisingly spacious colonial cottage is filled with elegant and beautiful rooms, each with it's own unique character. The building is not very old but it has been built using old material, the most stunning of which is the wood. The floor boards groan with age as we walk around. The old timber windows frame the beautiful views from every angle. Every room takes your breath away and every little nook has something to offer with small surprises everywhere like the miniature sheep in front of the fireplace and a small bookcase dedicated to the 'Grandkids'. Not one but ... read more

It was raining cats and dogs, as my mother used to say, when we left OR TAMBO International Airport for the long drive to Rustenberg. Uncle Dave took the freeway so we could miss the traffic. We were treated with some amazing country side. Some of which was familiar and some so sad. Signs to Pretoria Hartbeesport dam, Brits, Mooinooi, Marikana all familiar. Then Dave and Pauline's home appears over the rise. Amazing view. Amazing decor. Amazing life. Peaceful, serene and idealic. After settling in for an hour or so, Aunty Pauline took us on a cook's tour of Rustenberg. We got to see our old church building, now the offices for a car sales yard; our Wimpy bar we frequented every Sunday, now a black African lair; and Grenville High School, now a primarily black ... read more

Getting around South Africa ain't easy. Especially going to a little town like Rustenburg that doesn't even have a direct route to Johannesburg. Rustenburg shouldn't really exist as a town at all, except it's sitting on the biggest deposit of platinum on the planet. The other other things it has is the "Platinum Highway" linking it to Pretoria and the Royal Bafaking Stadium -- a name that lends itself to misuse. After failing to hire a driver we had to resort to driving ourselves. Wayne kindly offered to do the driving but Tim and I vetoed that idea immediately -- Wayne's much better company drunk than sober. I ended up driving by default, so the three of us collected our Elvis costumes and piled into the car for the 3 hour trip. Wayne mentioned that he ... read more

I had an early start that morning as I seemed to do every day on this trip. I packed up my gear then went down stairs to wait for my car to be delivered at 8am. Naturally the car company was late with delivery, but it was a cute little car none the less. I departed the hostel thinking, I knew the way out of town, but I must admit I was a bit nervous driving on African roads for the first time and this probably lead to me missing the turn off. I was on a one way road and couldn’t turn around so I took a road on the left that took me into a produce market area. I couldn’t find an exit so I wound down my window to ask directions of couple ... read more