Middle Earth, Route 62, and other cheesy bits as we travelled through this beautiful country.
What else can I write about except our lovely holiday?
Why would I do that in the first place?
Answers; Firstly – definitely no report on the (sorry) state of our sport – I believe there is a new little family game being played in the living rooms over weekends, it is called Skip the shame and involves the challenge to see who can page through all the TV channels and spend the least amount of time in the channels where another South African team is (again) being beaten. Ouch.
Secondly, I need to pick a time to tell the people about my holiday when they are not thinking about holidays. That way I can get back at them for when they go away when we cannot; December, Easter, any other time….
This is my turn to get other people jealous and although I realize that most people have much more elaborate stories about their overseas travels, their boat trips, their space trips (Hi Mark), and we have only been down to the fairest Cape, it is how we got there that excites me and if this sounds boring, just skip to the bit right at the end where I beg for money and say goodbye.
Ever heard of places like Hobbiton, Middle Earth, Summerton, Gwala Gwala? Do some of these names sound like they come from Tolkien’s book Lord of the Rings? Then you’re right, and probably know that I’m talking about Hogsback, the Eastern Cape’s best kept secret high in the Amatola mountain range.
This mysterious hamlet on the top of the mountain is just a short drive away from King Williams Town on the R63 driving East. Just before a little town called Alice turn right and just follow the road, it snakes higher and higher into the mountains until you get the feeling that you must have missed it, there can not be a town somewhere higher up. When you get this feeling it is about another five kilo’s. Carry-on, the last bit is gravel but very good surface. The forest becomes darker and mistier as you get nearer and just when you expect a Hobbit or another character from the book around the next bend, the trees open up and there they are, the three Hogs of Hogsback; three similar shaped mountain peaks each resembling the rounded back of a Hog.
When you have taken your pictures and turn to your left you will see the first signs of this peaceful mountain retreat; a B&B sign! There are many of those and rightfully so, as more and more people discover the wonders of these wonderful places off the beaten track.
I promised Renette that I will show her a place with waterfalls, fairytale streams, mystical forests, swirling mists and all the other romantic catch-phrases I could dream up. She doesn’t like travelling by car very much so I had to make up by taking her to amazing areas and show her amazing sights. Well, I was as surprised as she was at the beauty and nuances of this little town with its enchanted butterflies, magical mushrooms and at the very top of the main (!) street a delightful little chapel called “St. Patrick’s on the Hill” which is always open! Yes, you can go there and have your quiet moment at any time; it is not locked up and behind sliding security gates with armed guards. In fact, nowhere in this town did I see a single guard of any sort.
The most amazing little moment happened on one of our drives through the outlying areas; we saw two small African girls about six years old next to the road, obviously wanting something from us. Renette gave them a packet of sweets (Wine Gums – but in our defence, that was all that we had in the car). She felt so sorry for these girls that she gave them each a couple of coins, maybe R5-00 each. They immediately dived into the sweets as we started to drive off and then the smaller of the two came running back to the car, waving a coin in her little hand, shouting “Sweets please”.
We just burst out laughing from the joy of this little encounter. She has no use for the money where she lives but she knows damn well that it can buy her more sweets! If only we had more sweets!
We only spent one night in this captivating town, in a place called King’s Lodge. Fantastic food, even better wine, amazing hosts, absolute peace.
I can write pages on what we saw and felt and experienced in Hogsback during only one day and one night but then it will become boring. Did I mention that they have, what is possibly one of the world’s largest labyrinths just outside the town on a resort called The Edge. This is literally on the edge of the mountain cliffs. This labyrinth is described as a ‘Chartres design, eleven-circuit with 700m of pathway’, so walking in and out again is 1.4km! If that doesn’t clear your mind of all the stress, nothing will.
Enough of that. Let’s travel on. Day two will be boring except for a few interesting shops in towns like Pearston, Aberdeen, Willowmore. We ended the drive via Meiring’s Poort – Renette’s first time- and then on to Prince Albert, our stop for the night. Real old-world pace, real Karroo hospitality, and a pharmacy in an old house with a real veranda or stoep where the pharmacist can spend some time with the patients over a cup of coffee while they watch the peak hour traffic – 5 cars, 2 tractors, 1 municipal truck. Opens at 9 and closes at 5. If the dispensary was big enough to accommodate another one person I would have made the lady a partnership offer! What a life!
Next day, Swartberg Pass! Not to be recommended if you travel with a low sedan motor vehicle with a trailer! Hair-raising at best but wow! What an experience. This pass built in the late eighteen hundreds by Mr Bain (son of the famous Bain from the even more famous Bain’s Kloof Pass outside Wellington) is still in very good condition and one cannot believe that it was built by an engineer without computer aided design systems, aerial photography, laser levelling systems etc. Just sheer brilliance and amazing talent with incredible patience! As I said, do it at least once in your life. With a Bakkie.
Where to next? Day 3, the famous Route 62 from Oudshoorn to Worcester and then on to Cape Town. Route 62 is a story on its own and I need writing space and a lot of time to tell it all. Suffice to say that we bought a lot of wine, tasted and obtained amazing mustards (might be stocking those soon – watch this space), spoiled ourselves with unique jams, olive spreads, one of the world’s best Port wines, we stopped for a refreshment at the famous Ronnie's Sex Shop pub and restaurant in the middle of nowhere (that is another story believe you me and it is nothing what the name suggests, just a bar on a farm next to a main road between Barrydale and Ladismith) Oh yes, Barrydale; should have been Fooddale, there are so many eating places in such a small town. Tourism is alive and well on Route 62! Lunch at Joubert-Tradouw cellars just outside town and the view of the Tradouw valley and the Langeberge with its cloud blanket complimented the Olive Ciabatta, cheese, salads, jams and cold meats.
At Ladismith we picked up some original Ladismither cheeses in various stages of maturation ranging from light yellow to very blue. This famous cheese factory did not produce for a long time but was re-opened some time ago and if cheese is your thing and if your medical aid has approved your cholesterol pills as chronic medication and if nothing else gets you on the R62, the Ladismither cheese will!
So ended day 3 of 14 with us arriving in Cape Town. Somewhere in-between those days was a little cycle race called the Argus where I raced against almost 38 000 other cyclists. I did not come first but I did win some of them, but the importance of the cycle tour was somehow overshadowed by the rest of our holiday. If I look back at the two weeks, the enormous amount of fun we had, the quality time we spent exploring new worlds, the uncanny volumes of food we gulped down, the laughter we shared, I just want to say “Vita Magna Est – Life is great”
And thank you to my wife Renette for sharing these wonderful moments with me and thank you to my staff who kept the wolf from the door and thank you to my patients for continued support.
Now please stop making impulsive plans to go on a cheese and olive shopping spree and rather sent us the money you would have spent. That way we can go again and come back and tell even better stories. Sort of your travel guide – I will travel and you will guide your money into the right pocket.
