Taking the long way to Ficksburg Cherry Festival

We left on Monday to go to the Cherry Festival at Ficksburg.

Ficksburg is on the border of the Kingdom of Lesotho and South Africa in the Eastern Free state.

We decided to take the long way there, what is more we decided to free camp and not book in to caravan parks.That is some thing we did often before,but we stop ed doing when the children were born. We left Rantfontein at 10h00 and we did not know where we would park for the night which was exciting.The road to Vereeniging was uneventful and some what boring but after we left Vanderbijlpark the scenery changed from urbane factory's to farm land.The city made way for rolling hills and corn fields, cattle doted the grasslands and we enjoyed every minute of the journey.The R57 to Heilbron is in good nick with hardly any potholes.We took the road thru the town of Heilbron because the road around the town where closed dew to maintenance.Unfortunately the roads in the town is full of potholes and the general upkeep of the town is non existent dew to a bankrupt municipality. Unfortunately greed and  Corruption is killing these small towns thru out South Africa.

We found ourselves at the kwiant town of Clarens.

Clerens is one of that small towns that draws you in and although a tourist trap, indeed makes you feel at home.We decided to stay over for the night and made camp on the other side of the road in front of the police station.

Mignon

     Tony and Mignon 

Mignon is the captan of the South African women cricket team.

 

 South Africa played England in a international mach at Senwes staduim.

The South African team.

Aardklop arts festavel

Aardklop arts festival

The last week we were working at the Aardklop art festival.Our sweet stall attracted a lot of attention as usual.This festival takes a lot of planing on our side to cater for as many people as possible.With only 18X9 feet we don't have to much space but we did get six steal tables in, filled with our best sellers.
This year we where moved to a different stall but in the same tent witch worked out fine, but we do prefer our old spot at the opposite side of the tent.
Putting up the stall on Monday morning went well and we where finished
by noon.Thursday morning at nine the gates opened for the fist days trade, we kicked off on a steady pace selling sweets.Strangely our cotton candy did not sell very good this year.
At days end it was clear that our stock will not last for the rest of the festival because the first day is always the slowest of the week. Anita and I decided that it would be best to get more stock the next morning and that our daughter Aluschka would be in charge of the stall she is only fourteen years old but she handles the stall like a pro.It took us most of Wednesday to get the stock from our supplyers and we got back to the festival at five pm.I was so impress with the way Aluschka handled the stall with the help of the hired help, some of the customers can be a pain in the you now what.
The rest of the week went as expected and we all worked very hard the hole week.On Saturday morning I spoke to other vender's and those I spoke to all was very impress with their sales.

                                                                  DRUNK STDENTS
Unfortunately we decided not to stay at our usual camping ground this year, witch was a huge mistake.We normally stay at the Potchefstroom dam caravan park but this year we decided to go to Olen stadium because it is so much cheaper than the dam caravan park.When we arrived it all looked fine a young man of about 19years old showed us to our camping spot and we settled in. For the first thee days there was only a few other people but from Tuesday the trouble started when the first students arrived.We got back from the festival around ten o clock on Tuesday night and it looked like we drove into a huge mushroom farm with all the dome tents standing everywhere..It was apparent that we picked the wrong place to spent the week of the festival.There wher hundreds of drunk students around us with loud music everywhere.Needles to say we will not go back again.
I got up at five Sunday morning that in itself is not some thing strange for me I like getting up early.The thing that irritated me was the fact that even though I was dead tired I could not sleep at all because of the loud music around us.
I left the stadium at5h30 to break down our stall and pack everything away. At seven I was back at the stadium and the drunk students. After we all watched the rugby game between South Africa and Australia in New Zealand we left the Olen stadium never to return again.

For the next few weeks we'll be busy with our bus convertion.And we hope that we will be finished for our anual trip down the Garden route to Mosselbay where we will spend the summer :-))

Found our bus

At last we found a bus that we can convert to a motor home.We took delivery of a 1976 Mercedes Bens bus.I made a new page ,so that you all can read about us converting our bus in to a motor home.

Looking for a bus to convert to a motor home

For many years the Infinite Travellers used a Land rover v8 and Gazelle 710 caravan to travel full time.We are thinking of buying a 65 seater bus to convert to a motor home.I have been looking at bus convertions on the Internet for ever.In Australia there are Gaven and Tracy who are traveling Australia in a converted bus http://www.hobohome.com./ that is what I am looking for.

The problem is that buses are so expensive here in South Africa, a very old bus from the seventy's will cost you cloce to R100,000.So I'm still looking for the right bus.

Satara camp Kruger National Park

Today we moved to Satara camp.The view of the African bush from the camping area, right on the fence I can not descrip to enny one that dont know africa. At night one is sure to see a hyena or two visit the fence to look for scraps. Guests are urged not to throw any scraps over the fence, as this attracts the hyenas who are scavengers by nature, and always on the lookout for an easy meal. From our camp site we where able to see Elephant (100m away), 3 lions (100m away), Hyenas (1m from fence), Impala, Zebra, Buffalo, giraffe, and many other smaller animals as well.
Satara is the best camp for viewing Lion, Leopard and Cheetah
Offering accommodation in guesthouses, bungalows and camp/caravan sites
The camp also has a restaurant and a grocery store
Picnic facilities are available for day visitors
Satara is the second largest camp and is located in the centre of Kruger Park
Satara Camp second biggest rest camp, providing a range of Kruger National Park accommodation. There are 100 sites with power points available for camping and caravans. Alternatively, a range of bungalows sleeping between 2 and 3 guests are also available.

Kruger Lions stil mating

Our second day in Kruger we left Malelane camp at 6h00 while it was still dark,the park look so different in the dark .We took the H3 to Skukuza and then came across the same lions that we saw yesterday and thy where still mating, Lion mating is notoriously quick, repetitive, and unsuccessful. The male usually initiates copulation with a mating snarl which is intended to excite the female. If the female does not respond, the male lion may lick her neck, back, or shoulders until she complies. The enticed female will then crouch down, and the male lion will quickly mount her. The male lion during copulation will usually bite the neck of the female and let out a loud roar during and immediately after ejaculation. The male will then move away from the female as the female rolls on her back and stretches her legs (Rudnai 1973). The mating activity generally lasts for about four days. Copulation lasts about 30-70 seconds and is repeated once every 25 minutes during the four day period (Viljoen 2003).

We spent the rest of the day game watching and saw Chita,Kudu ,Blou-wildebeest and Buffalo.At 4h00 we entered Pretoriuskop camp and after registering at the office went to our camp site. We had to do laundry and Anita took care of that,one thing I'm going to take up with the Kruger management is the laundry fisilitys.Their is only one washing machine and one tumble drier in the camps we where for all the tourists to use.

The Kruger national park

We entered the Kruger National Park 6h00 Monday morning at the Malelane gate.WE had a booking in the park for three nights.Our first night was at Malelane camp wish is a small camp in the south of Kruger with only a few camping sites.After entering Kruger we went to our camp site and setup camp rite at the fence.We always try to camp next to the fence of the camp so that if the wild animal's walk past we can see them.We ones had a Elephant eat tree leafs at our campsite so close that we could touch him.
After setting up camp we went for a drive on route H3. This route takes you from Malelane to Skukuza and is 64km long. At 50km it should take a couple houres to get their and if you stop at Afsaal witch is roughly in the mitele for tea you can have lunch in the restaurant at Skukusa.
After we arived at Afsaal picnic spot a very nice lady told me that two lions where next to the road a few kilometers from where we were to the north.We decided that we must go their at once.We found a mail lion and lioness mating next to the road.It was the very first time that I witness something so special.I belief that we here at the team are so blesed, that we can experience special things like this and certainly dotn take it for granted.

Inniebos festeval

This past weekend we worked at the Innibos arts festival in Nelspriut selling our sweets.We have been attending Innibos since it started eight years ago and it is one of the few festival's that are growing every year sins it began in the early ninety's.We did very well as always and sold out twice this year and I had to drive a 800 km round trip to get more stock. I am responsible for making the cotton candy that we sell at our stall and let me tell you that if I don't see a cotton candy ever again I would be a very happy camper.
I am not complaining at all.We here at the Invite travellers team know that we need to work a little to travel a lot.All I am prepared to say at this stage is that it will take a fewdays for my hands to be their old selves after closing more than a few cotton candy bags.

I am not scared to criticize festival organizers when I need to. But when thy need to be praised I am the first one to do so as well.Allison you are one of the best organizers their is.Thank you for a really good one.

This Festival is one of the largest in South Africa and is very well organised by the one and only Alison or Ally as I heard her big boss Andy Lube call her this week.This lady has been involved with the festival from the beginning and is responsible for the stalls and to keep the stall holders happy.No easy task at all.
THANK YOU TO THE TEAM FOR ALL THE HARD WORK.

Wind pomp fees - Naboomspruit-Organisers tread us whith respect

After the mess with our stall at the Windpomp fees we where of the lucky one's to do some business. There where only two sweet stalls at the fair we where the lucky ones.As I was talking to the rest of the traders at the fair it was apparent that some of them where told that they are the only ones with a certain product, the poor toy stalls where the one's to bear the brunt of another organiser who again lie to the stall holders.
How is it possible that organiser can tell a person on the phone that you are the only one with a certain product on the fair and do not realize that you will buy a lot of stock for that event and when you arrive there,there are six or seven other stalls that sells the same product as you.
How is it possible that these organisers don't understand that our stalls are our only income and that their dishonesty can cost us our only income and livelihood.
Why is it that as soon as we pay our totally over priced stall fees into their bank account's, months in advance we are treated as second class citizen's by some of them.
It most certainly is our own fault that we are being treated in this why, we are the ones that allow the organisers to lie to us and to treat us like we are nothing.It is time that we stand together and don't allow that to happen any more.
We the traders must realize that the shows and festival's need us and our money just as much as we need them to sell our stock.
Without us the traders there will be no big festival's or shows.

Windpomp fees - Naboomspruit

We traveled on the R28 from Randfontein to Pretoria were we took the N1 highway. We went past Warmbaths (Bella Bella) to Nylstroom (Modimolie) from Nylstroom to Naboomspruit.
We arrived at the fairground early afternoon and waited for the person in charge to show us to our stand. Somewhere there was a miss understanding, the stall we where taken to is in a tent and we work out of a vending trailer so there is no way we can work in a tent. We were shone another stand witch I excepted after I made it clear to the organizer that I am not happy at all, so we will see what happens next.

Stop smoking

Last night on my why back from the Wonder boom airshow I decided to stop smoking. I don't no why I decided to stop right then and there I just did. To me it is much easier as what I thought it would be. O yes I thought about stop smoking before not once not twice but many times before but always left it for another day. But this time I am going for it hard, and when I say hard I mean hard man. Easy it will not be, all most every body I know smoke.I decided long time ago that when I stop, I am not going to make every body around me miserable by complaining about there smoke in my face. You see the why I figured, is that I smoked so much, in the last twenty three years, that I cant show the finger to no one.
Well it is twenty four hours now that I last had a cigarette and I must say that I feel fine just fine.
It is not that I don't have the cravings, but it is not so bad and it does not last so long as one would thought.


Thirty eight hours: 8h00-2011/06/13
Yes I know it is a bid much but I made it, thirty eight hours with out a cigarette to me it is time to celebrate.



2010/03/15-07:45
Hi all fought it,s hi time that I report back about me and the smoking.It,s been almost nine months since I stop ed smoking after twenty three years.
I have not touch a cigarette in all this time and is very proud of my self.

Unfortunately I gained twenty kilogrammes in the time that I did not smoke. I figured that it is not so bad I could loos the wait again,but that is a different ball game all together.
I love food all kinds of food.Sweet puddings and cakes and fudge Not to mention meat lots of fatty meat.
I tyred to eat less but to no avail our fridge has a glass door so when ever I walk pass the fridge I can see all the nice food thru the glass door. I can not help my self.The food draws me like a magnet.
The mince pies  and the Apple strudel are begging me to eat them.
So the battle go's on.

Wonderboom Airshow

From a vendors prospective the air show was a waist of time. Not one of the traders that I spoke to made any money at the airshow.As a matter of the fact we all lost a lot of money dew to the fact that the thousands of people that
 attended the airshow did not come to the vendor area because it was out of the way for them.
I spoke to a number of traders the said that thy would Rather not come back next year again,and will be looking  for some thing Else to do.
At R1600.00per stall  for the day to trade at the airshow one would expect that the organizers would have dune there homework and get the layout right at least.

The Infinite Travellers Team

Karel and Anita Van Der Merwe

Our mission

Our mission here at the Infinite Travellers Team is to travel  far and wide through    Southern Africa.  

We intent to see as much as we can and do just as much as we can and meet as many people as we can.
       To finance our adventure, we intent to sell handmade chocolate' and pix and mix sweets the best                                                we can find at Agricultural shows, and festival's.
                                          So where ever you might see us please come greet us.