DIE MOND - A Place of Wonder

Driving through the Springbok Flats is a bit like driving through a desert. Everything looks much the same and as you open gates you begin to wonder if your decision to come to this part of the world wasn't a wrong one. Then .......... over the horizon appear the tops of date palms, and one or two gates further on you drop down to the junction of the Grootrivier and the Matjiesrivier and find yourself in a Garden of Eden known to just a few - and called Die Mond ......... lush in every respect and full of so many exciting things to do and see that four or five days is just not enough time - plan on at least 10 days if you want to leave satisfied that you have made the best of everything. 

We camped at Die Mond for 10 days over easter in 2011, and it was unquestionably one of the most satisfying and relaxing holidays we have ever had.

You can drive to a number of places of interest - Cobus se Gat, a now deserted villa of sorts built into the rocks along the river - various British Boer War sites still littered with artifacts of all kinds, and if you know where to look, Bushman rock shelters and small structures thought by some to be Phoenician tombstones or burial sites. 

There are rivers of beautifully polished and shaped rocks, fossils of all kinds to be found along the river - an extensive Dwaika or glacier cut rock face and loads of Organ Pipe rocks. Petrified tree stumps lie here and there, and a walk down either side of the river rock faces yields an untold number of fantastic Bushman paintings that date back a very long time.

It is important to take a canoe or paddleski with you as the river is an absolute pleasure to paddle around on between the rock faces and down to the junction with their massive rock falls that have created a dam of sorts.

If you do visit, please come back and post your impressions here so that I can know you became part of its Sprit of Place.

Pictures taken in and around Die Mond

Causeway across the Grootrivier

Down river from Die Mond

Looking back from the river junction

The Dwaika - wall cut by glacial movement

Glacial cut rocks

Rock fossils

Petrified tree stumps

Smooth washed river rocks

Stone Age shelters and Bushman paintings

A Phoenician gravestone or burial site????

Cobus se Gat - deserted cave villa

Inside Cobus se Gat

I picked up the pieces and reconstructed the original sign

NAMAQUALAND - Its almost that time of year again!

If you have never been to Namaqualand in late August or early September you have missed out on one of nature's most beautiful and exciting contributions to the planet's palette........ make a plan to go there NOW! The Namaqualand National Park / Kamieskroon / Springbok triangle never fails to disappoint, and the drive along the northern boundary of the Park along Wildeperdehoek Pass between Springbok and the coast offers some of the finest views anywhere. No matter how many times one has visited this area during the flower season it never ceases to amaze, and the incredible natural beauty of the rock mountains and koppies in the area are an added bonus simply not to be missed.

MOMENTS IN TIME

Delving into the memory bank in search of moments in time that really gave me a lot of pleasure I find myself at this watering hole in Savuti where a small herd of elephants with a few youngsters came down to drink and frolic in the water. The youngsters took absolute advantage of the pool which seemed to be the perfect depth for them to swim and snorkel, and it seemed that like children in a pool on a perfect summer's day they would never tire and the fun would simply go on indefinitely. The picture opportunities were wonderful, and I have collected a few of my favorites here for your enjoyment.

MUSSEL PICKING - The Place and the Pleasure

Getting down to Kommetjie - and beyond ...... Misty Cliffs and the Scarborough rocks to pick mussels at Spring low gives one time for introspection, especially when it is early on a winter's morning and you are absolutely alone. Part of that introspection is viewing the natural flotsam and jetsam that the ocean deposits amidst the rocks and how it is able to create a veritable bubble bath of foam in little corners where you least expect to find it. Picking the mussels and limpets is one of my favorite pastimes - cooking them equally so .......... but taking the camera down makes it all that much more special: having it with you causes you to look so much more carefully at what you are seeing, and in so doing really appreciate the endless stream of art that nature presents us with at every single turn.