Cape Town Tour 2009 – Hartenbos
Gabbi Carlitz (AS-Level)
Our bus had just passed through Mossel Bay. The holiday town of Hartenbos was our destination, where we were going to sleep over for the night. I was quite excited! My cousin had told me so much about the great holiday atmosphere of Hartenbos.
The bus had slowed down and as I looked out the bus window I noticed that the scenery had completely changed. Maybe we were lost! The town was deserted! Maybe everyone had locked up their properties and left town for good! It was like having a glimpse of a ghost town.
The bus parked opposite a group of ‘funny’ looking shops. Robert, our guide, walked towards an obscure looking office. It had a huge sign that read “AFRIKAANS KOOK” above it.
Something told me we might actually be in Harties, the heartland of Afrikaner Holiday Destinations. It was so not what I had expected at all! Somehow, it just did not look right without the people. The place did not mach the picture in my mind – not the picture my cousin “sketched” anyway.
I hoped Robert would return to confirm that we were lost. No luck! He returned with a brown box full of keys to our chalets. It truly was the one and only Harties!
Our self catering units were Spartan and left much to be desired. It slept four with a double bed in the main bedroom which Emma and I shared and a double bunk in the kitchen which Sne and Achai shared. Although the unit was spacious it felt stuffy having the double bunk right next to the stove in the kitchen. Our bed linen was hap hazzardly mismatched and didn’t smell too good. The bathroom facilities were very basic and had no light switch or rather we couldn’t find the light switch after searching the entire unit. Our accommodation was definitely not up to the standard that we were accustomed to in Cape Town where we stayed at the Tulip Inn Hotel. Nevertheless, we at least had a roof over our heads, which to my mind is still much better than a tent!
After, settling into our rooms, it was time to have some fun at the ATKV entertainment area. We were given white business-like cards that allowed us to use the facilities like the swimming pool, put-put course and trampolines. Being low season the slippy-slide, Ferris-wheel and game arcade was out of order.
My friend and I were hot and bothered all we wanted to do was to find the pool! When we eventually did, we kicked off our shoes, ran and jumped right into the Olympic sized swimming pool, making a huge splash. I still had my clothes on! Everybody followed us and we all had big fun splash!
My friend and I decided to try out a different activity. The trampoline was next on the list. Jumping on a trampoline looks easy but an hour’s jumping is like a month’s gym workout!
We were thoroughly exhausted by the time we returned to our chalets. We never got around to playing put-put. We ran out of time and had to rush getting dressed for dinner at the local Spur. It had a beautiful view overlooking the famous Harties beach as well as Mossel Bay’s bright lights in the distance. As usual the food was the regular Spur fare, nothing to write home about but not too bad either. At least we got what we expected. However, I must admit the beef kebabs were delicious. The service left much to be desired but we at least had fun and a fairly good meal.
The deserted town had some charm and resulted in us having a ball of a time, although I would much rather prefer it crowded with thousands of holidaymakers. Next time around I will definitely make sure to go to Hartenbos during peak season.
Other Extra-Curricular Activities
- Extra-Murals
- Tour & Camp Photograph Galleries
- Drums & Dreams - 2008 School Concert
