WESTERN CAPE: MELLOW DOWN IN MALGAS
Malgas usually got the biggest question mark when people heard and asked about our trip.
Why Malgas? We wanted a spot between the Garden Route (read the first part of our trip here) and Hermanus. We preferred a bit inland as opposed to on the coast and rather off the beaten track instead of a bigger town such as Swellendam.
And just plain, why not?
What’s in Malgas? Well, not much.
This makes it perfect for reconnecting and slowing down a bit since T’s brother would meet us there for the weekend.
We love taking the road less travelled or the less obvious route. Suppose it turns out to be a gravel road, even better. Add to that an unusual river crossing, and that’s… SOLD.
Malgas Pont (flat-bottomed ferry).
Queue the black and white memory clip: Back in the day when I was still in primary school, we apparently crossed the Breede River at this exact spot with a pont. At the time, my dad and his friend/my godfather were allowed to assist in the manual pulley system to get their cars across the river.
From 1914 until the end of 2020, this was the oldest and last hand-drawn pont in South Africa. We unfortunately only discovered it was motorised (for safety reasons) once we got there. Although we couldn’t experience the authentic pont, it was still something different.
Malgas Accommodation
In all our travels, one would think that we’ve mastered the ability to manage our expectations. The places we don’t expect much turn out great, and the ones we look forward to having a few kinks. Malgas was no different.
We expected loads of serenity but initially got some chaos and a small bit of panic.
We discovered upon arrival that most of the lodge was booked for some family reunion. I know they have as much if not more right to be there as us, but they were loud and kinda took over the whole lodge.
A huge thunderstorm transformed our chalet into a waterfeature the first night.
Most of the world decided to close their borders to SA due to Omnicron, which could lead to us stuck in SA.
For a semi-city girl like me, I couldn’t look at the brown and muddy river water I showered in.
Funny, but most of these issues just seemed to fizzle out. The family reunion was loud until Sunday afternoon; then, we had the place to ourselves. The rain cleared up, and the fishnet roof didn’t bother us anymore. There was nothing we could do about Omnicron, and we would deal with it at a later stage if needed. And lastly, I showered with my head held high so that I won’t notice the water too much.
All wasn’t bad, though, with a stunning location, well equipped and super comfortable chalet. This bed reigned supreme over all the others. One of the living rooms and kitchen were joint, making it super social. Even the outdoor braai area was designed with families and friends in mind.
We were able to catch up with Bernard (T’s brother), whom we hadn’t seen in ages, and just slowed down from the everyday commotion.
Malgas.
As mentioned earlier on, there really isn’t much happening in Malgas. Most of Malgas is farms and one “Breede Rivier Trading Post”, which consisted of a small grocery store, restaurant, and dop shop (liquor shop). A high traffic light above them indicated the trading hours of all.
I, however, loved the farms and got totally obsessed with a single tree in the middle of a grain field. T had to stop there numerous times for me to take some photos. Even on our way out, he had to stop one last time, just in case, I didn’t get the perfect shot that does him justice.
A part of the farms were all the birds and animals that naturally came with the territory. We saw quite a bit of SA’s national bird (Blue Crane) and bird of prey, especially owls.
De Hoop National Park
Bernard was only able to join us for the weekend. Before he had to head back home, we went for breakfast and a quick drive through De Hoop National Park. De Hoop is more known for its flora (I fell in love with the fynbos) but is home to the once almost extinct bontebok. The visit was brief, but we would recommend anybody spend a bit more time there, maybe go for a hike and enjoy the solitude.
There’s probably a reason why Malgas isn’t SA’s main attraction destination, but it did hold some magic for us. We were able to slow down and had some amazing family time.
Thank you, Bernard, for joining us. The time spent together was worth more than gold.
In our next post, we’re on our way to our next destination. We visit the southernmost point in Africa, eat yummy calamari, and gets carried away with the beauty of the Western Cape.
Wandering off now…
T & Me
