Archive for February, 2011
Tietiesbaai
By PG Jonker
[Published in Leisure Wheels, March 2011]
It’s always nice going back on your old tracks. One weekend we decide to follow my wife’s old tracks where they used to camp as kids at Tieties Bay. When they were small, long before the world discovered Tieties Bay, they used to camp there every summer holiday.
It is nice drive with the dirt road from Stompneus Bay to Paternoster. Paternoster used to be one of those secluded spots you would visit to get away from everyone. These days when you get there everyone is there already.
Downtown Paternoster is busy. Before you get the Paternoster hotel you drive past Oep vi Koep (Open for buy).
As expected, the local courtesy befalls us: any vehicle with a non-local registration number invariably gets an invitation along the lines of “Die Larnie willie ‘n kriefie koepie?” (Does the larnie want to buy a crayfish) Such a transactionwould, of course, be illegal. The appearance of a law enforcer evokes a quick recovery: “Nei, die Lanie niem net ‘n sneppie, nuh?” (No, the larnie is just taking a photo).
Downtown Paternoster is too busy for our liking. It is outside holiday season, so Tieties Bay should be deserted, guaranteed to render the expected splendour and quietness that we seek today.
Not so. Today Tieties Bay is just as busy as Paternoster itself. Some Inter Corporate Challenge sporting event is in full swing. Colour coded teams participate against each other. Rowing, cycling, that kind of stuff. We drive past all the action to where it is indeed quiet. We park the bakkie and walk off, away from the hustle and bustle.
My wife wants to go show me a cave where they used to play as kids. She relives the memories of big crayfish, waves and rocky pools to play in. She remembers this big pool where she used to swim as a four-year old. We find the pool. It is now 3 feet deep and 5 feet long. Maybe things look a bit bigger when you’re only 4 years old. My wife also shows me where the older girls would tan topless, and where the dudes would then peep over the rocks to watch the sun set.
Before we can reach the cave a guy with a huge camera comes running past us from behind. Then a whole team of participants in the Corporate Challenge also comes running past.
The next thing a chopper appears, with another camera man hanging out of the helicopter. Suddenly we find ourselves in something that feels like a reality show.
My cell pone rings. I answer, but cannot hear a thing. The rotor of the chopper makes one heck of a noise. Dust and foam from the water twirl up in the air.
Eventually things become quiet again. We reach the cave. The cave also turns out to be not as big as it used to be when my wife was 4 years old. In fact, it’s not really a cave, but rather a rocky overhang. Someone had a braai there recently. They did not clean up when they were done.
We can see that Jordan was there. As were Del and Carien. And Angel digs Reija, the grafitti on the rock confirms.
We sit down on a rock and enjoy the quiet.
Later we drive back. As one drive away from the sea you see the hill with the rock in the middle form which Tieties Bay got his name. It looks like a woman’s breast.
However, someone was not quite satisfied with mother nature’s endeavours, and decided to spice it up with something that makes the ‘nipple’ stand out more prominently.
Maybe it’s a good thing that the koppie was there before they built the lighthouse. The name might have been totally different then.
Paternoster’s beach remains a wonderful sight. 
Later the sporting event draws to a close on the beach, with flags, trucks, busses, sponsors’ advertisements, and plenty of people. A group of equestarians arrives from the opposite direction and meet up with there back-up team on the beach.
Paternoster has become a big town in comparison to what it used to be. It has become virtually impossible to take a picture without a “For Sale” bord somewhere in it. Guest houses abound.
I guess it’s progress. It’s good for the economy.
pgj
PG JONKER…
Stettyn
By PG Jonker
[Published in Leisure Wheels, March 2011]
One Saturday morning four families (including us) met at the Huguenot museum in Franschhoek, en route to Stettyn, via Villiersdorp, for a bit of 4 x4 and a sleep-over in nature, while putting our vehicles to the test at the same time.
Setting
From Franschhoek we travelled in convoy on the twisty road to Villiersdorp. The Stettyn 4×4 trail is located on the farm Stettyn between Villiersdorp and Worcester, at the foot of the Stettyn mountain range. The trail provides some nice challenges, we were told, and the views and terrain are magnificent, with a variety of fynbos and proteas.
Arriving at Stettyn, we found our way by following the directions to a nearby silo, which served as the admin building.
Inside the silo we signed ourselves in, unassisted.
On the walls inside the silo there are aerial pictures of the 4×4 route. They show the 12 hairpin bends you will encounter on your way up a climb that will take you 1300m above sea level.
Up, up and away
After a good brunch we deflated our tyres, and off we went.
It is a steep climb, and we travelled mostly in low range, second gear.
After an hour my bakkie’s temperature gauge started climbing too. We stopped a few times, but none of these stops made much of a difference to my bakkie’s temperature. The route is such that you cannot simply pull off and let the others pass. If you stop, no-one behind you can go anywhere!
So I kept going with the grumbling of the big six 3.4 litres in my ears, and the temperature steadily climbing (mine too).
Fans
I later switched the air-conditioning on, as this should activate the electric fan. However, after a short while I noticed matters were getting worse, so I switched the air-con off again. Eventually the temperature gauge got to the red line, when suddenly the temperature started dropping dramatically down to normal. I’m not sure whether it was because we entered the shadow of the mountain, or whether the viscous fan actually kicked in. If it was the latter, then it means that the viscous fan only kicks in once the needles starts nudging the upper limits of the temperature gauge.
I later found out that my electric fan had actually been burnt out and did not come on when I switched on the air-con. Which explains the rapid deterioration in temperature once I put the aircon on, instead of improving matters! I had to have this fan replaced afterwards, but I asked the auto electrician to add a toggle switch so that I could activate the electric fan without switching on the air conditioner. I’ve needed this device only once since, fortunately. That was in Chobe a few years later when I kept my bakkie running all the time because I was not sure how quickly an elephant could cover 50m! I also had the viscous fan replaced after the mechanic had the bakkie idling for a long time without any hint of the fan kicking in. So I’m still not sure whether it might actually have been working on the Stettyn trip, but only kicked in once the gauge reached the red line.
These days I’m not taking any chances. If that gauge just looks like its going up, I switch on my electric fan, simply because I have it.
Beating the bends
But back to the driving. Low range seems essential on this route. Steep inclines and rocky areas sometimes cause wheel spin that requires a diff lock to retain traction. At two of the hairpin bends the vehicles couldn’t turn, as there was not sufficient space, so we needed to do the bit that followed in reverse. At this spot, the Isuzu was coming up the incline, with the Toyota moving away from the camera – quite a classic scene, but you needed to be there to appreciate it.
The scenery was magnificent. The Brandvlei Dam could be seen in the background for kilometre upon kilometre.
Judging from the time display on my pictures, it seems that it took us some three hours (with stops) to reach the camping site 9km from the starting point. We eventually reached a point where we were able to look down at the campsite.
We made ourselves at home and enjoyed the facilities.
From the map in the silo office, we knew there was another campsite a further 3km away from where you can climb to the top and see Table Mountain in the distance. A rock cabin has been built there. However, we only went as far as the first campsite.
The camp site offered running water – from a tap and hosepipe, that is, apart from the stream running past the camp site.
A roofed area with cement floor and a low wall of about a meter high offered good shelter to kuier, with braai facilities. Proper ablution with donkey heated water also enhanced the experience to a very civilised level.
Stettyn is abundant with lovely varieties of fynbos. We didn’t see any animals, but were told that there are duikers and klipspringers and other antelope around. Leopards too, apparently, but we were not actively looking for one.
A game of touch rugby was set up with the ‘elderlies’ against the teenagers. It should be mentioned that the game was lost by the teenagers (rather than won by the ‘elderlies’), in spite of one of the ‘elderlies’ having been on his way to have a second hip replacement done!
By late afternoon the clouds had gathered around us, and by evening we found ourselves inside a cloud, leaving everything foggy and wet. Although it was not raining, everything got soaked.
This, of course, could not deter us from having the custumory braai the evening.
I was becoming slightly concerned about the weather. We left next morning in a thick mist (or was it a cloud?). For the first part of the return trip, visibility was severely restricted by the fog.
Whereas it had been very hot the previous day, it was now rather chilly, and in the conditions there was not much reason to stop.
The trip down, therefore, went somewhat quicker than the climb, but once again …
Beaverlac and Montagu
By PG Jonker
We had one of those extremely long weekends in May 2008. With a view on the upcoming tour to Vic Falls we were planning we decided it’s time for a trial run.
We were a party of three vehicles that hit the road to Beaverlac, just North East of Porterville. We took the back roads.
Just past (North of) Porterville is a worldwide renowned hang-gliding spot. For the benefit of the hang-gliders they tarred the little mountain pass.
It looks like nothing, but believe me it is nogal steep up there.
On top of the world.
In winter the land in the background become lush green wheat lands. Quite a sight then.
Some of the attractions at Beaverlac are the pools, and the foofy slide – hence the rope.
Of course we also did the camping thing, as was the purpose of the exercise.
At the fire:
We only stayed for one night, and thereafter left for Montagu. Due to a slight error in judgement we ventured into Montagu dorp on the Saturday morning.
Payday, Holiday, Easter, all compounded to make it a very busy morning.
At the end of the weekend we headed back home, and waited longer than a hour just to get through the Huguenot tunnel!
Nice weekend, though.
PGJ…
Cape Town Cable Car
Have mountain.
Want to go up the mountain. Now one can walk. But a disconcerting number of people that I read about in the papers that walk up Table Mountain have to be brought back in an emergency helicopter. Now I’m all for a flip in a chopper, but maybe not quite as a patient. So we opted for the cable car.
The waiting takes a while. At the lower cable station it was a quiet 26° Celcius. Some of the girls took the opportunity to get rid of (most of their) clothes and catch a tan. Sorry, no picture of that.
OK, mom, I’ll check out the route, you just relax.
Yeah, right.
Eventually we got on the cable car. Not to do if you are scared of people, confined places or heights.
Or, uhm, did I mention heights?
Better look up.
On terra firma again you can go walk about.
Robben Island viewed from above.
Table Bay
Le’me see, le’me see!
Now what’s the name of that movie again….?
Funny, it just does not look as charming from this angle.
PGJ…