Cape Town - Driving through the hole in the wall on the Cogmans Kloof Pass off the R62 is like driving through a portal to another dimension, or maybe I've just been watching too much Phineas And Ferb.
Whatever it is, being in the Montagu valley surrounded by the Langeberg mountains makes you realise how insignificant your big city problems really are and therefore makes it so much easier to leave on the other side of that portal/hole in the wall.
Okay, so let me briefly explain this “portal”. Apparently Cogmans Kloof was imprenetable until Thomas Bain built the pass and blasted a tunnel through the kloof, known locally as the gateway to the Klein Karoo.
So we'd left the world and our troubles behind us and headed through the pretty little town of Montagu to our home for the weekend, Avalon Springs. To me, Montagu is famous for two things: its healing hot mineral springs and its dried fruit and nuts. But I'll get to the fruit and nuts later.
I've camped at the Montagu Caravan Park and further along in the Koo valley. I've also stayed in the various self-catering chalet options at Montagu Springs. But I had never stayed in the Avalon Springs hotel. As a chalet dweller the brown gowns of the hotel guests glimpsed at the shared pools or over the barrier at their private pool was a point of envy, so I was eager to get into one of those brown gowns asap.
But first a quick check-in and up, up, up to our gorgeous Avalon Springs fully serviced mountain chalet and then down, down,down to supper at Cogman's Restaurant. This place would become my only bugbear of the weekend.
After our modern and stylish mountain chalet, it was surprising to see the old-fashioned decor of the restaurant and eat the homely but very outdated food on its menu. I enjoyed my “tomato bredie pie” while the others said their pork ribs, prawn curry and calamari were all satisfactory, it just seemed so unnecessarily eighties.
After a stroll around the premises it was off to enjoy the reason the place exists: the hot springs. Avalon Springs is all about the hot springs and offers many ways for a visitor to enjoy the water at various temperatures and sites to suit your taste. It was a beautiful evening so we headed to the outside pool, which also has a bar. Warm drinks and warm water on a cool autumn evening. Bliss!
The next morning we decided that instead of using the chalet’s impressive kitchen we would head into town and treat ourselves to a Village Market breakfast. The market is set among the trees of a historical building, and while fairly new, has everything the words Village Market conjures. Breakfast options included bacon and egg rolls, pastries and my choice: Korean veggie pancakes (made by a real Korean lady) - deliciously different.
There were plenty more goods that forced me to open my purse, including fig konfyt, gorgeous youngberry jam and even Himalayan salt!
Further down the main road (Bath street) we wandered into the second hand book and music store and spent many very happy minutes there. The man behind the counter was an American from Seattle who had followed the woman he loves to Montagu!
Then it was off to see the town's other source of fame: the Montagu Dried Fruit and Nuts padstal and factory. While I had visited Montagu many times, I had never stopped at the padstal. Boy, will I never make that mistake again. The “factory shop” is a treasure trove for dried fruit and nut lovers like us. Gorgeous turkish apricots, glistening dried cranberries, and all the dried fruit and nuts you could want. Needless to say we went um, well nuts!
In this age where everyone seems to be concerned about where our food comes from, it was interesting and reassuring to go on a tractor ride to see the orchards where some of the fruit is grown and then to see pears, the last fruits of the season, drying on racks in the autumn sun. Everything just screamed wholesome and natural.
And apparently nothing is wasted. Even the pips are used to decorate in gardens and the inside of the pip is sent off somewhere to be used in medicines and cosmetics.
There is also a factory on the premises where some of the fruit and nuts are packaged. The tractor ride's destination was a lookout point with a gorgeous panoramic view of the valley, where Jolyn Swanepoel, our tour guide cum tractor driver, was willing and able to answer all our questions about the history of the company and Montagu itself.
Locals JP and Lizbe Viljoen started their business as young entrepreneurs 21 years ago. Today Montagu Dried Fruit & Nuts is reportedly one of southern Africa’s leading packages, distributors and exporters of dried fruit, and the largest employer in the region.
And if you can’t get to the town itself there are also franchise stores around the country.
After another trip to the padstal for more “must-have” fruit, nuts, olive oil, chutney and other pantry pleasures, we headed across the way to the Bistro for a light lunch. There is no other word to describe this little restaurant but cute. With hearts hanging from the ceiling and lovely little pink, girly touches, my daughter was in love. And the food was lovely and light and modern (take note Cogmans) but still had that small town feel, that people come to dorpies for.
Then it was back to Avalon with all our lovely new stuff, and some floating and playing and relaxing in that fabulous hot springs.
There are also hikes of various lengths and difficulty, and mountain biking trails, and boat rides on the nearby Breede River, for those who feel the need to get out of the water.
That night we took full advantage of our braai with a view to cook some chicken and dried fruit kebabs that had been marinated in chutney and sauce courtesy of Montagu's padstal. And then the warm water was calling us again and back we went till past 10pm, in our brown gowns, of course. After which we slept like warm happy babies.
Our breakfast at Cogmans the next morning was once again satisfactory but dated.
Then off we went to witness the sweetest thing I’ve seen in a while - the ducks and birds of Montagu Springs being fed. So a worker comes to a little stream at 10am and again in the afternoon with his bag of feed and blows a whistle, and all of a sudden the air is filled with the sound of wings and quacking and hooting as birds rush across the water to get their piece of the action. As I said: oh so sweet!
They say dried fruit and nuts have health-giving properties. They say Montagu's hot springs have healing properties. I believe them.
Yes, even driving back through the portal and back to reality, I still believe them. - IOL
More info:
Montagu tourism: www.montagu.org.za
Avalon Springs reort: www.avalonsprings.co.za
Montagu Dried Fruit: www.montagudriedfruit.co.za