Recently Tok-tokkie had another interesting post about buildings. This time it was about corrugated iron buildings. As it happens we once almost bought a corrugated iron house. Later we often thought about what a mistake is was that we didn't.
One of the many mistakes I've made...
Anyway... It's Thursday and we're busy. Extremely busy. And the weather is shitty. It's one of those awful days and on top of it we're snowed under with work. But Tok Tokkie wants the co-ordinates of the house and I promised him a photo as well. Usually I am a procrastinator, but today I thought it better to get it over and done with. There's lots to do!
The petrol prise increased
again yesterday (is life getting worse & worse?) so I thought it best to take the bike to Groot Brak. Money is tight.
And so the trip began.
I got on the N2 heading to Groot Brak - the quickest way. But hell, the N2?
The first turn-off was Herolds Bay so I took it
It was after 3 o'clock already and you could see people were winding down their day. There were cars with people just reading a book, mom's & toddlers, people with their dogs... here in the Cape province people take some time for themselves after work.
I've been told that up country people work right up until 5, even 6 o'clock!
That must be why they get paid so much?
It must be leap tide because the water is never this high
The waves were breaking right against the wall.
Well, if wanted to be back in George before 5 I'd better get going
Lets hit the road to Groot Brak.
I stopped on the N2 to take this photo:
Suiderkruis Strand in the background and the island in the picture. Looks interesting. In the 36 years I've been in the area I've never been on that island. I should go there sometime. That single car bridge looks interesting.
When I got to the house it was way different than from the time I was there last. The garden is settled but there is a fence around and you cant get close to it.
The house has been declared a national monument and as such you cannot extend or alter it. So the currant owners built this horrendous out building in front of it!
How stupid can one be?
The best close-up I could get. This shows the corrugated iron wall clearly:
There is a church next door so I thought if I could get closer to the house on the church grounds I might get a better picture.
Interesting Church!
As it happens you can get a closer look at the house if you walk past the new church hall, but the senior ladies had a prayer meeting going and I did not want to disturb them. I'll have to come back again some time.
Well, with the mission partially completed I decided to head to the island.
The bridge is truly interesting! It's narrow (you'll never get a big SUV over here) and made of wood! It's not fixed either. You can hear the planks moving as you ride over it
One of the busy island roads:
I am so very much impressed with this island. Property here costs a pretty penny, but not a single house is extravagant. I guess they have a law prohibiting an "inkommer" from demolishing an existing house and building a Tuscan monstrosity here. No fancy sports cars either. Just normal houses and cars. These people have truly grasped the concept of wealth. Wealth is quality of living, not exhibiting wealth and extravagance. Riding through here you see little fences (not security fences) and small gates between neighbors. How fortunate one must be to live here.
The bridge as seen from the island:
And as I turned around I hit the Jacpot! Another corrugated iron house! This house on this island must have some history. Tok-tokkie? You'll need to enlighten us.
And with a 2nd corrugated iron house found our chances of having you guys come for a visit just doubled!
I decided to hug the coast as I headed back to George. As I headed towards Pienaar strand I knew I had to go and have a look. I have some history there.
After I left the Air Force I worked as an Estate Agent specializing in plots (the only plot specialist in George at the time). As it happens the Pienaar Strand Development happened at the same time. So... I had the misfortune of having to work for 6 weeks straight from the first of December to the 15 of January - right through high season
- to try and sell these plots. I remember it clearly: R100 000 for a beach front plot
R90 000 for a plot in the 2nd row and R80 000 for the others. Who on earth would pay R100 000 for a beach front plot?
Well, this was 1993 and I was still young, dumb and full of... erm... well, I was selling plots.
I lived in an Jurgens Exclusive Caravan (no water or electricity) right on the beach front. It had to look like paradise so I had nice umbrellas (and Orange Juice with grenadine and umbrellas to look like cocktails). I was encouraged to have my girlfriend (a hot little number in a G-string bikini at the time
) stay there with me
For 6 weeks I wore my swimming trunks only (ek was toe nog jonk, mooi en maer. Nou is ek net mooi
) and it took exactly 6 hours before the OJ and grenadine became Vodka, OJ and grenadine.
My very first customer drove up in a Range Rover. The number plate ended in a "T".
He got out and had a look at the plan of the plot layout (while his wife and kids didn't even bother to get out of the car). He picked one and paid cash.
He built the white house in the picture:
He told me he was from Turfontein (where-ever that was) and he obviously had money. I've heard something about Turfontein and horses before so I figured he must have a Horse farm there
(yeah, I knew nothing about Jo'burg then
)
The plots sold like hotcakes.
Must be my sterling personality, good looks and excellent salesmanship
Not to mention the G-strings that hung out at this beach!
Pienaar Strand today:
In those six weeks I had the time of my life. Getting up and going for a skinny dip to wake up. Lazing next to the ocean with cocktails watching girls tan, watching more girls jog by and wave.
Signing the occasional offer to purchase. What a life.
In those 6 weeks I earned over R60 000 for my trouble. R60k was a lot of money in 1993!!!
Ahh, those were the days.
Anyhow, time to head along the coast. I decided to stop at the cafe in Glentana and have a beer.
The Cafe was closed but Glentana had something better in store!
In the surf to my left something caught my eye... A whale was frolicking in the surf!
They were some ways to my right but I used my maximum 18x opical zoom. This left me with a very narrow field of vision and just as I thought I knew were he was he would pop up somewhere else.
Eventually I tracked his movement and tried to get a better photo.
1 second after I took this photo both of them breached! There were two!!! It didn't happen again while I was there and I missed an awesome pic by 1 second
What a hard day I am having
As I headed back to George I thought I'd better stop somewhere to wash this day away. The dice fell on Picasso's. Cold beer, frosted glass.
I phoned vuurvlieggie to come join me for a cocktail. She had an Angel's Kiss
One round led to another and we ended up having dinner.
It was a hell of a day. Tok-tokkie, the co-ordinates of the houses are:
Groot Brak 34° 2'28.68"S; 22°13'5.75"E
Groot Brak island 34° 3'11.76"S; 22°14'14.76"E
(also see the Google Earth place marks attached to this post)
It was a tough job
But some-one had to do it
Luckily tomorrow is Friday!!!
Ironic isn't it?
