By Brent Naudé-Moseley
There's a saying, "Live in the moment", and let's face it, this is something you can enjoy doing when you're on a tropical island.
But when you're doing the Joburg-Cape Town run, there are stretches of endless, boring road and you do not want to live in the moment. You want to get the moment over with as fast as possible. In fact, armchair travel suddenly has new appeal.
Interesting breaks along the way are one way of making this journey far less tiresome, and the Colesberg area is a good place to start. About 40km north of Colesberg, we turned off the N1 to Norvalspont and our destination, Orange Valley Guest Farm & Adventures, situated on the Orange River.
Pulling up under shady trees, and out of the relentless sun, we were greeted by our delightful hosts, Malcolm and Angela Southey. A quick chat and ice-cold drink later, Malcolm showed us to our accommodation.
We do a lot of travelling and are tuned into the finer aspects of guesthouses and farms, and it was soon evident that this one wasn't missing a trick. After a couple of hours in their large pool, which has an amazing view, we were served a delectable dinner of home-grown vegetables and Karoo lamb, and retired early to our totally private and spotless room.
Early the next morning our oars slipped into the Orange River and we glided silently downstream in two-man inflatable "crocs", viewing interesting rock formations, fish eagles and tranquil river banks where we'd have spent the night if we were doing a two- or three-day river trip.
These enterprising Southeys also do sunset cruises, where you can kick back, sip champagne and watch dusk approach; Appaloosa horse trails that last several days; and a tented bush camp overlooking the river.
There's an interesting bit of history just down the road at the tiny establishment of Norvalspont, named after John Norval who erected the now-obsolete pontoon on the Gariep River in 1842.
During 1901, a Boer War concentration camp was laid out for women and children who came from farms in the region. Many died here, mainly from measles.
Closer to Colesberg lies the elegant Greathead Lodge. Built in 1870, it retains all the typical features from this era, including Karoo moulding and a lovely trellised verandah along the top storey. This is another lovely guest farm offering various facilities and activities.
You can see Colesberg's magic mountain, Coleskop, from about 40 kilometres away. Early travellers called it "Towerberg" and thought it magic because, in spite of approaching it, the mountain never seems to come any closer.
Colesberg is just off the N1, about half-way between Gauteng and Cape Town, and it's one of those places that you end up passing by year after year. Not this time. We'd booked two nights in different establishments, and once in the town, soon forgot the endless plains and koppies that surround it.
Colesberg is a pleasant mix of modern-day living combined with character of yesteryear. Established in 1830, many of its original buildings still stand, and a few have their original reed ceilings, yellowwood beams, doors and floors, with interesting fanlights, metal fittings and woodwork visible on the outside.
Our first night was to be spent at Karoo Huisies, which are some of the oldest houses in Colesberg. Originally built as coach houses and stables, each has its own style today and makes for pleasant self-catering accommodation.
They're within walking distance of shops and restaurants and we took to the streets on foot, passing the Dutch Reformed Church, which dominates Church Street - the town's main road.
At the Colesberg Kemper Museum and Tourism Office a valuable cultural history collection containing documents and artefacts dating back to the very early colonial pioneering days is on display.
They also have a fossil collection of the first reptiles inhabiting this area, Anglo-Boer War artefacts and photographs, and a 19th-century toy collection.
However, the museum is perhaps better known for its permanent photographic display on the Karoo Nomads - also known as the "karretjie" or donkey-cart people - compiled by Unisa.
Museum curator and local historian Belinda Gordon specialises in walking tours of the town and Anglo-Boer War sites. She pointed us in the direction of Annetta Westoby, an artist whose work includes outstanding découpage items and unique jewellery, and - the reason for our visit - she also does renovations to picture frames, and repairs porcelain.
The area around Colesberg is known for its horse breeding and merino stud farms, and the latter convinced us we'd find a good leg of lamb somewhere for dinner. Bordeaux Restaurant in the main street is located in an old Karoo house and offered just this along with other traditional dishes.
Next day we headed out to Doornkloof Nature Reserve, a 12 000 hectare sanctuary on the south-eastern banks of the Vanderkloof Dam. Wildlife includes various antelope, brown hyena, bat-eared fox, aardvark and aardwolf, along with around 173 bird species.
After an afternoon spent browsing in town and visiting a couple of other artists, we slaked our thirst with a few frosties at the historic Horse & Mill pub and restaurant.
This atmospheric establishment houses a wooden milling mechanism brought from a farm, piece-by-numbered-piece, and re-erected inside an old wagon house, which dates back to the 1840s. Today it's reputedly the best-preserved horse mill in the country.
That night we bedded down at Coniston Guest House. Actually, there's something about this old building, erected in 1835, that reminds me of the Mediterranean. Perhaps it's the combination of brightly painted wooden shutters and the huge tree out front.
It's one of the very few genuine Cape Georgian double-storey houses in the country, and the antiques and chandeliers that fill it add to the ambience of colonial past.
By now we were getting a taste for old Karoo accommodation and couldn't resist Kuilfontein Stable Cottages, a private country lodge, just off the N1 between Colesberg and Hanover.
It's a historic racehorse stud and sheep farm that's been in the same family since 1876. They offer superb facilities in converted stable quarters that are stylishly decorated. A dusk game of boule, followed by dinner of fresh farm produce served in the converted "Feed Room", and we were ready to slip between the silky percale linen sheets.
If you venture a tad further off the N1 you'll come across the quiet little town of Noupoort. It's perhaps best known for the controversial stories surrounding its original drug rehabilitation centre. We popped into the new and rival drug rehab establishment, The Drug Educational Council, started by Chris Everitt, a former deputy director of the original centre.
Chris feels that it's important that people learn about the effects drugs have on lives, and he welcomes visitors to his centre. Both the staff and residents will discuss the various aspect of rehabilitation and it makes for an interesting visit.
There are virtually no tourist attractions in Noupoort, apart from the stone Anglican Church - today a museum, which includes a British military display - and the severely neglected blockhouse on top of Hospital Hill, but a great place to have lunch is the Railway Institute Restaurant.
If you have a 4x4, Transkaroo Adventures, located on a farm 23km from Noupoort, offers off-road trails and other activities, and accommodation is self-catering in two equipped restored farmhouses.
There are some great reasons to spend time in the Colesberg area, and each time you stop over you can stay somewhere new. It'll make a monotonous stretch of road so interesting that you'll now be looking forward to "living in the moment" the next time you hit the N1.