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Diary - South Africa - Upington to Port Alfred (11th Jan to 30th Jan)
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We have made it to our final country and the relief is simply immense. However as with all challenges it is the final hurdle that is the hardest and tests your strength. As you will find our first lot of time in supposedly the easiest country has not been straight forward.
With the border proceedings taking less time to complete than the No Mans land that separates the two countries takes to drive, we were in. The first destination was the busy town of Upington and possibly the most tranquil of campsites right in the middle of a town. The setting was along the magnificent Orange River that winds through the town, giving the most amazing reflections at sunset. It is strange that now normal towns are everywhere.
Although we could have relaxed for ages we dragged ourselves away towards the much bigger town and the home of South African diamonds, Kimberley. It was here that the De Beers made their fortunes and they have now built a museum about the place, called ‘The Big Hole’. The museum is set on the edge of the old open diamond mine and is therefore a massive water filled hole. However this has been overshadowed now by the actual museum complex, complete with mock town. We couldn’t help but look at each other and laugh as we descended in the lift that played mining sound effects for at least a minute, just to travel five meters down! Of course the over the top tourist attraction didn’t end there, we even had a demonstration of an explosion in the staged underground mine, complete with noise, flashy lights and smoke.
Unfortunately we then had to sort out our flights home and the realization that the dream now had a definite end was a bitter pill to swallow. Leaving Kimberely with very long faces and being so distracted that Steve drove the Landy into a height limit chain in a car park, making the attendants panic and turn into crazed Meercats. (No Damage done to Big G) Having saved ourselves from a big mistake we turned up at the massive and very impressive waterfront in Bloomfontein. Before the trip we never thought we would pine for the small towns and shops, with veg sold on the side of the road. But navigating the waterfronts huge shopping mall, that would rival anything England has to offer, we felt very lost and overwhelmed. The night’s camp was far from as fancy and in fact the backpacker’s car park was the worst place we have stayed in a while.
Heading towards the countryside again to follow the Highlands route across the northern side of Lesotho gave us our first headache. As we arrived in a little town we suddenly had a severe screeching metallic noise. Being paranoid about wheel bearings meant that we decided to strip and rebuild one of the front ones that seemed a little suspect. Normally in Africa if you try to do something where people can see you, you soon get pushed out the way and some local person offers to do it for you. South Africa though is very western in this respect and although we were in a lay-by in town for at least forty minutes, not one person showed us any attention. As we moved on we not only heard the same noise seconds later, but we had also left a tool out that suddenly flew off, creating a loud noise and vanishing into the undergrowth. Just adding to the days stress.
The little town of Clarens was the perfect place to calm our minds and slow ourselves down with umpteen milkshakes and toasted sandwiches. The town is similar to many places in the Cotswolds, with galleries, expensive boutiques and lots of eateries. The atmosphere was perfect and although we were at a bit of a low we were soon dragged out of it when a South African and an English couple bought us a drink so that we would recount our adventures. We were staying on a Horse ranch and decided that the massive view needed a full day of doing nothing to really soak it up. Do nothing was great apart from the checking of various different oil leaks that Gweneveer seems to have at the moment. |
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Having had a very laid back day we felt we should go for a walk, so we headed for the Golden Gate National Park. If the disappointment of being charged four times more than a local wasn’t enough to dampen our mood, having the bonnet up again was. This time it seems Steve’s tinkering had got us in trouble and Gweneveer’s aging parts had revealed a stripped thread in the engine block. The day before we had replaced a seal that had been leaking in the Rocker Cover, however now it would not stay in place as the bolt had nothing to grip onto. After a few attempts and plenty of encouragement by a number of fellow Land Rover owners, one who even offered us towing assistance anywhere we needed (thanks Freddie), we were back on the road.
As we began the following day to make the slow journey to Bethlehem to sort the problem properly our hearts were in our mouths and everything was crossed. Half way there all seemed like it was going well… then lots of noise and we were on the side of the road with the bonnet up again. No don’t worry it wasn’t too bad but it did mean the safest course of action was to get towed the remainder of the way. What we didn’t know is AJ from the nearby garage was a bit of a crazy man and ended up dragging us along at 95kmh (our normal top speed), whilst on his phone.
Hours later after having the engine sorted we were slicing through the Drakensburg Mountains, traversing a number of passes and being in ore at the magnificent scenery. After an exhausting day we arrived in Champagne Valley and at a camp that was lit up in glorious sunshine with a mountainous backdrop. Camping in South Africa is like being in Europe again with so many others enjoying it, especially local countryman. This means lots of talking and sharing of stories, none better than with Ron and Eileen who even treated us to lunch out and before we knew it the whole afternoon had vanished in happy chatting. Now it is never a good idea to pass up an invitation and within minutes of returning to the campsite we were propositioned for dinner by an ex Lancashire guy, his German wife and a permanent travelling couple from South Africa. Another good feed, plenty of laughs and even more facts obtained, we clambered our well stuffed bellies into the tent. Only to be rudely awoken by the feeling one of us had wet the bed in the early hours. In fact the heavy rain had avoided the flysheet and come through the doorway making the mattress almost float on a lake of wetness. Our recommendation in heavy rain is to make sure you shut the door properly.
The rain continued most of the following day meaning our journey was limited to the main road with very little visibility. Only once we got to the coast did the weather improve and our chosen camp, Leisure View, did indeed provide us with a stunning view across the bay and the vast Indian Ocean. We decided that we should at least have a look around the area rather than racing through so we had a day out to the Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve. The drive down, through and back out the gorge was really pretty, especially as you never see it from above until the other side. After a recommended stop for lunch with a wonderful view, we went into the Nature Reserve. To add enjoyment they have added a very swaying suspension bridge over a section of gorge. Now neither of us suffers from vertigo, we just don’t like falling! However it took us a lot of encouragement to get to the other side, Katie proving to Steve he had to do it after she made it across first.
So many people we have met have given us so much advice on wonderful places to go to along the coast. And when the guide book agrees you fancy your chances of being rewarded. This doesn’t seem the case with a lot of the coastline between Durban and East London though. Yes it is a nice enough place to escape the hustle of everyday city life but not when you have travelled through Africa. To us the coast just isn’t that stunning, when compared to the similar craggy coast of Cornwall.
Our first of a number of stop offs was at Port St John, a very dusty, dirty and empty black town. The only saving grace was a peaceful camp on the side of the chocolate coloured river, along with the reuniting of us and the ‘Old English’, Bob and Jackie. They too had been having issues so we all drowned our sorrows over some beer and a pool challenge (which we won AGAIN!).
The next few places, Morgan Bay and Cintsa, were marred by the weather. Unfortunately it seems the rain is chasing us around the country, much to the locals delight as they are in need of water like the rest of Africa. The scenery is full of large rolling hills with a scattering of Xhosa (the regional tribe) homes. These are similar to the rest of Africa, but have a thing for hexagonal shapes. When we weren’t trying to solve mechanical problems and the weather was nicer we did manage to explore the beaches and take a canoe up river. It didn’t take us long to work out why the canoe was free, as it seemed to always go left. We only discovered this after Steve blamed Katie for her lack of steering, until it was his turn on the return leg.
Finally we have solved the cars metallic noise problem that began in Namibia, after it had become so bad we thought Gweneveer was going to fall apart. It seemed it was another problem caused by our repairs in Swakopmund and thankfully a garage did a couple of quick welds on the mud shield to the transfer box and we were away in silence. Though all silence in a Land Rover gives you is an easier way to hear other strange noises.
It seems that this leg of South Africa is to end like it began, with a wonderful town and camp. Okay the camp was average but had a fantastic view of the man made marina, full of boats and islands full of fancy houses. The town was Port Alfred and was perfect to spend a couple of nights just pottering about and soaking up the sun, especially as everything was in walking distance. The only downside was the chilly evenings, but this was overcome with some DVD rentals.
The last few weeks have proven to be very tough, (we haven’t mention everything or the hours spent taking various things apart to try and identify the noises or leaks) but it will only make our arrival (one way or another) to Cape Town even greater. We have learnt that there is nothing that we can not overcome. |
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| Upington Reflection |
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| Big Hole |
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| Mock Mining Tunnel |
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| Coloured Chimneys |
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| Clarens Hillsides |
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| Oribi Gorge |
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| Suspension Katie |
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| Bridge Crazy |
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| Rock Overhang |
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| Duck Feeding |
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| Riverside Camp |
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| Rock Pooling |
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| Canoe Trip |
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| River Paddling |
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| Southern Coast |
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