All good things must come to an end.

15-19 SEPTEMBER 2020

It almost felt like déjà vu when we woke up in Springbok Caravan Park to a beautiful day again. We only had 260km to travel to Vanrhynsdorp, therefore we were in no hurry to pack up. Andre treated us with his speciality breakfast in the steel pan over the coals: a massive square sweetcorn omelette, with fried bits-of-bacon and crispy, fried baby potatoes (left-overs from the previous night’s braai).

Then we followed the N7 to Vanrhynsdorp without a glitch – almost a weird feeling! We had a quick picnic with cheese and biscuits next to the road before arriving at Vanrhynsdorp Caravan Park mid-afternoon (http:www.vanrhynsdorpcaravanpark.co.za/). The campsite was quite full with wildflower-tourists but, luckily, we still got a spot for the night. We had time to do some admin and, after I had struggled for days to figure out how to transfer the photos from my camera to my phone via Wi-Fi, Captain Invincible finally rescued his technologically challenged wife.

And I rewarded him by making my legendary tuna-pasta (one of his favourites) on the gas stove for dinner. After dinner we went for a nightcap at the ZAR Restaurant, situated in the caravan park . It is quite a special place and we enjoyed the atmosphere and the friendly staff, although our Dom Pedros cost the same as our accommodation! (NOTE-TO-SELF: We are definitely having dinner there a next time.)

The next morning, after a cup of Boeretroos, we decided to make a bit of a detour to do some wine and beer tasting in Vredendal. Unfortunately, the Maskam Brewing Company had not brewed any beer yet after the Covid-ban on alcohol sales. We continued to Die Keldery Restaurant at Namaqua Wines for brunch and a wine tasting. The venue was bright and modern after recent renovations and our food was excellent. Oupie and Oumie gave us a taste of their onion rings – without a doubt, the best onion rings EVER! (https://diekeldery.com/)

I don’t know if it was foresight or a sixth sense, but I also bought a box of Spumanté, which was on special. When I climbed into the bakkie, my phone buzzed – Benjamin John van Zyl, my first little nephew, had just been born in Australia! Mom and baby were both doing fine. Of course, there were tears of joy, but also of immense longing to be there to meet this little man. The first thing that we did when we arrived at Rondeberg Holiday Resort, situated on the Bulshoek Dam north of Clanwilliam, was to drink a toast to the newest member of the Fun Sail Clan. (Fun Sails is the name of our family Whatsapp group – named after Andre’s suggestion of how to explain the correct pronunciation of Van Zyl to the Ozzies .)

Rondeberg Resort is not cheap, but it really is a stunning campsite. We had a waterfront campsite with our own private ablution facilities. (https://rondeberg.com/) Andre could not wait to start fishing – and finally, just when he started to doubt his abilities as an angler, the bass decided to bite. The next morning, Andre and Oupie rented a pedal boat and went fishing before the crack of dawn. He was so thrilled to enjoy this special time with his dad – and he was over the moon when Oupie also caught some bass! Oumie and I enjoyed some rest and relaxation at the camp, sorting and editing photos of our trip.

The highlight of my day was a video call from Australia. I could chat to my brother and Skoonsus (sister-in-law) whilst little Ben was napping peacefully on his dad’s lap in the hospital. How I wished that I could get on an aeroplane and fly to Oz to help my Skoonsus when she goes home with the new baby … even if I could just play with my little two year old niece!

We had a very late brunch with fresh roosterkoek from Oupie’s special bread mixture. Oupie also baked a “potbrood” for dinner before the men went fishing again.

It was amazing to watch as the level of the dam started rising throughout the day. Bulshoek Dam is further downstream from Clanwilliam Dam on the Olifants River. If they open the sluices in the Clanwilliam Dam-wall, then the dam level rises in Bulshoek Dam.

After our late brunch, we just warmed up our pre-cooked meat (from our Richtersveld Power Disaster) over the coals and ate that with Oupie’s warm and fluffy potbrood. We were pleasantly surprised that the meat was still so tender and juicy.

The next morning, we had to say goodbye to Oupie and Oumie. We had breakfast together at the iconic Kardoesie Farmstall (in the Piekeniers Pass between Citrusdal and Piketberg) before the outlaws went home. We really had such a blast with them, but all good things must come to an end!

Andre and I were invited to the wedding of Mardré (and Paul), daughter (and now son-in-law) of our friends, Wim and Lolita. We turned off the N7 at Piketberg and travelled through Porterville to Fraaigelegen Guest Farm in Tulbagh. They had a contactless booking-in procedure which consisted of friendly e-mails with all the vital information and a welcoming wave from our hosts, Venishree and Juergen, as we drove past the farmhouse on our way to the campsite. Initially, we were a bit disappointed with the setting of the campsite, because we expected a view over the dam as shown on their website. But we quickly realised that this was a different kind of beautiful – the campsite was situated in the middle of the olive groves with the backdrop of the majestic Witzenberg Mountains. We went for a lovely walk on the farm to search for the dam. The view from the Shiraz and Cabernet Cottages over the dam really is lovely. The water in the dam is crystal clear and clean – perfect for a cooling-off dip in summer – although Andre would, of course, have loved some bass in the dam. (https://www.fraaigelegenfarm.co.za/)

That evening, we had a braai with the rest of the wedding party at Morgansvlei Country Estate, before returning to our secluded campsite for the night. After we had a shower, Andre took advantage of the fact that we were the only campers, to stroll back to the caravan in his birth suit.

We spent a leisurely morning at the campsite the next day and then drove to Morgansvlei to get dressed for the wedding. I did a thorough inspection of our room, because our neighbour found a small snake under her bed the night before. This was the venue’s first function after the initial strict phases of lockdown, and I suppose man must now re-establish his domination where nature could roam free for six months.

It was a lovely wedding, small and intimate, in the most beautiful setting next to the dam on Morgansvlei Country Estate. After their wedding had to be postponed initially due to the lockdown, the beautiful bride and her handsome groom cherished every moment of the special event with their family and friends. The venue also held special memories for us because my Ozzie brother and sister-in-law, who just had their new baby, also got married there in 2016. Lida and her team really knows how to make their guests feel at home. After two weeks on the road, it felt good to dress up smartly and to enjoy some fine food and dancing. And sliding into a proper bed between crisp white linen, was not too shabby either. (http://www.morgansvlei.com/)

After a delicious filled pancake breakfast the next morning, we were excited to return home to our kiddies!

ANDRE’S ADDENDUM:

At the beginning of this trip, I decided that, because we were intending to visit quite remote places with no or little ambient light sources, we would have the opportunity to do some stargazing. I, therefore, downloaded the app StarWalk2. If you point your phone at the heavens and look at it through the screen, the app shows all the the different constellations, their names, the names of their stars etc. Truly a marvel of the modern word; it was going to be brilliant. Ummmm…two things to remember, though. One: the app needs access to the internet, which we did not always have (so it became a chicken and egg situation). And secondly, and this you have to experience for yourself to appreciate. Nothing, not a cool app, nor anything that technology can provide or achieve, could do justice to the splendour of what mother nature showcases. So my advice is: get in your car, drive somewhere and open your eyes. You’ll be astonished at what there is to see.