S1 - Ep 401 - Saldanha - Harbours, Trains and Fish-and-Chips!

[@1812nico]

Hi you two! What a place Saldanha has grown into since I left there in 1969! It really has become big. Your trip was a thorough introduction to all aspects of the town -- from the fish and chips shop to the bustling harbour(s), beautiful seashore and beach. Those grey/white rocks are unique. The holiday resort (town) makes one want to go there immediately. It was good to see a moving train at the Ore Terminal, while the town station is retired. This was again a beautiful and very interesting trip. Thank you! I'm ready to go on the next! Keep safe!

[@DustBugsTravel]

It's been several decades since you were stationed there and I can only imagine how almost everything looks different to you now. ⚓ It was clear that the town station was a big one in its former life, but sadly it appears as if no trains have run there for a very long time. 🤷🏻‍♂️🚉 The Ore Terminal was super fascinating and of course when we saw a jolting line of train cars laden with mounds of ore, we could hardly contain our excitement. So glad you enjoyed Saldanha with us two! 🚙🚢

[@dawnbarnes1361]

Hello 👋 I enjoyed the trip to Saldana Bay! Those Fish Cakes looked so Yummy and the Fish and Chips mmmm mmmm Finger Linkin Good 👍 😋 Thank you and God bless ❤

[@DustBugsTravel]

We enjoyed the fish and the fishcakes, it was really fresh and delicious! It sounds like we made you hungry! 😁🐟

[@dawnbarnes1361]

@@DustBugsTravel yes you did 😀

[@liefieswart5756]

Thankyou for sharing your yourney.i love watching

[@DustBugsTravel]

And we love having you along! 🚙😁

[@emmerentiagroenewald3694]

I loved your nice,long visit to Saldanha!! Did not realise that it is so big! And a bit of the ore-train,too!🛤⚓❤

[@DustBugsTravel]

Yes! We found the ore train fascinating as you could probably tell! 😁🚆 Saldanha was a surprise in terms of how many interesting things there were to see, we enjoyed it a lot!

[@ronnykenny3965]

Hi Curtis & Sonja, lovely interesting trip. Thank you once again, I not a fish eater but when I saw that delicious crispy batter I could quite easily be converted😋. 🚗🚗🚗🚗🚗

[@DustBugsTravel]

Yes, we're not super keen on fish either, but we just had to have it while in town. The batter was super crispy and I really enjoyed that piece of fish. 🐟😁

[@terrimeyer3815]

Yoh...... memories coming back. I worked on that project saldanha ore from sishon. Those conveyors are long...omw. 2006 to 2008 I worked on the design of that project. I tell you I won't live there with all that ore flying around there. 100 shades of pink 😂❤😂 thanks im glad to see its still working...it was a pleasant surprise

[@DustBugsTravel]

Wow, that must've been so interesting to be involved in that ore project. It is so impressive and we could probably have sat there for hours staring at lines of ore-laden train cars moving at a snail's pace. We weren't getting any closer to the action, but could tell it's a huge operation! 100 shades of pink is no exaggeration! 😁 Thanks for sharing your involvement with the ore project with us, it was fascinating to read. 🚙👌🏻

[@carolmccorry3053]

Love seeing the ocean...

[@DustBugsTravel]

It's always a welcome sight on our travels for us too! 🤩🌊

[@AnikaVanWyk]

Wow it's so nice watching your videos. Tank you for sharing

[@DustBugsTravel]

You're very welcome! We appreciate you watching. 🚙😁

[@Torridon22]

Love these videos with lunch/dinner reviews

[@DustBugsTravel]

I love eating, so am happy to continue! 🐟🍟😁

[@charlietreston4035]

Hi guys Saldanha is not what I thought much bigger love going to the port so interesting all of industry boat rail track trawlers the iron ore operation is huge now you can see where all the trucks are going to going. Great you found the old station and sign it must have been big back in the day. Well if I ever get to Saldanha I've got to eat a Charlie's fish and chips lol and the food even has a guarantee. My wife and I will be taking a trip to the seaside this week and fish and chips definitely!!!! The history and the story about the cannon 1503 for me to put that into perspective Henry the seventh was on the throne he died in 1509 and then came Henry the eighth was king crazy!!! Then onto the iron ore trains 2023 mind blowing. The sea was turquoise blue the holiday site had a fantastic position right next to the sea .one of my favourite things is the seaside in winter .very interesting video thanks for taking me along cheerio till the next one

[@DustBugsTravel]

We were hoping against all hope that the station was still operational, but those were quickly dashed. 🤷🏻‍♂️🚉 It was great to glean some insight into the ore operations. It's a huge facility and we found it incredibly fascinating to observe some of the action, although that consisted of two very slow-moving lines of train cars. 😁 I also love visiting a harbour, there is so much going on and a world I know absolutely nothing about! I hope you and the Mrs enjoyed your outing to the seaside and had fish-and-chips as good as mine from Charlie's!

[@GregoryDavids-h1u]

Great video Dustbugs!You really made me "lus" for F&C's; one can't beat the West Coast for that. I believe the Sishen -Saldanha Bay rail was onetime the longest single-purpose rail link in the world. SB is closely associated with the legendary Confedarate raider, the CSS Alabama. Built in England, it set out to destroy and disrupt Union whale shipping around the Azores. Thereafter, it attacked mercantile shipping on the East Coast and was chased right into the Gulf of Mexico. After replenishing at Galverston, Texas, with shuttle ships, it sailed down South America and crossed the Atlantic dodging the Yankee blockade of Table Bay and docked in at Simons Town before proceding onto Asia. On the return trip, the Alabama docked at SB where the crew stayed a while. By then Lincoln ordered the urgent need to destroy the Alabama. A special raider, the Kearsarge, sank the Alabama just outside Cherbourg in France. While in SB, some officers went out to hunt ducks and game. One of them, a certain Lt. Simeon Cummings, accidently shot himself with his rifle. It was fatal and he was buried on "Kliprug farm" owned by a family called Pienaar. His untimely demise earned him the the rather dubious honour of being the first Civil War soldier to die and be buried in a foreign country and, also, the only Confedarate soldier to be buried outside of the USA. In early 1995, after 131 years, his remains were returned for reburial in the USA. His grave (with a post-exumation blue memorial tabloid) can still be seen today. It's not true that the song "Daar kom die Alibama" is about that raider. It more likely refers to another ship that brought a cargo of reeds down the Berg River to the West Coast for a Cape Malay marriage ritual; hence "nooi, nooi die riet gooi..."

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you for the super interesting info about the Sishen-Saldanha railway line and the story about Lt Cummings. That must've been quite the freak accident that he ended up shooting himself, and fatally at that! 😳 Daar kom die Alibama is one of my favourite songs in Afrikaans, Sonia and I sing it at full volume on our roadtrips! 🚙🎶

[@mariusroos]

Saldanha is a nice town. As said before i frequent Saldanha for business and fell in love with the town. A trip well done and i loved it. Next week i will be there again. Seat booked for the next one

[@DustBugsTravel]

There are just so many facets to Saldanha, I completely understand how you fell in love with the town! Have a safe trip next week and give the town our best wishes! 🚙😁

[@annawitter5161]

Yes we had many a day trip to Saldanha when I was little. In those days it was just a little fishing village, amazing how it has grown and developed. And the station first up. Pity it is so derelict, so sad to see the skeleton shed. Wow! Your lunch is making me hungry. I thought you guys didnt like fish? I agree with the hot sauce. Its the only way to eat a fish cake. Aha! A live train!! As a little girl I wanted to collect sea shells and I remember my father moaning about the messy sandy shells in his clean car! The beach is still lovely. Those big rocks always looked to me like whales that got petrified. I would love to go stay at the resort. What a pity the putt-putt is no more. I also love putt-putt, such fun.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Saldanha is so much more than a fishing village today, I was surprised at how spread out the town is! The station was a sad sight, it clearly was a big and important one back in the day. 🤷🏻‍♂️🚉 We're not crazy about fish, but we thought it was a good idea to try some while in town and we were happy we did. Both the fishcakes and the fish were very good, we enjoyed it. It seems like putt-putt has fallen out of favour with the crowds of today, we used to play it often on holiday and even on weekends when not on holiday. I agree, it was great fun! 😁⛳

[@celesteo5575]

Hello Curtis and Sonja. Thank you so much for visiting our town. Awwww there was still a few Historic places that you missed 😟...but next time ....Im sure just Maybe you will visit us again.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you for watching our video of your hometown, we had a great time! 🚙😊

[@irenemasterson146]

Aah wow that fish and fish cakes reminded me of my moms cooking . She made fish cakes like that awesome. We went to Saldanha bay years ago and it sure has developed. Once again thank you for taking us on your trip. Travel safely.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Those fishcakes were enormous and so, so good! They tasted like homemade ones and Sonia really enjoyed them. I'm glad you came back to Saldanha with us, it was a great town to visit! 🚙🐟

[@veronicavanhuyssteen5759]

Yes you can go further on the pier where you turned around. Just keep your camera off at the boom

[@DustBugsTravel]

I pefer filming in plain sight. No footage is worth having to hide my camera at any point. I'm just not comfortable with that. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@bramprins229]

So nice to see you two, eating the fish treats. we wil be there in about a month. Hope to see you both.

[@DustBugsTravel]

The fish was actually very good, despite us not being the biggest fish eaters! 😁🐟 We wish you a fantastic trip with lots of memorable moments along the way! 🚙🤩

[@andrewbouwer4445]

So nice to see Saldanha Bay again. I was there in the navy in 87,88. It was an awesome place. Living in NZ now. Amazing people on the west coast.

[@gailnell6776]

Thank you for showing Saldanha! Was very interesting. 🎉

[@theworks1420]

Julle kon kom koffie drink het by ons! 😂

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you for watching our video of your hometown! 🚙😍

[@starrider529]

Nice to to see my old home town again. A lot has changed since I was there in the 90's.

[@starrider529]

My parents were managers of the Hoedjies Baai hotel in the 80/90's

[@lulamantshephe5595]

Saldanha pilchards come from there???

[@DustBugsTravel]

I believe so, yes! 😁🐟

[@BOrlando-q9x]

The cannon could possibly have come from the Middelburg which was set alight by Van Gennep during the battle of Saldanha 1781.

[@ellyleeroy1031]

Hi guys I only watched two episodes of your channel and I love it but u guys have missed a few gems in Vredenburg and saldanha. Nine months late but nevertheless I enjoyed the video. I got this idea I wanna run by you guys but I guess that won't happen... Well then I just say keep up the travel vids.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed our two videos! 🚙😁 There are 530 others on our channel for you to catch up on too if you're interested. We're never worried if we miss anything in any town or place we visit, we're just too grateful for everything we are lucky enough to see. You're welcome to send us an email at [e-mail], but it does take me a while to respond due to the large numbers. 📧

[@funkdunk]

It was great to see Saldanha again, I camped at that camping site many many moons ago and also stayed at the then Protea Hotel a few years ago too. With the oncoming Green Hydrogen Plants being positioned at Saldanha, there will be a metropolis including Vredenburg, Langebaan, Velddrift and possibly even Hopefield within the next 10 years. I have been told by a "water engineer" that Vredenburg has plenty of water and its topography allows for the construction of reserviors to feed the lower areas. We were at the West Coast at the end of August and the flowers were blooming stunning 😊

[@DustBugsTravel]

There's so much to see in Saldanha and we were pleasantly surprised by the town. It sounds like you've been there several times and even camped at that campground. I think with a little TLC it can be a fantastic place with its location right on the ocean. ⛺🌊 The Green Hydrogen plants sound very interesting, I don't know much about it, but I'm excited about the positive impact on the blue planet. It's time. 🌍😍 By the time we arrived on the West Coast, I think those colourful floral carpets had all but been rolled up.

[@danzeljaftha7842]

There is shipwreck monument in jacobs bay

[@shad0wk1tt3n7]

Will you be visiting again?

[@DustBugsTravel]

We might, but without the camera. 🚙 We won't be making another video of the town and area.

[@joannebedford2]

I watched a recent Carte Blanche programme in which they stated that there is 22 000 kilometers of railway in South Africa. Unused obviously

[@joevelo639]

It's fun to see that the railway infrastructure is disappearing, such a good job done by the anc ,just 30 more years till It's all gonna be gone, back to ungee, boongee land

[@DustBugsTravel]

Of course it's sad that the railway infrastructure is all but destroyed, but it's part of what we see in the places we visit. We're not a political channel though. 🚙😁