I flew in a helicopter

 I'm not a regular flyer.  The first time I got to fly was in a Jac (similar to a Harvard), a flight I would never forget as the pilot did two rolls with this very nervous and acrophobic passenger in the back.  Since then I have become a lot better and over the last seven years got to fly a couple of times a year on passenger planes both around South Africa and internationally.  All that said, I still haven't been up in a small plane again and have never had the opportunity to go up in a helicopter.  I did a hot air balloon once, but never a helicopter.  That was until a couple of weeks ago.  I went to Cradock for a meeting and stayed at the excellent Tuishuise.  Lisa and David of Tuishuise invited me along for a late afternoon visit to a nearby game farm and while there Mike, the owner, asked if the guys wanted to go for a quick flip in his helicopter around the farm with him.  Well, lets see. We thought about it for probably a quarter of a second.... if that long.

 

Twenty minutes later we were up in the air and I was taking selfies. 

Ok, just one as proof that I was there. 

 

My camera was a bit slow to get any animal pics in the fading light, but the landscapes were irresistible.  The sun was setting behind us and coloured the clouds on the horizon beautifully.

 

We also turned around just in time to see the sun set over the Karoo landscape in the west.  What more do you want.  But the experience was nearly over and we were heading back.

As the wind had come up while we were in the air, Mike dropped David and I off in the veld and took the helicopter in solo to land on the landing pad next to the chopper shed.  Oh man, what an experience.  One I will cherish and remember as much as the "flipping" Jac flight. 

Driving on the dunes at Brakkeduine

Boys will be boys and when it comes to boys and their 4x4 toys there is no stopping them.  When the South African government banned driving on beaches both the angling and 4x4 fraternities took a big knock.  The anglers couldn't go as far along the beaches as they used to or had to find overland shortcuts while the 4x4 okes had to stick to mountain trails and off road paths.  There is one place I know of where the boys can test their toys and sand driving skills though.  Brakkeduine close to Oyster Bay (and St Francis Bay) in the Eastern Cape. 

 

Brakkeduine offers a beautiful grassed campsite on the banks of a dam with a long slippery slide and zipline into the water.  But it's the natural inland dune field that attracts 4x4 enthusiasts to Brakkeduine.  They offer guided trips following a set route with drivers given the opportunity to test their skills going up and down the dunes either on the straight or around turns, pushing their vehicles to the max. 

 

The trips are led by experienced 4x4 drivers who know the dunes like the back of their hands and will show the way to approach each "obstacle" first before the others attempt it.  They come prepared to assist if anything happens, anything being a wheel popping off the rim or getting stuck on top of the dune like the one on the picture above.

 

 

I'm not a huge 4x4 enthusiast and don't own a 4x4, but we have camped at Brakkeduin on two occasions and both times I tagged along on a trip into the dunes.  I may not have had a chance to drive the route, but I had lots of fun taking photographs of it. 

 

 As the whole group stops at each obstacle it gives the drivers and passengers the opportunity to get out and watch the other vehicles.  The amount of jokes and chirps heard on the trip is amazing as they guys gun each other when they fail an attempt.

The very last stop is at the Rollercoaster where the drivers get a chance to really play on a slightly longer route than the previous obstacles.  If you are into 4x4'ing then Brakkeduine is an experience that you just can't afford to miss.  Specifically because of the opportunity to drive on dunes.

Going nowhere slowly

Just west of Patensie, travellers through the Gamtoos Valley will find the Padlangs farm stall.  It's a favourite with both visitors and the locals and I really have to do a post on it one day, but that day is not today.  Outside the farm stall visitors would find the remnants of transport methods used in the valley in the past.  Parts of an ox wagon and an old bakkie (a Chev perhaps?)

 

I placed a couple of Geocaches in the valley on one of my visits and the bakkie is one of my cache locations.  Finding the cache is a good excuse to stop and stopping is a good excuse to go for a meal or something cold on a hot day at the farm stall.  Across the road from the bakkie you can see the citrus trees that the valley is so famous for and a couple of the trailers used to transport the citrus to the co-ops.

Pink plane

On the road to Morgan Bay on the southern Wild Coast you may just spot one of the most unusual and unexpected sights anywhere along a road in the province.  A huge pink plane parked next to the road.   The Convair 880, named Eish Airlines, belongs to Billy Nell, former Finance MEC of the Eastern Cape provincial government and stand son Morganville Farm.  Nell had the plane towed to the farm from Bisho airport and now forms part of his collection of old bikes, automobiles and flying machines.

First time on the Gautrain

Imagine a bunch of small town children going to Johannesburg and getting to ride on the Gautrain for the first time.  Now imagine a bunch of small town adults having fun and really being in the spirit of things riding on the Gautrain for the first time.  Well, I don't know what you are imagining, but the experience itself wasn't much different than it would be with kids.  Big eyes, lots of fun, comments and laughter   Earlier in the year I attended a tourism expo in Johannesburg and a bunch of us decided to all have our first ride on the Gautrain, Gauteng's state-of-the-art rapid rail network.

The group came from all over with towns like Matatiele in the North Eastern Cape, Mossel Bay on the Garden Route, Malmesbury in the Swartland and the Cape West Coast represented.  Oh yes, and me.  It was like everybody was high on sugar or something the way they were hopping around and joking while waiting for the train to arrive.  And then it came... Actually it didn't, cause this one was going the other way.  But ours arrived shortly after.

The fun continued and the ride was no different so while we were flying along at 160 km per hour the cracking of jokes just went on.  The dude against the window landed up next to the group and held his pose very well while all this was going on.  He should have just gone with the flow...

Arriving in Sandton from Midrand we disembarked the Gautrain at the 45 meter, 6 storey deep Sandton Station.  This we didn't quite realise until we went up three long escalators.  Wow, what a ride and what a marvel.  The return trip was a little more subdued, but still the excitement continued and I am sure everybody are looking forward to their next visit to Johannesburg for another ride on the Gautrain.

Subway

Living in Port Elizabeth we can't really say we know much about subways.  On our recent visit to Cape Town we took a train ride from Kalk Bay to Simon's Town.  As we had to board the train on the other side of the tracks we had to pass under it through a tunnel which, with its graffiti, was what I imagine subways would be like.

Kalk Bay to Simon's Town train ride

My Kidz have never been on a train in their lives and the ideal opportunity for that first train ride presented itself while on holiday in Cape Town.  Cape Town has a very good rail commuter service and we decided to catch the train (along with quite a few other tourists) from Kalk Bay to Simon's Town.  The tickets cost next to nothing, probably less than the petrol if we had taken the car.  Waiting for the train at Kalk Bay Station the kidz were looked like they were high on sugar bouncing up and down in excitement and checking down the track the whole time to see if the train was coming yet.

Finally the train arrived and we got on our way down the Peninsula's eastern seaboard towards Simon's Town.  The kidz just loved the experience and couldn't stop looking out the windows at the passing landscape of beaches, people, buildings and ocean.

The train ride isn't that long and it probably took us about 15 or 20 minutes to travel between the two towns.  Along the way we passed Fish Hoek and Glencairn before getting off at Simon's Town Station about one kilometer outside the town centre.  After spending about two hours exploring Simon's Town on foot we headed back to the station for the return journey.  A journey well worth the travel.

Donkey cart rides at Kloof Padstal

As you drive into the town of Montagu from the Cogmans Kloof side, the first building on the left is the Kloof Farm Stall.  After our arrival in town we stopped by there to have a look and saw a brochure on the wall advertising donkey cart rides starting at the farm stall.  Unfortunately the driver was ill that day and they cart weren't going.  We returned the next day and still nothing.  We started preparing the kidz for the disappointment of not being able to go while we were in town, but decided to return again the next day.  It was third time lucky. *Phew*

The ride took us through town and past some of the historic landmarks like Joubert House and the Dutch Reformed Church.  Although the driver isn't a tour guide, he still told us all about what we were seeing plus its always nive chatting to locals.  Every now and then the donkeys, named Whiskey and Soda, stopped and had to be encouraged to get going again.  Makes you understand where the saying "As stubborn as a donkey" comes from.

The second part of the trip took us along a dirt road and we crossed a stream a couple of times.  The next day on my way back from the shop I passed Whiskey and Soda along the road and decided to go ahead to one of those river crossings and wait for them.  A trip like this really makes you take in the scenery so much more than you do driving in a car and is the ideal way to really explore a small town better.

Montagu Tractor Trip

The very first thing we looked up and booked when we decided to go to Montagu was the legendary Montagu Tractor Trip.  "What makes a tractor trip so special?" you ask.  Well, this isn't just any old tractor trip.  The trip takes place on Protea Farm about 35 kilometers outside Montagu and was started in 1985.  The tour meanders it's way up the Langeberg Mountain to an altitude of 1500m above see level with some of the most breathtaking views you can imagine.  

We made our booking for the morning trip and made sure we were there nice and early.  Each tractor and trailer takes about 45 people and on the day we were there they had 90 people booked.  The best seat in the house is the one on the front of the tractor although it really doesn't matter where you sit as the whole experience just rolls out all around you.  Niel, who started the tours in 1985, and his son Pierre drives the two tractors themselves and expertly (you can see they've done it a couple of times already) navigates them up the the winding track. 

The higher we went up the mountain the better the view got.  Its one of those trips where you keep on taking photos because you don't think it can get any better, but it does.  Better and better.  The Koo Valley to the west opened up below us and we litterally had a bird's eye view all around.

On the way up the tractor stopped a couple of times to us the opportunity to hop off and enjoy the view while taking a couple of pictures.  Those with a bit too much energy who felt like stretching their legs could walk up ahead and got picked up by the tractor a bit later on again.  Right at the top we stopped at a mountain hut where we had a snack of Muscadel (sweet dessert wine) and dried fruit before heading on again.

 

While at the top we could see the second tractor make the trek up the mountain

The best view is kept for last when you get to the turning point at the top.  Opening up on the other side of the mountain and stretching away below is the Robertson Valley. Wow! Now imagine doing this trip in the winter when the top of the mountain is covered in snow... That would be like double wow!  This truly should be on every traveller's list of South African things to do just like going up Table Mountain or travelling down the Garden Route.

We visited Protea Farm at our own expense.

Protea Farm's contact details for more infomation.

Website - http://www.proteafarm.co.za/

E-mail: info@proteafarm.co.za 

Montagu Office phone number: +27 23 614 3012

Montagu Dried Fruit Route

Visiting the Montagu Dried Fruit factory shop we found out that they have a sightseeing tractor tour of the farm for which we immediately booked.  The tour takes about an hour and a half to two hours and passes the fruit drying area and orchards before heading up the hill behind the farm.  Once you are out of the actually farming area you start ascending the adjacent hill with its typical Karoo vegetation.  The Kidz were obviously very excited about the trip and the first ones onto the trailer when the tractor pulled up.

 

At the top of the hill the tractor stops and visitors are given the opportunity to walk the last bit up to an old English fort.  Along the way you can get a closer look at some of the typical Karoo plants growing next to the path. The fort itself sits right on top of the hill with fantastic views all around.  

Looking around from the fort one can see why this location was selected to build it.  You can see forever all around the valley and across to the town of Montagu lying right in the middle of it, with the gun slits covering every possible approach and sentries being ably to see any movement in the valley.  

Even though its a fairly short tour its advisable to get something to drink (and perhaps snack on) at the factory shop to take along on the ride.

Roadside stops

Driving along the highways and byways of this beautiful country of ours, somewhere you will have to pull over, stretch you legs and fill up body, soul and perhaps even your car (if you don't want to get stuck without fuel along those same roads). These places are normally one of the following three:

Roadside picnic spots 

 

Farm and country shops

and the boring (as far as exploring travellers goes) but very effective and well stocked 1-stop service stations

British Troop Train

On the way up the hill to Fort Klapperkop and the SA National Defence Force Memorial outside Pretoria stand an old steam locomotive.  This specific locomotive was amongst others used over 100 years ago during the Anglo Boer War (1899 - 1902) to carry British troops and supplies from the coast to where the war was taking place in the interior of South Africa.

Ox wagons

I decided to start the week off with a nice varied Random ... theme post. The chosen Random ... theme is Ox Wagons. Ox wagons played an important roll in the early history of South Africa, in particular the Great Trek, and forms part of just about every museum exhibit throughout the country. They are specially evident around small towns and farms with ox wagon wheels often found at farm entrances.

This ox wagon is on display outside the museum in the Karoo town of Prince Albert.

Some of the decorative granite wagons surrounding the Voortrekker Monument outside Pretoria. The wall consist of 64 ox-wagons which is the number of wagons used to form the laager at the Battle of Blood River.

Another historic ox wagon on display at the Cuyler Manor Museum outside Uitenhage

Lastly, the ox wagon jungle gym at St Georges Park in Port Elizabeth. This pic wasn't initially part of this post and supposed to go onto Port Elizabeth Daily Photo, but fitted in so nicely that I couldn't resist adding it here.

The Elvis Festival Africa

You associate the Tsitsikamma with indigenous forests, deep gorges, a rugged coastline and heart stopping adventures. Just about everything but Elvis. From 30 April to 2 May 2010 the Protea Hotel Tsitsikamma Village in Storms River on the Garden Route will be hosting the first The Elvis Festival Africa.

Owners Jan and Ann du Rand are huge Elvis fans and also proud owners of the Cadillac Shack next door to the hotel. Most of the activities during the festival will take place around the hotel and the Cadi Shack with its big collection of Cadillacs.

The program will include six Elvis Tribute Artists shows and two Marilyn shows, a Miss Marilyn beauty pageant, a teddy bear hunt, Elvis era classic car show and much much more.