AA Traveller Winter 2022

SouthernCape
Theentranceto
DieByekorf?
RiverMagic
TheOulyweOasis
Thetraffic in
Vermaaklikheid
Things to do in Vermaaklikheid
DieSuikerhuisie: Youcan scarce
believethata“minimall” with a
restaurant,beautysalon andinterior
designer exists in such asmall town.
TheOulyweOasis restaurant is only
open on theweekends, andyou need
to book.The ownermakes herown
oliveoil andother products that can
be bought at therestaurant.And she
claimstomakethe best pastaand pesto
in theregion, usingafamily recipe she
learnt from herItalian mother-in-law.
Book with Rialené:082 6899660
RiverMagic
RiverMagic hasvarious picturesqueold
homesonthe banksofthe Duiwenhoks
River. Twoofthe homesare on theother
side of theriver.Aferry takesvisitors
andall theirluggageand groceries
across theriver,and it fetchesthem
again when it’s time to leave. If youwant
to getacrossany othertime, you’ll need
to rowyourself. vermaaklikheid.co.za
House of Eels
TheHouseofEelsisaunique
farmstead, inspired by thearea’snatural
beauty. Reeds, blue gum, slateand
rivermud, as well as steelimplements
foundonthe farm,wereusedinclever
ways to buildthischarminghouse.
Idealfor groupsthatneed abit of a
breather. perfecthideaways.co.za/
accommodation/house-of-eels/
Fishing in dieDuiwenhoks
DieDuiwenhoksRiver hasone of the
last undeveloped rivermouthsinthe
WesternCape. It’sanexcellent fishing
spot andideal forspendinglazydays
on aboatorinacanoewithabird
guidebookinyourhand.
34
pictures of family distillers throughout the
years. Piet is very proud of the fact that
he won gold in 2017 at the South African
National Mampoer Championship. The
man knows his stuff! I’m flabbergasted
to learn that something like anational
mampoer championship exists.
And how do you get tobeajudge at the
competition?
Apparently, you need to look atcolour,
smell and taste. He pours meaglass, and
it’s so strong my lips burn, but Piet says
it’s supposed to be like that, and he starts
talking about how much fun distilling is.
“The whole ward comes and help, and
then we get afew more people just for the
fun ofit.” Kinnie notices that he’s starting
to enjoy our conversation and moves to
the farthest end of the table. Piet teases
that she’s always been hot tempered but
has mellowed out over the years.
FROM ACROSS THEMOUNTAIN
He tells meabout the witblits smuggling
route that ran through these mountains.
It’s asecret path that was built after KWV
was given legal control over the country’s
production of wine and spirits. People on
the other side of the mountain –those
from the Wyksdorp and Calitzdorp
region –used this footpath through the
mountain tosmuggle their witblits tothe
towns below the Langeberge. The route
could only be navigated byfoot, horse
or donkey.
Later, Ifound out from another local
farmer that the distillers smuggled witblits
by pouring itinto bamboo reeds sealed
with beeswax. Apparently, they spun atale
about using the bamboo reeds as fishing
rods and supplied witblits totowns on
the seaside of the mountain, places like
Riversdal, Heidelberg, Albertinia and
Herbertsdale. Until recently, the Witblits
route could be hiked, but it’s nolonger
accessible. And in any case, Herbertsdale
doesn’t need this route anymore –they
have Piet Brits!
Iask if his sons are also distillers, and I
quickly get the impression that only one
distiller is allowed atatime. “Well, we’re
going todistil again next month. You
should come and help.”
Iwouldn’t miss itfor the world!
AATraveller | SUMMER 2021