Friday 11 August 2023 Calvinia to Monate Caravan Park, Upington

The traffic noise was quite hectic last night and we all experienced some disturbed sleep.   The campsite would be fine if it weren’t for that little hiccup.  If the railways were functioning efficiently then there would be fewer trucks on the roads at all hours.  In years gone by this would have been an ideal overnight stop.

It was not too cold when we woke up but jeans and a fleece were required.  By 08:30 after a quick breakfast of cereal and a cup of coffee, we were packed up and ready to leave for Monate Campsite outside Upington.   By midday, the temperature had risen to 30 degrees C.

There were no more spectacular fields of flowers but instead, the stark yet beautiful Karoo landscape took over.   The colours of the Kalahari are muted – khaki, olive green, pinky mauve, and grey.  The land is flat with scattered scrub and the occasional tree.  Where there is water the landscape will suddenly come alive with brighter shades of green. As we neared the Kalahari there were patches of orange/red sandhills. 

The only farm animals that we saw were the occasional flock of Dorper sheep.   A few springboks made an appearance and we saw a few mongooses. 

There were too many pied and black crows but we were pleased to see Pale Chanting Goshawk, kestrels, and the odd Jackal buzzard.  

As we travelled deeper into the Northern Cape we started to see sociable weaver nests.  

We stopped in Kenhardt to refuel. Originally, we were not planning to have a meal there as we were sure there would not be anywhere suitable.  But Kenhardt turned out to be such a quaint town and it was like going back into the mid-twentieth century.  Oma Miemie’s Bakery caught Cathy’s attention and after refueling we doubled back and were able to park both caravans very comfortably.

What a gem this little restaurant is.  It was really like visiting Grandma’s house in 1960. Pies are their specialty and are baked on the premises. What a treat they are!  I had the Vegetarian which was filled with butternut and bell peppers.  The others had Lamb and Rosemary and we all had a delicious side salad of cucumber, tomato, carrot and avocado pear.  The pies are served with their homemade spekboom chutney – really good with just a little kick.  They also serve excellent coffee – an Americano for me, lattes for Alec and Cathy, and a cappuccino for the Earl.  We all agree that Oma Miemie’s is five-star! 

There are some lovely preserves, raw honey, home-baked fare, and other products on sale, and we all went away with some lovely treats to enjoy in the park.

Feeling refreshed and fortified we continued on for another hour and a half.  Driving through Upington which is quite a big Northern Cape town was quite hair-raising as there was a lot of traffic, school had just been let out and very few of the traffic lights were working!  It’s a good thing we did not wait to have lunch there!

Our campsite, Monate, is several kilometres outside Upington and is just lovely. We have plenty of shade, a neat little picnic table, a lovely braaiplek, and the birdlife is great.   A special bird to see in the park is the Northern Black Korhaan – well there were ten walking around the campsite when we arrived.  I have never seen so many in one place in my life before.  White-browed sparrow weavers have made their nests, as usual on the west side of the trees, and they were very vocal today.  We also spotted a crowned lapwing and some bulbuls. A ground squirrel and a yellow mongoose also made an appearance.

It was warm enough to strip off jeans and jerseys and change into shorts and t-shirts and although it got slightly cooler in the evening it was only necessary to don a fleece. 

Because we had eaten such a lovely lunch we were not very hungry at supper time. So we decided just to braai some boerewors, and a chop and chicken wing each and serve it with salad.

Load shedding started at 8 and by that time we had finished eating.  Everyone went off to do ablutions and get ready to bed while I finished washing up duty.  When I’d finished I walked toward the ablution block and noticed another caravan had arrived.  Lo and behold it was Gecko 36 – Shirly and her hubby whose name now escapes me.  They had driven here all the way from Pretoria!   We chatted for half an hour.  They are on their way to Namaqualand to see the flowers.  

As I write it is half past nine and it is still warm outdoors.  I think I might have packed too many winter clothes!

Tomorrow we are off to Twee Rivieren