Day 17: Kokstad to Graaff-Reinet and Day 18: Graaff-Reinet to Oudtshoorn

We hit the road out of Kokstadt at 7:30 and it's 5 degrees.
We're heading into the Great Karoo and the scenery on our right is not as majestic as the Berg that is now fading away.

I find it amazing that the local farmers, large and small, always burn their fields at this time of year (from a purely selfidh point of view I mut point out that it also makes photography difficult).  Our 4x4 guide Frank told us that this continual burning eventually leads to the eradication of certain types of grasses and only the sweeet grasses (or grazing grasses) are left - these unfortunately are less hardy and less capable of holding the soil together and therefore soil erosion results.
All the small towns we pass through have gotten their act together with regards to low-cost housing - it's good to see.  Also, a lot of towns have had solar geysers installed on the small houses, some even having small solar (PV) panels - the caviat of course is some tenderpreneur probably got stinking rich in the process.

Graaff Reinet is still beautiful and well preserved (the local boere vat nie kak nie) and as it's still too cold we treat ourselves to a decadent bed and breakfast - see picture (with dinner at the Club - absolutely magic food, totally unexpected).
Our next day sees us head for Ostrich City via Willowmore where we stop for coffee.  What a surprise, Willomore is very Afrikaans and has a large historical Jewish cemetery next to the new low cost housing area.  The locals in the coffee shop are all having a dop or two at lunchtime - what a life!  The town is not so inspiring any more though and lots of houses and plots in the town are for sale.

Magnificen cats of the Wilderness Park, Oudtshoorn

Day 16: Hluhluwe to Kokstad

Well Hluhluwe was well worth it - camping at it's best again.
On the way out of the park we had to wait for about 15 elephants to cross the road, then we were on our way to Kokstadt.

On the way to Underberg we pass the BostonTParty farm stall and stop for coffee and snacks, the setting is beautiful and is completed by a sniggering dalmation (the thing actually grins).

It's a long haul today but the scenery gets more majestic with the Berg always seen out of the Doddle window (a semblance of a Doddle mountain bike plan is beginning to form for around here).

As the sun starts going down and we near Kokstadt we realize that it's going to be bloody freezing again tonight so the Doddle tent (much to Lyn's relief) will remain closed (I must say that even I don't find the rooftop tent pleasant in a beating wind with temperatures of near zero outside - what's becomming of me!)

We have categorized (labelled is perhaps a better word) the towns we have stopped at with a measure as to how far they have deteriorated in the last 17 years (17 is a clue here guys), and Kokstadt can be desribed as middle of the road.  And generally the roads have deteriorated badly, even in the towns.

 

Day 14: Kosi Bay to Hluhluwe-iMfolozi National Park and Day 15: Hluhluwe-iMfolozi National Park



Fish traps in the Kosi Bay Estuary

We stayed in a community project campsite just outside of the Kosi Bay Estuary National Park. Very basic, but do-able. However our stay in Kosi Bay was not cosy - a gale blew all night and we learnt some basic facts of life: roof-top tent + gale force wind = zero sleep! Not much fun at all, but the scenery the next morning was spectacular so we forgot our weariness. The estuary is impressive and there seems to be a huge number of people who go down there to fish and dive / snorkel.

Kosi Bay Estuary


















We moved on to Hluhluwe and into the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Nation Park where we had booked a chalet at the Hilltop Camp. The park is huge with a terrific number of animals. The game viewing is excellent and we have been very lucky - we came across a hyena about two minutes out of camp this morning and saw a group of seven lion lazing around on the river bed. Inbetween we saw so much that we have become quite used to seeing rhino, wildebeest, buffalo, giraffe, warthog, impala, kudu, elephant, etc. etc. We went on an 'official' game drive this evening and asked the guide about the huge number of rhino that they have. Apparently they have about 200 black rhino and over 2000 white rhino. They have lost some to poachers, but not many and they have a very active anti-poaching unit. Unfortunately what the guide says seems to make sense - as long as so much money is involved, they will not be able to stop the poaching. Very sad.


and no shortage of rhino either

Zebra up close in Hluhluwe

          

the lion on the river bank

Tomorrow we move on and start heading towards home and 'real life' again......

Day 13: St. Lucia to Kosi Bay

Walking around the park in St. Lucia this morning, we saw hippo instantly only metres from the walkway but are dissappointed with all the vehicles on the estuary beach (even though it seems to be legal).

The drive through the St Lucia Wetland Park to Cape Vidal produces some great game veiwing, notably rhino, lotsa buck, zebra, phumbas, wildebeast, buffalo and crocs.

The park seems well managed and maintained and improvements to roads and offices and accommodation are underway.  Everyone is helpful and friendly (in contrast to the tourism office in Margate), it's good, lekker and we're enjoying it!



Magnificent! "De-horn" the poachers!!



Day 11 & 12: Lusikisiki to Margate to St. Lucia Estuary

It's amazing when you cross the river between Transkei and the Wild Coast, just after the Wild Coast Sun - the world changes. The road changes (suddenly 4 lane highway), the houses and lands change (few, if any cattle, sheep and goats on the road) and we are suddenly back in the land of the living.
Margate is lively and modern in comparison to where we've been for the last few days, but it's raining and we decide to stay at the Margate beachfront in a self catering flat, catching up on  news and rugby scores.


The mongoose showed us where to camp

Going throuhg Durban I decide that even though we have three contracts running in Durban I wont't pay a vists (Lyn's comment about being on holiday wins) and I don't feel guilty.
We walk around Durban beachfron as Lyn hasn't been there for many years and then decide to go north and maybe forego the Baviaanskloof, depending what we find.

We pull up at the KZN Parks Board Camp Site in St Lucia to signs of danger everywhere and take our first taste of the Doddle's rooftop tent - magnificent!

The Happy Camper!

Day 7, 8, 9 & 10: Pondoland 4X4 Trip



Typical Pondoland scenery



Pondoland is basically the old Transkei North or northern Wild Coast. The people are generally friendly but poor and the kids mostly have the super-irritating habit of holding out their palms when they see a white face, screaming "Sweeeeeeeeeets!!!!!"

The scenery is fantastic, the deep gorges a product of minor tectonic plate movement causing fault lines accross the landscape which occasionally result in a spectacular waterfall.

Our guide is extremely knowledgable about the area and we are to stay in two different Drifters Camps for two nights in each, carrying out recce's of the local surrounds with a bit of 4x4 challenge thrown in.

To be honest the 4x4'ing wasn't that exciting but it was comical seeing the nervousness of some of the other participants.

Fortunately Lyn's cousin and his wife joined us on this part of the Doddle and the company was pleasant - Vaughn and I gettting some heavy paddling up river and body surfing also (maybe a future entrant for membership of the Doddle Gang).



The endangered Cape Vulture nests here



The Cape Vulture is being sustained partially by the creation of a Vulture Restaurant where farmers can dump carcasses off which the vultures can feed - they have an incredible flying range of up to 750km and can spot kills and carcasses from many kilometres away.



The Wild Coast



The most interesting sights were the waterfalls and the Magwa Tea Plantation.  The Magwa Tea Plantation was a government initiative where a very large (R25m I believe) investment was made into an existing small tea farm to produce the largest tea plantation in the southern hemisphere.  We drove for half an hour through thiss plantation and saw only a fraction of it - sadly it is now inoperable due to labour disputes and local politics.  It is incredible how such a fantastic opportunity has been completely fucked up out of sight!




There are also many tourism opportunities going begging here, with one waterfall having a greater freefall height than Victoria Falls - but guess what, the main Tourism Office in East London has just shut its doors due to lack of funding - the Eastern Cape just beggars belief!




Vaughn, Claire, Lyn & Simon





The food on this tour has been superb and generally cooked solely by our chief guide Frank who only has one assistant, Pete. We are seriously overfed and spoiled (battling to fasten the pants now) and we enjoy a couple of drinks each evening with Vaughn and Claire.



The Doddle (and Simon) doing their thing!




Road building is part of the fun!



Magwa Falls

Manteku Falls



Early-morning paddle on absolutely still water



They breed them tough - and cute - in the Transkei!!



We saw countless dolphin from this road

The Doddle continues from here - heading North but not really sure where to. Our fellow-travellers were all envious as they hussled off to their various commitments and we continue going nowhere slowly...... 





Day 6 Morgan Bay to Port St Johns

We crossed the ferry at Kei Mouth just outside Morgan Bay at 9:30, it had to be a high tide as the rain had washed plenty sand into the river mouth leaving sandbanks.

The ferry is licensed by SAMSA (no bloody way) or so it says and the drive on and off was easy.

Onto Mthatha - what a place, ceentre of the old Transkei and taxi madness everywhere.  Funnily enough the town seemed to be fairly prosperous (was that just because we were getting used to the rural poverty?) and we ate lunch at a Mikes Kitchen on the outskirts of the town.  Then down VERY rough road to the Toyota workshop to fix a sticking clutch which took all of 30 seconds with a pair of pliers and a bush mechanic, but at no cost at least.

From Mthatha we ventured off to Port St Johns, the road having many many roadblcoks and clogged with roadworks, the cops never stopped us though - must be my menacing straggly facial hair perhaps?

It's 20 years since we've been here and the place has deteriorated badly - we stayed previously in the Cape Hermes Hotel which is now a dillapidated husk, very sad indeed.

In Port St Johns we're staying at the Delicious Monster, good food in amongst the constant dog-yapping.



The view from Delicious Monster



The Delicious Monster

Today (Friday) we start off for Lusikisiki and the start of our 4x4 adventure, not sure if there will be any signal or eletricicty, but very excited nonetheless.

We are truly "Pondo'd". Its all good bru', no worries, cool bananas, it's all kiff - Port St Johns still has a fair number of alternative robe wearers around.