HOW THIS TOUR STARTED

Listening to the privileged people that were retired and all their plans for their future I always had a dream to go travelling and experience Southern Africa, but not the places that we have been to numerous times before.  It had to be the places that Steph and I would not usually go to.

In the year 2002 Steph and I asked ourselves what are we doing for our annual holidays in December as the children were all busy doing their "thing". In a joke Steph said lets just hook up the 4X4 trailer and head south towards the Transkei and the areas around that. I grew up in Alice/Cathcart and agreed very quickly.

A little planning and I advised Steph that she was going to "The Hell" and back. Our two week trip started and what an experience we had!

This is how it unfolded:

We left the house with our Pajero and 4X4 trailer on the morning of 20 December 2003 at 10h00.  There was great excitement about this adventurous trip of ours.  People who know Steph would have known that this was a very brave step from her side.  Slowly but surely doubts set in.

The idea of having lunch at Wyndford with Lyn and Roy was definitely a calming factor as we did not know where we were going to sleep that night.  We left Wyndford at about 14h30 and headed for Ladybrand.  It was a very hot day and met a friendly young guy with a huge ice cream in his hand who explained how to get to the Leliehoek Caravan Park which according to him was not a good place to go and in the same breath he told us that there are quite a few guest houses should we not like the caravan park.

We decided to stay at Leliehoek for the night and the fee was only R60.00 per night.  We found a well shaded site and was happy to have accommodation for the first night.

We realised once again that our Heavenly Father is looking after us even though we sometimes feel brave and adventuress. Reuben could not work out whether the power was off or whether our lamp needed a new globe.  A Dutch guy tried to help but could eventually only tell us that the power to his caravan worked.  After  trying another power point everything was in working order and we decided to go and explore a bit.  The ablutions were clean and had hot water.  The swimming pool looked like a fish pond with a lot of children playing in the green water.

We decided not to have supper as the big lunch at Wyndford was still fresh in our memories.

After a warm shower and some coffee we went to bed.

It was beautiful to wake up to the birds singing in the trees the following morning.  God's presence was a reality.

Full of energy we got up, had another warm shower and some coffee, as we decided that we were going to have breakfast at the Wimpy in Ladybrand.  We packed up and when Reuben wanted to wash his hands again there was no water and had to leave with dirty hands.

Leliehoek was not to go onto our list of favourite caravan parks. The Wimpy was still closed and with no where to have breakfast we left Ladybrand with empty tummies.

We were well fed and started hunting for ice.  The whole of Aliwal North's ice were sold out so our next stop was Gariep Dam. The road took us through  the town of Burgersfort.  What a lovely little town with the Fort on the hill overlooking the town.  The NG Kerk had a lot of character with its stone finish and was well maintained.  It had traditional colourful windows.

After a few photographs we were on the road again.  A little bit further we saw a lot of water and a sign showing that we must turn to Arniston.  The gate attendant advised that we could stand for free as the owner will only be back the next day.  After a trip through the caravan park we realised that it was still under construction.  Not seeing any inhabitants we moved on as we were sure this was the wrong place.  The attendant explained to us how to get to Gariep.  On arrival we found a luxury site with its own private bathroom and kitchen.  The cost of the site was only R130 per night.  The first day was very relaxing.  On the second day we were relaxing under the most beautiful Umbrella trees.  Later the day we went for a drive over the dam wall and drove up every little road that we could.  We found the nicest picnic place and our way back we stopped off at the yacht club and found the yacht of our dreams call "Thirty Something".  It was a lovely big boat and gave us something to dream about.

On one of the roads we found a dead Dassie which we decided to first bury and afterwards find a road up a hill where we saw 2 Duikers.  The view from the top of the hill was spectacular the dam in the foreground and the mountains in the background.  Later that night we had a lovely braai and went to bed as we were heading out the next morning.

My eyes let me down and we got up at 5h40 instead of 6h40.  It was a long journey to Port St Johns and the extra hour came in very handy.

In Aliwal North we saw another beautiful twin towered church and just had to take photograph. On our way to Maclear we passed over the Barclay Pass with its beautiful scenery and a lovely setting.  In Maclear we were met by a horde of blacks with not a single white face to be seen.   Eventually we saw one white face and asked him how to get to Umtata.  They traffic in Johannesburg is hectic but no where near that of Umtata as they seem to have their own rules turning and driving and stopping wherever they want to.  It was a relief to put Umtata behind us and head for Port St Johns.  We checked the local caravan site and as it was raining decided to stay over at the Outspan Hotel, R430 for the room and R103 for supper.  The food was very tasty and we had lovely Butterfish, chips and salad.  The room left a lot to be desired with a ceiling that had holes in it and looked as if it was going to fall in any moment.  As for the rats it sounded as if they were playing soccer in the ceiling.  Steph stripped the bed to check for any unfriendly inhabitants. We went for a walk on the beach and met some weird people and realised that it was a hiding place for people who did not feel comfortable amongst ordinary people like us.  The two "ladies" sat far from us with their two dogs.  The one was thin and seemed to play the male role while the other one was bigger with a pretty face.  Their food was served outside whilst the dogs ran around in the garden.  After supper we had a restful night even though Steph's imagination ran wild and she kept feeling creatures crawling all over her whilst I was fast asleep next to her.  Every time she switched on the light there was nothing.  Steph eventually fell asleep and was not eaten alive by any of the creepy crawlies.    

We got home and agreed that was the way to do  it, unplanned un-booked and just go.

We are now doing a bigger and better trip and hope to travel for a year or so.

Please read on about our new journey and the dates will give you an idea of where we are.

Regards

Reuben & Steph Arnold..