Kameel Stoepstorie: Rovos Rail and Kameel Railway Station

When Rovos Rail – The Pride of Africa stops at Kameel it is always a special occasion.

For those that are still wondering Rovos Rail is a train-hotel. The trains consist of restored coaches with lounges, dining cars, private sleeping compartments, each with private ensuite facilities. Then there is the observation car which is like sitting on the stoep of the train.

 

The train has different types of accommodation on board. With names like Pullman. Delux and the Royal Suite, which is half a train car

The company was started in 1989 by Rohan Vos and is family owned and Rovos Rail has its private station at Capital Park in Pretoria.

The dining car reminds of Edwardian train travel with beautiful pre-1940 and is characterized by the carved roof that is supported with pillars and arches. The button leather seating, crystal glass and branded cutlery is all enhanced with the beautiful light fittings. The fans add to the glamour. This car is referred to as the Pillars.

The lounge car is fitted with deep sofas and wing back chairs and seems like the ideal place for an afternoon snooze as the train makes its way over the plains of Africa.

Even the the train is air-conditioned the windows can open and you can enjoy the sights, sounds and scents of Africa.

The Observation Car is like the stoep of Africa.

Till next time

Sandra

Kameel Stoepstorie: De Oude Huize at Kameel

 We, Hennie and Sandra invite you to visit the village Kameel, on the R377 in the North West Province. Situated between Delareyville and Stella

Kameel is the perfect stop-over for travelers en route to Upington or anywhere else in the top half of the Northern Cape, Namibia or the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

De Oude Huize at Kameel

 

The cottage that, we made available for guest accommodation, is situated in Kameel and was originally built as the Stationmaster house in 1945. It is a two-bedroom one-bathroom cottage fitted with wooden floors. The foyer serves as a photo gallery of the Fincham family that was involved in the lives of Kameel from the early days of the railway station. 

You will find the bedrooms very comfortable. The first bedroom is furnished with a king bed and the second bedroom is fitted with a queen bed. Our bedroom linen is percale and you will love the sheer pleasure of sleeping in cool sheets. We love the handmade quilts that add charm to the beds.

King bedroom 

 

Queen bedroom

 The lounge/dining area is fitted with comfortable vintage and antique furniture. There are railway memorabilia and vintage cameras on display. We have filled the bookcase with old books for reading during your stay. 

The music room will charm you 

The delightful kitchen

 The bathroom is fitted with a bath, basin and toilet. We offer white cotton towels and gowns for your stay.

There are two stoep areas to enjoy the outdoors. The front stoep, with an old church bench, is wonderful to enjoy a glass of wine while watching the sunsets or spot the occasional freight train going through the village.

The back stoep is ideal for bird watching and early morning coffee with rusks. You will find an antique pair of binocular to watch the birds close up. We have spotted plus-minus 100 species of birds and for your convenience, you will find a bird list in the cottage. Kameel is a wonderful place for star-gazing. 

 The garden is there for you to enjoy. You will find the recliners ideal for an afternoon nap. 

The kitchen is fully equipped with a fridge and gas stove.

The little TV/music room is fitted with a piano. There is a very special display of vintage hand planes. 

 We offer a Webber braai should you want to enjoy an outdoor meal. 

There is one shade cover parking area. 

Things to do

Go for a walk and visit the site where the old British Blockhouse used to stand. You will also find the trigonometrical beacons of the area. There are also a lot of veldt plants that you will find on your walk. 

 We can arrange for a little tour to show the Sociable Weaver nest nearby. 

A self-drive outing to the Anglo Boer War site at Kraaipan is an interesting site to visit. You will find a book in the cottage telling you more. 

Please note that you can book for a special dinner at R250 per person. You need to book in advance!

The cottage, sleeping 4, is available at R1300 per night. 

In case you were wondering – yes we are the previous owners of De Oude Huize in Harrismith. 

Directions

We four hours from Johannesburg and 25 minutes of the N14 highway which connects Gauteng with Namibia and the South Africa's west coast.

See you soon 

Hennie and Sandra  

Kameel Stoepstorie: Dinge, tye en die dae op Kameel

Dit was 'n kort week, maar elke ding op sy tyd.

Ons loop rond op ons "wistle stop" en geniet die stadige pas waarteen dinge om ons beweeg.
Vandag het die paptrein verby gekom en dit was omtrent 'n gekreun en gesteun met die vrag mielies na die buurstate.

Die skoorsteen en die maan speel helder oor dag wegkruipertjie.

Die laning bome langs die plaaspad laat ons altyd tuis voel.

Die volstruismannetjie se bene en bek raak rooi. Dis glo amper paar tyd. So by myself wonder ek of dit is waar die gesegde van rooi hakstene vandaan kom.

Oral steel die alwyne my hart. Ons weet dot is alwyntyd want die alwyne stoot knop.

Die ou waterkrip bring sommer nostalgie terug van Sondae ry om beeste te gaan kyk en sout en beenmeel in die bakke te gooi en dan die "check" of die ball-valve by die krip nie vasgesteek het nie.

Seëninge vir elkeen van julle

Sandra  

Kameel Stoepstorie: Kameel Veld plants

On Heritage Day we spend the day in the veld looking for something different than the usual. Decided to put on our camera strap and walking boots and get going.

After six months of living in the North West Province of South Africa, we thought that it is time to learn more about the heritage plants in the Kameel area.

There is grass and what we know as Vaalbosch but as you will notice the red sand is always visible.

We need to get a guide to learn us more.

 

 Our area is very dry with red sand and the summer temperature rises to 45 degrees Celsius. This year the summer rainfall was less than 100 millimetre. The grasslands are very dry and the wildflowers are far and in between. There are no big fields of flowers but when you find one it is almost an ecstatic experience.

It was a special experience to just wander and experience beauty.

It is was one of the strangest plants we came across. 

It grows not higher than 35cm but has this almost too big for its size seed pods

.If you can identify any of our plants we will appreciate it.

Till next time

Sandra and Hennie