Cape trip (four provinces tour)

[IMPI]

It started with me seeing an RS2 Avant for sale whilst on holiday in natal. I havent had the itch to buy a car for a long time and this time it bit hard. unfortunately sanity had to prevail and it was put on the back burner but the itch remained....... Browsing Gumtree didnt help as I saw Porsche Guy advertising a 944 for a reasonable price and the damn itch was stronger than ever. He sent some pics and a description of the car and this itch became worse. I was reeled in hook line and sinker. I had a few shares stashed and paid them out but nature intervened and those shares lost R7 a share as I was selling !@#$. but I could afford the car and the deal was done.

Now for the rest of the provinces I am in Northwest and the car is in cape town and we are 1400 km apart. I looked at putting it on the train and found out prices About R2500 which wasnt too bad. Then I had an Idea why not take the train down and drive up and this is what I am planning to do. Dirk has road worthied the car i sorted insurance and this weekend me and my wife will be doing the trip (Sorry about the logo day) Our plan is as follows
get onto train 16h00 in klerksdorp Friday afternoon
arrive in Belville around 16h00 Sturday and do the deed
Will then drive to Hermanus and sleep over
early sunday morning (its my wifes Birthday) take a further drive until we reach Uitenhage where we will meet my good friens Chris and Sanita vd Heever who moved down there.
Monday morning will see us on the road to Bloem for the third province and we will overnight there
Tuesday will be the final leg back to Orkney.

I have only been in Cape town once in my life for studies which were so hectic that we saw the insides of our hotel rooms only and hope to see a bit more this time
Armand

[Pine]

I'm jealous..

..but we expect some NICE pics, OK??

Have a safe journey and enjoy it!

[Pine]

...strictly speaking, it is actually a FIVE province tour.

1. Depart from Northwest Province (Orkney)

2. Northern Cape (by train), you cross the border at around Bloemhof

3. Western Cape (by train, entered just after Richmond)

4. Eastern Cape (hopefully by 944, entered on the N2 just after Knysna)

5. Northern Cape again (on your way to Bloem, just before Noupoort you cross the provincial border)

6. Free State (crossing the Orange river after Colesberg)

7. North West Province again after crossing the Vaal and then you are spitting distance from home!

[Blitzkrieg]

That is an awesome car that you'll be tripping in - a 944 handles and drives like an absolute dream

Enjoy the trip!

[Stütz]

Dear Lord, I got to get me another forum to join. These people are making me jealous and stuff and that's just not right!

[Pine]

Well, 1400km in a newly-aquired 944 sounds like fun but a 24-hour train trip through the Karoo in wintertime with the missus, that sounds sooooooo nice



Ktttuk-ktttuk.....Ktttuk-ktttuk.....Ktttuk-ktttuk.....Ktttuk-ktttuk.....Ktttuk-ktttuk.....Ktttuk-ktttuk.....Ktttuk-ktttuk.....Ktttuk-ktttuk.....

[hitlers revenge]

Impi

Please be careful around Bellville Station. There are many low-lifes hanging around and the place is teeming with Somalians. The area is actually called "Little Somalia" these days.

I only say this as you will be a stranger to the area. I worked next to the station for many years and saw the area transform into the disgrace it is today.

Please understand I am not wanting to make you not get off the train, its just that forewarned is forearmed.

What I do suggest is, once you leave the platform, move to the area next to the parking bays. You will be in the open and have more of a chance to notice any undesirables.

Just my 5c's.

[Barry]

Hey Armand, sounds like a great trip!! Pity you're only in town for such a short time. I have a massive house on the farm, (don't even go in the one half these days) you would have been welcome to stay over & check out my 'shop. Maybe next time.

Have a blast & drive safe!

[Stütz]

Impi

Please be careful around Bellville Station. There are many low-lifes hanging around and the place is teeming with Somalians. The area is actually called "Little Somalia" these days.

I only say this as you will be a stranger to the area. I worked next to the station for many years and saw the area transform into the disgrace it is today.

Please understand I am not wanting to make you not get off the train, its just that forewarned is forearmed.

What I do suggest is, once you leave the platform, move to the area next to the parking bays. You will be in the open and have more of a chance to notice any undesirables.

Just my 5c's.

Well there's no need for any of that .... I am happy to meet you there are take you to fetch your Porker wherever it's at!

[JamesD]

Dear Lord, I got to get me another forum to join. These people are making me jealous and stuff and that's just not right!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche- ... cal-forum/
http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/

Take your pick of poison Nevermind the MG forums, Alfa Forums. All rather fun and interesting

Nice One Impi. BTW, the Pelican parts Porsche 924/944 forum is alright. Hope the trip goes well 944's are fantastic little cars.

[Pine]

Just spoke to Mrs IMPI on the phone (it is her 40th birthday today), they got the car and everything is going well. They have, however, taken the wrong road somwhere in the Boland and got stuck in the snow on a gravel road!

But IMPI, always being the gentleman, allowed the Missus to first get her jacket out from the rear of the car, before pushing the car out of the snow - got this MMS

[Dawie]

Hogehakskoene en al!

Nice wheel.

[IMPI]

Hi I finally uploaded all the photos and now would like to tell you all about the most amazing weekend of my life.
As is to be expected in our wonderfull country the train was late on friday. whilst waiting Yolanda realised she forgot to bring towels and quicly popped somewhere to buy towels so the lateness actually turned out to be a plus. as we were standing around on the station I saw a familiar face, an old customer of mine who just happened to be the train driver taking us to Bloemhof from where he would return to klerksdorp on another train. we pulled awau at 5h30 an hour late. soon we were quite cosy in the compartment and supper was served just before 7 ( I had steak and chips and Yolanda fish and chips) the quality was excellent as well as cheap, both meals cost R110 which included dessert and coffee. bedding arrived soon after and cost R40 a bed. The sheets were very thin but clean and the blankets were soft. at bloemhoff the train driver showed me the locomotive engine and went his merry way. back in the compartment we retired to bed. BTW Pine trains dont go Ktttuk-ktttuk.....Ktttuk-ktttuk.....Ktttuk-ktttuk.....Ktttuk-ktttuk.....Ktttuk-ktttuk.....Ktttuk-ktttuk.....Ktttuk-ktttuk.....Ktttuk-ktttuk.... anymore as the rails are welded together.
we woke at 07h00 and was close to Beafort west.

a very nice breakfast was served again very cheap at R75 for both of us. It was quite cold and we were glad they didnt come for the bedding until just before the Paarl

what we noticed was that all those small stations which used to serve the platteland has been reduced to ruins and even the larger stations are very run down

going throug the tunnel and arriving inWorchester the cape really started to look good. we got of the train in Paarl at about 5h30 and was greeted by Dirk on the platform
Very few people were about and I felt quite safe. there were 3 police officers on the train for the whole trip and their presens were noticed when a lady got a bit noizy and was calmed within 5 minutes.
We arrived at Dirk's plase and I had a quick look at the car and it was exactly as described loading everything crankin up the GPS the Tannie took us out of Cape town. Man die caaypies can jaag. we set our sights on Hermanus where we booked a bed and breakfast at onrus what a nice place and we woke at 06h00 Sunday Morning, before forgetting I congratulated Yolanda on her birthday. Again we had a great breakfast and after a quick drive around Onrus we hit the road. The tannie took us on the R320 but seems to forget that I only asked for tar roads. going past shaws mountan a huge 4x4 raced past us and sprayed me with mud my poor baby was brown. arriving in Caledon we stooped for Petrol and a quick clean of the windshield


A little while later it was time for a comfort break and I was fined by a loca for not smiling enough he was on an anti drug campaign and I happily paid the R20 fine
at the crags we stopped for petrol the first No Name petrol I ever saw.


At mossel bay we saw the sea again and now went next to the cost
Then Groot brak, George: we bought Windolene and cloths as the windows were getting dirty., Wildernis,Sedgefield,Knysna and I saw a camera flash (luckily its not in my name yet.......We turned into Humansdorp for another break and there another 944 owner greeted us: Ek laaik jou kar. Turns out he also knows Dirk.
Now past Now past Jeffreys bay and on to Uitenhage. we find Chris easily and he quickly shows us the town In the dark I wash the car but not very well
A lovely evening in Chris and Sanitas 100 year old house (parking for 35 old Volkswagens. The next morning (Monday) we decide to visit the Auto pavillion. We meet up with an older gentleman in the out side display area turns out he is the PR manager in charge of factory tours.




When the doors open he asks us we we wanted to see the factory. What a question we were there in a flash this was another highlight totally cool but our Phones and camera was held for us.
We never got to see the inside of the museam and as Colibri towels factory was just accros the road we left with a new set of towels for the house Luckily 944's have ample boot space.
we now asked the tannie to take us to Bloemfontein She took us on the 334 but as the road was not finished she recalculated a lot but soon we went past the windmills

Those blades are 100m long and this thing is huge. We turned on to the R335 and soon PE was behind us now past Addo and soon we entered the pass at Olifantskop

along this road we came upon the Daggaboers Padstal which was recently voted the Best in SA

We passed Cradock.Witkransnek, Middelburg A nice lunch at a nice little tearoom. Noupoort and here the roadworks really started. Colesberg and finally B;oem nearly at 08h15. Gerhard was waiting and we went for Pizza but first He showed me his personall car collection WOW. We were tired and went to bed soon Tuesday morning was quite cold and as Yolanda has friends in bloem she went her own way Coming back with a James Bond beetle for me and Gerhard I hung around his shop Man The Guy has got stuff. By 11 time was up and we were off. We bought soup and vetkoek from a cafe close to gerhards and had that on the run
Brandfort, Theunissen, Welkom, Odendaalsrus, Bothaville and we were in Orkney at 3h40

The car ran faultlessly didnt use oil or water and gave about 10kms to the liter.
The train trip took 24 hours and 1230KM
By road we did 1653 Km through most of South Africa
A total of 2883 Km and a whole set of towels for the House
Armand

[sean]

Lekker trip Impi! Thanks for sharing.

That Auto pavillion is still something I really want to see, hopefully our next trip I can incorporate it in.

[JamesD]

Very nice! The car looks stunning. glad it did not give problems. enjoy it!