08 Sep : Grahamstown

My blog obessesion has begun. I am suppose to be working but staring at the photos from the SA tour is definitely more appealing than my job right now. I am enthralled by the beauty of this country. Can't help the boast. Contrary to the locals, I'm South Africa proud.

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Still trotting west on the N2, we are almost at the halfway mark.... almost....

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[ Bawa Waterfalls ]

En-route to Grahamstown, I read about this supposedly spectacular waterfall called the 'Bawa Waterfalls'. It is located just before Butterworth and the photos looked quite magnificent. So I decided that we should go have a look.....

Surprise! Surprise! Spot the waterfall!

Imagine our surprise when we got there and saw this joke of a waterfall. If you squint at the photo hard enough, you should be able to see that thin line of water trickling down the ridge. Eh... excuse me? What is this called again? Waterfall? Trickle-fall? Piti-fall?

Seriously, I am aware that South Africa is suffering from severe water shortage (I THINK the Western Cape is the most badly affected region) due to the drought its been having this year. But no one knows if this trickle-fall is the result of the drought, or merely a fiction.

[ The Case of the Missing Road Signs ]

Disappointed with that piti-fall experience, we continued our journey towards Grahamstown.

Amusement time.

All along the way before hitting the N2 again, we started to see a chain of 2 vertical poles standing.... WITHOUT the road signs attached!!

Where the heck has all the road signs gone to?
Hearsay, hearsay....
Stolen to become make-do roofs of some men's zinc house.

By the way, have I ever mentioned that these zinc-box dwellers are highly creative people? Their innovative skills of house building is worth applauding.

So how does one prevent the roof pieces from flying off?
Use some brick-like rock-like thing and place it at the corners of the roof.

And there you have it, a roof over your head.

Unfortunately, I do not have any photo evidence of the missing sign boards. I thought I did snap a couple of shots but what I thought isn't what it is.

[ Back to Civilisation? ]

The momentary experience of nature's beauty at Coffee Bay could not redeem the tedious travel. The significant poverty and crude under-developed state of this independant Wild Coast was too much for the comfort travellers.

I could feel a sense of relieve from everyone when we finally hit the N2 again. It was like being back to civilisation again. The expanse of space and surreal scenic beauty, back to first world road conditions and first signs of the environment we're used to.... it was like going through a complete landscape and environment overhaul!

As mentioned in my previous post, Wild Coast is a once in a lifetime experience. Thanks but no thanks, I don't think I will do this again.

I lie.

I think I will do the Wild Coast again, perhaps a hiking trail or something? I suspect that there is alot more to see but need more time... and a 4x4.

Time.
Isn't that what we all need?

And yeah, money too.

[ East London ]

Even though we didn't do East London (because someone thought it had nothing to offer and that someone is more often than not, bias against the Blacks). Yeah, yeah, yeah, the Eastern Cape region is not as stunningly beautiful as the Western Cape region. You can even say it is a rough unsafe environment blah blah. But I would say that it should not be forgotten as it plays a prominent role towards the South African history.

If you actually bothered to read what I've written so far, you will come to realise that South Africa is a historically rich and politically complex place. I am no history buff (trust me, I flunked history downright) or political expert. I guess I am fascinated by the history behind each town/city and intrigued by how understated the historical value of this modest-sized country is.

So for those of you who still thinks that South Africa is a country of free roaming animals, please go do some reading to save yourself the embarrassment of sounding like a ignorant fool when you talk.

I will not waffle on but I will strongly encourage you guys to go read up on the history of East London.

Worth the read but please wear your sunglass before reading. Something about that orange background.... it disturbs me.

[ GRAHAMSTOWN ]

View of Grahamstown from the Settlers Museum
Call me a mountain turle but I just discovered a life saviour of a photo stitching software, ZOOMBROWSER EX.

The only reason why we stopped over at Grahamstown because Shamwari Game Reserve was fully-booked for the night of the 8th and we had to sleep somewhere....

Thank my lucky stars and the man above for his blessings, Grahamstown turned out to be a really pleasant, conversation and sedated ex-military base town! Quaintly English.... like re-visiting one of those old English towns. Maybe Stratford?

For more information about the early settlers, its significance as a military base and brief introductions to the local historical attractions, go visit the Grahamstown website.

::: THE COCKHOUSE Guesthouse :::
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Bet everyone must be chuckling over the name! Well, I did too when I first saw it.

Just out of interest....

"Named after the Hon. William Cock, an enterprising 1820 Settler, the house dates back to 1826. Today a National monument, it has been lovingly restored by lovingly restored by Belinda Tudge and her late husband Peter to offer nine charming ensuite guest rooms, self-catering accommodation and fully-licenced restaurant and pub."

- Extracted from The Cockhouse website

So now we know where the name came from.

This was supposed to have been MY room but lucky me, I became Miss Lavender that evening. Blech!

Hmm... I suspect I was in a bad mood that day. I went conservative with my camera(which means I didn't take any photos of the guesthouse at all). In case you're wondering where the above photo came from... there are other travellers with cameras too ya know.

It is quite a nice guesthouse, really. They have a lovely and well-maintained garden. Food is good but expensive. Each room has different layout and furnishing. I got the LAVENDER-coloured room with matching lavender lamps blah blah. Lucky me, huh? It is too saccharinely cosy for me.

Remember those notoriously English creeky hollow floor boards?
Yes.
Just like that.
Signed with love forever true, the English Cock House.

::: in and around Grahamstown :::