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The familiar face of Bloemfontein awaited us from Lesotho, and Allan once again picked us up from the bus. We were off to watch the local Super 15 rugby game, with the local Free State Cheetahs blowing out the visiting side in a very lopsided affair. I really enjoyed seeing some professional rugby up close and personal, but it was unfortunate that we were some of the few fans there. You see, there was a big match-up between the national team Springboks, and the NZ All Blacks that afternoon, so I think most people stayed home to watch!! We left the game a little early to see the big game ourselves in the friendly confines of Allan's bar, and this time the home team didn't disappoint, winning a well played game against the favourites!!
So as to not really burden Tina and Allan, we picked up a rental car (a Ford Figo, we call Figaro) in the morning and sadly left Bloemfontein. Tina and Allan had been so very kind to us, and we hope to see them in Canada one day to return the favour!!
We had unfortunately left quite late in the day, and with construction on the roads, made it nowhere near where we planned. We found ourselves in the out of the way, stopover town of Colesberg but only for a quick night. The little backpackers was quite dated, and we were the only people there, so were happy to get out.
Early in the morning it was a pleasant drive on a dirt road to Nieu Bethesda, a quaint little village, quite isolated from anywhere, but famous for a crazy little house called the Owl House. A Nieu Bethesda resident lady named Helen Martins one day decided to bring colour and light into her physical environment, and transformed her home over the next 30 years. Painting bright colours and adding crushed glass all throughout the interior, then building an incredible amount of sculptures of owls, camels, giraffes, mermaids to adorn the exterior grounds. It is all a little bizarre to say the least. To each their own though, and unfortunately, Helen committed suicide once she could no longer physically create anymore. The town was quite cute, but apparently becomes busy in the summer, and with all the little guest houses around, would be a vibrant little place.
Continuing on the loop road from NB, our next stop was Graaff Reinet for the night. Another picturesque town, with a stunning stone church in the centre - the Dutch Reformed Church.. The town is often called the 'Jewel of the Karoo', and it is easy to see why. It has over 220 buildings designated at national monuments, so they are well preserved and attractive - from Cape Dutch style houses to flat-roofed Karoo cottages to majestic Victorian villas.
The town had a nice feel to it, although we attempted to go out at night, and the place was deserted other than too much litter around the main supermarket!!
There is a National Park around Graaff Reinet; Camdeboo has recently been added under national park protection, and it was our first sighting of the relatively rare Cape Mountain Zebra (more to come later). Within the park boundaries, there was a fantastic drive up high onto the cliffs with a birds eye view over the circular looking town of Graaff Reinet (must have been in a river bend below the dam). You could easily see the disparity between the beautiful old colonial buildings, and the township houses on the other side of the highway.
The Lizard trail snakes around the top of the jagged cliffs for approx. 2km. There are ample opportunities to sneak to the edge of the cliffs and look into the canyon below, then out to the grasslands and hills surrounding the area. Not much wildlife up here, but on our way down we took a drive through the flooded game area containing some animals, but none of the Big 5.
We have been happy with the decision to rent a car. It is a bit of a luxury for us, but we justified the expense by actually being able to get to all the out-of-the-way places, and self-driving ourselves through the National Parks (which we love to do). It has also made us feel more comfortable in South Africa, something we were struggling with for some time. Now we are on the road for about 2 weeks to Cape Town, and looking forward to the road and adventures ahead!! *Stub
The familiar face of Bloemfontein awaited us from Lesotho, and Allan once again picked us up from the bus. We were off to watch the local Super 15 rugby game, with the local Free State Cheetahs blowing out the visiting side in a very lopsided affair. I really enjoyed seeing some professional rugby up close and personal, but it was unfortunate that we were some of the few fans there. You see, there was a big match-up between the national team Springboks, and the NZ All Blacks that afternoon, so I think most people stayed home to watch!! We left the game a little early to see the big game ourselves in the friendly confines of Allan's bar, and this time the home team didn't disappoint, winning a well played game against the favourites!!
So as to not really burden Tina and Allan, we picked up a rental car (a Ford Figo, we call Figaro) in the morning and sadly left Bloemfontein. Tina and Allan had been so very kind to us, and we hope to see them in Canada one day to return the favour!!
We had unfortunately left quite late in the day, and with construction on the roads, made it nowhere near where we planned. We found ourselves in the out of the way, stopover town of Colesberg but only for a quick night. The little backpackers was quite dated, and we were the only people there, so were happy to get out.
 |
| Scultures in the garden at the Owl House |
Continuing on the loop road from NB, our next stop was Graaff Reinet for the night. Another picturesque town, with a stunning stone church in the centre - the Dutch Reformed Church.. The town is often called the 'Jewel of the Karoo', and it is easy to see why. It has over 220 buildings designated at national monuments, so they are well preserved and attractive - from Cape Dutch style houses to flat-roofed Karoo cottages to majestic Victorian villas.
 |
| Graaff Reinet and church in foreground - township behind |
There is a National Park around Graaff Reinet; Camdeboo has recently been added under national park protection, and it was our first sighting of the relatively rare Cape Mountain Zebra (more to come later). Within the park boundaries, there was a fantastic drive up high onto the cliffs with a birds eye view over the circular looking town of Graaff Reinet (must have been in a river bend below the dam). You could easily see the disparity between the beautiful old colonial buildings, and the township houses on the other side of the highway.
 |
| Martin in Camdeboo National Park |
We have been happy with the decision to rent a car. It is a bit of a luxury for us, but we justified the expense by actually being able to get to all the out-of-the-way places, and self-driving ourselves through the National Parks (which we love to do). It has also made us feel more comfortable in South Africa, something we were struggling with for some time. Now we are on the road for about 2 weeks to Cape Town, and looking forward to the road and adventures ahead!! *Stub
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