Wagendrift Dam

So, on the long weekend 18 - 21 March we did the 2hr sprint up to Estcourt in the KZN Midlands to go camping at Wagendrift Dam.

This was my first trip to Wagendrift so I was rather looking forward to a new experience.  Although the heavens opened as we stopped on our site, and emptied it's contents into the back of my open bakkie, I was still very optimistic about having an epic camping weekend.

And I wasn't wrong.  There where 6 of us on the one site, 4 in a caravan (and Jerry Springer didn't arrive), and 2 in the tent, and there was more then enough space.  Our site was also right on the water so the boat was tied up right in front of the site.  What a pleasure.

Wagendrift forms park of KZN Wildlife ezimvelo, and is one of the cheapest camping options at R70.00 pppn including electricity.  The site's are spacious and well maintained, the ablutions are clean and there's hot water.  Fortunately the campsite wasn't full as there is only one ablution block and i doubt it has the capacity to accommodate the masses.  But it did serve us well and we all had hot showers and where able to flush away whatever needed flushing, and that is always a good thing in my book.

This is what i woke up too every morning so it was a 'Tough" weekend.  Glassy water, perfect for skiing.  And glorious sunshine.  It really was fantastic weather in an amazing setting.

We took a drive into Estcourt, which is only 6km's away.  So if you forget any important camping ingredients, help is not too far away. Estcourt has everything you would need, but don't expect massive Pick n Pay's or a Makro.  The Spar is your best bet, and has all the basics.

I was expecting to be competing with the beer soaked ski-boat owner all week end, but too my surprise there where no more then 5 boats on the water at any one time, and Wagendrift has plenty space to keep everyone happy.

The fun came at around 4:00 every afternoon when the weather turned nasty.  Howling wind brought driving rain that lasted no more then two hours, and left clear skies and cool evenings.  So make sure all your gear is strapped down and secured properly, otherwise it will be blown away.

So, if you're looking for a spot to go camping, and you're tired of the run-of-the-mill stuff, then i would recommend Wagendrift as an awesome alternative.  It's close enough, and very well priced, and unless you have kak camping gear and a kak sense of humour, you are guaranteed to enjoy it.

Cape Town 8th - 10th March 2011

This is my second trip to Capetown since the beginning of the year, and I always enjoy a trip to Capetown. 

Mango was my airline of choice this round, there really isn't much choice in this department - they are each as bad as the next.  One thing I can say is that we did leave on time and land a little early.  And then we had to wait 45min for our luggage to arrive on the conveyor, "Mango-Fail"

Avis - Having a Preferred Card makes life easy in this department - And this time I got a ....... Hyundai i20.  I don't mind the i20, it's actually a really nice car to drive,  with a good AC and all the usual cheap car 'bells & whistles' like steering controls and folding mirrors.  The only real gripe I have with this car is that the radio does not support RDS - so you don't know what station you're listening to and that does irritate me.

With most of my trips I like to look around for geocaches.  If you don't know about geocaching visit http://www.geocaching.com/ - If you have a GPS and enjoy being outside then this is for you.  Something the whole family can get involved in and you get to see places you would never have known existed.  I got to see Milnerton beach and some fantastic views of 'The Mountain' 4 caches with one DNF (did not find) - and some awesome pics of the sunset.

The thought of another night in a Road Lodge made me quiver, but not in a good way, so I googled a little and stumbled onto this place, http://www.larocheguesthouse.com/ - What a pleasure, large spacious rooms with a fantastic breakfast included, this was an absolute winner.  And Milnerton proved to be very accesible and easy to get in and out of.

Dinner was at Brewers &Union 110 Bree Street in Capetown.  I had read about them in the in-flight mag and as I enjoy good quality imported beer I thought I'd have to give this a try.  I wasn't disappointed, the food was fantastic and the naturally brewed beers where top shelf.  Service was also pleasantly surprising and with the laid back vibe helped to make the evening very enjoyable.  http://www.andunion.com/

Spent the next day in Stellenbosch amongst all the students and thanks to the geocaches I found, in between meetings, I got to see some of the town I'd always just driven past.  The Doc Craven memorial at the university sports grounds was a winner.  Unfortunately no stopping at the wine farms today, time was just not on my side.

Dinner was another surprising event when I found myself at the paddocks shopping centre, and being in the mood for seafood went to the Fish Shack.  The Fish Shack offers a variety of fresh seafood. From fish and chips to seafood platters, seafood buffets and more.  I had Sushi which was really good and fresh - and then had some really well prepared Prawns.  All in all a happy experience, Capetown was treating me well this time around.

On these trips I rarely find a lunch place that is worthy of mentioning as they are more often than not fast food establishments such as KFC and McD's.  However, Durbanville produced a winner when I had one of my meetings at a restaurant called Chocolat.  Very popular little spot with fantastic coffee and very, very good food.  I'm not going to bore anyone talking about decor because it really is lost on me, as long as the food is good.  I don't know of anyone who goes to a restaurant just because it's pretty.  If you are, or ever plan to be in Durbanville, do yourself a favour and pop into Chocolat.  Follow the link if you want to see what Food24 thinks about the place.  http://www.food24.com/Restaurants-and-Bars/Restaurants/Chocolat-Coffee-Shop-20091022

Before catching Mango's evening flight back to Durban I had a Toasted Tom&Cheese from Rhapsodies.  If ever this feeling grabs you please spare yourself the disappointment.  And that's all I have to say about that food experience.

Next trip is a camping one at Wagendrift, that should be fun and worth writting about..

Drive fast, take chances.

Where to start

I suppose I have to start somewhere - so this is as good as any place to do it.  I've been thinking about this for some time and after my last Cape Town trip I felt that I need to start writing this stuff down.  So here goes.

Everything from the car I hire to the restaurants I eat at and especially the B&B/ hotels I use will be 'reviewed' - actually they'll just be my own (sometimes very biased) opinions - so if you read this and you're the designer of the Renault Sandero please don't be offended when I say that the Sandero is the worst car I have ever had the misfortune of driving - it is of the devil and nothing short of pure evil in terms of being a kak car.

So here's to some happy blogging and musings on trips and travel around our awesome and amazing country.