In abstentia
* Swartberg Tour
* Lesotho Part 6
* Technical Corner
* Katberg Tour Day 4
* Featured Pass
SWARTBERG TOUR
By the time you read this newsletter we will be deep in the heart of the Swartberg taking another group of adventurous guests through the many treasures the Swartberg has to offer. Today we have a big day, driving from complete isolation at Bosch Luys Kloof via the Bosluiskloof Pass, Seweweekspoort, following the back roads to the Cango Caves and on to De Rust, followed by Meiringspoort and a timeous arrival at Prince Albert for an evening of fine dining at the Mont D'Or Swartberg Hotel.
Backtrack six days as we are preparing for the tour and a major weather system is moving in from the Atlantic with gale force winds (110 kph!), heavy rain and snow over all the high lying areas of South Africa. We've been anticipating snow on this tour for many years, but it's never happened. Maybe this will be the one? Guests have been advised to pack blankets and beanies. It's going to be cold.
We will give a blow by blow report on our return.
LESOTHO - PART 6
We arrived at Thaba Bosiu Cultural Village with time to spare and headed off to visit Kome Caves, which is about 35 km away. The Kome Caves are a group of cave dwellings made out of mud in the district of Berea, Lesotho 25 km east of Teyateyaneng. The caves are still inhabited by the descendants of the original people who built the caves. The site has been classified as a National Heritage Site.
The Kome Cave Dwellings were built and protected by Chief Teleka of The Basia (cat) Clan in the early 19th century. The main purpose for the cave dwellings was to serve as a hideout from adversaries during the drought in the late 18th century. The name of Ha Kome comes from the Kome family in the Basia tribe, the first inhabitants of the cave.
While their exact history is unknown, the current inhabitants are descended from Basia tribesmen and women who first made the overhang home in the late 1800s.
The Mefcane (“the Crushing”) was a period of intense socio-political unrest during the 1820s and 30s throughout southern Africa, defined by widespread drought, forced migration, and inter-tribal warfare. To flee the ongoing violence, the Basia began using the overhang as a hideout at some point in the late 1800s, though trademark cave paintings indicate San Bushmen dwelt there even earlier.
In time, the Basia came to build homes out of mud, which have been continuously occupied since then. Today, several families who live in these dwellings welcome visitors into their homes. The huts look like igloos, with a low tunnel like entrance and no windows.
On our way back from Kome Caves we stopped for some photos at Qiloane Mountain, which is said to be the peak that was the inspiration for Lesotho's national symbol, the Mokorotlo (traditional conical straw hat with the top-knot). Thaba Bosiu is a wonderful spot with neatly manicured thatched buildings surrounded by well kept gardens.
A nice touch was wine tasting presented by a local winery, Sani Wines - generous amounts which ensured a festive vibe during dinner, despite the heavy rain drumming down outside. The good news was there would be no dust the next day.
The next morning dawned sunny and clear as guests were treated to a one hour cultural talk by a local guide who have nicknamed "Aha!" for his habit of saying that after every sentence; a sort of message saying: "Do you follow me?"
It was time to hit the road again as we drove back to Roma to refuel. There was a student protest in progress just as we arrived at the filling station, but there were no issues. To play things safe we took a back road around the rear of the university, reconnecting with the main road a short distance later.
Theo Hammond & Philip Rawlins fixing a burst water hose on the Ngakana Pass during our 2023 tour / Trygve Roberts
Our first pass was the Ngakana Pass. This was the pass that saw one of our guests Theo Hammond, losing water from his Ford Ranger Wildtrak the previous year, which resulted in a swift roadside repair. As things would turn out, Theo was with us once again, but this time the Ford cruised up the pass without any problems. We now jokingly refer to the pass as "Theo's Pass"
We worked our way southwards on a good tarred road (A5) for 17 km before turning onto gravel at Tsalis taking the muddy, slow road to Malealea. Normally we take a dodgy 4WD route past the Botsoela Waterfall via the pass of the same name, but with the heavy rain, we deemed it to be too risky for the V2 group, but a week later we did manage the route with the V3 group, when the weather was a lot kinder. It did prove a point that our "no-go" call for the V2 group had been the correct decision, as I managed to slide the Land Cruiser off the track on the way up the pass onto some big rocks which locals had decided was a good idea to fill the deep ruts with. In the process of extricating the Land Cruiser, I managed to completely mangle the left side running board.
The replacement part new from Toyota was an eye popping R 16,000. I managed to find a second hand one in Bloemfontein for R1250 including courier costs. Just goes to show - it pays to shop!
We arrived at Malealea Lodge and soon settled in, surrounded by the huge trees and tranquil gardens. Our hosts bent over backwards to welcome us, which included a local band and choir which braved the cold to sing for us. Of interest was that all the instruments used were home made. This is what we were treated to:
Next Episode: Malealea to Semonkong
Technical Corner
Most vehicle owners know how to fasten wheel nuts, but for many it all seems a bit hazy when you're huffing and puffing with dirty hands and a sweaty brow. This diagram explains how. If you have a torque wrench and know the settings, even better.
Are you a rocker?
For those who like rocking their vehicle at the filling station to get as much fuel into the tank as possible, here's something you might not know:
KATBERG TOUR - PART 3
With an easier day on the Friday, we scheduled a later start for 0900, which was much appreciated by the ladies! After a really good breakfast at the Katberg Hotel and some time pondering what ailed the red Jimny, we bade Tom and Jeanne farewell as they needed to head back up the pass with a local farmer, Greg Edwards, his son and the farm mechanic, making use of the farmer's bakkie.
Katberg Tour Map 3 - The gap in the track is where we lost satellite signal inside the forest / Grahics by Derick Van Eeden
Jeanne stayed behind (for lack of space in the double cab) and decided not to hitch a ride with one of the convoy vehicles in case she was needed by Tom. They ascended the Katberg Pass and descended the De Waalskloof Pass and promptly located the stranded Jimny near Post Retief. The vehicle had not been touched much to Tom's relief, but Greg just chuckled and assured him he need not have worried.
Tom is an organised and experienced offroader. He's also an engineer so he figures things out systematically. The mechanic got the new fanbelt replaced and the Jimny started but cut out after about 1 km. After lots of head scratching, it was decided to tow the JImny back to the hotel and figure things out under better working conditions.
They arrived back at the hotel mid afternoon, having driven down the Bosnek Pass to Adelaide and from there back to the hotel via the tar road. That would have been a long nervous tow for both parties.
Meanwhile the rest of the convoy drove to Seymour, a sad little town, that was trashed and torched in riots a few years ago. The main street is quiet and devoid of life, the empty burnt shells of many graceful colonial buildings standing forlornly. It is unlikely this town will ever recover. It's quite sobering and wistful driving through there. It touches all the raw nerves.
We attempted accessing the Katberg Dam wall, but were blocked by a locked gate, which meant turning the convoy and retracing our route in the reverse order. We did get to see the dam from the northern side. It's a lovely stretch of water offering fishing and picnicking (when the gate is unlocked!)
Our next goal was the Pefferskop Pass, a pleasant gravel pass of moderate dimensions with some really nice views, especially in the Lushington farming area. Soon we were back on tar, heading up the potholed Hogsback Pass for a visit to the Arminel Hotel for tea and scones. What a lovely venue this is, set in beautful gardens with tall oaks, yellowwoods and Japanese maples.
Japanese Maple / Photo: Trygve Roberts
Some of the vehicles needed to fill up at Hogsback, after which we regrouped in drizzly weather to drive the Wolf River Pass. This long gravel pass traverses indigenous forests, state plantations and private land (and two waterfalls which we were unable to visit due to the inclement weather) as it drops steadily down to the Wolf River Valley and terminates at the Sindile Dam, which nestles in a deep valley fed by the Keiskamma and Wolf Rivers.
Mike and Sysser Waspe refuelling their Jimny in a damp Hogsback / Photo: Derick Van Eeden
Our route took us through to Keiskammahoek and over the Red Hill Pass (R352) to reconnect with the main tar road at Dimbaza. A right turn took us over Debe Nek ( a small pass on the R63), as we drove back to Beaufort West via Alice which is home to the University of Fort Hare. We arrived back at the Katberg Hotel with enough time for a shower and freshen up before Chappies Hour at 18.00.
Meanwhile the Hemsteds had become good friends with their rescuers and were already splicing the main brace before the rest of us arrived. Opinions on the Jimny seemed to indicate that the battery was not charging. That would mean removing the alternator in the morning and taking it through to Fort Beaufort to be fixed. As things turned out, the alternator was deemed fit for purpose, so the mechanical boffins had to apply some more brain power. That efectively meant the end of the tour for Tom and Jeanne. Another day lost.
Rescued and Rescuer. L-R Tom Hemsted, Colleen & Greg Edwards / Photo: MPSA
They ended up staying another two days at the Hotel after the group departed and finally figured out what the problem was. When the fan belt snapped, it hit the underside of the fuel control module. This was removed and fixed Heath Robinson style and finally the Red Baron was ready for the trip back to Cape Town - which it did without further fuss or bother.
Next Epsiode: Fort Fordyce and Mpofu and and a very adveturous forest drive to seal things with a kiss.
FEATURED PASS
Production of this new video series on Lesotho's Moteng Pass was hard work, as conditions were far from ideal when we filemd this pass in April. We started off in light drizzle (a few spots can be seen on the lens for the first 20 seconds), but basically the light was poor. Filming in overcast conditions is never a good idea. Lots of in studio tweaking was neccesary to produce a reasonable video worth watching. We don't get too many opportunities to film this particular pass which is often under cloud, rain or even worse a traffic jam of trucks and buses.
There are three five minute videos to enjoy.
* * M O T E N G P A S S * *
Trygve Roberts/Editor
"I confess to pride in this coming generation. You are working out your own salvation; you are more in love with life; you play with fire openly, where we did in secret and few of you are burned!" ~ Franklin Rooseveldt 1926
