THE LITTLE TOWN OF PILGRIMS REST...
...is a mining village which dates back to 1873 when a miner, Alex Patterson, discovered alluvial gold. The mountainous pass called Robbers Pass shown in the video of my previous blog leads to this sleepy village.
The animated movie Jock of the Bushveld, stars the little dog who lived in Pilgrims Rest during the gold rush of the 19th Century. The famous Jock of the Bushveld book was written by Percy Fitzpatrick in 1905. For a review on the movie and the book see Rather Ronge.
The animated movie Jock of the Bushveld, stars the little dog who lived in Pilgrims Rest during the gold rush of the 19th Century. The famous Jock of the Bushveld book was written by Percy Fitzpatrick in 1905. For a review on the movie and the book see Rather Ronge.
THE FAIRY TALE TOWN OF KAAPSEHOOP...
...the discovery of gold in the streams around Kaapsehoop, led to the establishment of this town in the early 1800's. Wild horses roam outside the town, and we were able to get a siting of them:
I love Kaapsehoop! After visiting I leave with a new sense of adventure in my soul!
Our favorite stop over in Kaapsehoop is a place called, Salvador Mainstreet Bistro; a tea garden, restaurant and pub
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| Salvador mainstreet bistro |
The quirky sense of humor of the locals are depicted in some of the signs found inside and outside of the bistro:
An interesting website http://showme.co.za/lifestyle/ghosts-granite-and-wild-horses/ has an article entitled "Ghosts, granite and wild horses" and in it you are introduced to the fascinating people who are residents of this small magical village.
SMALL COUNTRY TOWN OF SABIE...
The picturesque overview of the town can be seen on the slide show web link.
My most favorite viewing spot of Sabie is from this point on top of the mountain (picture below). We rode up the mountain on one visit and weren't able to see down below because the mist was too thick...
On a clearer day we were able to see a lot more of this little town from the same view point...
Sabie is a forestry town situated on the banks of the Sabie river and in the valley of the Drakensberg mountain range. Historically this town originated as a gold mining town and later man-made forests were planted and now forms one of the world's largest forests today.
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| Sabie |
HOEDSPRUIT, THE QUAINT LITTLE TOWN OF GAME RESERVES BORDERING THE KRUGER NATIONAL PARK...
I love the little town of Hoedspruit, situated between the Blyde river Canyon and the Kruger national park. It is here that you can see the big five animals in many of the Game Reserves. The big five animals refer to the Lion, Elephant, Buffalo, Leopard and Rhinoceros. Unfortunately we never went to any of the Game parks! Can you imagine what would happen to us if we were to ride in one of the reserves on our bike!
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| the big five found on google images search |
A major problem in South Africa at the moment is the poaching of the Rhino's for their horns. The Rhino Revolution Organisation was started by the towns people in Hoedspruit to do something about this scourge!
The town of Hoedspruit is literally along one road, "a one horse town", with many interesting things to discover if you look deeper inside!
The town of Hoedspruit is literally along one road, "a one horse town", with many interesting things to discover if you look deeper inside!
A favorite breakfast spot of ours is the Wimpy in Hoedspruit. A lovely cool building under a grass thatched roof during hot summers!
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| Wimpy at Hoedspruit |
THE CHARMING VILLAGE OF DULLSTROOM
A Dutchman from Holland named Wolterus Dull set up a company here in 1883. The company bought two farms for settlement, which in turn attracted Dutch settlers from Holland. Dullstroom is also known today for having the best trout facilities in South Africa.
We had a very welcome cup of coffee at the Old Transvaal Inn, an old building which had a quaint room with a fireplace and old fashioned artifacts and pictures all over the walls. Dullstroom is known to be one of the coldest places in South Africa seeing as it lies at an altitude of nearly 2,100m. You could feel it on the bike when passing through the town. In my previous blog there is a photo of when we rode through Dullstroom in the thick mist, not being able to see 5 metres in front of us!
The Old Transvaal Inn is also famous for its home made sweet shop, which is always spoken of.
Mpumalanga introduced us to beautiful scenic mountainous rides, quaint little historic towns and not to forget lots of cups of coffee and scrumptious pancakes! (Just as an aside: in my blog "the quaint little town of Cullinan", more pancakes were devoured at the Harries pancake place there.)
We had a very welcome cup of coffee at the Old Transvaal Inn, an old building which had a quaint room with a fireplace and old fashioned artifacts and pictures all over the walls. Dullstroom is known to be one of the coldest places in South Africa seeing as it lies at an altitude of nearly 2,100m. You could feel it on the bike when passing through the town. In my previous blog there is a photo of when we rode through Dullstroom in the thick mist, not being able to see 5 metres in front of us!
The Old Transvaal Inn is also famous for its home made sweet shop, which is always spoken of.
Mpumalanga introduced us to beautiful scenic mountainous rides, quaint little historic towns and not to forget lots of cups of coffee and scrumptious pancakes! (Just as an aside: in my blog "the quaint little town of Cullinan", more pancakes were devoured at the Harries pancake place there.)
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| Graskop Harries Pancake (In the little town mentioned in my previous blog)
MPUMALANGA, LAND OF PROMISE
Land of mountains, sparkling waters,
Fertile plains and azure sky,
We the people, Sons and Daughters,
Love thee ever `til we die.
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Lovely pictures! The food looks yummy, particularly the pancakes!
ReplyDeleteThank you Dar, yes the pancakes are yum, particularly at Graskop!
ReplyDeleteLovely, brings back memories of all our trips through these towns, often on our way to canoe trips or the Kruger.
ReplyDeleteHi Judy, what a lovely surprise! Your blog is lovely too! So happy to be able to share each other's journeys through the world of blogging!
ReplyDeleteAnother great look at your country (I especially liked the old shelves stocked with candy)!
ReplyDeleteThanks VStar so I gather you have a sweet tooth :-)
ReplyDeleteI like your montage of the frothy coffee the best! You certainly have some lovely vantage points for photography in your country...warms me up just looking at them.
ReplyDeleteHi Suzi we enjoy our coffee, I especially made that montage for my friends who I get together with from time to time over a cup of coffee. We are very lucky we have a beautiful country!
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