South Africa - Destination Free to Be

South Africa really does tick all the boxes - so much to see and do.

#southafricaistravelready

South Africa was chosen as the most popular post-COVID destination in a recent survey carried out by European-based booking company, Tourlane.

Hiking in the Drakensberg South Africa

Around 600 travellers from Tourlane’s global audience shared their insights on what global travel could look like once the pandemic was under control.

Horse Riding on the East Coast

Key findings:

• South Africa was chosen as the most popular post-COVID destination.
• One out of every four participants wanted to travel as soon as possible.
• More than half want to wait until 2021 to start traveling again.
• Solo travel is still a trending option, with one in five respondents wanting to travel on their own.
• Highest ranking trips include nature and beach vacations.

Wilderness Beach Garden Route South Africa

New Zealand, Canada, Costa Rica and Namibia made up the rest of the top five most popular post-COVID destinations.  

Fishing - South Africa

Outdoor adventures topped the list of activities for 31% of the participants followed by safaris (18%) and beach holidays (15%).

Giraffe drinking Pilandsberg South Africa

"We are thrilled to be able to provide insights into what fellow travel lovers are thinking about for future trips. For those who want to travel in 2021, it will be a great time to travel, as many tour operators, hotels, and providers are offering competitive pricing and incentives for people ready to go in the new year,” said Head of Sales at Tourlane, Helen Scheepers.

Sailing - The Knysna Heads Garden Route South Africa

We would be happy to give you some ideas re your trip to South Africa

Come and visit soon!

Stay in Cape Town with us - we would love to meet you!

Canola Fields South Africa

Acknowledgements to "Tourlane" for the script
Photos by Judelle Drake

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                For Accommodation Cape Town, South Africa

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South Africa - Kruger National Park

Still wondering where to go on holiday after Covid-19 Lockdown??

South Africa is an awesome choice with incredible variety - wildlife, scenery, city fun, wine farms, beaches, museums, and delicious food!

The photos below are from Kruger National Park.

Kruger Park South Africa - Vervet Monkey

Buffalo  - Kruger Park South Africa

Lilac Breasted Roller Kruger Park South Africa

Elephant Kruger Park South Africa

Birds of the Kruger Park South Africa - Cape Glossy Starling

Birds of the Kruger Park South Africa - Ground Hornbill

Kruger Park South Africa - Impala

Giraffe - Kruger National Park South Africa

Warthog - Kruger National Park South Africa

Water Buck Kruger National Park South Africa

Zebra drinking Kruger Park South Africa

Buffalo Kruger Park South Africa

Starling Kruger Park South Africa

Elephant Kruger Park South Africa

Giraffe Kruger Park South Africa

Baboon Kruger National Park South Africa

Elephant crossing river Kruger National Park South Africa

Giraffe Kruger Park South Africa

Zebra Kruger National Park South Africa

Birds of the Kruger Park South Africa - Blacksmith Lapwing

Impala Kruger Park South Africa

Zebra Kruger Park South Africa

Elephant Family Kruger Park South Africa

Come and stay with us in Cape Town - Bradclin offers self-catering apartments in Blouberg, Pinelands and Newlands 

We are open for all travellers once our borders again open after Covid-19

And don't forget to add on a Kruger Park experience.

The stillness of the bush is something to remember and maybe you will be lucky to hear a leopard even if he remains invisible!

Kruger Park South Africa

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Travel 2020 - Postponed

TRAVEL 2020 – POSTPONED

Today 8^th May 2020 was the day we should have been landing in Naples, Italy for our annual vacation. Covid-19 has put paid to those plans and the world is in turmoil due to this unseen and violent virus. Economies are in dire straits, so many innocent people have died a horrendous death, and jobs losses are reaching all sectors of the population. At times, it just seems to be so over-whelming that one has to turn off all news channels and just burrow under the duvet with 5* novel. Even a soppy, pathetically written, trashy story will suffice until reality kicks in again.

8th May 2020 also marked Sir David Attenborough's 94th birthday! A man greatly admired by so many. Sir David has inspired generations as a broadcaster, naturalist and writer. And this includes the current very young generation who are in awe of his feats and incredible journeys. It's such a blessing to know that his amazing documentaries have inspired so many and will continue to do so.

So, my thoughts turned to both the sadder and happier times and the history of travel.

From bygone days it seems that travel (or exploration) is truly in our DNA. The sailors of old risked their lives to explore the world even when it was felt that it was flat and the ships could vanish, never to be seen again. Many sailors lost their lives in these adventures or perhaps more like crazy mis-adventures. But they were not deterred.

The Potato Famine in Ireland caused many to leave their beloved country – not for the pleasure of travel, but out of a desperation to survive after the famine of 1845 – 1852. This famine left more than a million Irish dead. This history was brought home to us very vividly when we travelled to Ireland

http://www.travelsnippets.co.za/2011/11/my-ireland-dream-land-of-leprechauns.html

Many of us would be of different nationalities had our ancestors decided to play safe and not venture out into the unknown. There are so many Americans who have Irish ancestors. My family are from Kent, UK and Holland, Europe. Who knows what my life would have been like in either UK or Holland? Very different to growing up in sunny South Africa!!

Whilst it was certainly far more onerous getting from one place to another in years gone by, there were no border controls and people could take their chances – whether with wild animals or wild tribes in far flung destinations. Today we are no longer so free – we have to contend with borders, visa’s and many other issues if we wish to settle n (or even travel to) another country.

So, with the passing of time perhaps travel became something to be enjoyed rather than a totally life-changing experience?

“One of the earliest known records of taking pleasure in travel, of travelling for the sake of travel and writing about it, is Petrarch's (1304–1374) ascent of Mount Ventoux in 1336. He states that he went to the mountaintop for the pleasure of seeing the top of the famous height”

It seems that mountains are meant to be climbed - the huge amounts paid to summit Mount Everest are testimony to this human need to conquer nature.
  

Adventure travellers will always find a way – there are so many persons featured on TV programs. 

For me, the couch is sometimes the best option to enjoy those crazy, daring, and insanely brave activities.

My earliest memories are of my mother telling her stories of how they travelled to Mossel Bay by ox wagon for their summer holidays. They had to outspan a few times to get from Oudtshoorn to Mossel Bay across the mountains and then they set up camp at De Bakke.

Despite the lack of facilities, those holidays must have been totally carefree.

My mother’s love for the town of Mossel Bay, meant that we had a bungalow at “The Bakke” for many years until the Mossel Bay Council decided that they could use the land for a more lucrative holiday cottage venue and our bungalows had to be broken down! it was a sad day when this happened.

In those early years the community had to share a communal toilet – one toilet for many bungalows!! We had no running water and no electricity. Eventually, my mom decided that she would prefer her own “long drop” toilet in the yard so that was dug and covered by asbestos walls. I hated that toilet – my worst fear was falling down the hole, especially at night! And the spiders…. oh my word, they loved that outhouse! But we loved our holidays and could not bear the thought of crossing back over the mountain to the searing heat of summer in Oudtshoorn.

Travellers today are in various classes of expectations - some are still happy to "rough" it in the wilderness whilst others expect 5* treatment from arrival until departure. 
John Varty's favourite saying of "Tread lightly on the earth" does not always work well when expecting 5* treatment. However, there are many establishments who have mastered this - Singita is one company that comes to mind.

The days of “slow” travel, such as 2 weeks to reach UK from South Africa on the Union Castle ships, have long gone. We are perhaps all guilty of wanting to get to our destination as quickly as possible, despite the damage to our skies and the air that we breathe. The modern ocean liners are floating, luxury hotels and so enjoyed by many. However, the damage caused by thousands of tourists descending into ports around the globe has already been documented with cities like Venice wanting to restrict the number of ships and tourists.

Travel does certainly broaden our horizons and I do not think that we will stop travelling. It is so uplifting to learn about so many different cultures, food is often very specific to a region and this makes for incredible, culinary experiences that we cannot enjoy at home. (maybe because we are not very good in the kitchen!!) 

Travel experiences live on forever whilst many other memories become buried and forgotten. 

I wrote the quote below many years ago.....

" Travel is food for the soul, restores our balance, links us to our global community and allows us to be witness to various cultures,climates,languages and foods. We come to realise our small part in the global nature of our earth,which is part of the greater Universe" (Judelle Drake)

Tourism is also the life-blood of many countries and my own business relies heavily on this.

However, perhaps we will all look at the world differently now after Covid-19??

Our skies are now clear, animals are roaming more freely, the grass is still growing, the tides are never ceasing, the moon rises and the sun sets. Our earth has continued without our assistance. 

Will we ever feel safe again? Will we still want to go to places that are so over-crowded?  

Or will we seek out quieter spots and thank our lucky stars that we are still alive to enjoy our earth??

It is anybody’s guess……which way will be the best - left or right?

Stay safe and well

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                For Accommodation Cape Town, South Africa

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South Africa - Road Tripping - Seven Passes - Garden Route

Boredom Buster - Seven Passes, Garden Route

Before we had the N2, there were the "Seven Passes"

Written By: Carri-Anne | 28 Apr 2020

Wilderness Beach, Garden Route

Wilderness and Knysna, in the heart of the Garden Route are popular holiday destinations, there’s plenty to do and see. Enjoyed for the array of outdoor activities it’s frequented by mountain bikers, runners and hikers. One of the hidden treasures of the area is the Seven, a 75 km stretch of road that technically has eight passes.

Knysna Lagoon - railway bridge

Seven Passes Road

The seven passes are, as the name suggests, seven passes all connected, running from Knysna to George or George to Knysna, whichever way you prefer to traverse it. This majority dirt road is a creation of the pass builder extraordinaire, Thomas Charles John Bain, and was finished in 1883. Bain had help from his brother-in-law Adam de Smidt, and rumour has it the two didn’t get along every day or most days. Back when Bain first built this road, it was the equivalent of the N2. Since the building of the N2 and the extension of the surrounding farms and B roads, the traffic you’ll find on the road are mountain bikers, trucks from the mills and the odd tourist or two.
The general profile of each pass is a descent into a valley where it either crosses a river or runs alongside one before climbing the ascent out. The variations are the gradients of descent and ascent, the amount of tight and twisty corners and the height. The beauty of these passes are that they’re not done at speed, it’s an easy relaxing drive, a dirt road with the forest canopy overhead that clears at the bottom as you cross each bridge.

Getting there

Beginning the journey from Knysna at Phantom Pass, the first pass that would be built out of the seven. Turning off the N2 before the Knysna lagoon the road runs inland towards the first pass, Phantom Pass. This 75 km stretch of the road reached the Kaaimans River in 1869, and in 1871 was built to reach Woodville near George.

Phantom Pass

The Belvidere turnoff from the N2 turns into the Phantom Pass, which was ready for business in 1862, with a rebuild in 1882. Named after the ghost moths that call the forest home.

Homtini Pass

Completed in 1882, opened in 1883, and was the last pass to be completed of the seven. The Homtini name has suggested roots in Khoi, and means either ‘mountain honey’ or ‘difficult passage’. We’re likely to believe that it means difficult passage with 45 corners, of which three exceed 120 degrees and one sharp hairpin. It was the building of this pass that led to the source of discontent between Bain and de Smidt. It’s believed that they disagreed with the path of the Seven Passes road, which led to an argument in the build of Homtini Pass. The argument between the two escalated to the point that they never spoke again.

Karatara Pass

The finding of gold in the area lead the pass to be further built and heading towards the Homtini area.
Bearing the same name as the forestry village the pass can have a few trucks on it. A gravel track that’s dusty in summer and turns into a muddy clay in winter. If doing this in winter, it would be recommended to go in a vehicle with all-wheel drive as the corrugations can cause a loss of traction.

Touw River Pass 

This pass remains the same as it was when built by Bain and de Smidt, except the timber bridge was washed away and replaced by a steel bridge in the early 1900s. It’s thought that de Smidt was more involved in building this pass than Bain, who was involved in the Homtini Pass at the same time. Much like the other passes it drops down into the riverbed and is often a victim of flooding in heavy rains.

Silwer River Pass

This short pass of 2.5 km is a national monument, leading into Wilderness Heights. Built by de Smidt the pass has 30 bends, which is quite something considering how short it is. Many consider this pass to be part of the Kaaimansgat Pass.

Kaaimansgat Pass

While Bain worked on the Knysna end of the passes, de Smidt built on the George end of the road. The original bridges were made of timber though succumbed to the elements quickly. In 1902 the concrete bridges were built, and are still standing today, and are national monuments.

Swartrivier Pass

A road that crosses the Swartrivier, the original pass was first used in 1853. Now it’s a modern tar road that runs past the Garden Route dam wall and down into the main road of George.

Make an adventure out of it

Stay in George, Wilderness, or Knysna for ease of access to the passes. While the passes can be done in just over an hour it’s recommended you make a day of the route. Pack food, picnic blankets, and sunblock. Stop along the way at local craft shops on the route. Stop at each bridge, take photos, and enjoy the flora and fauna at each pass.

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South Africa - Load-Shedding

South Africa

"A place your feet may leave but your heart will always be" 

Load Shedding – the term the term coined by the South African power utility, Eskom, to cover up their inadequacies as regards efficient maintenance of the power producing plants in South Africa.

This has a ripple effect on all business in our country, from large Corporate companies to smaller folk trying to make a decent living. Not everybody can afford a generator so we groan and moan about Eskom and the new F Word = LS.

My mantra for some time now has been “For every Negative, there is a Positive”
So we cannot hide our heads in the sand like an ostrich, we need to find ways to reduce our anger and frustration.

It is often nearly impossible to come up with a positive when the power is out and the volume of work piles up. But it set me to thinking hard while browsing a magazine during the latest power cut. Firstly, I very seldom read magazines anymore – they all end up either in guest bedrooms or in the recycling bags. After all the effort that writers make to write interesting articles, we truly should give them some of our precious time.

So an enforced period of quiet reading brought me to this positive side of Load-Shedding….

We are all so caught up in the fast pace of life in the 21^st century that there is little or no time for reflection in the frenetic pace of our current lives. This is not how many of us grew up – we had so many wonderful moments when summer seemed to go on forever, the halcyon days of watermelon fights in the cooling of the day whilst our parents were having their sundowners and discussing their latest golf scores or the long winter evenings when we always ended up with chilblains from sitting too close to the fireplace!

Many folk are still willing go to places far and wide where there is NO Electricity – just to get away from it all. And, horror of horrors, some folk will even go as far as to visit a place where there is no cell phone reception. If Bear Grylls can barbeque and EAT a dead rat, then we can surely cope with Load-Shedding??

Our beach holidays as kids were incredible despite the fact that our bungalow had no running water, no electricity and cooking was done on a small Primus stove.  The pickled fish that my gran used to make with the fresh cob, just off the fishing boats, lasted us a full year and I have never tasted anything better.

So how to cope with the dreaded Load Shedding in a positive way? We can’t obviously head off on holiday every time the power goes out so we need to focus on using this time more productively.

For Tourists: Cape Town

The V&A is always open - 09.00 to 21.00 hrs 7 days a week, 365 days a year
With so much to see and do, this is a "go to" place for all. The restaurants remain open so nobody needs to go hungry just because the power is out. There are massive generators keeping all business open as usual.

Hire a bike and enjoy a glorious ride in the sunshine

Do a stroll, jog or run along the Sea Point Promenade - it's glorious at all times, and even better when the smell of the ocean is at it's best.

Or try a game of Putt Putt - there are 2 courses of 18 holes each

Book a Kayak for a guided, peaceful, quiet excursion on the ocean. kayak.co.za

Take your camera to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and enjoy the beauty of the gardens
The flora changes with the seasons but the birds remain, the mountain view is glorious and art work is captivating. With a number of safe hiking trails for those who are fitter and would like to climb higher, entry, via Kirstenbosch, is a winner.

Blouberg beach is ideal for a long walk and those captivating views of Table Mountain
Perhaps try some SUP (Stand Up Paddle) Boarding or Kite Surfing

The harbours of Kalk Bay and Hout Bay are always interesting no matter what the season.
Fishing is a pastime enjoyed by many locals, especially over week-ends!

Plus much more to explore where power is not required......

So, for those tourists who feel that South Africa is no longer worth visiting, think again!!

Our scenery remains unbelievable, there truly is nothing to beat Cape Town!
Wine tasting is a firm favourite, while hunting down some craft beer is fun activity!
And the list goes on and on.....

We look forward to welcoming you soon – we do offer our renowned South African Hospitality as we remain one of the friendliest nations on earth. South African is indeed a Rainbow Nation – this Load-Shedding is a blip that will be overcome by private enterprise sooner rather than later! Moves are already afoot.

For those living in South Africa:

Whilst we can obviously also do all of the above activities, here are some further ideas if you are stuck at home.

Use the time for chatting to the children, work colleagues or friends either face to face or via our cell phones as these still work. Or they will do provided that the batteries for the cell towers can re-charge often enough!

Get out into the garden for some weeding or planting

Read those neglected magazines or the book that somebody gave you that has been on your bedside table since Christmas

Do the horrid (in my books!) job of filing

Plan the next week-end away with friends

Clear out old files – ready for shredding

Go for a walk or run in your local neighbourhood - you are sure to meet up with friends or make new ones.

Plan your shopping according to the black-outs as not all shops have generators either!

Grab your camera and head out for some creative time. 

De-clutter your cupboards and give the excess to your favourite charity

Clear out the garage of all those old paint tins, hard-as-nails paint brushes and other stuff that you will never, ever use again.

Decide to have a “braai” instead of cooking inside – it’s such a South African tradition after all.

Who cares if it’s at midnight? The neighbours will enjoy the wafting smells of good old South African boerewors.

At the end of the day, it boils down to better time management I suppose and, although Eskom keeps us in the “dark” as regards a regular LS Schedule, the App “Eskomsepush” is pretty accurate.

So I managed to find a few small positives in while sitting in the “dark” over lunch time. The frustration does “boil” over from time to time. Some words take on double meanings now as nothing can boil on an electric stove without power. Hurrah for gas stoves!

When did we become so entirely dependent on electricity? It is now an essential for business, school and home. We have lost the art of writing letters by hand - everybody is on the various Social Media platforms and instant communication is the key. The excitement of seeing a letter from friends and loved ones, no longer happens. Progress is inevitable therefore the supply of electricity is essential!
Unfortunately, ESKOM, the South African Government utility, has not moved with the times and they are now leaving us in the dark to cope as best we can.

But cope we will - we are South African after all!

The quote below is a favourite - we are indeed "caught up in one place just where we are"

So let's make it work.

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                For Accommodation Cape Town, South Africa

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South Africa - Darling Craft Beer

Darling Brew Craft Beer

A great find in the village of Darling! 

South Africa's first carbon-neutral brewery.

A unplanned stop in Darling, took us to the Darling Brewery.

What an eye opener!

With 16 Craft Beers on tap and more only in bottles, this a a Craft Beer lovers dream

The brewery is visible from the dining/pub area and is a hive of activity

Spotlessly clean it operates week-days although the brew is most probably still brewing quietly over week-ends!

Darling Brewery

The pub area is large upstairs plus there is garden seating and a play area for the kids.

The furniture, bar counter, jungle gym and artwork is all made by local artisans as the focus is on keeping it local. 

The menu offers something for most tastes - we chose to share a cheese platter.

All food on the platter was from businesses in Darling with the excpetion of the Sourdough bread that comes from a bakery in Yzerfontein. All delicious! 

 

The beers have interesting names....

Blood Serpent (Pilsner)

Bone Crusher (Pilsner) and Pixie Dust ( Weiss) both Wheat Beers

Warlord (IPA)

Gypsy Mask (Red Ale) and Rogue Pony (Pale Ale) both Ales and inspired by the Roan Antelope and the Plains Zebra

Slow Beer and Sungazer -both Lagers 

My favourite - Slow Beer - however, the tastings were great - there would have been more favourites had we stayed longer!

See the info below from the owners themselves, an amazing story.

We wish them all the success in forging ahead

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"ican Adventure – October 2007

In October 2007 we left home on a trip into Africa, with the idea to see as much wildlife as possible, our return date undecided.

Unexpectedly 3 days into our trip we stumbled onto an idea that we thought we could bring back to Darling. We met Andre of Sneeuberg Brewery and were inspired by the concept of a microbrewery. Leaving South Africa we found ourselves talking about something we knew little about, beer.

Besides wildlife we now had another goal; exploring the different beers of each country we visited. We were expecting to be exposed to varied and interesting beer and branding but what we had not expected was the increase in the size of beer bottles. Having started with 340ml in Botswana, 630ml in Zimbabwe, 550ml in Mozambique, 500ml in Kenya and 750ml in Rwanda our beer drinking appetites had gradually grown the further north we travelled and the hotter it got.

Turning south into Zambia the dinky 340ml bottle reappeared, one bottle feeling like half of another and leaving us still wanting. The realisation of our beer in a big bottle was decided.

A Thing Called Beer

Returning home was daunting as all our thoughts and ideas had to be turned into a reality, a thing called beer. Our excitement had been shadowing the realisation of what lay ahead. We were prepared for hard work but the challenges of red tape, we didn’t see coming.

Our investment began to take shape in the form of a small turnkey brewery. After months of brewing, no hint of our liquor licence and faced with the challenges of a manual system we realised that with our current setup we would never reach our dreams for Darling Brew.

We were on the verge of throwing in the towel when we by chance met Chris Barnard, a chief brewer, who agreed to contract brew for us. Chris’ knowledge and passion for brewing beer has afforded Darling Brew the privilege of becoming part of the current craft beer movement.

The Exciting Part of Branding our Beer

When we got to the exciting part of branding our beer, we wanted to create a contemporary look. We scoured through the flora and fauna of the area, as well as the geographical features. We kept on coming back to the tortoise and on doing some research we learnt of the geometric tortoise which was not only endangered but it was endemic to the Western Cape too.

From there we started playing with words and ‘slow’ struck a chord with us. We knew we didn’t want to use premium beer, handmade or craft beer; we wanted something more meaningful than that. One night after far too much red wine ‘slow beer’ was mentioned and scrawled down amongst our many ideas.

Waking up to our notes we realised that ‘slow beer’ was it. ‘Slow Beer’ is not only the name of our first beer, it is our philosophy, encompassing all of our beers, highlighting their slow fermentation process and why people should choose it over mass produced beer. It has also got the minds wondering ‘what is slow beer?’