Travel-Stories
STORY - NAMAQUALAND WONDERLAND
As if touched by lightning, Enya and James set-off in all directions of the wind not knowing which flowers to check-out first. Seeing their excitement as they run through the fields, takes me back to my own childhood years in the countryside.
When I was a child, I had nature at my finger tips, playing in the fields and catching beetles. I am thankful that all the wonder of nature is not yet lost yet and that I can still take my children to extraordinary places where nature is abundant. Welcome to Namaqualand!
From end July until the beginning of September, Namaqualand looks like a delightful garden filled with sunshine and extraordinary fragrances. Each year I wonder where all the flowers come from in this seemingly barren land. Driving north from Cape Town, and just after Piekenierskloof, we first get a hint of yellow and then white along the road just after Piekenierskloof. From here onwards, we will no longer be able to contain our excitement. Then, near Nieuwoudtville, we discover patches of purple and orange daisies and think 'this is it', to realise after only 100 km further north that these were merely the opening the scenes to the floral explosion ahead. What awaits us is a feast for the eyes, but not so much for the nose! "It smells like buck," Enya comments on the pungent odour that fills the air. I tell her it's the pollen of the daisies, but secretly wonder where the buck are hiding... After all, we're not the only ones being irresistibly attracted to this sweet abundance. Cattle, game, birds, beetles, caterpillars and butterflies just love them too, and eat themselves silly and finally into indigestion. I'm not quite sure how I will cope with this pungent odour for the nex few days, but as we follow a dirt road through the granite rock formations of the Kamiesberg range, I catch whiffs of pleasant sweet scents too. And the lovely fragrances become stronger and stronger the closer we get to sunset.
We learn a lot about 'floristic behaviour' and how the plants of Namaqualand are truly skilled at surviving cold, moist winters and getting through the hot and dry summer months. "The Gazania purposefully shrivels so that all that is left visible is a bundle of dry curly leaves," I tell Enya. I explain that looking dead, it minimises exposure to the hot sun and prevents loss of moisture through its leaves. "The woolly undersides of the leaves often points upwards to cool the plant down. And with the first rains, the whole Gazania swells almost instantly, its leaves erect; even flowerbuds emerge!" "Awesome!" I hear Enya and James say to each other. They nod and stay silent.
We thought the 4x4 track north of the Skilpad circular drive would be some sort of shortcut to Kamieskroon via Soebatsfontein. It is anything but shorter, but definitely worth our while. When we reach Soebatsfontein, we Oom Carel and Tannie Poppie who show us their fields full of flowers. No effort is too great for this genuine Namakwa farmer and his wife; he proudly shows us the millions of flowers on his farm. "You're welcome to picnic, there's a lovely spot near the windmill," he smiles. We happily accept his invitation and set-up camp for the afternoon. On our way out Tannie Poppie calls us in for tea and freshly baked rusks. This is pure Namakwa magic! The 'little detour' enabled us to experience Namakwa hospitality at its best, and we still have a long way to go before we experience the land of the Nama under a full moon. This dirt road takes us through some absolutely beautiful mountain scenery where one hardly meets another vehicle. As we stop near a stream I notice a lone springbok in the distance. He's seen me too, but probably doesn't care as much as I do.
This area, called the Succulent Karoo of South Africa, has the richest succulent flora on earth with as much as 69 percent endemic. Many species, however, are threatened which is why it is now a bio-diversity hotspot, one of only two entirely arid ecosystems earning this status. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to experience first-hand this floral explosion in one of the world's most arid regions, and to share it with my children. I'm glad we went through the trouble of driving all the way up to Namaqualand and I still enjoy seeing Enya and James drawing pictures of their favourite daisies.
DID YOU KNOW...
- Some areas store more than 40,000 seeds per square metre
- Annuals germinate quickly, grow and flower during winter and spring, to avoid summer when they survive in seed form
- Namaqualand is home to the smallest tortoise, the Namaqua Speckled Padloper
Author: Petra Vandecasteele, photography Photography Paul Godard
Source: www.InspirationalWritingByPetra.com
Date: 01 Jul 2012
