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Elandsbaai road trip

March 2018

We went on a little road trip to Elandsbaai recently.

First we did a stop-over at Stompneusbaai.

[Source:  Imagery ©2018 DigitalGlobe, DigitalGlobe, Data SIO, NOAA, US Navy, NGA GEBCO, Map data ©2018 AfriGIS (Pty) Ltd]

St Helenabaai

The following picture had been taken from St Helenabaai to the North-East, the direction of our tour, with Elandsbaai just out of the picture to the left.

At the spot where I took the picture there was a warning sign indicating that pregnant Zebras would be crossing there.  We waited a bit, but not even those of the non-pregnant variant showed themselves.

Looking over the sea it seemed as if a Jack Sparrow crew moored out in the bay with a ship drifting in nothingness.

Getting the show on the road, our first stop was at Velddrif, at the Riviera hotel.

Sorry, I know, the pictures looks like the forecourt of a car sales outfit, but I actually intended to give an idea of what the hotel looks like seen from the river.  We had a very nice brunch there at very fair prices.

Just on the other side of the bridge, a number of (among other things) eateries could be seen.  I think next time I should go and check out the Kuiergat Pub.

Looking down from the stoep of the hotel where we had our brunch, I spotted this father and son combination in their boat.

I could just imagine the boy tuning his dad:  “Dad, when you said we’re going out on a boat, I had it play out differently in my mind.”

Velddrif/Laaiplek to Elandsbaai

From the hotel it is a leisurely 70km’s drive on tar road to Elandsbaai.  But first we had to do some shopping.  Laaiplek’s Tops has a Spar too.  A big one nogals.  No, I did not take a picture.

We travelled through Dwarskersbos and past Rocher pans.  Approaching the t-junction where you turn left to Elandsbaai and right to Auroa, one can see Klein Tafelberg in the distance.  And an arty variation of style and colours of different asphalts.

Just before Elandsbaai you find Verlorenvlei.  As the name indicates, it is supposed to be a water mass where birds to their thing.  If I may quote from http://verlorenvlei.co.za/home/

Verlorenvlei is one of the most important estuarine systems in the Western Cape and one of the largest natural wetlands along the west coast of South Africa. It is also one of the few coastal fresh water lakes in the country. The system comprises a coastal lake and reedswamp connected to the sea by a small estuary. Situated amid dramatic topography, the lake is approximately 13.5 km long and 1.4 km wide and occurs in the zone of transition between the karroid and fynbos vegetation types. This results in the region displaying a high species diversity typical of an ecotone area. (RAMSAR)

Due to the drought, though, it seems fair to assume that this estuary does at the moment not quite meet estuarian requirements.  Below is a picture I took, and just below a comparison with what it looked like when the Google Streetview car passed through in 2010.  Spot the difference.

Elandsbaai

For years I had wanted to sleep over in the Elandsbaai hotel.  At long last we now did exactly this.

The entrance to the hotel.

The front view of the hotel, viewed from the sea.

The view from the stoep.  Those promising clouds did, in fact, deliver a bit of rain that night.

View from the upper sea front rooms.

And on the other side of this mountain is where the Saldanha Sishen train would come through.

Incidentally we caught the train on its return trip from Saldanha.  Apparently the longest this train had been on occasion was 7,5km (660 wagons).  I did not count the wagons, but I would guess this train was closer to its normal miserly 3,7km length with 342 wagons and 8 locomotives.

(source:  https://visitstothepark.wordpress.com/2012/10/19/sishensaldanha-railway-line-a-record-breaker/).

Inside the hotel we found this notice.

It was put up near to the Presidential Suite.  I guess one need a notice like that if you know your president has lots of children.  Just for the sake of the other guest.  But just to be on the safe side we decided to neither run nor scream.  We appreciate your appreciation.  No, really.

Elandsbaai is a world renowned surf destination.  (I don’t surf).  Hence the shop (I did not shop their either).  There are other shops as well.  I did buy a tooth brush from the shop right across the street from the hotel.

I’ve been told that, after the fishing factory had been built at Elandsbaai, it turned that the harbour was not deep enough for trawlers to offload their catch.  So ‘n block and tackle system had to be designed to haul the dinghies (bakkies) up and down.

I was wondering whether it might be a good business opportunity if they could maybe make money from hoisting tourist kids up and down in dinghies.

Stats:

2009 Hyundai Tucson 2.0 (petrol)

Travelled 545 km’s

Used 41.28 liters of fuel

Consumption 13,2 km/l

[No, I did not lie a bit, we just travelled at a very unhurried pace.]

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