Over the past few months we have become keen ‘Padstal’ visitors. Especially when enticing items such as Milk tart, Home-made Pies and Home-made bread are advertised. We popped into two such Farm Stalls between Upington and Augrabies. The first one was ‘Akkerboom’ where we had yummy carrot cake and rooibos tea. Then on the outskirts of Kakemas we encountered the ‘Pienk Padstal’ (also recommended by Jacob) where we bought the most delicious mutton pies for supper.
We arrived at Augrabies in the late afternoon and had another pleasant surprise when our campsite neighbours turned out to be Theo, Bernice and John; again!
This is our third visit to the Augrabies National Park and we still find it fascinating. The dramatic landscapes, the thought of how every plant and animal has found a way to survive, the breath-taking falls and barren expanse of Moon Rock.
We did the 2 Km ‘Gorge Walk’ to Arrow Point in the afternoon of the second day. It was really good to put the hiking boots on again and actually walk!
We met a couple from Cape Town that mentioned they were so chuffed to see baby Dassies. According to them the Dassie population on Table Mountain is not healthy, and declining, for some unknown reason. According to the Internet there are studies under way to determine whether it is as a result of TB.
We were out early the next morning to capture the sunrise and the early birds.
We did not go all the way to the Quiver Tree forest but did notice that the quiver trees we came across were not looking good at all. There was information about this on the notice board at Reception. It was identified that there is an unacceptable level of damage caused by antelope, especially Giraffe, and the situation is being monitored. Our thoughts are that perhaps the park is over-stocked with browsers to keep the visitors happy!
We left the Park after two nights and headed towards the farm Klein-Pella, with a detour to Pella just to see what it was like. Pella is a small settlement near the Gariep (Orange) River, about 150 Km west of Augrabies. It impressed us with its neatness and the obvious pride displayed by its inhabitants. The gardens are neat and there is very little litter, unlike so many other places we have driven through over the past year. It was founded by missionaries who fled from Namibia in the early 1800’s because of issues with the Hottentot Captain Jaeger Afrikaner. They named the settlement after an ancient town east of the river Jordan where Christians fled to after the Romains destroyed Jerusalem in the year 70 AD.
The last 27 Km of road to Klein-Pella was very badly corrugated, really not our favourite because inevitably one gets to destination to find that something had shaken loose. This time Suzi’s roof rack lost a nut and bolt.
Klein-Pella was an experience! It is the largest date producing farm in the Southern Hemisphere (yes, even larger than in California!) and they export world-wide. They also supply the local market, e.g. Woolworths. And of course they sell to visitors like us! The dates are absolutely delicious.
The date palms require very hot and dry desert conditions above ground but their roots must be kept wet. This is clearly the ideal location; with an average rainfall of 50mm per annum and water available from the Gariep River for ‘flood’ irrigation, the trees are thriving. In excess of 14 000 mature trees are growing in neat rows on the flood plain and young trees are constantly being planted.
A few kilometres before the entrance to Klein-Pella we passed through a very barren rocky dry river bed where what appeared to be a movie set was being prepared. On arrival we discovered that they are busy preparing for the arrival of an international film crew including Sean Penn and Charlize Theron! The place was a hive of activity as 200 tents have to be pitched and extra temporary ablutions installed before 27th August. The shoot is scheduled to last for 9 days.
After one night at Klein-Pella we hit the road again, keen to get to the flowers. Next stop Springbok!