Travel Diary: South Africa North Coast

How easy it is to get bogged down in the minutia and forgot how good you have got it… Pretty much since the start of Covid lockdown we have been a tad grumpy that it has interfered with our travel plans for South America and thus struggled to settle in to travel within South Africa and more importantly to truly appreciate the beauty all around us, slowly though we are coming around…

After our 2 weeks at Trafalgar we decided to head North up the coast with the first stop being just outside Tania old hometown as we hoped to catchup with some friends. On our first morning there we received a wake up as to how easy it can be to catch Covid-19 when we received a phone call from Tania Aunt to say her and Neville, who we visited for lunch the day before, had just learnt they had been exposed to a positive case and so by association we may have inadvertently been too. Fortunately, the caravan park we were staying in was very empty and we had a whole ablution block to ourselves so self-isolation was not too difficult while we waited for their test results to come back.

Once we had received the good news that they had tested negative and thus we had no risk of exposure, we hit the road again with a brief stop at the farm before heading up the KZN north coast. For the first time in many months we truly felt like we were on the road and exploring, as for Stuart this was brand new territory and Tania had not visited the area for a couple of decades.

A fairly frequent question we often receive is “how do you travel with no bookings or clear destination for the day in mind?” In general we do have an area in mind as the end destination but we certainly don’t like booking as it then ties you to an accommodation option which could be a great place or one that just does not tickle your fancy, in the case of the latter we like to be able to just skip past and in the case of the former we like having the option of staying longer than would be possible if we had other bookings already made.

The above was all proven to be valid (for us) when we pulled into Tugela river mouth expecting to stay a few days but none of the accommodation options appealed or could fit Mr. Jones and so with no bookings in hand we were able to easily move on and as luck would have it the next spot we tried, turned out to be a winner. As with so many Ezemvelo parks, Umlalazi is in a stunning location and dirt cheap to stay at. Apart from a couple of crazy Zebras, a group of Duiker and a troop of Monkeys we had the campsite to ourselves.

We have been suffering an intermittent fuel starvation problem for quite a while, it probably first occurred in Malawi (Malawi Travel Diary), then again when leaving Montagu and most embarrassingly when we first arrived at Zimbali after the marathon trek from Montagu. We thought we had solved the issue when we found a kinked fuel hose but clearly, we had not as on the way up to Hluhluwe we suddenly lost power on the freeway. The issue is quite simple, Mr Jones develops a vacuum in the fuel system, which is easily fixed by opening the fuel sedimenter, listening to the hiss of air as it escapes and once diesel flows we are back in business. It’s often less than a minute breakdown, just very inconvenient depending on where it occurs.

After spending a wonderful day in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi game reserve with some good sightings including spending a couple of hours observing lions, we experienced our second fuel starvation breakdown in the same amount of days as we drove towards the exit. Now if we could only figure out the cause of the problem.

As there is no camping options within Hluhluwe game reserve, we spent the days preceding and after in and around Hluhluwe town, the first stop was Bushbaby Lodge & campsite which looked lovely on paper but in reality was a bit tired and neglected. After the day in the game reserve we tried a different spot, Hluhluwe Bushcamp, which is relatively new having opened just before lockdown occurred. It had a funky vibe with the use of lots of vibrant colours and fabrics in and around the bathrooms, pool, etc.

Many moons ago, Tania had spent a number of wonderful holidays at Kosi Bay and always raved about it when talking about the KZN north coast so after Hluhluwe this was to be our next stop, we had even made bookings for this due to its popularity. The risk with having high expectations of a destination is that you can be easily disappointed, fortunately Kosi Bay did not disappoint! We had two glorious days snorkelling at the mouth where the lake system empties into the Indian Ocean and another glorious day lounging around camp and in the lake.

The campsite at Kosi Bay is tucked between a very large dune and the lake and as a result gets no cellphone signal but if you wade out into the lake or walk to the end of a long pier you can get pretty decent reception. In the search for signal over the course of our travels we have climbed hills, stood on tree stumps, extended the hotspot phone into the sky on a phone attached to a pole on the roof of Mr. Jones but at Kosi Bay we experienced a first by having to wade out into the lake and sit in warm water while catching up on social media. Naturally we couldn’t resist posting a picture of this which elicited many envious comments. We would most definitely have been one of those envious commentators a couple of years ago, but what is often not seen is the other side when the weather is not good. The very next day mother nature dutifully provided us with one of those not so good days.

Kosi Bay is only 5 kilometres from Mozambique’s southern border which most readers will know has been our favorite destination over the years, at least the central section. Surprisingly though we have never visited the southern most section around Ponta do Ouro, fortunately or unfortunately the Kosi Bay border remained closed from Covid lockdown and so any temptation to venture back into Mozambique for a month was removed and instead we turned and headed back south down the coast.

After a resupply shopping run in St Lucia and lovely lunch we headed off for Cape Vidal. We have so far been very impressed with all the staff at the various Ezemvelo parks we have visited over the last months, sadly the reception staff at the entrance to the Isimangaliso Wetland park (which has the smartest entrance of all the parks) could do to learn a thing or two from their less well to do colleagues. It is more than a bit off putting when you arrive and enquire if the Cape Vidal campsite has vacancy, which is inside their park, and they provide you with a telephone number to phone and find out for yourself and all of this done with attitude.

Outside of the reception staff, the park itself is wonderful with the large St Lucia wetland system, rolling grasslands, coastal dune forests and beautiful beaches. We had hoped to stay for at least a week but unfortunately the electricity transformer at camp had blown up and a couple of grey days combined with the campsite being within the dune forest meant our solar system never stood a chance so we were forced to move on after only 3 days to Sugarloaf campsite on the outskirts of St Lucia town.

The December festive period in South Africa is not a great time to try and travel like we do with no bookings and very little planning, as it is the time when 90% of the country takes holidays meaning many places are fully booked up to 6 months prior and the majority of campsites hike their fees massively. With this in mind we had thought we would travel to just prior to the start of this period (10th), then stay at Tania sister farm for a few weeks while doing maintenance and making some upgrades to Mr Jones. Knowing that we had quite a bit of work ahead of us we decided to head straight to the farm after only a couple of days at Sugarloaf and get cracking on the To-Do list. Ultimately this turned out to be a good decision as some of the maintenance jobs turned out to be a rather long saga.

Our trip back to the farm was not without the inevitable fuel starvation breakdown, which meant that swopping out the mechanical fuel pump was one of the priority jobs to be attended too. Sadly that did not do the trick as on our only rest day the issue reared its head again as we headed down to the beach. We have now also replaced the entire fuel line that had the kink in and which we removed with an elbow sleeve way back in August and optimistically hold thumbs that will be last of this saga

Over the course of 3 weeks we pretty much ticked off the entire to-do list, outside of one job which we can anyhow do on the road. It definitely helped having a well-equipped workshop and very handy brother in-law to get it all done as with an old vehicle you inevitably run into issues, many thanks Johan! The less sexy maintenance jobs done can be found in our maintenance log and aside from those we also installed a gas geyser on the side of Mr Jones and built a box to cover it while travelling which combined with the nifty shower cubicle we installed (product: “Quickpitch En-suite”) must surely qualify us as “glampers” now! A short video of the shower setup can be found on our HippySquared facebook page.

Captain(s) Log: November 2020

Gallery: South Africa North Coast

Maintenance Log: Our running record of repairs and maintenance both to Mr Jones and the equipment we carry along with him.

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Travel Diary: Phase 2 of Lockdown

Homeless during lockdown! What happens when your home is where you park it and because of COVID-19 restrictions you now have nowhere to park.

With 5 weeks of Level 3 lockdown under our belt and signs that camping places were beginning to open, we left Cape Town just before a big cold front was about to lash the Western Cape and headed into the mountains just outside Montagu. Our destination was a totally off-grid spot were social distancing was never going to be a problem as we were the only campers and the two other couples staying in cottages were at least 500m away.

Mr. Jones appeared to be in shock that he was actually back in use when on our first night we were unable to cook on either of the two gas stoves! A couple of quick checks left us none the wiser whether we had a blockage in the gas pipes, an issue with the regulator or if it was just too cold for the gas to flow properly but fortunately we have a spare regulator and short loose pipe so that was quickly rigged up to the spare gas bottle and portable stove and thus only caused a small delay in supper.

Solving our gas supply mystery the following morning

During lockdown in Cape Town we had got quite good at doing a short yoga session each morning and had good intentions of carrying this practise on while on the road, we managed this on the first day but not again for the entire week we stayed. For now we will blame this on the cold front which arrived….

With the arrival of the cold front the days and evenings become very chilly but with all the cold weather gear we have hauled around for the last year (and not had reason to use) we were never too cold and always slept wonderfully warm. Although the winds that accompanied the cold front did leave us wanting for sleep the one night as Mr. J was buffeted around like a yacht on stormy seas.

We were expecting the arrival of our friends the De Nobrega’s on the Friday, but with no cell reception we had no way of knowing that the cold front had made them delay their departure, needless to say they duly arrived the following day. A wonderful couple of days and evenings followed before they headed back to Cape Town and we began thinking of where to next?

After a week of being totally disconnected and with the weather turning ugly once again we packed up and headed out. Our departure was not without a little drama: as we finished climbing up out of the valley Mr. J suddenly lacked power and then just stopped. At this point it was pouring with rain and blowing a howling gale, at one point the rain drops even turned to ice as they hit the windows. There was no way we were going to climb out and try and fiddle with him in those conditions so we spent the time trying to work through the scenarios of what could be wrong; the lack of power and cut-out was very similar to what we had experienced in Malawi also on a steep climb up from the lake and on first appearance it appeared like we had ran out of fuel but we knew that could be not possible based on our mileage so far; our next idea was that perhaps somehow we had got water/contaminations in the fuel system. When the rain eased off a bit, Stuart (assuming the 2^nd idea the most probable) opened the valve on the fuel sedimenter and instead of getting the expected water and diesel flow was greeted by a hissing sound as air escaped the system. A very strange result and it would take a few more “breakdowns” over the next few weeks for us to finally find the problem. For now though we were grateful to not be stuck in the middle of nowhere and happily setoff for Montagu.

Having spent a week disconnected from the world and being back in travel mode we were in no hurry to “stick our faces to phones” in order to catch-up on social media and the news.

This meant we blissfully went about shopping for some supplies before hitting the road again and heading east along the very scenic R62. The real grassroots impact of the lockdown and ban on local travel was very evident as we passed through the small towns bordering the Karoo, such as Barrydale, whose economies are heavily dependent on weekend travellers.

When you are the only tourists in a whole town

Our plan was still to travel slowly and explore the area but after finding 2 potential camping spots closed and needing ideas we did finally pull out the phones to search for alternatives, at which point we saw the inevitable WhatsApp messages regarding the renewed ban on alcohol sales and also clarity that leisure accommodation was to remain closed for the remainder of Lockdown Level 3.

We were now homeless with nowhere to park….

The regulations did still allow inter-provincial travel if you were relocating residences so having had our fair share of the cold and wet that is a Cape Town winter and with the prospect of a very long extended lockdown being in place ( and no Old Brown Sherry to warm the bones at Samantha’s house ) we decided to use the allowed exemption for travel and relocate to Stuart’s brothers holiday home in Durban.

Now that we had a plan of action, first priority for the afternoon was to find somewhere to sleep before starting the long trip east the next day. It took three more failed attempts and 150km before we eventually found a spot in Calitzdorp.

That night as we sat parked in a “formal” camping spot next to an old railway siding, Tania cooked supper while Stuart sat in the front of Mr. J preparing the affidavits required to allow inter-provincial movement. Thanks to modern technology and suitably qualified friends we were able to digitally sign such documents, email them off and receive them back duly notarized.

Considering that we had 1600km ahead of us, our start the next morning was much later than it should have been but it is difficult to emerge from under a lovely warm duvet when the sun is late to rise and its bitterly cold outside. Our plan was to do the journey in 2 days which in a modern vehicle would be no issue but in good old Mr. Jones was going to be quite a big task.

Despite being under “pressure” we thoroughly enjoyed the day’s drive as we marvelled at the constantly changing landscapes and scenery; the stunning beauty and rock formations of Meiringspoort; snow on the mountains and next to the road around Richmond; the beautiful yellow grasses contrasting with browns all through the Karoo. If only we could have done this slowly and stopped often.

When we had set off in the morning we had no idea how far we would get or where we would sleep that night, especially considering the previous days challenges in finding accommodation, so as the shadows grew long we began considering our options. The first one was to head down one of the small dirt roads that intersect with the N1 and bush camp for the night and the second option was to spend a night in a truck stop with the long-haul truckers. Bush camping in the rest of Africa is generally pretty safe and accepted but we are not so sure about it in South Africa, even in the middle of the Karoo so in the end decided on the latter option.

As the sun was setting we pulled into a truck stop outside the tiny dorp of Springfontein, roughly 150km south of Bloemfontein, not knowing what to expect but ultimately were pleasantly surprised. The ablutions were spotless, security good and if you fill up with diesel you stay for free otherwise it is R50 for the night. The AluCab Icarus roof and subsequent camper conversion were once again worth their weight in gold as we holed up inside drinking wine and cooking supper while watching the outside temperature drop, the forecast predicted -6 deg Celsius for the morning!

We had been a little concerned that we would have a disturbed night of sleep with the coming and goings of trucks but in fact slept really well and only noticed noise from around 4:30 in the morning, this may have been because of the lockdown curfew in place but nonetheless we weren’t complaining. As expected the temperatures plummeted overnight and when we switched lights on, around 6am, the inside of the tent was sparkling with ice crystals so emerging from our lovely warm duvet took quite a bit of willpower especially knowing that we have no heater in Mr. J and would not be getting warm anytime soon. Eleven months prior in Mozambique we had a coolant leak at the heater and so had bypassed it as “bush” fix, replacing the heater matrix was on the to-do list but to our detriment we had only planned to do it once arriving in Natal.

Apart from not being able to warm ourselves, the lack of a heater meant we couldn’t defrost the windows so Stuart had to scrape off a surprisingly thick and stubborn layer of ice from the windscreen using our kitchen spatula.

We must have been quite a sight when we pulled into the Engen One stop at Bloemfontein, (anybody who has ever driven in a defender will know that they are anything but airtight) so with no heater and the chilly temps we were wearing as many layers as we could and had towels and other miscellaneous clothing items stuck in every nook and cranny trying to keep the cold out and the little warmth we were generating in. Apart from filling up with diesel we were hoping to sit down at Wimpy to warmup while enjoying some bacon and eggs with coffee, alas this was not to be as they were still closed under the Covid lockdown restrictions. A takeout pie for breakfast it was going to be for the second day in a row.

The rest of the day passed by uneventfully as we traversed across the Free State, stopping briefly in Bethlehem to finally shed some layers of clothes, and then barrelling along the N3 towards Durban (well barrelling as fast as a heavily loaded Landy can).

Despite making good progress, Kevin’s holiday home was 100km to far in respect to getting there in time to collect keys, so late in the afternoon we pulled in at Tania sister’s (Nicole) smallholding in Drummond for one more night of camping in Mr. Jones as the “inn was full”, so to speak.

Anybody who has been monitoring our maintenance log will know that the trip has not been without a few minor breakdowns/repairs but Mr. Jones has always been a scholar and a gentleman in terms of when and where he decided to take a break and we have always appreciated him for that. Our sense of humour and appreciation for him did however fail us when he chose the very moment we arrived at the security office of the estate Kevin’s holiday home is located in, to cut out and then subsequently refuse to start – the estate is very smart, has many rules and we doubt anybody has ever crawled under a car at the security booms in an attempt to fix it.

Thankfully by the time we had completed the necessary biometric registrations for access he had had enough of a rest and started with a bit of coaxing. We clearly had a problem but what was it? First thought would be the some issue as a few days earlier but alas it was not, over time we were to discover & fix more than one issue.

Over the next weeks we slowly got used to having a large family home to ourselves, made full use of the amenities and in between relaxing, made regular weekend trips up to Drummond to carry out various service items on Mr. Jones. Mr. Jones was not the only one to receive maintenance attention during this time, Tania had been struggling with her foot the last few months which we thought would require the attention of an orthopaedic surgeon. Thankfully no surgery was required but the orthopaedic did recommend visiting a bio-kineticist to align the “chassis”. Normally the bio-kineticist would conduct a program for this over the course of 3 – 4 months but as we did not expect to hang around in Ballito that long, he come up with an intense program to “fix your sh#t” in one month (his words not ours…).

Just as for our stay in Cape Town, our stay in Ballito has been longer than envisaged but after 8 weeks enjoying all the amenities it is time to get back in our home and start wandering.

It is easy to procrastinate leaving, especially in times like this and with all the luxury around us, but just as it was a little over a year ago when we first embarked on the journey we are reminded that “the first step is always the hardest…”.

Travel Diary: South Africa’s West Coast

As we sit safely ensconced in isolation, it seems almost surreal to think how foot loose and fancy free we were only 3 weeks ago. This travel diary covers our re-entry into South Africa and the short(ish) journey down the west coast to Cape Town. The accompanying Captain(s) log gives the usual brief insight into the daily emotions and thoughts of life off the “well trodden path”.

As everyone already knows border crossing days rank highly as our least favourite days but both our entry into Namibia a little over a month ago and again our exit into South Africa have been super easy. Although they are different countries most of the time Namibia has just felt like an extension of South Africa, right down to the fact that you can pay with and often receive change in Rands, so apart from some stamps in the passport we could have just been changing provinces.

The border did though bring us, for the first, time face to face with the Corona virus fear taking hold of the world as all the border officials where wearing face masks & gloves and we had to have our temperature taken before entry into the SA border area. This is not a unique experience on the trip, for most of our time in East Africa they had been battling an Ebola outbreak which meant many borders had quite strict hygiene measures in place. For instance when entering Rwanda we had to exit the vehicle, have our temperature taken and then walk across sanitized mats while washing our hands.

Due to the vastness of Namibia we have often been quite disconnected from both social and mainstream news media the last couple of weeks and so the way that the Covid-19 has impacted the world has been very difficult to get our minds around. We re-entered South Africa mid-March and at that stage, the same number of people die on South African roads over the festive season as had died in Italy over it’s worst month (then but it got worse) but yet the road death toll just gets passing mention and thought each year. 10 days later as South Africa entered lockdown this statement was proven to be naive but we have left it in because that’s what it felt like for us at that stage… However we also understand the precautions required given the rapid spread of the virus and on more than one occasion have thought perhaps we are better off staying out in the countryside and not heading to Cape Town.

After spending our first night back in South Africa at the west coast dorp of Kleinzee we headed southwards to the Namaqua National park. Entry at the northern gate is done by opening the gate yourself and then using the two way radio housed in a box on the side of a building to talk to the park headquarters some 80km to the south and obtain “approval” to enter. After lowering the tyre pressures for the soft sand ahead we enjoyed a lovely wander down the coast stopping many times to admire the views and little bays, finally stopping at “Kwaas se Baai” to camp. Later in the afternoon some officials stopped by to officially sign us in and collect our camping fees.

The campsite at “Kwaas se Baai” was just perfect: on top of a little rise overlooking an aquamarine bay dotted with kelp and fringed with white sand. The only thing preventing longer stays is the often inclement weather and that you need to be totally self-sufficient as there is no water, power, etc. Our first afternoon presented us with all the west coast “seasons”: from sunny to windy, then very misty and finally mild clouds which gave us a lovely sunset. The following day however dawned still and clear which is exactly what we had wished for, so the day’s activities consisted of a short wander down to beach for some sand&sun time, back to Mr J for lunch and then back down to beach again for more sun&sand time combined with white wine. A perfect day!

On our 3rd day we woke to the ugly “season” with lots of mist and cold winds coming off the Atlantic. Over the fire the previous evening we had discussed staying another day as we had sufficient water and the solar panels had kept the battery well charged, but that idea had now quickly evaporated. The drive out of the park, firstly inland and then further south, felt hard going which was possibly not helped by a hand brake which was emitting a burnt brake pad smell. Stuart had forgotten to disengage the handbrake 2 days earlier when setting off from one of our stops to admire the coastline and with Mr J being in low range at the time due to the thick sand it took a while until we noticed it (that while, being long enough to burn brake pads and possibly bind them to the drum!!).

We were undecided were to go for the night and eventually landed up at Standfontein because the reviews on iOverlander described “Horse Shoe Campsite with lush green lawns and shady trees”. The lawns were green but certainly not lush, trees rather small and the wind was honking, added to which the ablutions are nothing special given that it is in fact a municipal campground but sadly with private camping rates. We were not impressed but being tired and hot, had no other choice. Supper was cooked and eaten inside Mr J while the wind howled around us, the van was rocking but with the mood inside you certainly could have come a knockin…

The one advantage of our detour to Standfontein is it put us only 9km from Doring Bay and Friars Cove winery. So after a leisurely start in the morning, including taking time out to loosen the binding hand brake, we trotted down the road to the winery for some tastings and a lovely lunch of Calamari and snoekkoekies (fish cakes). Having stocked up Mr J with white wine, we headed further south towards Citrusdal (and it’s mineral baths) with the intention to park off, relax and kill time before getting to Cape Town for the end of the week.

It was however extremely hot on the road (with no aircon we recorded 38deg Celsius inside Mr Jones! ) so when we passed a spot called Roodeberg resort bordering on the small Bulshoek dam, it didn’t take much to persuade us to do a u-turn and decide to spend a few days camped on the lake shore. When it started to cool down in the evening, the SUP was unloaded from the roof box and inflated ready for some paddle time the next day. Incredibly the last time we used the SUP was 4,5 months ago in Malawi, we had hoped to use it on both Lake Kivu (Rwanda) and Lake Tanganyika (Tanzania) but in both cases a combination of iffy weather and concern re potential lurking crocodiles stopped that.

A couple of very relaxed days followed with a few paddles thrown in for good measure, all the while blissfully disconnected from the world and the escalating corona issues as there was no cell reception down by the lake. We did however, once again, get a taste of what lay ahead of us when the campsite put up a notice “barring foreigners from staying due to Corona fears” as we prepared to leave.

While we could have easily headed straight into Cape Town from Roodeberg we weren’t due there (due because Tania sister, Nicole, was flying in for a birthday celebration) for a few more days and so decided to stop, as intended a few days priors, at Citrusdal mineral baths. While checking in at reception it quickly become apparent to us that now that we are back in SA we may perhaps have to start pre-planning with regards overnight stops as they had limited availability and only 2 sites available if wanting to stay multiple nights. A routine of a mid morning swim followed by a lazy afternoon next to Mr Jones and then a late night swim quickly developed over the next couple of days.

The arrival of the weekend and the start of SA’s school holidays, with the resultant influx of campers, was a clear signal for us to move on and complete our journey into Cape Town. The final drive across Western Cape’s Swartland with it’s mix of agricultural (wheat, grain and wine) and rugged mountains was a nice reminder of how much variety South Africa has to offer in terms of scenery and tourism.

Sadly the planned birthday celebrations for Nicole were not to be, as the impact of Covid-19 really hit home and South Africa went into lockdown. By pure luck we had made it to SA and the safe haven of Cape Town just in time, (for which we are very grateful as being on the road would be extremely difficult during this time), but it is surreal to think that not 10 days earlier we had been sitting on the West coast totally disconnected and downplaying the impact of the virus.

Gallery: South Africa’s West Coast

Captain(s) Log: March 2020

We have been very privileged to take the path less travelled the last 8 months and move about with no destination or deadline in mind, and have big plans to take Mr J over to South America and continue the journey but with the world now sailing unchartered waters (April 2020) it is impossible to know if or when that may be possible. We have however learnt over this journey how little a person really needs, how simple life can be and that the simple pleasures are often the best pleasures so remain quietly optimistic that this will become possible. In the meantime we are staying isolated (as we hope you are) and doing our very small bit to “flatten the curve”. Stay safe everyone, Stuart & Tania

Tag: #South Africa