South African Reviews

Beaverlac

2011-06-19T12:49:00.000-07:00

Sometimes in amongst life's battles one just has to "hook out" and go someplace no one will find you.
Well Dave, Rich and myself went "Nowhere" this last weekend and it was awesome!
I haven't had as good a time in a VERY long time. we could just "hak-uit" and have a real guys weekend... "Vluis en aartappels" each night with FULL English breakfasts cooked on the gas braai each morning. It was EVERYTHING the dr. ordered and then some.

They say a picture speaks more than a thousand words so here's my Photo-Essay of our week-ends endeavors. (The contact details for Beaverlac are at the bottom of the entry)


Between here and nowhere

A view from nowhere

Impressive clouds

Our first swemgat

Rich the brave

Chillin'

It Starts

Not for the faint hearted

mmm... I'm sure I can see the future if I look hard enough.

Sky Captain and the world of tomorrow

Is this a scene from Star Wars?

Ride 'em Cowboy

Life Sucks

Bear Essentials

Or was that beer essentials?


Our House????

The View

The Life


It doesn't get better

This garlic's gonna get it!!


Silhoutette

Whaaaat?

Die Manne

Contemplating 42

The Pipe

Scary?

Our Camp

Coffee in a sock (moerkoffie)

Dave feeding the Fish

Jim Beam Moerkoffie

King of the castle

The house pictured above was damaged by a flood and was not our official cabin. That was a little back into the bush but we chose to spend the evening on the river due to the amazing weather we were experiencing.
Beaverlac offers furnished self catering cabins at VERY reasonable prices and also has camping facilities.

It really is ideal for those truly wanting to get away from it all.
Visit their website at: http://www.beaverlac.co.za/ for more info.
A word of advice, Beaverlac is not designed for sports cars. SUV's and cars with ample clearance is recommended.

See you on the road ;-)

Happy New Year

2011-01-06T02:14:00.000-08:00

Table Mountain from Blouberg Strand - Taken at dusk.

It's a new year and new opportunities for seeing this amazing land are waiting around every corner...
However, we would LOVE to know where and what it is that you are interested in....
Are you looking at coming to South Africa? If so what would you liken to know? What would you like to see?
My family and I are chomping at the bit to get out there again and we'll soon be bring you some really great stuff in and around Cape Town and then later on in the year we'd like to head a little further North and with your input we could really make it worthwhile for all of us.
So PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, Don't just read what we have already said... speak to us so that we can be of more help in the furute...
And remember to LIVE every second alive, awake and alert.

Ganzekraal

2010-11-04T08:09:00.000-07:00

On a recent excursion to rediscover the Quagga, my family and I had the opportunity to stay over in a West Coast holiday resort called Ganzekraal.

This was taken with my mobile and uploaded to Facebook.

It was really pleasant and we were fortunate to stay in a very nice cabin that afforded us an excellent view over the tumultuous sea just meters below us.

The setting sun created an excellent photo opportunity and so we went down to the beach. Kids played on the rocks, Amanda sat in the lapa overlooking the beach while I played photographer-photographer ;-)


On our way down to the beach

Kids on the rocks

The wooden cabins are self catering with a quaint little bathroom and our unit had two separate bedrooms with a central lounge/ dining area. All in all a very pleasant stay ;-)

For enquiries contact:

Tel: 022 492 2752/2265/2266

Fax: 022 492 2455

E-mail: ganzekraal@wcdm.co.za

Up up and away in my Beautiful Balloon

2010-07-31T07:30:00.000-07:00

If EVER you have the opportunity then this is the family outing of a lifetime!

Situated in the heart of the Kalahari Dessert near the "place of great noise" tucked away at a quaint oasis, Augrabies backpacker's, is the launch pad of Kalahari Andrew's Hot Air Ballooning adventure.

Hot and High.

The slogan that makes you stop and think twice, encapsulates this experience nicely.
The noise from the jets as they filled the balloon with hot air added to the excitement while keeping us warm on a typically cold Kalahari winter morning. The sight of the huge balloon filling up and finally lifting up and wafting us away is nothing less than awe inspiring.

"I want one" I exclaimed to Amanda as our ground crew shrank to the size of ants below us.

Sunrise over an Orange River Tributary

Fitting snugly in our 5 man basket, drifting along the air currents one can only marvel at the new paradigm this perspective affords you.

Sailing over strikingly patterned vineyards, some in excess of 20 years old, and waving at the farmers below as they laboured on the future raisins and table grapes, created some friendly bantering.

Talitha's desire to pick a leaf from the tree tops as we skimmed over them was only frustrated by the fact that most were thorn trees.

See through shadow?

Flying above the Kalahari along a couple of the Orange River's tributaries, Captain Andrew flew his craft with great skill and expert precision setting us all at ease, especially Alythia who confessed to having a slight fear of heights which was quickly forgotten as we skirted the Augrabies National Park's borders and saw the mists of the falls bellowing out from the breathtaking eighteen kilometer gorge as water torrented over the fifty-six meter Augrabies waterfall.

Mists of the Mighty Augrabies Falls

18Km Augrabies Gorge

And as the saying goes, "What goes up, must come down", we too had to start looking for a place to touch terra-ferma once again. With his now clearly demonstrated skill and finesse Andrew plonked us down safely with all limbs in tact and a memory to write home about.

If you'd like to experience this amazing adventure...

You can contact Andrew via his Google profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/andrew.hockly or Facebook him on http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=654977105&ref=ts
Tell him you heard about him here and who knows... maybe he'll throw in an extra beer ;-)

Shosholoza Meyl

2010-07-31T04:41:00.000-07:00

Now here's a great getaway if you want to take the kids on a fantastic adventure!

The Shosholoza Meyl is an economy train trip from Cape Town to Johannesburg that recreates those feelings of romance and excitement that you imagined it would be like travelling the train as a kid.

So it was with great excitement that we walked onto the platform at Cape Town station and animatedly boarded the train in anticipation of our trans-African adventure.

Boarding the train.

The idea of a train trip is to kick back and relax and readjust your watch to original African time. Take a good book or a couple of family games like Uno, pictionary, cludo or scrabbble with you.
There's plenty of time for good family bonding and getting to know each other afresh.


Just Chillin. Note the Lock system. It's advisable to take a Leather-man or something so that when you leave the cabin you can lock and open it.

If you want to take your laptop with make sure you have a 2 prong adaptor as the shaver plugs in the cabin are 220V and fit a standard 2 prong. This way you can watch a movie together when your views fade or play some music in the background.

The tourist class Shosholoza Meyl train offer two person coupés and four person compartments with bunk beds. Amanda was pleasantly surprised at how neat and clean the train was and the space in the cabin allowed for a feeeling of space. (Even though the kids were literally "on top" of us)

During the day, sleeper compartments convert into suites with hot and cold water from a basin stowed underneath the fold-up table. Communal toilets and showers are available at the end of each coach.

Having a cabin near the shower was great. When the kids got a little antsy we told them to go and have a Looong shower.

Sitting in the dinning cart watching the African landscape pass by sipping G&T's was relaxing and a great way to break from the cabin.

Picture By Talitha Laubscher

Girls chilling in the dining cart. Practising their art.

The Bacon & Eggs breakfast was very nice and heading back to the cabin after dinner to find our beds turned for the night was a refreshing welcome at the end of the day.

The trip there took 25hours and left us feeling very relaxed as we departed the Johannesburg station.

Heading into a tunnel... Kids (and Dad) loved this!

The price for such a trip is R520 per adult one way and children 0-9 travel for 50%. You must take cash with you as the meals are extra as is the bedding.

Bedding can be purchased on board from the attendant at R40 p/person. *Bringing your own bedding is allowed.

Food and Snacks can be taken on board or purchased in the dining car and from the compartment trolley service.

Go here: http://shosholoza-meyl.co.za/ to find out more.

Boulders Beach Lodge & Restaurant

2010-07-05T06:13:00.000-07:00

Situated in that very special place where heaven meets earth, the Boulders Beach Beach Lodge and Restaurant is an experience no family should pass up if they have the opportunity.
The kids absolutely LOVED the penguins as they march right passed you without so much as a glance.
It's here that you realise that this is their territory and you are in no doubt the visitor.

Arriving at the Lodge we were warmly met by their very efficient and friendly staff.

Our accommodation was minimalistic yet very comfortable. The bed was so inviting, with the nice plush white linen, when you lie down for the night it invites you to pull the duvet close up under your chin and cuddle down into the pillows as the South Easter blows the cobwebs away from the city skyline.

The first thing we did was to go for a walk down on the beach where we came across a couple of baby penguins nestling with their VERY protective parents.

Oh... Did I mention? There's this sign there prohibiting anyone from shaking hands with the celebrities. ;-)

Boulders Beach Lodge works in collaboration with SANCOB and hold the annual penguin festival from the 1st to the 3rd of October with penguin releases and a whole lot more fun.
Last year our girls were involved in the release of several penguins after they'd been rehabilitated and still speak of it to this day. Apparently the little critter they were trying to release would have nothing to do with the great out doors. All he wanted to do was to jump back into his nice safe cosy box... The result was rather comical. We felt the same way about leaving Boulder's Beach Lodge.

Dinner at the restaurant, prepared by Executive Chef, Sean Kiely, would take another six blogs to describe in eloquent prose so I'm going to say two words... "Mouth Watering!!"
The entire restaurant is decorated with the art of ... and adds a sense of under-the-sea surrealism.

I'm not fussy about a lot of things but the one thing I do insist on is meat done properly.
(When I order a rare fillet I don't want a medium rare fillet.)
I was suggested the Grain mustard marinated Beef Fillet, with truffle mash, mushroom jus and red onion jam. Which the waiter complimented with a 2005 Beaumont Pinotage.
May I say that if you do enjoy your meat... then this is a dish you will enjoy. I, by pure accident, picked up my butter knife and started eating and only noticed that I was eating with it half way through the meal.

Starters:
1) Salt and pepper Chilli Calamari with Asian salad and honey roasted parsnip crisps (this one got my juices flowing)

2) Live West Coast oysters, shucked to order -
Natural, Nam Jim (Chilli and Coriander), Avocado lime and chilli, Zucchini Linguini - (I felt that the Zucchini was a bit overdone. The rest however were outstanding)

Mains:
1) Linefish of the day (which happened to be Red Roman, poached in coconut broth with steamed Asian greens, jasmine rice and satay sauce... Amanda's words, "WOW!"

2) Chermoulla spiced ostrich fillet with fried red pepper polenta, red wine sauce and baba ghanoush. We suggest you take this one rare. Amanda ordered medium and it turned out a little "dry".

3) Grain mustard marinated Beef Fillet, with truffle mash, mushroom jus and red onion jam. (I do understand what the fuss about truffles are really I do ;-))

Desserts:
1) Chocolate and peanut spring roll with caramelized bananas and sweet vanilla cream.

2) Coconut deep-fried ice cream with umeshi coulis and poached strawberries.

3) Frangelico and cinnamon crème brulée with almond tuille

4) Rich cholcolate tart with vanilla cream. Did they mention it was RICH?

All in all a very pleasant family outing.
Being right there a short walk from the beach makes it extremely accessible while the family unit is within earshot of the restaurant allowing mom and dad to put the kids down and still be able to sit on the restaurant deck and have a little "together" time.

So what will an evening away like this cost?
In my opinion this evening was priceless. Our hostess Janine was very warm and comfortable to chat to and the staff were extremely competent.
The family Unit which sleeps 5 and is fitted for self catrering is R2390.00 per suite per night - Including breakfast.
Our dinner was an extra R610 for the four of us. If you don't have a Wild Card you'll have to pay to go to the reserves beach but there is a section where you can interact with the penguins without having to pay any additional fees.

For more info go to: http://www.bouldersbeachlodge.com/
or call Janine on 021 786 1758

MONKEY TOWN, SOMERSET WEST

2010-06-15T02:49:00.000-07:00

MONKEY TOWN, in Somerset West, received a bad wrap in the Media this year with Carte Blanche’s television video interviews. The video footage was edited to portray animal cruelty and neglect of the primates at Monkey Town. Animal Rights Association (ARA) accused Monkey Town of cruelty and neglect to animals. The ARA requested the Cape of Good Hope SPCA to intervene and criminally charge Monkey Town in order that the monkeys and chimps at the Primate Centre could be removed to “better” conditions. ARA also requested Cape Nature to intervene and withdraw the necessary permits granted to Monkey Town. Finally, to add a bit of sensationalism to ARA’s mission pot, they arranged a grueling television interview by Carte Blanche and posted the footage on several internet sites. However, after a thorough investigation was conducted by the Cape of Good Hope SPCA, they did not find that there were sufficient grounds to criminally charge Monkey Town. A volunteer from the UK, who was the Curator at Monkey Town at the time, found it necessary to create this huge debacle. Unfortunately, this was done at the expense of Monkey Town’s primary focus – the primates. One has to wonder what the objective of this Volunteer, who is apparently keen to come back to work at Monkey Town, was? Were the monkeys helped or harmed through this debacle?

Monkey Town received fewer visitors to the Primate Centre after Carte Blanche’s negative footage. The impact resulted in less funding to the Primate Centre. This increased the Primate Center’s financial burden. Rumors began to spread about Monkey Town’s closure. Thankfully, with the support of their Members and Friends of Monkey Town, they were able to financially recover from the damage caused by the one-sided “investigative journalism”. The Grobler family, owners of Monkey Town, has confirmed that they are not closing down.

A comment to Roseline Grobler, by Carte Blanche’s interviewer that her care of the primates “just isn’t good enough”, I found particularly interesting. I pondered on that statement for a while. I thought about Roseline’s routine with her monkeys, many of which have been in her care for twenty years. There are the abandoned or injured babies and adult monkeys and chimps which she nursed and fed bi-hourly, round the clock. Most of us were sound asleep while she was awake, bi-hourly, attending to their care. Then, of course, there is Garra, the black Spider Monkey, who arrived at Monkey Town and could not even climb a tree. Roseline spent two months climbing trees teaching Garra how to climb. I thought about Cebus, the alcoholic brown capuchin monkey. Roseline spent 6 months rehabilitating Cebus and nursing him back to health. I thought about the family sacrifices Roseline has made in her endeavour to care for these monkeys, which are like children to her, as Monkey Town is open 365 days.

I thought about the many monkeys which are donated to Monkey Town by frustrated pet owners who realize that monkeys actually don’t make good pets. These monkeys have become aggressive as they assert their dominance and are a danger to these pet owners if not cared for in a simulated natural environment. Roseline would rather take in these stray or cast away monkeys than have them put down. I thought about how Roseline has instilled her love and care for these monkeys in her children too. Colette and Rene, her son and daughter, have taken over many responsibilities from Roseline, together with Rene’s other half, Melissa. Their dedication and commitment to the primate centre is admirable. Colette and Rene have grown up with these monkeys and are as passionate about this extended part of their family as Roseline is. The monkeys at Monkey Town are in better care now, at the primate centre, than they were as frustrated pets in the Pet Trade or grossly abused and neglected victims of cruelty by previous owners.

I thought about that Cart Blanche interviewer and wondered whether she had the same capacity? If she did, what impact it would have on her personally and her business if some television interviewer told her that what she was doing “just isn’t good enough”.

I have been to Monkey Town on several occasions over the past 9 years with my family. Each time we have enjoyed our visit and found the cages to be clean, the monkeys well fed and cared for. Conservation is a tricky arena and simulating the perfect natural environment is virtually impossible and obviously there is always room for improvement. We all know that monkeys belong in the wild and that is best for them. When a family, such as Roseline, Colette and Rene Grobler, commit themselves to the huge task of caring for 250 monkeys one should applaud them. Applaud the dedicated staff and Keepers at Monkey Town for what they have accomplished. Give credit where credit is due. Twenty years of caring for primates including 9 years of owning and managing a primate centre deserves acknowledgement. Monkey Town is home to 250 monkeys, each with their own dietary requirements and species care.

A visit to Monkey Town in Somerset West should be on your To Do list. The Grobler family and staff of Monkey Town are warm and hospitable. The monkeys love having visitors and they are an absolute delight to interact with. Careful they don’t mess on your head! The chimps, Tammy, Ruby and Sunny will keep you entertained by their interaction with each other and curiosity in their surroundings. Luke and Charmaine the Spider monkeys, are sure to be part of the welcoming committee at the start of your Tour. We found our Guide, Thulani, to be knowledgeable on his subjects and very good with kids. Our girls also had a wonderful experience with the Lemurs and Squirrel monkeys in the Interaction Centre. Monkey Town is a fun family experience which you are sure to thoroughly enjoy.

To view Monkey Town’s response to all the allegations made against them, click on this link http://www.light-art.co.za/subject/MonkeyTownResponse.htm

Trans Karoo Country Lodge

2010-06-12T07:50:00.000-07:00

Having just trekked ALL the way from Kimberly on our way back to Cape Town through the Karoo we stopped in a quaint little town called Britstown. It's exactly halfway between JHB and Cape Town I'm told.

I'm not too sure why, maybe it has something to do with the fact that the whole world is visiting us, but this little town has recently had a little botox applied to its façade in the form of a paint-job and is looking quite sprightly. ;-)

Looking for the not-so-obvious, my wife says that she would really like a cup of tea and cake. "Do you think we'll find something like that here?" I stopped at a quaint looking café and asked the lovely lady behind the counter if she knew where I could find a tea garden that served tea and cake... she just laughed at me. Quite dishartened I returned to the SUV and told Amanda that it doesn't look like this town has such a luxury.

As we were riding out of town we spotted the Transkaroo Country Lodge and were more than surprised as to what we found inside.
Established in 1907 and bought by Adlene Potgieter and her husband Rian in 1973 this quaint little oasis really is refreshing for the travel-weary.

We were able to order cappuccino and cake while the kids had tea and scones! And if you're wanting to stay over for the night it's going to cost you R530 per room for 2 people. They have a wine shop, food store and the restaurant can comfortably seat 77 people.

If you're passing through we'd definitely recommend stopping over there.
You can contact them on 053 672 0027 or tklodge@telkomsa.net.

Have a look at their website here: http://www.transkaroocountrylodge.co.za

Karoo National Park Stop Over

2010-06-12T05:41:00.000-07:00

“Let’s stay here for the night.” I quickly said while taking a sharp left at the Karoo National Park’s Large Signpost outside of their gate on the N1.
We were met enthusiastically by the gate guard who kindly showed us the rates for the cottages while taking our particulars down on his very official looking registry.

It was past 18:30 on the 25th of May by the time we spontaneously pulled into the Park’s entrance and the African Sun, true to the African spirit, had already retired to it’s resting place a while ago. In Africa even the sun knows that in winter one should rest a whole lot more. That said the gate stays open for visitors from 05h00 to 22h00. The park is open every day of the year.

I love arriving at lodges and other such places after sunset. It always lends an air of mystery to the place. “What will it be like in the morning?” “What will we see?”
A pair of Zebra crosses our headlights as we head on to the Camp site as do a heard of Red Hartebeest lazily taking in their last mouthfuls of sour Karoo grass before turning in for the night.

When we arrived at our bungalow we were pleasantly surprised. A double Bed with a double sleeper couch finished off a comfortably decorated room and kitchen with a toilet, shower and bath en-suit.

After calming the kids down, popping them in the bath, and having a quick chicken roll prepped by Amanda, my wife, we sat outside under a liar’s moon with a knertsie of OB’s and my pipe absorbed by the intense silence that enveloped us, broken occasionally by the distant call of a Cape Mountain Zebra and the not-so-distant call of the local Bat-eared or Cape Fox.

The next morning was great!
We headed on down to the reception area where we where issued with our breakfast vouchers. Gavin and Patricia, who helped out at the reception, were warm and friendly with that all important touch of professionalism. Breakfast which is served from 07h00 to 10h00 was more than adequate as we were offered a choice of English, Cereal or Continental. (Dinner is served from 18h00 till late)

Having filled our bellies with an elephant’s sufficiency we headed on back out of the park slowly, stopping occasionally in the thick morning mist to spot a lone Springbok or a pair of Kudu and even a couple of Ostriches.

For those of you wanting more than a quick stop-over, the Park offers:
1) A Picnic site for day visitors with a swimming pool, braai and ablution facilities.
2) Interpretive Centre where you can learn more about the ecological and cultural history of the Great Karoo, dating back 5 billion years!!
3) The unique and fascinating Fossil Trail, which has an amazing collection of fossilized creatures is only a short walk from the chalets, and is accessible by wheelchair too, is also worth the visit we’re told.
There are also guided game drives, including night drives, hiking and walking trails as well as a 4x4 trail that allows you to explore the majestic landscape of the Karoo up Pienaar’s Pass.

Reception is open from 07h00-19h00 daily. There is also a shop there open from 07h00-20h00 which sells basic commodities as well as curios with an African flair. The one drawback we did experience was that we wanted mayonnaise which they didn’t stock.
You can get newspapers, magazines and firewood there too.

All-in-all it was a very pleasant stop over leaving us wanting more.

For more info or to make a booking head on over to: http://www.krugerpark.com/karoo.htm
or http://www.sanparks.org/parks/karoo/