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Published: December 8th 2012
After waking up we start packing and then go to breakfast which is a bit later in South Africa compared to Namibia. We are the first people in the breakfast room so we get very personal service in the small breakfast room. There is also a small souvenir shop with interesting souvenirs including rooibos tea. Everywhere on our trip we had rooibos tea for breakfast so being in the heart of the rooibos producing area we splurged on a few packs of tea.
Stepping outside we have time to admire the bird feeding area with lots of interesting birds and the huge tame parrot that is the mascot of the inn. There are also the three dogs that try to eat the scraps that fall from above when not running outside to play in the main street area.
Having arrived after sunset the previous day this is our first chance to see the buildings and courtyard and take a few pictures. There are a few really old trees where birds have overnighted and it looks like a relaxing place however we have to move on towards Cape Town the final stop of our trip.
First however we do a side trip through the mountains and we stop at the grave of a well known South African poet C. Louis Leipoldt who wrote in Afrikaans, the grave is nicely and quietly placed in an alcove in the mountains.
The views are nice along the highway with red boulders lining the highway and the mountains.
We arrive at our goal, the Traveller's Rest Farm, where we pay the entrance fee for the Sevilla Rock Art Trail. This is a self guided trail that goes to a series of well known petroglyphs in the Clanwilliam area. But first we have to go back on the paved main road from the parking area and cross the fast flowing river to get to the trail entrance.
The trail entrance is well marked and we even have a pamphlet provided by the farm showing the location of the pictographs and a brief explanation for each of them.
The start of the trail is beautiful through meadows full of flowers and then across a flat rock area full of small holes filled with water. Close to the beginning we meet the only other 2 people that we met across our hike of about 8 km (5 mi) which was great but surprising given the publicity for the trail and the number of tourists eating breakfast at the nearby farm.
The rocks create pools and caverns near the trail which look interesting and we explore them as we hike towards the pictographs. It is quiet and a bit hot but we enjoy both the flora and the fauna of the area as well as the beautiful sights. The trail is well marked and even has interpretative descriptions of the different plants on the trail.
The mix of flowers changes from the yellow at the beginning of the trail to purple with beautiful meadows especially near the river. Lizards are everywhere some of them larger but most of them small always hiding in the rock crevices near the trail.
The first petroglyphs are about 1 km into the trail and there are 2 panels close by. The most interesting in our opinion was the one showing some dinosaurs/monsters...proof positive that the San people lived with dinosaurs..if you want to believe that😊. The method of drawing was different from what we have seen to date in Europe and USA with a lot more focus on people. That doesn't mean that there were no animals but the majority including the weird black painting were focused on people or groups of people.
As we continue along the trail we see multiple other panels depicting humans hunting as well as dancing but the one that stands out as different from all the others is the one where two elephants are depicted in faded yellow color.
The other dominant feature on the panels especially of the ones toward the end of the trail are the depiction of hands, children's as well as adults' which is most common in the area of pictographs drawn right onto an alcove which seems to have been lived in.
The last panel of the trail before we have to return as the river is uncrossable further on due to flooding is interesting as it seems that some birds are overnighting above the panel and are eroding the paintings with their droppings. Multiple things were tried but in the end they just placed an absorbent surface so it doesn't splash onto the paintings and were requesting feedback if it is working.
On our return hike we do not have to focus on finding the petroglyphs so we can enjoy the yellow meadows all around us. There are lots of birds and bugs but no mosquitoes fortunately.
The flora is varied and also the landscape is changing at a moment's notice from wide expanses to small canyons with plants clinging to walls and rocky areas.
The mix of flowers changes seemingly at every step with yellow giving way to purple and red it almost looks like a crazy gardener has arranged the flower mix so you cannot get bored with the flower colors surrounding you.
The red takes over for a short while with nice views across the meadows.
But then it is back to yellow with a vengeance, there is yellow everywhere with small patches of red and violet.
Just before exiting the trail we make an involuntary side trip to the riverside as we miss a turn on the trail ...lucky we did so as it is a beautiful area. As we return to the trail we also see a few dassies checking us out...they look unhappy but non aggressive.
After finishing the trail we hurry towards Cape Town...actually we think we hurry but everyone else is thinking we are going too slow and passing us in permitted and non permitted areas along the road. We notice as we approach Cape Town that the traffic is up and the people respecting traffic rules is down so you have to be extra careful especially when a big truck is approaching at high speed from behind. After entering Cape Town we are happy that we have some directions as there are lots of freeways with hard to reach exits given that with our luck we arrived during Friday evening rush hour. Entering Cape Town is easy but exiting it it is stop and go as we approach our destination Simons Town which is on the only major coastal highway down the Cape Peninsula where quite a few people are going for the weekend. But everything is forgotten as we stop in the parking lot of the hotel and we spot our first penguins sitting in the bushes and looking inquisitively towards us.
The hotel is the worst one we stayed in during our trip not necessarily when looking at it by itself but certainly when looking in comparison. We knew that however having penguins just outside the door really outweighs the fact that the warm water does not work and that the refrigerator is a store refrigerator with a huge Coca Cola advertisement that lights garishly the room. The hotel also has a restaurant where we order the sea platter (when in Rome do as the Romans do) which is fresh but average tasting and the steak which is also average.
After going back to our room and unpacking as well as charging our electronics we hear the penguins all around us. They are not called jackass penguins without a reason as it feels we are surrounded by donkeys. We exit the room once to search for one and we find it a bit further in the front of a hotel room...we do not approach so we do not scare him. After our long drive we go to sleep...tomorrow it is penguin day.
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