Free State & Skiing

We are planning a trip to the Free State and Lesotho in the near future so this recent newspaper article is of interest.

The Free State is not a place I have ever considered as a tourist destination - visions of endless kilometres of barren landscape broken by the odd dull dorpie discouraged me from ever contemplating a holiday there - but as matters would have it I was thankfully forced into a situation to visit there.I had decided to visit the new Afriski skiing resort at Oxbow, high in Lesotho's Maluti mountains. My timing was poor. I had planned to go over the Women's Day long weekend in August only to find that most accommodation at and around Oxbow was booked out. But I found an alternative - the resort was an easy hour's drive from the eastern Free State/Lesotho border, so we could stay on the Free State side of the border and still ski. Searching for accommodation on the web, I not only found a wonderful cottage in the closest town to the border, Fouriesberg, but also learnt that the area was full of natural attractions and tourist spots. Our first stop, an easy four-hour drive from Durban, was the charming nouveau art-haven of Clarens - a tiny tree-fringed town in the middle of nowhere. The Rooiberge range towers above the village and in the distance the mighty Malutis stand proud in shades of purple and blue.We spent hours browsing in the art galleries, craft shops, eclectic clothing and furniture stores, and Basotho blanket, basket and tapestry dealers. We then rested our shopping-weary bodies at one of Clarens' restaurants, taking in the dressed stone of the town's buildings and the heady perfume of fruit tree blossoms. The menu was magnificent and my sweet tooth was in nirvana with offerings such as homemade Turkish delight, fudges and peanut brittle.Our bellies full, we then ventured into the local pub to watch the South Africa vs Australia Test; the clientele proving to be as entertaining as the rugby. And then, reluctantly, we headed out, thinking that Clarens is that rare phenomenon in the Free State: a dorp you'd actually want to hang out in.Our next stop, 30km away, was our home for the next three nights, a renovated old stone schoolhouse in Fouriesberg - a little town which served as the capital of the Free State for a spell during the Anglo-Boer War. Today, it's a fairly inconsequential place, but there's nothing non-descript about the scenery: the Malutis and the Witteberge tower over it and the setting sun seems to set the sandstone cliffs of the arid landscape on fire. That night we huddled around the braai, braving the icy evening air so that we could take in the beauty of a Free State sky, studded with an infinity of stars.At 6am the following day, bundled up warmly, we scrapped the ice off our windscreens and set off to experience skiing in Africa. After one of the most friendly border crossings I have ever experienced we were in Lesotho. Soon painted huts, locals bundled in blankets, gum boots and little else despite the dawn sub-zero temperature, sheep, sheep and more sheep, flashed by.Then it was up the hair-raisingly steep Moteng Pass, up to the mystical Mahlasela valley, at 3 322m above sea level. As the pass levelled, in the middle of the emptiness, we saw the Afriski Leisure Kingdom - a rather grand name, but then when you see its magical setting you can forgive their embellishment. We found a few ski-style chalets in various stages of completion, a bar, restaurant and a well-equipped ski-shop. We dashed past these with our eyes on the 1km-long ski slope - a strip of pure white snow amid the barren brown surroundings. There had been no natural snowfalls but Afriski, like many European resorts, produces its own snow. We kitted up at the ski shop and then headed to the slope where for the next six hours we skied non-stop. With snow spraying behind us we whizzed and weaved down, with the odd spectacular fall. There is only one slope and in a day you may descend many times. But this does not matter - every descent is exhilarating.And that is why the next day we found ourselves, driving back across the border and up the perilous pass to race down the slope again another umpteen times. By mid afternoon on our second day our screaming thigh muscles would continue no longer. We revived ourselves with gluwein in Loffie's African apres-ski bar before returning to Fouriesberg.Our last day of the holiday was spent exploring Fouriesberg's surrounds. We visited the Meiringskloof Nature reserve to see the largest sandstone overhang in the world. It was truly impressive not only for its size but also its colour - massive rock formations streaked with red, ochre and gold. Our route then took us to our last stop - the Golden Gate National Park, so named from the brilliant shades of gold cast by the sun on the cliffs, especially the Brandwag rock, keeping vigil over the main rest camp. The park is spectacular, encompassing wide-open mountain country. Although eland, blesbok, springbok, zebra, mountain reedbuck and black wildebeest roam the hillsides, the real attraction is the unfettered space, eroded sandstone bastions and seamless blue skies.

Number 8

Cape has just been voted the 8th best City in the world to visit(Oct 05), by the US Travel & Leisure Magazine, Sydney came first. So even though they can no longer can play cricket or rugby, it seems everyone still wants to visit Sydney.

The top ten cities are, Sydney, (for the 5th year running), Bangkok, Rome, Florence, Chaing Mai, New York, Istanbul, Cape Town, Oaxaca aand San Francisco.

Cape Coast

There's something about a grey sea that stirs my soul in ways that the azure vistas so beloved of travel writers never will.

Sure, they have their place on postcards and Mediterranean holidays but an endless expanse of calm blue wet has all the mood of a cigarette advertisement and the atmosphere of your local municipal swimming pool.

It's not as if you can drink it - especially not with a decent Scotch - and if you come from the Western Cape you certainly can't swim in the bloody stuff without at least 5mm of neoprene covering you from head to foot.

Great weathered boulders emerge with all the unexpectedness of a southern right whale
But the sight, sound and smell of an irritable Atlantic Ocean sparring with the rocks of the Cape of Storms - knowing that the waters began their journey at the North Pole before squeezing between Scandinavia and Britain before sweeping down the coasts of Spain and Portugal to round the bulge of Africa on their way to South Africa ...

Ah, that's romance!

It's kind of hard to appreciate the effect the Atlantic has on shaping life on the west coast of Africa while sipping cocktails at La Med of a balmy Sunday eve, watching dolphins bobbing their way to Clifton to gawk at the tourists.

But stand on the exposed kopjes overlooking Saldanha Bay while the wind whips in off the sea and ominous grey clouds scud across the horizon, presaging the arrival of a cold front, and it's easy to picture the ocean as both giver and taker of life.

The bay itself was of strategic importance during World War II as much of the Allied naval traffic entering the Indian Ocean did so by rounding Cape Point (as opposed to using the Suez Canal).

Saldanha was designated an assembly point for convoys and troopships, and artillery batteries were erected along the coast.

Many people make the one-hour journey from Cape Town to the West Coast National Park (incorporating Langebaan Lagoon and the park within a park, Postberg) to view the spring flowers.

Truth is, if it's only picture-pretty they want, they could just as easily go to the Kirstenbosch botanical gardens.

All around, fynbos and vygies crouch low over the ground to escape the wind and rock outcrops - having once had the temerity to jut into its teeth - stand sculpted by sand and salt, majestically deformed by its power.

The stones, onion-peeled and lichen-covered, are at once of this veld and alien - like the moai stone statues on Easter Island and the druidic plinths of Salisbury Plain.

The visual effect is all the more startling at this time of the year. Although we're at the end of the flower season, the ground is still covered with the proverbial carpet of yellow, orange, white and mauve blossoms.

From this, the great weathered boulders emerge with all the unexpectedness of a southern right whale poking its head out of the water.

It's hard to imagine that, at the time Jan van Riebeeck made landfall in 1652, lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros, hyena, wild dog and hippopotamus also occurred in the area.

The Postberg section of the park, which lies almost at the tip of a narrow isthmus and houses small populations of eland, gemsbok, bontebok, springbok, blue wildebeest and Cape mountain zebra, is open to the public only in August and September.

It is a contractual facility, which means it is private property managed by South African National Parks.

Access to the northernmost part of the isthmus, owned by the Defence Force, is restricted. It contains an old whaling station, Donkergat, and many of those who have conducted their underwater training in the area have encountered "monster" rock lobsters.

The area is also a marine reserve, and the presence of some of the country's most highly trained and experienced soldiers has proved an effective deterrent to poachers.

Halfway up the stretch of land is the minuscule hamlet of Churchaven, currently popular with artistic weirdos but also featuring the grave of George Albert Lloyd, an American who jumped ship from the Confederate raider Alabama when it docked at Saldanha in 1863.

The West Coast National Park, which has just marked the 20th anniversary of its proclamation, is an intriguing biosphere where all the elements have come together in a complex relationship to form a world-renowned floral kingdom and wetland that is equally famous for its birdlife.

Though the 27600-hectare reserve, which encapsulates almost the entire Langebaan Lagoon, lies less than 100 kilometres north of Cape Town, an SA National Parks brochure proudly proclaims "it may take most of our visitors months to get here".

Every year, between 50 000 and 70 000 birds fly more than 15 000km from northern Russia to spend the southern summer feeding in the lagoon.

The lagoon hosts over 250 bird species - more than a quarter of South Africa's total. Many of these are found around the southern part of the lagoon, designated a wilderness area but containing four circular day walks in the vicinity of the Geelbek environmental centre.

The centre (tel 022-772-2134) - named after the yellowbill duck and not the local vernacular for Cape salmon - boasts a history as colourful as the bold weavers and golden bishops that share your table at its simple yet superb restaurant.

Built in 1744, the farm Geelbek became an important stopover for transport riders on their way from Cape Town to St Helena Bay when then owner Cornelius Heufke sank a well in 1761 and found abundant fresh water on the property.

In the early 20th century, water was the last thing on the minds of Geelbek's proprietors. The farmhouse, since rebuilt and extended after being destroyed by fire 150 years earlier, had passed into the hands of one Henry de Villiers Steytler.

Historically documented as an avid collector and consumer of one of the Western Cape's finest products, Geelbek became renowned as the country's largest wine cellar.

In fact, Steytler caused the lagoon to be dredged so that ships carrying both supplies and guests could make it ashore without getting their feet wet.

His parties are reputed to have often went on for weeks. (This tradition has been proudly revived by the men who have spent extended periods of time at Donkergat - bless them.)

Montagu Area

We recently stopped off in Montagu on the way back from our Addo, we had three nights in a self catering cottage at Montagu Springs. However on the last day we found two fantastic cottages to rent just off the R60 about 15 kilometers from Montagu. The R60 is a very attractive road to travel as it winds over the hills and through pine forests from Swellendam on the N2 to Ashton and then through to Montagu.

The cottages called Druiwetros Perskepit Olyftak, which means, heaven knows what. They cost R300 per night for two people and an extra R50 for every person after that. Each cottage has a double bedroom and two sleeper couches in the living room. Be aware though there are no doors between the two although there is a wall. They also have a third cottage which has two bedrooms. Outside there is a fire pit and braai area.

the views from the cottages is nothing short of breath taking and there is a small lake in which to swim and there is even a small rowing boat. Surrounding the cottages are fields of apricot trees and a flock of ostrich on the far hill.

The cottages are owned by a lovely couple who farm all the land around them. For R100 you get to tour the farm on a quad bike using the farms tracks and jeep trails.

Fax 023 616 3374 Cell 084 54 92924