The R62 between Barrydale and Ladismith is a beautiful drive, but just off the R62 on a dirt gravel road is a gift given to Africa, a gift which is supposed to symbolise the promotion of peace and harmony on every continent on the world. It is quite astonishing to find a pagoda- The South African Peace Pagoda near Barrydale, more well known for its conservative farming community and thriving gay community.

June Roadtrip- Day 1- Cape Town to Prince Albert

This 7 metre tall gold structure is beautiful, but the setting is strange, I don’t think the august, nonagerian Burmese monk Sayadaw U Thila Wunta minded much that the Buddhist population is quite small in South Africa, especially on the R62.

I had done quite a few road trips across the Karoo over the last few years, often with friends, once by myself, I had not driven through the Karoo with my mother since I was an impossible 12 year old passenger. I had driven with her and my brother and his wife a few years ago, but this was different. She drives too slowly, and she claims I drive recklessly, my predictions were dire, from the outset I saw this as a chance to catch up and spend some good family time together, however, just before I left, I wondered how long it would take before the person in the passenger seat would force the driver to turn around.

It had been bitterly cold and there had been an incessant downpour leading up to our departure, so much so that we feared that the beloved Swartberg Pass would be blocked off.

The weather had cleared up and we left mid morning, instead of heading through the impressive Huguenot Tunnel, the alternative Du Toits Kloof Pass was used, a road which is only slightly longer than the tunnel but the breathtaking views make up for that short loss of time. We wanted to get to Matjiesfontein for lunch. It was amazing to see that some of the mountains had attracted snow, testimony to the cold weather experienced the days before, there were many new natural waterfalls flowing down the mountain at the Hex River Valley.

Even, when I was an impossible twelve year old, I would tell you that Matjiesfontein is one of my favourite places in South Africa. The entire village is a national monument. Most people who live their have never left the area and are third and fourth generation. It is wonderful to walk through the shady gardens of the Lord Milner hotel and imagine the courting which went on in days gone by. However it was not only courting which must have gone on here, but also recovering, as the hotel was used as a military hospital during the Anglo Boer War.

The air is cool, and clean here and there is much wide open space, that is the lure of the Karoo, another distinct lure is the ¬kos-¬food. We had lamb curry in the Laird's Arms Bar. The food was really good, as it always is at Matjiesfontein. We walked off our heavy meal and set off for Prince Albert. The drive between Laingsburg and Beaufort West is definitely one of the more straighter and flatter drives in South Africa, quite tedious, so it was good to turn off to Prince Albert, however, here I made an error which will have to corrected the next time I am near the area and that is to visit Oom Lappies-AKA Jan Schoeman, a former Western Cape Tourist Personality of the Year, based by Prince Albert Road, Oom Lappies collects trash from the side of the road and reuses it in creating curios…

This was my second time in Prince Albert, sheltered from the busy highways, the small town is very green and the locals are very friendly, there is a certain easy manner to the way the locals go about their business. After popping into the publicity bureau we checked in at Kambro B+B, run by a second generation local Christina Van Zyl and her husband James. They had lived in Grootfontein in Namibia but were spending most of their time here now. A sundowner walk was in store as it is only by walking through Prince Albert that one gets to see why so many people come here and return. The slow pace, the natural surroundings, the architecture- Karoo, Cape Dutch and Victorian is truly special. We asked the publicity bureau to book us into the Karoo Kombuis, a restaurant we had eaten in over 6 years ago. Alas, there was no reply. We walked past the house cum restaurant and bumped into Theunis, one of the owners, who informed us that only one other couple had pre-booked and that unless they got one more table, we would have to go elsewhere.

There were no more bookings, but our desires to eat there swayed Theunis and after a drink at the quaint Swartberg Hotel we headed for dinner.

Theuns, Michael and Denise (she was not there), all worked at stewards at SAA, but took the package and settled here and opened up this restaurant in their house.

From the moment you walk in you are made to feel at home, Michael addresses you by your name and you get to know him, the other couple came in a few minutes later, and we were introduced by Michael to them, and although we sat at different tables we had soon broken the ice, and like us, they had a passion for dorpe-small towns, and a passion for road trips. We spoke out the best and worst dorpe to travel to and of course the magic of the Karoo etc, but one experiences this magic when you eat in the Karoo Kombuis. The menu is simple and it is practically always the same. Hoender Pasty¬-chicken pie, Bobotie- a Cape Malay dish which is beef mince with an egg topping, and roast lamb. No doubt- I chose all three. It was as good as it was six years, and it was great to be back at my favourite restaurant.

For desert, one had a choice of lemon tart and Cape Malva pudding drenched in custard.

I dropped my mom at Kambro and decided to sample the pre weekend nightlife. After stopping in at the Swartberg Hotel bar, and driving around for a few minutes, I soon found myself snug in bed planning the next day.

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http://www.barrydale.co.za/activitiesframe.htm- My info on the pagoda was advanced through this site.

http://www.onserus.co.za/princealbert.htm- This is where I got my info on Oom Lappies.

I highly recommend

Prince Albert
Karoo Kombuis- Theuns Botha- +27 (0) 23 5411110 18 Deurdrift Street-You have to prebook
Kambro Guestrooms- Christine and James Van Zyl-+27(0) 23 541 1554

Pics

1) Matjiesfontein,sitting on the pool wall
2) The Lord Milner Hotel
3) Enjoying the Hoender Pasty, Bobotie and roast lamb
4) Theuns and Michael outside the Karoo Kombuis