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Published: September 30th 2017
Geo: -33.2182, 22.0286
The Karoo - a vast stretch of land in South Africa, dry and desert-like, almost barren, a sharp contrast to the lush and green Garden Route so popular with us tourists. I've never been to the Australian Outback, but I imagine it would look something similar to the Karoo, which was the backdrop for a long but stunning drive from Knysna, first through the ostrich farms of Oudtshoorn, and then the Meiringspoort Pass, before finally reaching Prince Albert, one of the gateways to this part of South Africa.
Vegetation all but disappeared as we climbed up to the pass, until we began our descent down into Prince Albert when magically, we were in a verdant and fertile valley, like an oasis in the middle of the desert. They say that for many South Africans, Prince Albert represents a simpler life from a bygone era, a sleepy little town in the countryside, where the activities of choice are lazing about, basking in this bucolic little paradise, and eating delicious home-style cooking featuring the bounty of the valley - tender lamb, fresh produce, award-winning olive oil, and artisan cheeses ...
Prince Albert was a sharp detour off our journey through the Garden Route,
which done simply, should've been a straight shot west from Knsyna, a relatively short drive into Franschhoek and one of South Africa's famous wine-growing regions. But our little branch off the route was most definitely worthwhile, even though it involved five to six hours of travel today, and meant an epic eight to nine of hours of travel tomorrow.
Our first impressions of Prince Albert - charming, cute, and quaint, and we received a most warm welcome from Mai, our guesthouse owner, a transplant from Ireland. There is really only one street in Prince Albert, with a number of art galleries, shops, and cafes, perfect for whiling away a few hours. Perhaps the "major" sight in town is Gay's Dairy, producer of cheese that locals rave about, and a place they also recommend as a must-see attraction. A cheese sampling there is delish, and we ended up walking away with a chunk for lunch tomorrow, as well as an excellent peach and toffee yogurt, and some great fresh mango juice.
That was about the extent of our activities in Prince Albert, as it was HOT here - we were told that the temperature was in the low 30s today, but it
Like The Okanagan ...
... the view from our guesthouse in Knysna. Reminds us of sitting at B&Bs in Kelowna, perched above the lake, while enjoying a breakfast bursting with vibrant local flavours. felt much hotter, more like the mid 30s, so the rest of the afternoon was spent in the guest house's icy pool, with a couple of glasses of locally-produced white wine, the remainder of which we later brought to dinner at a BYOB restaurant.
Collen and Cecil, the owners of our Knysna guesthouse, had visited Prince Albert recently, and recommended a contemporary restaurant situated above an art gallery, but based on Mai's suggestions, we decided upon Karoo Kombuis, basically a farmhouse converted into a restaurant, which only serves the same three entrees each and every night. You wouldn't think a place with such limited offerings would be successful, but it is often fully booked, as its attraction is the fact that they specialize in Karoo cooking, good old South African country comfort food, done very well.
Prince Albert does feel a lot like one of the small towns you'll find in the foothills of Alberta, and the meal we had tonight was the Karoo equivalent of pot roast and apple pie on a Sunday. Since arriving in Africa, we've had a number of dinners featuring more upscale fare (with the exception of our Kitchen Nightmare in Port Elizabeth), so this evening's
Sedgefield's Award-Winning Farmers Market ...
... too bad the food portion was mostly closed by the time we arrived. simple cuisine, lovingly prepared, was a perfect counterpoint to those prior meals.
Stepping out from the little farmhouse after dinner, completely sated and feeling great about life, we discovered one other activity to try next time in Prince Albert - stargazing. Being such a small town in a largely uninhabited region of South Africa, there is hardly any light pollution, providing the perfect backdrop for gazing up at the heavens. In fact, there is an observatory nearby, and the Karoo is considered one of the best places in the World for this activity.
I don't think I've ever seen that many stars, that clearly, in all of my life. Perhaps we've discovered a future calling here as stargazers, who will sit in the great Karoo outdoors under the stars all night long, chowing down on tender roasted lamb and sipping on some fine South African wine ...
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