Sorry, people, this post is not about the psychedelic type of tripping. It's about a Licorice Allsorts kind of road trip. A little bit of everything … a handful of country towns, a beautiful wine valley, a palmful of amazing foodie experiences, a sprinkling of good friends to share life with. We started in the…
Muses & Fishy Tales
Right now I'm sympathising with the wintery Northern Hemisphere as we in the Southern Hemisphere celebrate Summer. Which has well and truly arrived! Cobalt-blue skies, hot sunshine and a whiff on the breeze of sea air. In our holiday town the signs of water and everything water-related . . . suckered tentacles, underwater bubbles, fishtails,…
A Matter of Canyons
Today I return to our stay at the transcendant Fish River Lodge in Namibia. There is a drive that takes you down to the base of the canyon (NINE hours round trip!!!), but if you decide not to join it there are also two short walks you can do along the rim, one to either…
Flower Stay at Papkuilsfontein
Last stop on a 3-week, 4,700-kilometre roadtrip through Kgalagadi, Fish River Canyon, Richtersveld and the Great Karoo. The farm Papkuilsfontein, sandwiched in-between the small West Coast towns of the springflower route, itself has spectacular flower displays ... but it being mid-September (and having heard of the scintillating season this year in August already) we weren't…
Gorge Cottage at Augrabies Falls
What an inspired decision to stay in the Gorge Cottage at the Augrabies Falls! We felt like kings of the castle. It is brilliantly designed, tucked like a secret hideaway among gargantuan granite boulders beneath a public picnic viewing deck and set right at the edge of the Augrabies Falls gorge (which is in fact…
Rocking the Richtersveld
The road through the Richtersveld was long and slow and laborious. But the scenery? Stupendous. There, I've found a new superlative. We passed through jagged mountains in charcoal, cinnamon, nutmeg and sumac. That's russet for the uninitiated. The rock is volcanic in nature, rich in minerals (hence the amazing range of colours — there are…
Road to Richtersveld
A quick post via H's bluetooth connection ... we are sitting at SANParks' Sendelingsdrift units on the Orange River, having passed through the border via the Pont at 1:30. Very exciting! Via a conversation with a Namibian tour guide (who went by the name of Seven) H. learned that the Pont has only just recently…
Eagle’s Perspective on Fish River Canyon
Bureaucracy … you can't get away from it, wherever you go. South African customs at Twee Rivieren told us that the Namibians no longer will allow us to take fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as our wood (ahem, Namibian wood) into their country … they don't want our pests. So … when we left…
Spirit of the Kalahari
I nearly didn't make it into the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. I have a South African ID document but my passport is Dutch, therefore I'm not considered a citizen with the right kind of credentials. I left my ID document behind but brought along my driver's licence, just in case. Nope. That was not enough. The…
Follow the Orange River
"9 to 5" in Dolly Parton's terms is a humdrum day at the office. For us 9 to 5 was an eight hours' drive (with a stop for funds, gas, lunch) for 675 kilometres across the Great Karoo. Hello, Prieska. Elephants in Victoria West. Who would've thought? Love them. We're on the road again! A…
Quirky Girl Traveller 