S1 - Ep 143 - Touws River, a stop on our way back to the Karoo!

We were so excited for this week’s travels because we were making our way back to the Karoo. We decided to stop off at Touws River, a small town on the N1, one of the main arterials through South Africa. Before we reached Touws River we stopped off at a solar farm and hydroponic farm to see what they looked like. I think the solar farm is still under construction. The hydroponic farm had the most amazing produce growing. It was really awesome to see how they grow in only water with no soil. We then drove through the town and it was sad to see how the station was destroyed. To think this station was one of the first main stations on the route between Kimberley and Cape Town when it was still part of the Cape Colony. We had a great breakfast and headed out to continue with our adventure. #DustBugs #adventuretravel #southafrica #southafricavlog #touwsriver #touwsrivier #roosterkoek #overland
Instagram
/ dustbugs
Facebook
/ dustbugs
Twitter
/ dustbugs
Pinterest
/ dustbugs

[@Cape_Town_7655]

that the tree that jumped into the road

[@DustBugsTravel]

😃 One jumped and the others followed, they must've been running away from something! 🌳🌳🌳

[@jpkruger]

Wow! What a great video. Informative and entertaining. It felt like I was with you on this trip. Good editing. Keep it up!

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you, happy to hear that you enjoyed it! I hope you will join us on our next leg to Merweville. 👌🏻

[@funkdunk]

The reason why the doors ,windows and roofs or rooves are removed from the structures is so that any inhabitants cannot claim "squatter rights." For some time I was going to suggest that you go to Merweville to see the stunning church in that village.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Interesting about the reason why the windows, doors, etc. are removed, we never knew that. We asked directions from a policeman we drove past in town and he told us the station burnt down some time ago and he was quite surprised to hear that we would like to go and see it. There was quite literally not one door frame, window or roof left. See you in Merweville in the next episode! 🤩⛪

[@walterfick157]

Sad to see the decay and deterioration of the rural dorpies... that's normally our first stop on route to Sutherland 👍

[@DustBugsTravel]

I agree, so many of these little towns are hanging by a thread and one can't help but imagine what they must've looked like when they were still prosperous towns. 😢 The stories they could tell absolutely fascinate me.

[@walterfick157]

Lekker man... lekker 👍👍👍

[@DustBugsTravel]

It was very lekker, glad you thought so too! 😁

[@nonibbs]

@flunk dunk They may be taking roofs windows and doors for "protection" but they are also pillaging anything they can for their own homes or to sell, as well. How will the Railways ever get up and running again?And yet your roads need relief from the heavy trucks. Its very interesting seeing Touws rivier again.

[@DustBugsTravel]

It was our first time ever in the town, away from the N1 that is. Exceptionally quiet and we loved the wide main road. Thank you for joining us. 🚗

[@montenell7940]

Eye opener video. Touws Rivier was once one of the biggest steam depots in the country. Somewhere there is a siding with old scrapped steam locomotives or what is left of them. There was huge workshops and many personnal busy. Ja and today not even a doorframe or windowframe left. Just ruins. And memories. Safe travel but eish that breakfast looks delicious but waaay to small!

[@munesumangava9751]

Cute church👌

[@annawitter5161]

So impressed with solar farm. We need more of those. We have to beat Eskom and all the power cuts. Touwsrivier was always our breakfast stop on the way to up country. Good coffee. Komkyk Motors. Lots of pigeons. Clean toilets. And sadly, the locomotive graveyard!!

[@DustBugsTravel]

It was actually a very interesting place to visit. We had always also just stopped for fuel and snacks there before. 😁 Those solar panels are enormous! 😎

[@flodillon991]

The solar farm was operational in 2014 according to Google. Town quite maybe because its just being school holidays. Lovely town.

[@DustBugsTravel]

That's interesting, it certainly didn't look like the solar plant was operational when we were there. We saw a total of two workers and no security on duty. 🤔 It was a Monday morning when we drove through the town, so that was perhaps another reason for it being so quiet.

[@flodillon991]

Electricity is supplied to eskom on a 20 year contract according to a purchase agreement between the two.

[@rayverster612]

Cool vid!....tnks

[@DustBugsTravel]

One can tell it was a thriving town not too long ago and I'm glad we got to explore it a little. 👌🏻

[@BrendonSchaferCT]

Been there numerous times, but not recently. Glad you found the road leading across the railway. I recognised the trees in middle of the road. My ex brother-in-law stayed there. And his wife. There are not many places to eat in the dorp. You didn't take in Aquila. You can definitely see the past glory of that town and so many other railway towns. Sad to see them deteriorate.

[@DustBugsTravel]

We had always just driven past, so enjoyed exploring the town a little on this occasion. We made some enquiries, but Aquila's rates for a few hours were just too high for these two budget travellers though. 😁🚗

[@BrendonSchaferCT]

@@DustBugsTravel It is easy to drive passed. That petrol station for breakfast is the best. Aquila is ridiculous.

[@davidwilliamson2115]

that was where the steam locos graveyard was

[@shauncharlesporter2589]

Lived there many years ago.

[@ericsa2636]

Those solar panels actually track the sun, so as to maximise solar output

[@DustBugsTravel]

That's very interesting, we had no idea! They were absolutely enormous and very impressive. 🌞

[@5th_decile]

They are panels with a myriad of small fresnel lenses in the front, so they not only have to track the sun to maximize the power production but they have to track it to get any decent power at all. Once they track correctly, these kinds of panels are among the most efficient in the world.

[@hazelclement3699]

Those solar panels must be powering escom

[@pierrefurter6395]

Spotted Sonia about to sit down at breakfast table!?

[@DustBugsTravel]

😁 She wouldn't have been happy with me! 😍🥓🍳

[@altaappel4568]

I just wonder why the music are so loud in the restaurant?

[@DustBugsTravel]

I just remembered that I had to play music over the music of the restaurant so as to avoid a copyright strike from KZbin. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@boerplaas388]

I use to have a beautiful girlfriend in Tows rivier, and drove from Cape Town on weekends to go see her in Tows rivier . Her father worked on the Railway but he was a drunk and got really aggressive so I decided to sommer stay very far away 😂. Forever . En toe was dit die einde van daai tannie 😅.

[@DustBugsTravel]

That sounds like the script of a book entitled 'The Beautiful Girl from Touws River'. 😍 I can't help but wonder if the town, or parts of it, still looked familiar to you. It's actually quite a cool place just off the N1 and one we've always only driven past and never explored. Until recently. 😁🚗

[@boerplaas388]

@@DustBugsTravel van wat ek kan sien lyk die plek maar nog steeds dieselfde behalwe nou vir die treinstasie