Graaff Reinet: Walking The Town

Just after 2am this morning I arrived in Graaff-Reinet, after a 7.5 hour bus ride from Stellenbosch.

Leanne, from the guesthouse, kindly picked me up from the bus station at such an ungodly hour in the morning. I slept in until past 9, trying to get some rest before a busy day of exploring the town. My purpose of visiting Graaff-Reinet is actually to view the Valley of Desolation, but as I'd been told before by others, this proved hard to do without a vehicle.

I actually walked from the centre of town to the entrance of the national park (Cambdeboo) - 5+km - but was told that the only way to enter the park is either by vehicle or on bike. That's ok, I guess, but there are a few problems here: I don't have a car, there are no cars for rent in town, there are no taxis, and perhaps worst of all, there are no bike rentals! This means that one pretty much has to either own a car or get a guided tour (expensive) to see the sights the town has to offer. How's that for hospitality!

Actually, the people in the town are very hospitable, but the infrastructure that I'm used to is just not set up. Anyways, I did manage to see pretty much the whole town, it's that small, and I don't regret coming at all. I will be here until late Saturday night, at which point I will take another night bus, this time to Bloemfontein, arriving there at 3am.

I ate breakfast at Sarmies, a charming little house-turned-into-restaurant. The breakfast tramezzini was very delicious, and the cappuccino was excellent. I took the time to write a few postcards as I waited for my order. At the entrance, a little dakel even greeted me!




























The most note-worthy building, architecturally speaking, is the Groot Kerk, the big church at centre of town:

I've come to appreciate the importance of engaging not just the mind in worship, but also the body and the spirit, and so I like a church that has "colour" - art, or especially icons. In contrast, the interior of the Groot Kerk is stark, simple, and yet beautiful in its own way:

Another noteworthy place is the Drostdy Hotel, the entrance to which is at the very end of the road in the picture. The "cottages" on either side are the hotel rooms; they used to be living quarters for slaves.















Here's where I'm staying. It's actually a perfect place: a small cottage, one bedroom with bath. It has a nice back veranda also.

Finally, a few pictures of my walk to the entrance of the national park. The terrain is arid, as it doesn't rain much in the area. The temperature fluctuates between "warm" and "cool" during the day, around 15C, and downright cold at night, around 5C. I'm realizing that I'm barely well-prepared when it comes to clothing. Often times when I'm out at night, walking about town, I'm chilled to the bone.

Note the snow-capped mountain on the left of the next picture. There's snow in South Africa!