Following the long train trip from Johannesburg that I blogged about on post titled ‘Shosholoza Meyl killing the Sho’t Left campaign’ and having rested for the night, on Monday 28 September it was time to discover the wonders of the diamond city. We were booked at Protea Hotel Kimberley which is a walking distance from Kimberley’s major tourist attraction, the Big Hole. I was occupying room 221 and as usual I managed to take pictures of the guest room (expect more pictures on Protea Hotel Kimberley tomorrow)…
Twin beds at guest room 221 - Protea Hotel Kimberley
Shower hour at guest room 221 - Protea Hotel Kimberley
It's always better on a big screen, guest room 221 - Protea Hotel Kimberley
One thing though that didn’t go down well with me was that the guest room is located just above the dining room, which resulted in me waking up early each morning as a result of the smell of bacon being prepared in the kitchen. I love my bacon, however being awoken by its smell was never a pleasant experience.
Our first stop was at the nearby Big Hole which documents the entire history of the discovery of diamonds. South Africa is fortunate not to have ongoing civil wars as a result of this precious stone, which has derailed developments in other African states.
Entry point to the Big Hole Kimberley...scribes going in for a lecture session
Kimberley's crowd puller - The Big Hole...adding a bungee jumping facility would be bonus.
Myself taking a pose at the Big Hole in Kimberley
Simulated mine
A bit of history uniquely presented
Background about the Mokala National Park
We were then driven to Lilydale Rest Camp a new addition to the Mokala National Park. This establishment consists of 12 self-catering chalets, all units and restaurant deck overlooks the Riet River. Activities at the camp include river rafting (which we couldn’t experience as the water levels were very low) and fly fishing.
SANParks signage
Reception to Lilydale Rest Camp
Scribes taking at breather Lilydale Rest Camp
Our host educating us about Lilydale Rest Camp and Jaco our tour guide behind
One of the self-catering chalet
inside the self-catering chalet with 5 single beds
Lilydale Rest Camp - self catering chalet
Mokala is a Tswana word for the Camel Thorn Tree (Acacia erioloba) that is common in the area. It replaces the Vaalbos National Park which was deproclaimed. The rich cultural and natural biodiversity of the area consist of many Bushman Rock Art and engravings, typical grassy plains, characterized by many hilly outcrops but not limited to endangered species like the temperamental black rhino and elusive roan antelope. The national park is a malaria free zone.
We were treated to a three hour game drive of the Mokale National Park to get a better understanding on the kind of game offered. After the game drive we then refreshed and prepared for an evening of awards for the local industry at the national park hosted by Northern Cape Tourism where the normal protocol of speeches were the order of the night, a trade mark for any government gathering.
Mokale Nation Park - reception office
Myself taking a pose before the 3 hour game drive
Our guide giving us a briefing on the game drive before departure
Game drive in motion
The mighty Mokala Tree
Upclose with our tour guide Nancy at her office doing what she knows best
Scribes absorbing knowledge
scribes climbing a hill to scout for rock engravings
the evidence
my proud moment documenting nature
Pity that our host (NoSthern Cape Tourism) didn’t include a trip to the San people where we could have better understood the rich cultural heritage these people have in their province.
On our last day 29 Tuesday, we spent most of our time at the Galeshewe Stadium were the World Tourism Day celebrations took place and where the nine provincial ETEYA finalists were officially announced.
And the winner is ...
ETEYA 2009/10 semi finalists
Repa Guest House
Issa Sikiti da Silva filing stories for BizCommunity.com at Galeshewe Stadium, while Jeremy Smith from The Tourist looks on.
Blogger Muzi Mohale
I’m Muzi Mohale, based in Roodepoort (South Africa). Blogger with www.travelwires.com. Love Travelwires.com since I get to travel our beautiful country through blogging and get first hand tourism experience.
Hey Muzi
I love your writing and your blog. You may know that every week we choose a travel blog posting of the week, and I’m delighted to let you know that I’ve chosen this blog entry as our travel blog posting of the week, to highlight to our readers. See it on our weekly newsletter at http://www.southafrica.to/transport/Airlines/cheapest-flight-survey/2010/20100205-Mango.php5
Cheers,
Karen
Appreciate the feedback Karen.