We started the day by checking out the town of Mossel Bay as we actually camped on the other side of the bay of which the town is located Mossel bay is a tourist town and with 3 large camping areas this became obvious. Also it's beaches are great for swimming and Surfing. There did not seem to be too much industry but it did have a port and there were 3 ships waiting off shore , to enter. There definitely were many boutique store, which tells me it is mainly for the tourist. I must say that we were surprised to see that 99 percent of the signage was in African not English. About 10 KM out of town we seen a huge plants which I would assume was a Petrochemical plant but they don't have any oil or gas and whatever is processed would have to be trucked in and out.
On way down the road heading for Stil Bay we seen a " wild " animal farm which advertised Lions,Leopards and Tiger so in we go as we still want to see a Leopard. I still don't consider an animal as "wild " if is fenced in and the guide calls it by name but it is what it is. After spending an hour looking at sleeping animal and snapping 30 or so pics we headed out. I will say that just seeing two white Tiger was really something, however, since a female guide was siting petting them, it kind of took the "Wild " edge of the tour.
Now we are off to Stil Bay or as the sign says Stilbaai because in Stil Bay all signage is also in African. Still Bay is 26 KM off the N2, the main hwy, but it is right on the ocean, which is what we are looking for. After arriving in town we turn on the GPS to find the camp site. No such luck but the camping book says it is located on the ocean and at the mouth of the river so that sounded too easy. we found the ocean and the river and we seen a camping area but no sign with the name we expected see. Carroll suggested that we drive into this particuilar camp site anyway and as we got to the reception office, we seen the name so we are now at the right camp site.I told the reception to put a sign that person can see from the road... She said I don't need to i'm usually full. So much for my advise. At this time she had lots of empty sites so she said to pick one but I'm want to warn you that I have a lot of University students coming in later today and they are camping walong the fence so I suggest you pick one a long ways away from them.
Also , in some camps as in this one you get a key to the washrooms, which are called Ablutions, ands you get a roll of toilet paper as there is none in the washroom. In some camps you have to supply you own toilet paper.
After setting up we, we hit the ocean/beach for a couple of hours and then toured the town and picked up a few groceries. When I entered the mall parking i did not notices the one way arrows, because they are on the pavement not on a sign so I came out the wrong way. Ithiught the parking attendant was going to have heart attack.
Since we are on the ocean we decided to go out for another Sea food supper. As usual it was great and reasonable. Two sea food players, 6 Prawns for a starter, a coffee and a glass of wine for the driver all for 30.00 Cdn.
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
Tuesday, 6 December 2011
6 dec Tuesday
We left Oudtshoorn after filling with diesel at 1.33 Cdn per litre and traveled thru the Robinson pass as recommendEd by several tourist and it did not disappoint. The scenery was great and the mountains and gorges always seem to be covered with trees or grass. We seen many Ostrich farms on our trip but we also seen many dairy herds. The cows are mostly Gurnsey or Brown Swiss with a sprinkling of Holsteins. You non-farmers wouldn't know a Brown Swiss from a fence post, but they are a good producer and their milk is rich in butterfat.
We traveled about 80 KM to the tourist city on the ocean called Mossel Bay. We went to the Information booth to see what to see in the area and to get a location for the Caravan parks. They were most helpful but on the way back to the MH Carroll spot a craft/tourist trap/art/clothing store so in we go. I spent 20 min getting history lesson because I started asking question. His stories were not one-sided like some I get as his Dad was from East Germany and his Mom from Scotland. Carroll in the mean time went about spending money.
After Carroll finished shopping we headed for George some 50 KM away as Carroll had a doctors appt to remove the wax from her ears. I always thought she had selective hear and now I feel bad since it was a medical problem. yeh---right. I, on the other headed for the computer store as I needed some more training on my iPad and Timithy, one of the salesman, was quite familuar with the ipad so he help me. Then I was off to the Vodafone store as my SIM card for the computer, not to be confused with iPad, was running low on Airtime. I got 1 gb this time and that should see me thru to 15 Jan
Then we headed for Mugg and Bean resturaunt for two reasons. first to have lunch and second to take advance of their 30 mins of free WiFi.
After lunch we headed back to Mossel Bay and found a camp site right on the Indian Ocean. We ( meaning Carroll) opted for a site overlooking the ocean which they gladly gave us for a price. We paid R340 which include a Admin fee of 8.00 Cdn. Imagine 8.00 to punch our GD name into a computer. Needless to say, we are only staying one night. They even gave us a free pass for the Hot Pool but it closed
at 7:30. Christ, we are not even finish supper by then. However, we did get in some beach time and got a young guy to snap a pic of us standing in the Indian Ocean. i know, that and 79 cents will get you a seniors coffee at Mac Donald's. Cheers
We traveled about 80 KM to the tourist city on the ocean called Mossel Bay. We went to the Information booth to see what to see in the area and to get a location for the Caravan parks. They were most helpful but on the way back to the MH Carroll spot a craft/tourist trap/art/clothing store so in we go. I spent 20 min getting history lesson because I started asking question. His stories were not one-sided like some I get as his Dad was from East Germany and his Mom from Scotland. Carroll in the mean time went about spending money.
After Carroll finished shopping we headed for George some 50 KM away as Carroll had a doctors appt to remove the wax from her ears. I always thought she had selective hear and now I feel bad since it was a medical problem. yeh---right. I, on the other headed for the computer store as I needed some more training on my iPad and Timithy, one of the salesman, was quite familuar with the ipad so he help me. Then I was off to the Vodafone store as my SIM card for the computer, not to be confused with iPad, was running low on Airtime. I got 1 gb this time and that should see me thru to 15 Jan
Then we headed for Mugg and Bean resturaunt for two reasons. first to have lunch and second to take advance of their 30 mins of free WiFi.
After lunch we headed back to Mossel Bay and found a camp site right on the Indian Ocean. We ( meaning Carroll) opted for a site overlooking the ocean which they gladly gave us for a price. We paid R340 which include a Admin fee of 8.00 Cdn. Imagine 8.00 to punch our GD name into a computer. Needless to say, we are only staying one night. They even gave us a free pass for the Hot Pool but it closed
at 7:30. Christ, we are not even finish supper by then. However, we did get in some beach time and got a young guy to snap a pic of us standing in the Indian Ocean. i know, that and 79 cents will get you a seniors coffee at Mac Donald's. Cheers
Monday, 5 December 2011
5 Dec Oudtshoorn
Our day started off on a nice note as the neighbor lady delivered 2 freshly baked muffins for our breakfast. Now how often does that happen in a camp ground. After breakfast we decided to visit some renown Caves in the area, even thought we have been the Calsbad caves in New Mexico twice and they are spectacular.
But on the way we stopped at a " Roadside Hawker " who was selling Ostrich eggs with pictures of the Big 5 or a maps of Africa or even your picture imprinted on them. Actually we stopped yesterday to check on the price and we made a deal for one egg with the map of Africa on one half and the big 5 on the other half for R120. ( they sell for R225 at the Curio stores ) but he did not have any but would have one tomorrow,hence the reason we stopped. So now he tries to up the price another R10 because he is loosing money. But I,m not buying it ( so I think )So I don't have the exact change and I whip out two R100. His eyes lite up and he says I'll give you two eggs for R200. I'm thinking , what deal, I saved R125 each by buying from the Hawker rather than the Curio shop. What a deal maker I am? Now ,how the hell do I get them home without breaking them.
After the egg deal we went to the Caves and took the 1 1/2 tour along with about 30 other interested souls about our age as they we from a bus tour group. Although my interest was original very low the tour guide gave us a lot of history and we thoroughly enjoyed it. After the tour we drummed up a conversation with a middle age couple from Joburg. They gave us a few more tips on what we should see while in ZA. They, along with most of people we meet have a long lost Aunt in Victoria, BC or a cousin working Toronto.
Now, to finish the day we decided to visit an Olive Farm which was on our way back to the camp. Although we had to travel 1 1/2 KM over a dirt road to reach the ( what we thought was a farm) turned out to be an Olive farm and a 5 Star, no... Make that a 6 Star restaurant and Guest Chalets. They did not have a tour not did the sell Olives but they did have food and beer so we stayed for lunch. We also had a short conversation with a young couple from Amsterdam and they spoke fluent English with no ascent.
We still wanted to see an Olive processing plant so we headed for another one. But they only give you the history on the Olive and about how they make Olive oil and shown you their Olive and give you the taste test. We did find it interesting and of course we bought a couple of Jars of Olives. Now that is how we spent our day. Tomorrow we will head for Mossel Bay some 88 km down the road.
But on the way we stopped at a " Roadside Hawker " who was selling Ostrich eggs with pictures of the Big 5 or a maps of Africa or even your picture imprinted on them. Actually we stopped yesterday to check on the price and we made a deal for one egg with the map of Africa on one half and the big 5 on the other half for R120. ( they sell for R225 at the Curio stores ) but he did not have any but would have one tomorrow,hence the reason we stopped. So now he tries to up the price another R10 because he is loosing money. But I,m not buying it ( so I think )So I don't have the exact change and I whip out two R100. His eyes lite up and he says I'll give you two eggs for R200. I'm thinking , what deal, I saved R125 each by buying from the Hawker rather than the Curio shop. What a deal maker I am? Now ,how the hell do I get them home without breaking them.
After the egg deal we went to the Caves and took the 1 1/2 tour along with about 30 other interested souls about our age as they we from a bus tour group. Although my interest was original very low the tour guide gave us a lot of history and we thoroughly enjoyed it. After the tour we drummed up a conversation with a middle age couple from Joburg. They gave us a few more tips on what we should see while in ZA. They, along with most of people we meet have a long lost Aunt in Victoria, BC or a cousin working Toronto.
Now, to finish the day we decided to visit an Olive Farm which was on our way back to the camp. Although we had to travel 1 1/2 KM over a dirt road to reach the ( what we thought was a farm) turned out to be an Olive farm and a 5 Star, no... Make that a 6 Star restaurant and Guest Chalets. They did not have a tour not did the sell Olives but they did have food and beer so we stayed for lunch. We also had a short conversation with a young couple from Amsterdam and they spoke fluent English with no ascent.
We still wanted to see an Olive processing plant so we headed for another one. But they only give you the history on the Olive and about how they make Olive oil and shown you their Olive and give you the taste test. We did find it interesting and of course we bought a couple of Jars of Olives. Now that is how we spent our day. Tomorrow we will head for Mossel Bay some 88 km down the road.
Sunday, 4 December 2011
4 dec George to Oudtshoorn
Today was another " long !!!!" travel day, as we did the 60 KM from George to Oudtshoorn, which is a city of 75,000 althought it appears much smaller. It is obvious a tourist area because the amount of signs advertising B and B; self-catering Chalets ( which mean you make them both ) ; Guest House and Caravan parks. Our park has 30 camp sites and 51 chalets. Incidently they charge by the number of people staying in the room ,not for the room. The owner told me his chalets were full for the weekend and he had 231 customers staying there.
The drive from George was thru the mountains ( definitely not the Rockies ) which are covered with vegetation and or trees. The scenery was great but the drive a little scary at times. First the road is two lanes with no shoulder and I mean NO shoulder. That gives you about 1 foot of space on each side of the MH to make an error. That in itself, was not bad but as i looked in the mirror I seen the entire gang of "Hell's Angel's " coming up behind me and apparently they do not have to abide by the speed limit. Bear in mind this hwy is either going up or down hill and has a zillion curves. These guys were using the centre line as their passing lane so I was giving as much room as i could or maybe I should say as much room as Carroll would allow me to give. If I hear her say " don't get over " when we return to North american I think I'll throw her our of the vehicle. Finally the 30 or so " Murder Cycles " as I call them passed me so I felt more comfortable. Until I rounded a curve and seen that they had pulled off in " layby " to regroup or chat. I immediately realized that these Bikers would be passing me again and sure enough they passed a few miles down the road. Luckily , that was the last we seen of them and the rest of the drive was peaceful. There are many farms in the area that raise cattle, sheep, goats and Ostrich. this use to be tobbaco farming area many years ago as the old delapated drying barns are still standing, most just barely. Apparently the Ostrich was more lucative, especially the leather.
After we got set up at our camp site , we hit the pool as it was very hot, in fact too hot. Then we spoke to the owner who gave us a map of the area and pointed out the " Must See " areas.
By this time it was after lunch so we decided to settle for the Ostrich farm which was only 7 KM away. The farm conducts a tour every hour or so we joined the next tour , which consisted of a couple from Switzerland, Germany. Indian and the Philipines. First we rec an excellent briefing on the Ostrich, how it came to ZA, why farm it and the benefits to our health from the meat. I was most impressed with the toughness of the leather and how expensive it is. I was also surprised that the only animal faster than a Ostrich over a few KM is the Cheeta, as the they can reach a speed of 70 KMH. The Ostrich could also kill with one blow of it's foot which is lightening fast and has a razor sharp toenail. Some farmers raise a few Ostriches with their cattle , sheep or goats as they as very protective of their terittory and with fight off any predators. Then we tour the Pens and seen the newly hatched birds and then we headed for the ride pens. I was first to volenteer so the coralled one and gave me a two second blurb on how to hold on and with help i did manage to get a short ride. Then they neede a volunteer to feed the animals and again I when first as they others where somewhat shy. I would like to include pics but I doubt know how. Then we ask to to stand on some Ostrich eggs to see how strong the were and they can hold a person up to 300 LBs. Again we have pics of Carroll and I on the eggs.
Since the temp was 40 C at the farm and it was around 4 PM we headed back tot he Park and hit the Pool again.
We later went out for supper and Carroll being the one to try something new had an ostrick steak, I stuck with the beef. the Ostrich was good but has a fining grain than the beef and a somewhat mild flavour.
The drive from George was thru the mountains ( definitely not the Rockies ) which are covered with vegetation and or trees. The scenery was great but the drive a little scary at times. First the road is two lanes with no shoulder and I mean NO shoulder. That gives you about 1 foot of space on each side of the MH to make an error. That in itself, was not bad but as i looked in the mirror I seen the entire gang of "Hell's Angel's " coming up behind me and apparently they do not have to abide by the speed limit. Bear in mind this hwy is either going up or down hill and has a zillion curves. These guys were using the centre line as their passing lane so I was giving as much room as i could or maybe I should say as much room as Carroll would allow me to give. If I hear her say " don't get over " when we return to North american I think I'll throw her our of the vehicle. Finally the 30 or so " Murder Cycles " as I call them passed me so I felt more comfortable. Until I rounded a curve and seen that they had pulled off in " layby " to regroup or chat. I immediately realized that these Bikers would be passing me again and sure enough they passed a few miles down the road. Luckily , that was the last we seen of them and the rest of the drive was peaceful. There are many farms in the area that raise cattle, sheep, goats and Ostrich. this use to be tobbaco farming area many years ago as the old delapated drying barns are still standing, most just barely. Apparently the Ostrich was more lucative, especially the leather.
After we got set up at our camp site , we hit the pool as it was very hot, in fact too hot. Then we spoke to the owner who gave us a map of the area and pointed out the " Must See " areas.
By this time it was after lunch so we decided to settle for the Ostrich farm which was only 7 KM away. The farm conducts a tour every hour or so we joined the next tour , which consisted of a couple from Switzerland, Germany. Indian and the Philipines. First we rec an excellent briefing on the Ostrich, how it came to ZA, why farm it and the benefits to our health from the meat. I was most impressed with the toughness of the leather and how expensive it is. I was also surprised that the only animal faster than a Ostrich over a few KM is the Cheeta, as the they can reach a speed of 70 KMH. The Ostrich could also kill with one blow of it's foot which is lightening fast and has a razor sharp toenail. Some farmers raise a few Ostriches with their cattle , sheep or goats as they as very protective of their terittory and with fight off any predators. Then we tour the Pens and seen the newly hatched birds and then we headed for the ride pens. I was first to volenteer so the coralled one and gave me a two second blurb on how to hold on and with help i did manage to get a short ride. Then they neede a volunteer to feed the animals and again I when first as they others where somewhat shy. I would like to include pics but I doubt know how. Then we ask to to stand on some Ostrich eggs to see how strong the were and they can hold a person up to 300 LBs. Again we have pics of Carroll and I on the eggs.
Since the temp was 40 C at the farm and it was around 4 PM we headed back tot he Park and hit the Pool again.
We later went out for supper and Carroll being the one to try something new had an ostrick steak, I stuck with the beef. the Ostrich was good but has a fining grain than the beef and a somewhat mild flavour.
Saturday, 3 December 2011
3 Dec Saturday Train Ride
The other 2 headers for 3 Dec were published without me touching the " Plublished " button so I don't how it happened. Just diereguard them as I can not delete them.
Now for Saturday. On Thursday, while at the Information Booth we were told about this train ride up the mountain. Since we had no other plans for Sat , we booked it. As it turns out it was very interesting. the train itself was actually the engine that normally pulled the test cars along the track to do the inspection. It was converted to carry about 20 tourist at a time but they had a 2nd car that held another 12 people.
The tour was narrated by a lady who was well versed in the history of the particular rail system, the history of the city of George and the name of all the flowers and faua we seen in route.
This particular rail system was started in 1908 but not completed until 1913 and it was constructed by prisoners. It covers a distance of 50 miles from George to Outshorn and was mainly a passenger train. It ceased operations in 1949 due to lack of passengers. The climb from sea level to the apex covered some 20 Km and took about 1 hour to reach the top. The mountain that we climbed was covered by forest , grass or indegious plants. One piece of information that surprised me was the ZA has only 2 % of indegious trees left due them being logged out over the years and replaced with a fast growing Mexican Pine. As a result the pine trees are mainly used for Pulp as they are not good for lumber products.
This trip took 2 1/2 hours and killed part of the day. Then we decided to go to a Berry farm and maybe pick some strawberries but once we got there, which was a half hour drive, we opted for lunch and bought the " already " picked berries. We then decide to go to a new mall in the area of our camp site as we needed a few groceries and the weather was cool, cloudy and threatening rain.
We were about a 1/2 from the shopping centre, so all I had to do was to back track my route. As i approached the 1 st " Roundabout" I forgot which exit I needed and naturally chose the wrong one and ended up going the wrong direction. I finally got turn around and when I hit the next " roundabout " I chose the wrong exit again. This time I really got turned around and it took the Navagator about 20 mins to get me back on track. Finally we got to the mall, and while walking down the mall I spotted a Vodafone store and they sold iPad2. Since my iPad was not working at all I ask one astute looking salesman if he would look at it for me. He agreed, so I went to the MH and got my iPad.
While I was getting my iPad Carroll was walking around the mall and found a Walk-in Clinic. She has had a hard time hearing for about a week and it was getting worst so she went into the clinic and the doctor took her right away. In the meantime, I'm at the Vodafone store having my iPad readjusted as it turns out. The problem was with the remote keyboard and if you don't have an ipad you probably don't have the foggest idea what I'm talking about. Suffice to say, Mr. Vodafone told me not to use the remote keyboard again as it was broken, and he then got the ipad to function properly for which I greatly appreciated.
It cost R250 ( 32.00 cdn ) for the doctors appt and she gave Carroll a perscription for some ear drops to clean out the wax in her ears.
By this time it was 4:30 pm and the weather was cool so we decide to take in a movie rather then sit in the camper so we killed another 2 hours and seen the movie " Moneyball ". If you haven't seen , it is worth seeing.
Then we picked up some KFC and went home to make the rest of the supper.
Now for Saturday. On Thursday, while at the Information Booth we were told about this train ride up the mountain. Since we had no other plans for Sat , we booked it. As it turns out it was very interesting. the train itself was actually the engine that normally pulled the test cars along the track to do the inspection. It was converted to carry about 20 tourist at a time but they had a 2nd car that held another 12 people.
The tour was narrated by a lady who was well versed in the history of the particular rail system, the history of the city of George and the name of all the flowers and faua we seen in route.
This particular rail system was started in 1908 but not completed until 1913 and it was constructed by prisoners. It covers a distance of 50 miles from George to Outshorn and was mainly a passenger train. It ceased operations in 1949 due to lack of passengers. The climb from sea level to the apex covered some 20 Km and took about 1 hour to reach the top. The mountain that we climbed was covered by forest , grass or indegious plants. One piece of information that surprised me was the ZA has only 2 % of indegious trees left due them being logged out over the years and replaced with a fast growing Mexican Pine. As a result the pine trees are mainly used for Pulp as they are not good for lumber products.
This trip took 2 1/2 hours and killed part of the day. Then we decided to go to a Berry farm and maybe pick some strawberries but once we got there, which was a half hour drive, we opted for lunch and bought the " already " picked berries. We then decide to go to a new mall in the area of our camp site as we needed a few groceries and the weather was cool, cloudy and threatening rain.
We were about a 1/2 from the shopping centre, so all I had to do was to back track my route. As i approached the 1 st " Roundabout" I forgot which exit I needed and naturally chose the wrong one and ended up going the wrong direction. I finally got turn around and when I hit the next " roundabout " I chose the wrong exit again. This time I really got turned around and it took the Navagator about 20 mins to get me back on track. Finally we got to the mall, and while walking down the mall I spotted a Vodafone store and they sold iPad2. Since my iPad was not working at all I ask one astute looking salesman if he would look at it for me. He agreed, so I went to the MH and got my iPad.
While I was getting my iPad Carroll was walking around the mall and found a Walk-in Clinic. She has had a hard time hearing for about a week and it was getting worst so she went into the clinic and the doctor took her right away. In the meantime, I'm at the Vodafone store having my iPad readjusted as it turns out. The problem was with the remote keyboard and if you don't have an ipad you probably don't have the foggest idea what I'm talking about. Suffice to say, Mr. Vodafone told me not to use the remote keyboard again as it was broken, and he then got the ipad to function properly for which I greatly appreciated.
It cost R250 ( 32.00 cdn ) for the doctors appt and she gave Carroll a perscription for some ear drops to clean out the wax in her ears.
By this time it was 4:30 pm and the weather was cool so we decide to take in a movie rather then sit in the camper so we killed another 2 hours and seen the movie " Moneyball ". If you haven't seen , it is worth seeing.
Then we picked up some KFC and went home to make the rest of the supper.
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