We woke up refreshed after a very good night’s sleep at Makkedaat. I think it was probably the best sleep I’ve had so far on the tour and for once I was up and out of bed before dawn without feeling that something was terribly wrong with the world.
The drive out of Baviaanskloof through Nuwekloof Pass was as scenically spectacular as anything we’d experienced the day before. Just as you think it can’t get any better along this amazing road, it does. The only down side was that we didn’t have time to linger. We had an appointment to keep. Elevenses with the Mayor of Graaff-Reinet, Mr. Daantjie Japhta.
Mr. Japhta comes across a very jovial and likeable man. He has one of the most endearing laughs I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing, and after a great tea and scones at The Drostdy, where Jan conducted his brief interview, we all set off in convoy together – our crew accompanied by the mayor and our hostess, the lovely Chantelle Marais.
Our entire experience of Graaff-Reinet was professional, well-organised and managed by friendly, good-natured people who love their town and are proud to share it with strangers. Chantelle, who was instrumental in driving the town to becoming South African Town of the Year in 2010, had pulled her strings and provided a packed lunch, a guided tour of Camdeboo National Park which surrounds the town, a visit to the Valley of Desolation and – just to blow our minds a little – a fully catered, 100 person, sit-down braai under the ancient banyan tree out back of the Reinet House Museum.
The braais this last week are vying to be the best of the tour, no doubt about it. We’ve had some amazing events, hosted by excellent people, but the sheer organisation involved and the number of people who turned out to be with us for this awesome occasion have not been match in the previous 35 days. Ostrich, roast lamb, boerie, chops, excellent salads, an excellent jazz band, beautiful venue and lovely people all made for an outstanding braai. And then out came the “˜withond.’
‘Withond’ is a distilled, alcoholic beverage made with fermented grape husks – very similar to the Cypriot drink Zivania for those who know it. Now I never used to like Zivania, but it has grown on me over the years, and I can tell you that this withond (“˜white dog’ in English) went down very, very well.
Chantelle cruised the party, bottle in hand, and nobody was safe. If it wasn’t withond being doled out, it was its fiery cousin – “˜withond op hitte’ (…on heat) which is the same 50 per cent proof tipple (I think more but that’s what they say), but with the bottle stuffed with chillies and left to ferment. The result is intense and I loved it. What I remember of it anyway.
What really sold the whole withond thing to me though, is that it’s made using grapes from the oldest vine in South Africa. I have no way of knowing if this is absolutely true and I’m not convinced that anyone really does, but there’s a plaque next to it saying that it was planted in 1870 and that’s good enough for the good people of Graaff-Reinet so it’s good enough for me. After a few shots of withond, just about anything is good enough for me.
We stumbled back to our guest house, A Mountain View, around 10pm and began the night’s chores – dumping memory cards and getting things together for another early start. The next stop was Knysna and oysters on the Knysna Heads. Bring it on.
If you’re looking for a good time in Graaff-Reinet (…tours, information, a few bottles of withond) then Chantelle Marais is your lady. Email Chantelle for anything to do with Graaff-Reinet and she’s bound to be able to help. She runs the beautiful Camdeboo Cottages B&B as well.
