BITTER-SWEET
DECEMBER HOLIDAY
DECEMBER 2006
Or is it the “Not to remember December
holiday?”
Mid October we started to think about a holiday
– the question was just where? We wanted
to be close to water – sea, river, dam…
On the banks of the Vaal
River, 12 kms before Parys, Free State,
we found a nice spot – “Greystoke Adventures”.
The name never, ever to be mentioned again. Target shooting, archery, kayaking – lots of
activities to take part in. A lodge was
booked, but because it’s only an hour’s drive from home, we decided to check it
out.
The chalets seemed very small, so we opted for
a caravan stand. Preferably one right on
the banks, so that we can have coffee while watching the water.
We hired a family caravan and left Jo’burg
around 10am, Sat. 23 Dec. We took the
drive very slowly, since we’re not used to towing a caravan. Rissiepit, our faithful and lovely Pajero,
didn’t even hiccup.
The sun was in full blast around lunchtime,
arriving at our spot. We had 2 young
scholars helping us with the tent and then it was time for me to settle
in. It took me till 3pm and the desire
to braai flamed up high. Only for a
while…
Deciding on a caravan spot was a very quick
decision, so we didn’t check out the ablution facilities, the braai, the electricity
and water. There are no distinction
between the stands – there goes my privacy.
But worse – the braai is situated in the middle of 2 stands – meaning
you’re actually in the company of your neighbours. It was a quick adjustment to not lift your
eyes when checking the rawness of the meat – although our ears could still
catch everything said.
There was only 1 water tap among 10 stands
and 1 electricity box serving 3 stands – but there were only 2 plugs, the other
1 just missing. So 2 stands had to share
an extension cable, plus then the braai.
Needless to say, things just got worse from then on.
The swimming pool was so slimy green, you could
feel soft “things” with your toes. There
were 2 ablution blocks – 1 quite a distance away, especially if Mother Nature’s
in a hurry!?! Each gender side only had
2 toilets, 1 bath and 2 showers. After
the 1st day, the borehole dried up.
So – no water. The caravan fridge, despite numerous attempts, didn’t
work – neither on gas, neither on electricity. Chicken and cheeses were dumped in the dustbin
(only cleaned out every 3rd day – sometimes left with raw fish guts
in it – can you imagine the stench, not to mention the flies?) Our meat we stored in the camp’s freezer,
having to ask them for the key when we need supplies. But the view was so gorgeous and the birds
were chirping away … who cared about rain and mud between your toes?
Our stay was paid for 10 days, we only stayed
for 6. Having to boil water to wash the
dishes, wear “plakkies” (flip-flops) when you shower (when there’s water), negotiating with
Mother Nature to reach the ablution facilities in time, no electricity (rain
filtered into the electricity box), sleeping on a too-small bed, no privacy,
packing & unpacking the caravan – blah, blah, blah.
If you enjoy camping and caravaning, then good for you. My compromise? Hubby can braai 3 times a day, every single
day – BUT I NEED TO STAY IN A SELF-CATERING CHALET WITH THE BASICS
PROVIDED!
During our bitter-sweet caravan stay, we
ventured quite a few times into Parys for breakfast/lunch.
PLUM TREE COFFEE AND ART GALLERY
(http://www.pamgolding.co.za/areas/parys/parys.asp)
A little coffee shop cum art gallery. There’s a
relaxing patio with sturdy wooden tables and chairs on the stoepie or you can
relax under the verandah.
Inside, comfortable ox-red sofas and chairs beg
you to relax in front of a fireplace when it’s cold.
Magazines were given to read - the date? 1962!!!! We had such a lovely time paging blank
now. Lyceum College
featured big on almost every alternative page.
“Baked beans” with your breakfast were served in their 215g
little tin. I just thought that
such a novel idea.
Their xmas tree was made from wire,
hung with homemade cookies. They also
have divine cakes and desserts to linger over.
The art is extremely affordable and quite
unique.
A coffee shop to visit for sure – remember,
Parys is only an hour’s drive from Randburg.
And when you visit the website, you’ll notice all the antique and décor
shops – just begging to be seen.
ART LOVERS GALLERY
& COUNTRY RESTAURANT, PARYS
Tuesday night the campsite had an enormous
storm. Thunder and rain for hours on
end. Waking up on Wednesday morning,
discovering there’s no electricity for the coffee machine – that was the last straw. I have had enough! If we were in a chalet, I would have been
packed in a flash. But thinking about
packing up a wet tent, towing the caravan and unpacking everything again – that
made me just a little bit hesitant. Too
much trouble. So I had to wash in the
tent (no shower water) and then we went to Parys for lunch.
Besides the Plum Tree Coffee Shop, for a more
upmarket (meaning shake that wallet a bit more) restaurant, the Art Lovers
Gallery is “balm for a wound”.
Everything is just so arty and creatively done. This was an old church that burned down ages
ago – to be turned into an art gallery cum
restaurant cum wedding venue.
The floors are screed (cement), the walls are
hung with paintings (much, much more than in this picture). In the bathroom (yes, me and my bathrooms)
the towel hangs from a gilded picture frame, attached to the wall.
The chairs and tables are wrought iron and the
patio a smokers’ delight.
The serviette rings are little “tomato
concentrate” tins, lids and bottoms cut off.
So ingenious.
Our starter was chicken and pistachio liver
pate. To clean our palate, some smooth
lemon sorbet.
They have a very limited variety of dishes –
mainly pastas. The plates of “Pasta
Mariana – seafood” and “Pasta Alfredo” were HUGE!
I had to finish with something sweet and chose a
baked cheesecake with mixed berries. AND
I STILL ENDED UP HAVING TO PAY THE BILL!
My spirits were lifted – for the time
being. So slowly, very slowly we drove
back to “the camp”.
But on Saturday morning, we packed up. Heck no – enough is enough. Halfway home though, Hein and I had similar
thoughts …
“Why don’t we unpack, store the caravan and
book into a bed and breakfast … - I seriously need some pampering now!”
DULLSTROOM INN –
THE SWEET END OF OUR HOLIDAY
When we booked the room, we were warned to
bring jackets and such … and when we arrived in Dullstroom, we understood
why. Although no rain, the chilly air
made you a smoker without a cigarette in your mouth – real Scottish weather, I
would imagine.
Dullstroom Inn is very old – no modern
furnishings and décor – Biggie Best still reigns here.
The fireplace in the pub (rumour has it) has
not been extinguished for the last 23 years!!!
If you look closely, you’ll notice the big wooden trunks burning slowly
away.
The Inn is in
a little side street, off the highway.
To stay in a double room, will cost you R675 (for the room) bed and
breakfast – peak season. Although we did
have to wait a bit for the water to heat up (the geyser is way down the other side),
everything was neat and clean.
Breakfast wasn’t elaborate, but freshly
prepared. They also serve breakfast in
the Pub area and you should have heard the roar coming from that area, the
morning of the 1st Jan. And
that was only the beginning for that day – the tables rotated all the time,
dishes were brought out one after the other – drinks were flowing. By that evening, the poor waiters had black
circles underneath their eyes and were pumped full of Red Bull and Tequila –
just to keep them going. The atmosphere
is so amazing. The food, hearty oxtail, steak & kidney pie and loads of it!
There’s a gorgeous garden at the back of the Inn, also 4 rooms out there, but in cold, rainy weather
the slate steps can be quite treacherous.
Solly the barman, (one of 4 barmen) has been at
the Inn for 22 years. Lovely, friendly chap, full of jingles and
jives.
By early evening on our 1st day in
Dullstroom, a heavy mist rolled into the streets and covered everything and
everyone with a wet blanket. It was so
divine – we sat in front of the fire in the lounge, read a book, drank some
wine and had a little nap …
We met an
old war veteran, Ted Brown, nearly 85yrs old and we had a lovely
time with him. We also met Gerrie
Steenkamp at the pub counter. Started to
talk and found out that he was actually involved with the building regulations
of our Randburg street. In-between
short draughts of Castle Lager, Gerrie told us about this cheese factory out on
the “Tonteldoos” Road.
Tonteldoos – English version – Tinder Box - Definition—small
tin box with materials to make a quills fire: steel and flint for sparks,
pieces of charred linen cloth to catch fire.
The Tonteldoos Road was
a muddy slip of a road. We even had to
tow out a car. It’s definitely
preferable to have a high vehicle (bakkie or 4x4) when driving there, but we’ve
seen Uno’s and other small cars attempting the mud.
The cheese
place is called Bergen
and you pass through the town, Tonteldoos, to their gate. What an absolute surprise. Firstly, the young man speaks Afrikaans. (At this point I have to mention – 3 of the
barmen in the Dullstroom Inn, are white, young, Afrikaans men.)
We sampled
the Feta (not as salty as the usual ones).
Then a “soft curd cheese” with delightful aroma, then the Blue Cheese.
Now, hubby
only recently acquired a taste for Blue Cheese and then only if paired with a
barbequed steak – but he happily munched away on the testers. And I must say – not the “dirty sock” version
– no, no – soft, buttery and the flavour …
All three
cheeses were sampled over and over again – we bought enough! Our further delight to learn that Bergen
Cheese Factory supplies a little shop in Linden,
Johannesburg,
called The Cheese Gourmet. Although
driving to Dullstroom could just be the very excuse to nip into the Dullstroom
Inn’s pub for a quick draft and chat.
Most of our
meals were enjoyed in the Inn’s pub – trout pate, oxtail, steak & kidney
pie, pan-fried trout with rice, ploughman’s platter (cheeses, breads and
pickles), blueberry pie, sticky toffee pudding with ice cream and a fabulous
coleslaw.
Oh, not to
forget my tipple – Stroh Rum Dom Pedro.
It tastes like melted Rum and Raisin Ice
Cream – with a huge kick.
We stayed
in Dullstroom for 3 days and hardly ventured into the Main Road. The shops are ridiculously
expensive (they admit it’s for tourists) and crowded.
Wednesday
morning we had our last breakfast under the verandah, fetched our cheese from
the kitchen’s cold room and headed back home.
Our
December 2006 holiday – started as a Free
State nightmare, ended in a Scottish dream…
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