Biking to the Flowers of Namaqualand Part VI

On Sunday morning, after a wonderful weekend with friends Catherine and Hilton, we left Clanwilliam. We took the National road (N7) - also known as the Cape Namibia Route - heading south towards Cape Town.

Heading towards Cape Town on the Cape/Namibia Route

As is normal in South Africa, we came across several "Stop/Go" road contructions where you can wait up to twenty minutes. I got off the bike and turned to look at a huge truck behind us. The driver also alighted from his vehicle and I asked him about the number plate which was foreign to me. He told me it's Zimbabwean. It turns out he was a driver for a large tour company called Acacia African Adventure on his way to Cape Town to collect tourists.

A hundred kilometers further we turned off the N7 towards the quaint little town of Darling. We were off to have tea at Evita se Perron, invention of controversial political satirist Pieter-Dirk Uys . We'd also heard that an old friend from the diamond mines, Librarian Kotie Reid, had retired to Darling in 1998 and was General Manager for Evita se Perron. As this was a trip to meet up with old friends, Grant and I also wanted to see Kotie, which we did along with visiting this avante garde attraction in Darling. Please do read the links above to get a better idea of South Africa during the apartheid years;  you'll also understand many of the images in my photos.  Note that Pieter-Dirk Uys doesn't spare any ruling bodies, past and present.

Posing in front of the Darling Station; now a theatre and museum created by Pieter-Dirk Uys:  Evita se Perron. (Perron is Afrikaans for station)

After tea in the Gravy Train Saloon, we wandered towards the Nauseum Museum. I forgot to take a photo of this sign

 

We meandered into Boerassic Park

 

Evita loves cats and a section of the garden in Boerassic Park is dedicated to this species. We met two of the four resident cats which I posted about a week ago

If you're South African you'll better understand the following sculptures in the park:

The Gravy Train

 

Tony Leon, MP for twenty years, opposition leader for thirteen, currently serves as South African ambassador to Argentina under the ANC government

Winnie Mandela in her bath, complete with soccer boot sticking out.

Apartheid signs - pre-1994

After leaving Darling we passed field upon field of beautiful flowers - again!

Next post  I'll show you the beautiful Boland (home of many of South Africa's vineyards) through Paarl  to Swellendam where we met with friends and spent the night in a Municipal caravan and chalet park.