It was a nice drive through the hills and farmlands. We stopped off at Hankey and went up to the viewpoint which just happens to be the site where Sarah Bartman's remains are buried. (You can look on the internet for the story of Sarah, a whose remains were recently returned to South African from the UK and laid to rest near her old home.)
There is also a huge, old fashioned sundial which is a little behind on showing the time, but fun to see.
We drove to the Baviaans Nature Reserve gate where we paid our R40 to enter the park. Very shortly after entering we started climbing the first pass. It is single lane and quite bumpy so it is very slow going. Even though it is not necessary, I engaged 4-wheel drive as it just helps with traction and the engine braking works better on the the downhills, saving the brakes.
L: The scenery is amazing and very tranquil to drive through with the shouts of baboons and shrill calls of the many varieties of birds in the area.
S: At the top of the next pass there is a parking area and an out-house where we stopped to have a look. There is a track leading down the mountain and unless you know about it, you wouldn't know that a little way down there are the remains of the old cable car system to a mountain on the other side. It was erected in the early 60's by farmers in the area who wanted to save on the long drive around when transporting goods and live-stock. Can you imagine animals having a ride across the huge chasm!
We continued through more ups and downs of the valleys and mountains. In the valleys we negotiated many water-crossings. There were lots of kudu, ewes and young rams, running across the road. There were also duikers. We eventually stopped at one of the river crossings so that Lesley could “cool her heels” in the refreshing river water.
After what seemed like ages (L: It was!!), we reached the exit gate and 10 kms down the road, we turned off to Doringkloof Bush Camp were we decided to spend a couple of nights.
L: We were very impressed as it is simple, but beautiful with a dried up old dam (with a teeny bit of water) and lots of lovely grassy plains. The camp has individual bathroom and toilet buildings and the amenities are great with hot showers. The good news is that to camp, is only R80 per person per night with a further R120 charged to do one of the 4 x 4 route – which we will do on our way out.
Of course, I am enjoying the bird life......
We decided to have a change from braai-ing so cooked some spaghetti bolognaise and made a lovely home-made potjie bread from sweetcorn, onions and flour. It was a real treat and something we will do next year on our long trip as we will not always be able to find staples in Africa.
S: The weather had been hot all day and we were sitting around the fire with only t-shirts and shorts on, but we saw the flashes of lightning behind the mountains indicating that the rain was on its way.
We had just climbed into the roof-top tent and it started raining again.....
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