Sutherland was on our bucket list for a long time and we eventually decided now or never. So Travelman and I packed our suitcases and coolers and off we went (now the coolers was not really required as you will soon understand)
Take the N1 through Worcester, De Doors and Touwsrivier and as you get to the Matjiesfontein turnoff you will find the Sutherland turnoff in the opposite direction.
We have been to Matjiesfontein previously so did not do this quick detour, but I can recommend a visit. The Lord Milner hotel is beautiful and we browsed through the museum at the train station which was very interesting. They also have this old petrol pump sitting in the main road (the only road in town)
The R354 to Sutherland is not bad, but I would not suggest speeding. The colours and different shades are beautiful as can be seen on the photo below.
We stopped at the signage for “Aanstoot”. This word has so many meanings in Afrikaans. It could mean to give offence, but also to move on. I thought the graveyard in the background of the photo was so apt. The last move you will ever make.
The next stop was at a farm stall called Hokaai where the owner gave me great advice on how to perfect my Wild Melon (Makataan) preserve. Never too old to learn something new. She also gave me advice on making sweets from crystalised preserve. Unfortunately they have run out of koeksisters. One of my favourite sweets. A koesister is a traditional Cape Malay confectionery made of fried dough infused in syrup or honey. The koeksister was later appropriated by early Dutch settlers when “one day Slaves were given the day off and madam didn’t know the measurements or timing for baking. Hence the rock hard, over sugared mess” that some now know as koeksisters.
We arrived in Sutherland late afternoon and I thought it was not too bad weather-wise! Why do people complain about the cold? We did a bit of exploring and as usual we took pictures of the church. Another beautiful picture for our collection.
We ended up at Jupiter (https://www.tripadvisor.co.za/Hotel_Review-g1601473-d6514527-Reviews-The_Jupiter_Guesthouse-Sutherland_Northern_Cape.html), which is accommodation, restaurant and pub all in one, and I started chatting to the owner Theo. He told us about the people in the surrounding areas and the farming community. We had a pizza and calamari (yes… calamari in the middle of nowhere and many miles from the sea). The calamari was recommended to us by one of the locals and although skeptical, we really enjoyed that. Good food and good atmosphere.
We stayed in Damara Cottage self-catering (https://www.sleeping-out.co.za/md/Die-Stal/22903). Accommodation was not that easy to book as you have to book well in advance so choices are limited if you book on short notice. For the hedonist the accommodation is a bit small and basic, but all you need is there and the owner gave a homemade banana loaf and lovely homemade truffles which we loved. For the price we paid per night, this was very good accommodation indeed.
And then the sun set… my oh my does it get cold! We were so grateful for the electric blankets on the bed. We would have loved to have a heater too, but alas not.
We booked the evening session for stargazing at Sterland (http://www.discoversutherland.co.za/promo/entry/stargazing_at_sterland/). Great experience. They gave us a lecture on the constellations before you go outside to the telescopes to look at the Southern Cross, Saturn, Jupiter and the Moon. Not even the snow in England had me that cold. I was wearing my whole wardrobe for the weekend and took with the blanket of the accommodation and was still freezing. Poor Travelman never complains, but I saw him getting colder and not bending his knees anymore.
Luckily they warned us that the water pipes freeze during the night so we made sure we had enough water for coffee the next morning as we only had running water at about 10:00 the next morning.
We did a day tour at the South African Astronomical Observatory (https://www.saao.ac.za/). What an informative and fun experience. The office area has stations where you can have interactive experiences and many exhibitions. At one of the stations you can take photos of yourself with the moon or constellations as background and these you can email to yourself. We now have pictures of us on the moon for our album. Who would have thought…
This is also the home of South African Large Telescope (SALT). We had a tour of this magnificent telescope. I only have one word and that is WOW.
We decided to have a late afternoon braai before the South African vs Argentina rugby game. The accommodation we stayed in did not have a TV so we decided to go to Jupiter again as they have a big screen TV, but is was so cold that we rather watched DSTV SuperSport on the cellphone.
Southerland is cold, dry and dotted with windmills and vintage cars all over and has a beauty all of its own. The cars are rusted relics of the past, but fits in so well in this special town. The locals are very friendly and make you feel welcome. I definitely recommend a visit to this town that probably have not changed a bit in the past 30 years.
And then we had a roadblock on the way home…
These are stud ewes on their way for some well-you-know-what
Next stop to be announced.
Hedonistic travels 