Mumford and Sons: Gentlemen Of The Road.

I like Mumford and Sons. A lot. I have seen them perform in 3 of the 4 continents I have lived in. I once drove 510 miles in -5 degrees, to a sold out show in Philly in the hopes that the ticket scouts would be kind. Their $250 / ticket ‘price’ wasn’t kind so I had to drink wine instead. However, Mumford and Sons made up for it the next month in Montreal (and Philly is a pretty cool city anyway!)

This past weekend I saw Mumford and Sons during their first ever stint in South Africa. Apparently they have been wanting to come here for a while but haven’t been able to manage it logistically. Originally their tour dates consisted of just 3 dates across the 3 main cities. These shows sold out in less than a minute forcing them to add more dates to keep fans who have ‘been waiting 7 years’ to see them, happy! 

Where am I? What am I doing?

To start from the beginning and find out what this adventure is all about, click here.

I can’t believe I haven’t written a diary style post since last year (crikey that sounds bad). I left you all hanging with the impression we would be in Pringle Bay for a few weeks and I am sure you’ve been wondering where in the world (well, South Africa at least) we are now. So before I get started with an update, let me get the excuses out of the way; there have been some very exciting developments, including a new website coming soon that have been keeping me busy with Global Handprints (follow out the GH blog to find out more!) I have been approached by an education consultancy asking me to start working for them (which would not only be great experience but also solve the never-ending visa issue however it does require commitment and a temporary end to ‘life on the road…’ so involves lots of thinking) Also to be honest, I have been embracing the Pringle way of life which is to not really do a lot and to not do it in any hurry!

2015: A Musical Reflection

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything”

There are a lot of posts reminiscing on what has been learned through travel in 2015, the top photos from social media and how travel has changed people over the year. As for many people, 2015 was an interesting year, little did I know on 1^st January that I would end the year living in a caravan on the opposite side of South Africa having traveled across and down it. Little did I know I would have become what is now known as a ‘Digital Nomad.’ There have been plenty of challenges and I am sure I am not the same person I was at the start of the year; fundamentally yes but I definitely don’t wash my hair as often (it’s the little things right?) Instead of dwelling on what changes have happened, I have decided to ponder music.

An Upside Down Christmas

Because I am lucky enough to be able to ‘work from the road’ today I am working from a wine estate in beautiful Stellenbosch. Yes, I am working despite being surrounded by stunning gardens and endless bottles of wine!

It’s 30 degree, tourists are coming and going; wine tasting, having lunch and enjoying the heat. On the rest of the estate, the social enterprises that are based here (go-karting, dirt road biking, potteries and an education centre) are hustling with activity.

And there’s Christmas music in the background.

Home is where the caravan legs stay down

To start from the beginning and find out what this adventure is all about, click here.

If we have stayed anywhere longer than a night or two, our habit so far seems to have been two weeks maximum. Despite promises of low crime rates, a friendly community, development initiatives and beautiful landscapes we were skeptical about Pringle Bay. We knew we needed somewhere to call home for a while longer so we can we find our feet (and patch the holes in the caravan). A few days into our time in Pringle Bay it feels like this is it. We have set up camp next to a family friend of the boy’s and already feel like one of the locals.

The Mother City

To start from the beginning and find out what this adventure is all about, click here.

So we unexpectedly found ourselves in the Mother City. A last minute visit to Cape Town from some of my favourite people from home and more tyre troubles led us to speed down the last bit of the west coast (with promises that we will be back) to get to civilisation, tyres and friendly faces.

A very cloudy view of Table Mountain!

West Side Story: Chapter 2

Since Port Nolloth we have been heading south and stopping at places we like the look of (or that have gas stations). Having been disappointed so far in our search for a friendly, small, quanit fishing town with a welcoming atmosphere and opportunities to fish for our own supper, we pinned our hopes on Honderklipbaai (Stone of the Dog). Our journey here was hassle free through expanses of land covered in different types of flowers, past rocks with seals sunbathing and round a number of tortoises crossing the road.

First seal sighting

We got used to keeping our eyes peeled for tortoises in the road…

Even though some had a narrow escape!

Two weeks later, we are still here and haven’t been disappointed.

Namaqualand Flowers

Part of the reason we left the Midlands when we did was so that we would make it to Namaqualand during the infamous flower season.

The Cape Wild Flowers are one of the natural wonders of the world. The arid areas of the Cape West Coast and the semi desert of Namaqualand, transform into a floral wonderland.

Heading straight west we drove through areas known for their flowers but it wasn’t until we started to go south along the coast that we really saw variety and flowers in abundance. The flowers pop in in single bursts or clumps of contrasting colours amongst the green, dry foliage. The region is know for being sparse and arid outside of Flower Season but in the two months the flowers are out, people head here in droves and tourism picks up. For many of the B&Bs and other accommodation offerings, Flower Season is their busiest time of year and it keeps them going.

West Side Story: Chapter 1

We made it to the West Coast! All the way from East to West with a caravan and two dogs! There were definitely times when I didn’t think we would get here (nothing like a bit of melodrama to make changing a tyre easier, hey?)

After spending the night on the side of the road, at the top of a mountain pass and in an empty truck lay-by, we carried on with the last stretch to Port Nolloth.

Morning view from the side of the road

Our first sighting of the Atlantic was coming into Port Nolloth past all the white chalky earth heading towards the ferocious looking waves with wind howling past us. Our first point of call was of course the beach where the four of us stood for a few moments and took in the salty smell, wind and waves. It was instantly obvious the West Coast is very different to the East and the water is SO cold!

Go West; Where The Skies Are Blue

Our route took us to Kimberley purely because I wanted to see The Big Hole so that’s just what we did. Arriving late at night, we needed to find a caravan park quickly and relied our trusty ‘caravan guide’ to advise us. Several hours, many unanswered phone calls and just as many wrong turns later, we made it to a park. There we no staff (and no other guests) around so we let ourselves ‘in’, found a spot and settled in for the night.

The Big Hole

We spent the morning wandering around the newly made, old town set up around The Big Hole to show how life used to be in mining times. It was literally like stepping back in time and felt kind of like the Wild West.