Namaqualand – Blooming marvellous

The trip of a lifetime started because of a book in one of our crammed book shelves. The black letters on the white spine read ‘Patterson – Garden of the Gods’

This gem of a book had been in the shelves for most of my life, yet, I have to ashamedly admit, it wasn’t until recently that I picked it up and started paging through.

And so began my journey, sitting on the couch, cup of neglected tea slowly getting cold on the coffee table – flicking through page after page, I was transported to another time and place, by the gentle, careful, profound words and incredibly emotive images of Mr Freeman Patterson.

Image upon image of orange field, of flowers, of depth and feeling, of colour and mood. Everything that makes up the area called Namaqualand in the Northern Cape. I was hooked, this was something I had to see and experience for myself.

At first my idea was to fly to Cape Town and then hop on a Namaqua tour bus and see the flowers that way.

Two things kind of put the brakes on that idea, firstly I’m a loner by nature, and being stuck in a tour bus with a bunch of people doesn’t really appeal to me. And secondly, I’m an independent Miss, and not being able to stop when and where I wanted to, or go off the beaten track at the drop of a hat would have put a severe damper on my trip.

So that idea was canned, and a new (and infinitely better) one developed.

Luckily for me, once Luke (my younger brother) heard of my intended trip, there was no ways I would be allowed to go without him. We decided to drive the 1300kms from Johannesburg to Kamieskroon in Red Rocket. So began the planning, the lists, and the saving of pennies.

Our plan had been to go down mid to end August, but as it turned out we couldn’t find accommodation. (it being peak flower season and bookings being made more than 6 months in advance)  So we settled for the earliest accommodation we could find in September. The pessimist in me thinking we’d probably miss the whole flower show, and just have to make the best of the situation and be content with the holiday and new scenery.

Reports started surfacing early-August about how magnificent this year’s flowers were, and my heart sunk, we were going to miss the whole thing. And then, two weeks before our departure date, the Namaqua heavens opened and it rained for about a week. The timing could not have been better for us, and the pessimist was sent back to its dark chambers, where it belongs.

Finally, after months of preparation, the day arrived and we set off at sparrows along the N14.

The Bluesy sounds of Dan Patlansky’s newest album, Wooden Thoughts, providing a super start to our road trip soundtrack.

The scenery between Joburg and Augrabies (our stop over point) is pretty boring, and the end of our first day’s travel found us in the welcomingly cool confines of the Augrabies Backpackers. With free internet and pool table, we were happy.

The next day, on our last stretch long stretch, just before arriving in Springbok the roadside flowers started appearing, and our excitement rose. Having traveled the last 400 odd kilometers through arid no man’s land, which was dry, dusty and desolate, the flowers that were now appearing seemed like tiny miracles.

From Springbok onwards our trip changed, we slowed down, our windows were opened, and we marvelled at the scenery. Flowers started popping up along the verges, needless to say, and our roadside stops were more frequent.

(A special mention needs to be made to whichever roads department handles the care and upkeep of the N14. From Krugersdorp to Springbok, there was not one pothole, the lines are all clearly painted, reflectors were obvious and their signage was brilliant. Also a great thing to note was there was not one toll gate. )

Sometimes arriving at an unknown destination has the feeling like one has arrived home. You feel comfy like you belong, and yet also excited because you have so many new things to explore. Every time I go to the Drakensberg I get this feeling and arriving in Kamieskroon was no different.

Kamieskroon is a small picturesque town, lying in the foothills of the Kamiesberg mountain range.

When I say small, I mean SMALL. Like five streets small. It’s a beautiful, quaint, quiet town.

Nearly every garden is littered with wildflowers, different shapes, sizes and colours popping up all over the place.

Our accommodation in Kamieskroon was a brilliant little ‘no frills no fuss’ self-catering place called Jeanrico Guesthouse.  The perfect place to park off and relax, after a day out and about in the sun. Our hosts Ernest & Stella were super friendly, and more than willing to advise us on where to go and what to look out for. There is nothing like getting a local’s knowledge of an area.

We spent four absolutely amazing days in and around Kamieskroon, flower ‘hunting’, baking in the hot summer sun, taking unknown routes, getting lost, finding ourselves, backtracking, stopping and starting again, and then stopping (a process you have to resign yourself to).

Interspersed with a lot of laughter, and jokes, more than likely tuneless singing, and yells of ‘FLOWERS! FLOWERS! FLOWERS!” (Most often followed by the sound of Red Rockets tyres grinding to a halt)

At times our eyes were wide with disbelief that a sight so extraordinary could be materializing tangibly before us. We ran out of words, and were left with silly big grins spreading across our faces.

It’s often said things are either as good as you expected, better than, or worse than.

I had known this trip would be a good one; I had everything going for me, careful planning, perfect timing and the best possible company. But I have to admit it completely surpassed my expectations.

Every centimeter of the 3000 kilometers was worth it, and every cent well spent.

I came back from that trip a better person, with memories to last a lifetime.

I’ll let the following set of pictures show you some of the magical scenes, that words could never adequately describe.

For any of you thinking of going to Namaqualand in the future, I’d like to dispel a few myths that popped up when I was planning the trip, and dispense some practical advice.

Firstly, you don’t need a 4×4 to get around.

The flowers tend to grow in disturbed stretches of land and old fields along the road side. You don’t need to go bundu bashing to see them.  However, having said that, most of the roads in the area are dirt, and they are corrugated, so don’t expect to drive anywhere in a hurry. (unless of course, you don’t mind bumping down a road)

Secondly, you don’t need a GPS either. We used a road atlas of SA and did just fine. When we did get lost, we ended up seeing so many cool and unexpected things, that it was actually worth it.

Thirdly. Crime….Okay… as a Joburger, I have to admit I was a bit worried about this. Two photographers with their noses stuck in the flowers, oblivious to the world around them, seemed like a pretty good target to me.  We started off being very cautious, and by the end were very relaxed, often leaving RR (unlocked and with windows open) on the side of the road and walking off into the fields. We didn’t encounter one instance where we felt insecure.

If you are planning a trip down there, and are a snooty South African english snob, do yourself a favour and learn some basic Afrikaans. Almost everyone there is Afrikaans, and people appreciate it when you can speak to them in their language (however brokenly). It’s a small gesture that goes a long way…

And the last bit of advice (vital for any road trip really) you need good company and good music, it’s a long way from anywhere.