Telling Travel Tales
  • Home
  • Travelling Again
    • UK Postcards 2023
    • Roadtrippin' Ireland
    • Art Blogs >
      • Street Smarts#1
      • Street Smarts#2
      • Banksy
      • Gormley
    • UK Postcards 2022
  • Gallery
  • Backyard Travel
    • New Zealand 2022
    • Auckland CBD
    • West Auckland
    • Northland
  • Blogs
    • New Zealand Tales
    • South Africa Tales >
      • Cape Road Trip
    • Vanuatu Tales
    • Lockdown Blogs
  • About
  • Home
  • Travelling Again
    • UK Postcards 2023
    • Roadtrippin' Ireland
    • Art Blogs >
      • Street Smarts#1
      • Street Smarts#2
      • Banksy
      • Gormley
    • UK Postcards 2022
  • Gallery
  • Backyard Travel
    • New Zealand 2022
    • Auckland CBD
    • West Auckland
    • Northland
  • Blogs
    • New Zealand Tales
    • South Africa Tales >
      • Cape Road Trip
    • Vanuatu Tales
    • Lockdown Blogs
  • About
TRAVEL TALES

South  Africa

Cape Road Trip: Boats in the Karoo

11/22/2016

 

Day 2 - Parys to Gariep Dam

Picture
DISTANCE: 734 kms
On the Road
A long distance travel day that found us still 1000kms from Cape Town at the end of it. The road from Vredeport through Kroonstad and beyond is under construction, with bumpy dirt road detours, stop and go sections and speed restrictions. Once on the N1 the travelling is easier.
Picture
Picture
Pit Stops
​
Plum Tree Cafe - main street of Parys
Parys has trendied up, one of those small towns in the middle of nowhere that has reinvented itself as a tourist destination. It’s vintage in an Afrikaans/Africa sort of a way, lots of antiques, broekie lace and homemade rusks. The mediocre morning coffee (ugly bubbles in the foam of my cappuccino) was rescued by the highly original presentation and served with the December 1974 Edition 51 of Huisgenoot magazine, complete with Anneline Kriel on the cover. Worth stopping for that alone.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Overnighted at: Forever Resort 
Located: Gariep Dam
How we found it: We camped at the dam thirty something years ago, although it wasn’t owned by Forever Resorts then. “Camp & Caravan” confirmed that it was still operating.
Road access: Good.
Amenities: Awesome. Individual ablutions per campsite (kitchen, toilet, bath), braais and power. Restaurant at the resort, shops and a petrol station nearby. 
Cost: NZD22 / ZAR220 for two adults (pensioner’s discount!)

Picture
Our experience
It felt strangely familiar - not much has changed in the camping area since we came through with our windsurfers en route to Hogsback and East London more than three decades ago. Slightly surreal to see boat masts and an expanse of muddy-coloured water in what is basically the Karoo. Much warmer and dryer than our night at the Vaal and we had no security worries. Slept well.

Soundtrack: Birds, occasional helicopters and distant road traffic.

Highlight: Our own private, lockable kitchen and ensuite.
Lowlight: There wasn't one.

Lessons Learnt: 
  • Over 60’s qualify for a pensioner discount at Forever Resorts. Conflicted about this fact. Happy about the discount, not so keen on the being-over-sixty thing.
  • Discovered Keith was right, we really do need some kind of seating. Very uncomfortable sitting on hard ground whilst eating breakfast. Honestly believe this would be an issue at any age.
Picture
Picture
<< Day 1  |  Day 3 >>     Back to intro


Comments are closed.

    Author

    Dianne.
    ​A roaming hippie.

    Picture

    Archives

    December 2016
    November 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

NEW ZEALAND TALES​
  • North Island - 2022
  • South Island - 2022
  • Northland Road Trip
  • Northland Camping
  • Auckland CBD
  • West Auckland
UK TALES 2023
Hello from . . . 
UK TALES 2022
Hello from . . .
Street Smarts - Banksy
Another Place - Gormley
Holiday Snaps
SOUTH AFRICA TALES
Cape Road Trip
VANUATU TALES
North Efate
HOME
ABOUT
LOCKDOWN TALES
​Where do we go now?

Website by South Seas Design
Copyright: Telling Travel Tales 2016 - 2023    ALL RIGHTS RESERVED