S1 - Ep 346 - Delportshoop - On the Banks of the Awesome Vaal River!

[@briljantjie3178]

I am in such aw at the video, my family use to live there for most of my childhood. My dad use to mine across the River in what is now considered a Ghost town, Sydney On Vaal. Which use to be accessible through a bridge right where you started walkingby the river. (The rapid is probably due to the residue of the bridge) My best friends family still live in the town and I went back for a visit in December. I cried like a baby leaving there because of all the emotions from my childhood. Back in 2007 is the last time i remember running on the sports field for athletics, and the house with the water bottles was a field trip day in kinder garden cause the oom also had a wide variety of birds but the bottles obviously always had us kids attention. Thank you for making this video, not a lot of people know of Delportshoop, but it will always be close to my heart.

[@DustBugsTravel]

We so appreciate you watching our video of your old hometown! 🚙😍 It's clear that you'll always think fondly back to your time in Delportshoop. We could see that the town was a prosperous one back in the day, some of the properties are still in great shape! We didn't know about Sydney on Vaal until another viewer told us about it yesterday. We would've liked to see it too. There was no indication of a bridge crossing the Vaal where we stopped, but then again it's possible that we could've missed it. I found it fascinating to read that you still remember running on the sports field in 2007, a mere 16 years ago. It was rather sad to see that the entire sports complex is now defunct. 😥 I had absolutely no idea that the bottle fence had been there for so many years, I can only imagine what an impact that must've had on you as a child! It was our pleasure to visit Delportshoop and to share our experiences with folks like you. 😊

[@rjtreurnichmakeupartistry679]

Our hometown will always be in our hearts and the memories never forgotten ❤️

[@annawitter5161]

Another new one on me. Love the old buildings, and especially the trees. So many old trees, all different, and all so beautiful. Love the graveyard. I love to visit a graveyard, always get such a feeling of peace. Beautiful road down to the river...but once again...oh my! The trees!!!

[@DustBugsTravel]

I didn't want to spoil it the other day, but you probably heard how Sonia explained the first diamond found by the young person in this area. 💎 That was perhaps what you referred to in your comment on our previous episode. 🤔 Delportshoop was for sure a first for us as well! The sight of the Vaal River was definitely a highlight. It was quite the obstacle course for the Kwiddie to get through though, but so worth it! 🚙🌊 Happy to have shown you Delportshoop! 🚙😁

[@AnnieHyams-uo9pm]

Hi Everyone @ Dustbugs Travel Thank You So Much For Sharing Your Beautiful Video @ Dustbugs Travel 👍👍❤️❤️

[@DustBugsTravel]

Sure, thank you for watching! 🚙👌🏻

[@AnnieHyams-uo9pm]

@@DustBugsTravel Hi Everyone You Are Welcome And Thank You So Much For Taking Me Along And Thank You So Much For Your Beautiful Message And Comment @ Dustbugs Travel 👍👍🎥🎥📷📷📸📸👍👍❤️❤️

[@olivialoeto204]

I just moved to Delportshoop. I wanted a quiet town to start growing my own food. I love it.

[@dawiemoller5738]

My family and I lived in Delportshoop from 1991 until around 2007, stayed in the house shown in your vid which is now burnt down. Beautiful town back then until, like most small towns, the rot started setting in. Spent some of the best years of my life in that town, sad to see the state it is in now. Glad you guys did not get stuck in the mud on your way to the river, doing so after such good rains usually got you in trouble 👍

[@DustBugsTravel]

Wow, I so appreciate your comment! Thank you for taking the time to watch our video of your old hometown, which you clearly still have very fond memories of. 😊 I always find it incredible when viewers recognise dwellings in our videos which they themselves lived in, I just wish we could've shown you a house still in good shape. 😥🏡 You spent many years in Delportshoop. so must know the town and area extremely well. It was very obvious to us that the town must've seen better days in the past and some of the properties are still well taken care of. Of course the natural beauty surrounding the town and the river istelf were fantastic to see. 🤩🌊 The road down to the river was rather slippery, but fortunately we had no issues other than a little slip-and-slide action, which is always exciting. 🚙😁

[@dawiemoller5738]

@@DustBugsTravel I still go past there occasionally, knew of the burnt down house - very sad sight. Same with the sports grounds you stopped at where the girls played netball and we played rugby, we did barefoot athletics ... on a (perfectly kept!) dirt track. Awesome times. Oh, and you missed the public swimming pool, nothing left of it now but it used to be the best place in town during summer times. The road to the river used to be open all the way to the confluence, pity you could not get to it. Looking forward to watch many more of the videos on your channel, thanks for posting ! Wishing you safe travels 🙏

[@briljantjie3178]

We also lived in that exact house for a few years after you, the memories are too big for words. It was very sad when I heard it burnt down a few years back.

[@hannesvanniekerk499]

Thant was just great. You two are having such a lovely time. Thank you for sharing. I often wonder what life is like living quietly in one of these little dorpies.

[@DustBugsTravel]

I'm glad you enjoyed this episode. 🚙😁 One of the many reasons we travel, is to see how folks in other parts of the country, especially lesser-known and remote places, live. It's absolutely fascinating that they eek out a living in the harshest of circumstances with little to no access to the inconveniences that we have in the bigger centres and cities. I think it takes a special kind of person to be truly happy in such a place.

[@alettajohannavanwyk5388]

Hallou jul tweetjies WOW! jul ry die wêreld plat...ek dink dit moet heerlik wees, maar ook uitdagend! Sterkte!.....❤

[@DustBugsTravel]

Greetings! We've waited a long time to be tourists in our own country and we're loving every moment on the road! 🚙😁 Travelling isn't always easy, but it's fascinating to see so much natural beauty and how folks in different parts of our country live.

[@doraduplessis2727]

I agree, this was a bittersweet experience. I can't get over such unnecessary destruction!

[@DustBugsTravel]

Yup, I'll never be able to understand it either. 🤷🏻‍♂️ There is such natural beauty surrounding the town, if the local authorities and townsfolk can just find a way to work together to make their town prosperous again, that would be fantastic. 🤞🏻

[@funkdunk]

Thank-you for the visit, my first time too, I agree with your sentiments re the town...the graveyard was in good condition and those "cute" homes great too...the town unfortunately doesn't look inviting and it should, especially being so close to the Vaal River. Hartswater on the hand is a gem.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Yup. 🤷🏻‍♂️ Despite being located on the banks of the Vaal, the cards are stacked heavily against the townsfolk. Just from chatting to a few of them and buying snacks from one of the shops, it became clear that unemployment, combined with loadshedding, makes their hope dwindle sometimes. And we can certainly not blame them. The freezer in our shop was well-stocked, but loadshedding had clearly taken its toll and all the products were spoilt. And this may go for some products in their fridges too, we didn't check those. Folks like these aren't in a position to acquire and run generators, so it must be close to impossible for them to keep perishables in stock to provide to the community. I can only hope that Delportshoop somehow gets back on its feet.

[@breitie804]

As always, thank you for your efforts to show us South Africa as it exists today. I have learned so much already, but one aspect that surprises and fascinates me is the enormous extent of infrastructure that exists there in the form of roads, railways and bridges, even in the most remote locations, that was built long ago and is now neglected, unused and forgotten.

[@DustBugsTravel]

The South Africa of 2023 is a very different place in so many aspects. The decline and neglect of buildings and infrastructure is extremely sad to see. 😢🇿🇦 There's just no denying that. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@MarindaCalitz]

Thanks for taking me down memory lane. Been there in 1993 then it was still a nice little town. So sorry to see the state of it as now.

[@DustBugsTravel]

I can only imagine how much Delportshoop has changed since 1993! It was rather sad to see the decay and the neglect, but on the upside we did manage to find the gorgeous Vaal River and met some pretty friendly folks while in town. For the most part, the properties look well-maintained, which was also great to see. Thank you for returning to Delportshoop with us. 🚙😊

[@rob8540]

Mooi zeg met de Vaal rivier. Het leven zal niet makkelijk zijn in deze dorpjes. Overigens zie je bijna nergens sonpanele.

[@DustBugsTravel]

It really is very beautiful down by the river and I'm so glad we eventually found it. 🚙🌊 Solar panels are rather expensive in South Africa and not everyone is able to spend large amounts of money to have solar systems installed. While we may not have captured any solar panels in Delportshoop specifically, we do see many on our travels and a lot of people are already using solar energy as an alternative. ☀️

[@jappiemacdonald7945]

Thanks alot for a great experience with you guys, we have amazing towns in our country it seems I sit on the back seat of your car ,I'm fascinated with bugs travel ❤❤❤❤❤it....

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you! 😁 You're always very welcome on our backseat as we explore these towns and places not many have heard about, including ourselves! It's great fun to have you on board. 🚙👌🏻

[@charlietreston4035]

Hi guys another intriguing town very large stands thats been left back in time it was obviously busy back in the day by the date on the grave stone its been settled foe along time the high school and library are functioning which is positive and the DRF church looked well maintained. Great ideas with the colour water for the fence .new one on me in the Harvester reform church. The large building on the way to the river looks so out of place in a rural setting. Always remember directions to jobs in rural areas ( down gravel road turn left at three large rocks the next right by big tree etc love it) glad you managed to get to the Vaal River it was definitely worth it with the rapids. Loved the row of little shops. The history of the name interesting the Afrikaans saying brilliant perseverance pays off no trueer words spoken! Great video thanks for taking me along cheerio till the next one

[@DustBugsTravel]

Greetings! 🙋🏻‍♂️ I laughed out loud when I read the part of your comment about the directions you were given to jobs in rural areas. 🤣 It was almost like this trying to find the Vaal River in Delportshoop! The DR Church is really pretty and I wish I could've gotten up close. It looks very well-maintained, as did the little Reformed Church. 💒 We loved the coloured bottles in that fence, that person wouldn't have a problem giving directions to their house, you can't miss it! 😁🏡

[@ingeborgvanderveer789]

‘De aanhouder wint’, jazeker, die uitdrukking kennen wij ook in het Nederlands. Wij houden (daarom?) ook veel van de uitspraak van de Zweedse kinderheldin Pippi Langkous: ‘Ik heb het nog nooit gedaan, dus ik denk dat ik het wel kan’ 😅. De Vaal rivier ligt er nu mooi en rustig bij! Gelukkig bleven jullie bij het wegrijden niet in de slipperige modder vast zitten. Wat een schatje qua vormgeving dat witte kerkje uit 1940 en ook het bijgebouw links ervan in dezelfde bijna sprookjes-achtige sfeer. Gezien de taal van de oprichtingssteen is het vermoedelijk een NG beauty. Het hek met de vele kleurrijke flessen (?) is heel origineel. Een waar schouwspel als de zon erop schijnt, denk ik. Ook mooi voor een schilderwerk door Anna maar die is nog even in bekoring door alle bomen zo te lezen 😄🪴. Goed om te zien dat het kerkhof in keurige staat verkeert, helaas ook hier met meerdere kindergraven…. Het blijft een apart gedachte dat hier veel mensen liggen onder een steen met ‘hoog Nederlandse’ teksten erop terwijl velen ervan waarschijnlijk nooit in het ‘moederland’ zijn geweest. Mooi om op het laatst vanuit de verte weer een spoorbrug te zien, goed besluit om de drone er niet aan te wagen. Wie weet welke mooie plaatjes we daarmee alsnog zien aankomende weekend, see you from the backseat 🥳

[@DustBugsTravel]

I like that saying of Pippi's and also believe it to a great extent, especially when we're on the long road! 🚙😁 The bigger church in town and its hall were pretty as a picture, but I just couldn't get closer, I would've loved to see both buildings up close. 💒 The fence was full of plastic two-litre bottles that were either different colours or filled with coloured water and we were leaning towards the latter. What an ingenious way to recycle bottles, we loved it! I was struck by how many headstones in the cemetery had Dutch inscriptions and I was particularly touched and saddened by those homemade ones, probably because families couldn't afford more expensive ones. 😥🏛️ The rail bridge in the distance was awesome, but it would've been a lot more awesome if we could see it up close. So near and yet so far, as so often happens when one travels. A glimpse just had to do that day! 🤷🏻‍♂️🛤️

[@annawitter5161]

Ja, ou Pippi was ook deel van mijn kinderjaren

[@susannaemmerich1166]

Hi to both of you, another little town gone down the drain. At least the church is looked after. Take care.🙃🙏💝

[@DustBugsTravel]

Hi there. I wouldn't go as far as to say Delportshoop is down the drain, that's a little harsh in my view. 🤷🏻‍♂️ While it was rather sad to see the decay and the destroyed buildings, people with hope still live there and are trying to make it work. Both churches are in good shape still and so are many other properties, so I hope their efforts pay off in the long run and their town can prosper once more.

[@susannaemmerich1166]

@@DustBugsTravel yip it is just soooo depressing. Once thriving places. Anyway thank you for your reply. Stay safe!!!🙃🙏

[@kgalaleloraadt2120]

Delportshoop my home❤

[@DustBugsTravel]

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

[@cliffordslabbert2786]

Hi guys , are you guys planning on going to go to Barclay East some time. Apparently there is a old corrugated iron church there built my late great great-grandfather G F Wilhelm. Would be very interesting to all I am sure.

[@DustBugsTravel]

We hope to include Barkly East in a future trip back to the Eastern Cape. Thank you for the info on the church, it certainly sounds very intriguing and unique. 👌🏻💒 We've never seen a corrugated iron church before.

[@boerplaas388]

Ek is Delport. Hoe gaan dit met Julle twee? Pragtige plekkie. Dit lyk meer soos plotte of plaas tiepe van n plekkie 👍

[@kelvinnaidoo8674]

Thank you guys for the lovely drive take care stay safe and keep warm God's richest blessings upon yll always 🙏🙌👏😷❤️👌💯✌️😎

[@DustBugsTravel]

@boerplaas388 We're both very well, thank you! 🚙😁 Interesting to hear that you're a Delport. Delportshoop definitely has large properties, even in town.

[@boerplaas388]

@@DustBugsTravel Ek is bly julle twee doen goed, ek het gekyk na plotte en plase daar op property 24 . Dis n rustige plek . Dankie vir die pragtige videos. Greetings from Arizona in the White Mountains. 👍

[@rickelliott4130]

the state of the town, i'm not surprised the cemetery is locked so none of those buried there can take their bones and run away.

[@DustBugsTravel]

This was not the first locked vehicle gate we've come across at a cemetery. The pedestrian gate was unlocked, so anyone is free to enter and exit as they wish. 🏛️ The town may be going through hardship, but the folks who still live there, find some way to be happy and to earn a living. They may not have many options. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@rickelliott4130]

@@DustBugsTravel With a town with some much water around, none of the yards on your video showed any greenery or gardens. This is what makes it a sorry sight.

[@MichaelViljoen-o6d]

You should have gone to Gong Gong falls on the Vaal.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you for taking the time to tell us what we should've done on our trip. You should rather have taken in what we actually did manage to see. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@sensorymats8544]

gosh, this is the kind of place where you lose all hope and there is a slightly malevolent feeling about the place, as if no one will hear you scream in the dark of the night !😳 think I will skip passing through. lol

[@DustBugsTravel]

I wouldn't say the folks in Delportshoop have lost all hope. We chatted to a few and it's clear that some of them have fallen on tough times in a town that was obviously once much more prosperous than today. It's sad, but they may not have many options and absolutely have to hang on to the belief that where there is life, there is hope. I take my hat off to them for somehow making it work in a place like this. 👌🏻 We find it very interesting to visit places like these.

[@elsabadenhorst9746]

Wat het die ANC tog gedoen met ons pragtige land ! werwoeting net waar jy kyk.

[@DustBugsTravel]

We're not a political channel and we choose to focus on the beauty which remains in our beloved country. 🚙🇿🇦

[@u1es]

Wow. I went to primary school there, and went to church there every sunday. We lived in an even smaller town, about 20kms further called Ulco.

[@DustBugsTravel]

So cool that you watched our video of the town you must know very well! 🚙😎 The church is still really pretty and the grounds immaculate, which was wonderful to see. 💒 We never knew about Ulco until viewers mentioned it in their comments. It too sounds like an interesting place!

[@keiths8370]

Yes.. Let's look at the long line of trucks full of coal transported who knows where but certainly not here.. In the meantime we continue to sing "hello darkness my old friend" 😅😅