S1 - Ep 303 - Brandvlei - Impressed with the Peaceful Surroundings and Sights!

We arrived at Brandvlei a bit later than expected, but that didn't stop us from having an amazing experience. The first thing we did was have dinner at Die Windpomp Restaurant, and I must say the food was absolutely stunning. I think it's safe to say that we were both impressed with the quality of the dishes that were served. After dinner, we made our way to our accommodation for the night. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing and enjoying the peaceful surroundings. The next morning, we had breakfast before heading out to explore the town. One of the first things we saw was the beautiful church, which was truly a sight to behold. We also had the chance to see the hotel which they are in the process of renovating, and even though it was still a work-in-progress, we could already tell that it was going to be gorgeous once it was finished. Overall, our visit to Brandvlei was a wonderful experience. From the amazing food to the bare and barren landscapes to the beautiful sights we saw around town. #DustBugs #adventuretravel #southafrica #southafricavlog #travelongravel #northerncape #brandvlei
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[@kosievandenberg2145]

The beautifull white church looked so majestic against the blue sky. The breakfast served by your host looked so delicious. It would last me 2 days. And that waatlemoen konfyt !!!!

[@DustBugsTravel]

It's true, the pure white of the church looked magnificent against the backdrop of the morning sky. I was so glad to get inside, where it is just as beautiful. 💒 Our breakfast was indeed delicious and it did last us the whole day! 😁🥓🍳

[@annawitter5161]

The Windpomp looks a fascinating place. Love all the caps, just so long as nobodys head is still in one! Ah! Elvis! I was mad about him when I was 13. Wow! That certainly was a more than ample portion for supper. I experienced that a lot in that area of the country, people provide very generous portions. Big hearts. Oh dear, so the Luftwaffe nearly carried you off!! You should have had some Peaceful Sleep with you. I never travel without some. Hate mozzies! Love the old style house. Mmm...breakfast looks amazing. That should keep you full the whole day. Yes, that old hotel. I remember it well. I loved Sarie! Back in 1993 when we moved to New Zealand I still got my Sarie sent to me. I so enjoy seeing all the old buildings. To me they are so beautiful. I could spend hours in a graveyard, so glad you found a way in. Oh yes! I was waiting for that church. Wow! Those organ pipes are impressive. Must be a great sound. Pity they didnt supply the information on the old Bible. Knees and elbows on the sportveld? Oh you dont know Brandvlei knees and elbows! Built in protection and tough as! So good they are renovating the hotel.

[@DustBugsTravel]

We had an amazing time at Die Windpomp, it was the perfect end to a fantastic first day in the Northern Cape! 🚙😁 The Peaceful Sleep is never far when we travel, but even copious amounts couldn't keep this one specific Brandvlei mozzie at bay. 😨🦟 Looks like not only the rugby players are tough in Brandvlei, the mozzies are too! That Bible is astonishingly beautiful, it was fantastic to see and so thick! I was super happy to see the church on the inside! 💒

[@annawitter5161]

@@DustBugsTravel that mozzie was a Ninja!

[@charlietreston4035]

Hi guys great little town nice and clean and tidy agree with peaceful place love these quirky restaurants and bars I can see myself proping up the bar lol amazing cap collection accommodation definitely old style I also remember when it was modern. It's funny that you said breakfast for a king as the king is being crowned today I also remember the big stalasto fire places love the old carts great restoration. I myself have restored a old London Market stall early 1900s and made a gypsy caravan for my granddaughters. The cemetery was well kept the gothic church stunning and in stark contrast from the dry seroundings lovely big pipe organ the church deserves to be a national monument shame you couldn't look in side the old bible. High-school hostel and sports fields seems to be top standard loved the old carts they should be treasured they are one of my interests love them thanks again for this great video cheerio till the next one

[@DustBugsTravel]

I also thought the town was very neat and tidy. I somehow think the job is made easier because no grass grows there. I could spend a few hours at the pub at Die Windpomp admiring the cap and Elvis collections. It's a super cool place! 🧢😎 Your granddaughters' gypsy caravan sounds awesome, you're clearly a very practical fellow! I loved those carts and think they do a fantastic job of restoring them. I hope you enjoyed the coronation of King Charles III, it was quite the spectacle! 👑

[@frederikbrits9559]

Hehehe .....Windpomp next to the Petrolpomp. Amazing the Southern Boesmanland, little traffic and the rush what we experienced in the Transvaal. Remember the old 1905 church, built in Neo-gotic style and today a monument. Great video Curtis + Sonia

[@DustBugsTravel]

Yup, the windpomp next to the petrolpomp is exactly the way it was in Brandvlei! 😁⛽ The church was really beautiful in its pure white coat and so deserving of its status as National Monument! 💒 I'm glad you enjoyed the video! 🚙👍🏻

[@mariannaskontorp5545]

French drain is a deep hole with lots of stones in it

[@DustBugsTravel]

I'm very familiar with French drains. My wife not so much. 😁

[@ronnykenny3965]

Once again good morning & thank you. What a beautiful trip that was. Whole town looks very symmetrical.. as Sonja says ( luuuuuuv it) 😊. Truly enjoyed that, was drooling for a taste of that burger but you finished it Curtis, don't blame you.😅

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you so much! So you also enjoy symmetry just like my darling wife. 🥰 Let me tell you, that mutton burger was to die for, very delicious! 🍔 We went to bed with full and satisfied tummies that night! We're glad we could show you the symmetrical town of Brandvlei! 🚙🤩

[@hannesvanniekerk499]

Delicious! Really enjoyed seeing and hearing about a town I'd often heard mentioned in conversations.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Same here! I've oftened heard the name and thought it was high time that we close that hole in our Northern Cape map. 🚙 It was a delight to visit this town for the first time. Oh, and the food was delicately delicious! 😁🍔

[@1812nico]

Hi you two Windpomp DustBugs! Thank you for this trip to the salt plains. As usual your drone views placed Brandvlei in the perspective of its surrounds, and I loved the music! The town is so spacious and neat, one can hardly think that it has been going for 110+ years. It is clear that the town treasures itself e.g. the amazing white church, the well kept cemetery and the streets with more space than needed for heavy traffic of donkey carts. Your stayover place looked cozy with yummy meals. I can just not understand that you left the cuppas empty! Your video once again shows that the flat, flat plains of the Northern Cape are indeed a uniquely beautiful part of our beloved country. I am ready for the next outing and you will find me waiting along whatever road you chose to take next. Keep safe!

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you! 🚙🤩 I also thought the drone shots showed the town in quite a cool way. It was fun to explore such a small place with so much character. Our breakfast was rather ample I would say and we opted for juice that morning. You'll be even more disappointed when you hear that our host prepared a whole pot full of freshly-brewed coffee for us. He promised it wouldn't go to waste though! 😁☕ We realised all over again how incredibly beautiful the Northern Cape is, however, flat, bare and barren it may be. 😍🇿🇦

[@desh7120]

I really enjoyed this visit and the hearty meals - as you say, it all comes across across as very chilled/mellow and I’d agree that it would appear to be a perfect place to burrow into, minus all the usual distractions, if one were an aspiring/seasoned author ✍️ Now (of course!) we are probably all wondering if you have dreams that include writing a book, Sonia 📖 🖊️ 😁

[@DustBugsTravel]

Sonia says I must tell you she has no aspirations to be a writer at all. If she did though, she'd definitely escape to a burrow in Brandvlei for some inspiration. 😁📚

[@GreatUncleBuck]

I've been to Brandvlei many many years ago. I remember how the people I stayed with served me lamb even for breakfast ;) They also have a traditional dessert called "Melksnysels" or "Melkkos" which I loved very much. My wife tried to make similar when I told her about it but I do not think she got it quite right.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Yup, they do love their lamb! 🐑 I love melkkos too and, although a seemingly simple recipe, I think it's a fine art to get it just right.

[@elizabethnovak4088]

I remember those as well, its deliciously! my uncles wife was the only person who made it in our family, she was from Brandvlei.

[@tonyfernandes6978]

I was last in Brandvlei 40 years ago. I was sent there on relief staff in 1983/84. I worked in the bank (Barclay's - Now FNB) and this has brought back so many fond memories of the time I spent there. I am going back next month to show my wife this beautiful corner of South Africa. No doubt I will be very emotional when I arrive back there some 40 years later 😢

[@munesumangava9751]

Beautiful white church yes!!! Inside and outside! That red carpet ….. Stunning👌👌👌

[@elizabethnovak4088]

I started writing right in the beginning of the video, thanks for the journey through Brandvlei, i dont know the town but i knew a beautiful loving kind-hearted lady who was from there, loving memories of her come washing over me today, i can only imagen what this place was like in the far back 1900's when she was a child...😢

[@DustBugsTravel]

I'm glad that our video reminded you of a special person in your life, thank you for sharing that with us. 😊

[@rosemarymoolman6765]

I loved this episode! Brandvlei is so quiet. That Church is stunning. Thank you for allowing me to travel with you!

[@DustBugsTravel]

And thank you for travelling with us! 😁🚙 I agree, the church was stunning! 💒 The silence in a town like Brandvlei is one of the most alluring things to us, we love it! 🤫

[@elizabethnovak4088]

Good morning! I know about this place, never been there, my uncle was married to a lady from Brandvlei...she was a very good cook and baker, as a young child i learned a lot of my cooking skills from her, they both passed away already years a go, i wish i could see more of the place.

[@DustBugsTravel]

You should go and visit and check it out for yourself! 😁

[@elizabethnovak4088]

@@DustBugsTravel I think so, I now know where to overnight 🙂

[@mariusroos]

Thank you for Brandvlei. It was our neighbouring town while living at Williston. The church is very nice and so clean. I enjoyed the droone coverage well done. We hope these small towns continue to exist. Till next time seat booked.

[@DustBugsTravel]

I never knew you once lived in Williston, another fantastic town! 👍🏻 I loved the church too in its whiteness, it really is taken care of and maintained very well! 💒 We did speak to a few locals, including some who own businesses, and times are tough. I hope with you that enough people support towns like these so that they can keep going. They certainly offer cityfolk like us a great escape from the madness of the 🐀 race. We'll pick you up tomorrow, be on time! 😁🚙

[@anneliediederiks]

My heart! Lived there for almost ten years. The best years of my life! Can’t wait to visit and have a Elias special or as we call it ‘gemorskos’. And yankies…. 🤤

[@DustBugsTravel]

I'm glad we could take you back to your hometown and show it to you through our eyes! 🚙😁 Our meal was delicious and I have no doubt that you will love it too when you visit again. I'm sure you can't wait to feel the Brandvlei soil under your feet again!

[@deonnimb9505]

Watching this I have this urge to start watching all the videos made from the beginning, Thanks for your effort.

[@DustBugsTravel]

I'm glad you're enjoying our videos, thank you! 🚙🤩 If you do go and watch some of the older ones, you will note that we have evolved somewhat over the last18 or so months. 😁

[@deonnimb9505]

@@DustBugsTravel Very very much so

[@munesumangava9751]

I know someone who loves caps!!! He’d be way chuffed by that collection at the Windpop yhoooo👍

[@willieexplore]

Loved this video of Brandvlei! Reminds me of my school holidays where my dad would drive all the way from the Cape to the Kalahari via the iconic R27. I think Die Windpomp restaurant was once called Pik & Guava and we would always stop there for a cool drink whilst my dad would get the car filled up with petrol from the BP (looks like it has now changed). That Calvinia-Brandvlei-Kenhardt leg of the trip is brutal but also beautiful in its own right with all the open space! Someone once told me that between Calvinia and Brandvlei there is also a dumping ground for old train carriages that you can see in the distance if you look closely. This is unconfirmed though but I've always wondered about this. You bring back a lot of South African memories for people like myself who now live abroad, so thank you! And as a fellow content creator I know how much work goes into editing these videos, so never forget the value you add to our lives. Cheers!

[@DustBugsTravel]

I'm glad you enjoyed our video of Brandvlei! 🚙🤩 We visited Kenhardt on a previous trip already, so didn't do the whole Calvinia to Kenhardt leg this time. We love the open road though, if there were just fewer trucks on the road! 🚛😨 The filling station next to Die Windpomp is now KLK. ⛽ One day we'll take a drive from Brandvlei to Calvinia and see if we can spot the carriage dumping ground, that must be a sight to see! I love editing as much as travelling and I appreciate you acknowledging the hard work that goes into it. 😊

[@koosvonlandsberg5353]

Weereens pragtig !!

[@JanvanDyk]

What a wonderful trip down memory lane... I grew up in Brandvlei... my Dad was De Vrye van Dyk of the original Brandvlei Hotel... our house was the guest house that you stayed at! ❤

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you for watching our video of your old hometown! 🚙🤩 How cool that you're the son of De Vrye van Dyk, I remember seeing his name on the plaque at the hotel! So you lived across the street, that is so fascinating! I hope you were reminded of many special times in Brandvlei, it must've been incredible growing up there! It was our first visit and we had a fantastic time!

[@kelvinnaidoo8674]

Really enjoying your videos and All the lovely place y'all are visiting ❤❤

[@DustBugsTravel]

I am so glad to hear that, thank you! 🚙🤩 We appreciate you hopping on board each time.

[@EnaHamilton-mq4wh]

I would like to see more of the houses en skool. But this great. Thank you.

[@DustBugsTravel]

I'm glad you enjoyed most of our video. 🚙 We try to see a variety of things and places when we're in a town and not only show schools and houses.

[@rorysullivan4913]

Just have to visit Brandvlei.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Yup, you have to! 😁🚙

[@rorysullivan4913]

Church building, as so many others you have shown, is absolutely stunning. Wonder how many people attend on a Sunday.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Indeed a stunning church all clad in white. 💒 I asked a local lady we met in town during our visit and she indicated that about 15 people on a regular Sunday, while about 100 on Holy Communion Sundays.

[@marktintinger7492]

Remember to to travel with your Doom.😊😊😊

[@DustBugsTravel]

Peaceful Sleep is more our vibe. 😁 Not that we had a very peaceful sleep that night. 🤷‍♂️🦟

[@ingeborgvanderveer789]

Wat een beauty van een episode deze zaterdag, zoveel te zien. Voor mijn gevoel was ik veel langer met jullie ‘onderweg’ dan de feitelijke circa 40 minuten. In dat restaurant de prachtige opgezette ‘koppen’ van wilde dieren, een waaier met petjes, originele DustBugs graffiti voor eeuwig vastgelegd 🥳 en leuk die oude tijdschriften! Dan duik je echt even terug in de tijd, ‘Wat mans regtig dink oor vroue’ blijft natuurlijk altijd interessant om te weten😊. Heeft Sonia er nog iets in gelezen wat ze nog niet over jou wist hoe jij over haar denkt😉? Het dorp lijkt mooi ‘aangeharkt’, bijzonder die grafsteen van 2 levens beschreven in een opengeslagen boek. Hopelijk ligt dat heel oude kerkboek veilig onder dat enkele glas 🙏. Al geldt daarvoor mogelijk wat ik altijd zeg over mijn ‘bibliotheek’: ik heb vooral veel items in huis waar de gemiddelde inbreker zich niet voor interesseert. Mooi dat zowel jullie B&B host als het hotel veel oude karren bewaart / restaureert. Men koestert in dit stadje duidelijk zijn historie. Last but not least: een hotel mèt kroeg, dat zal gezellig toeven zijn aldaar als de renovatie gereed is!

[@DustBugsTravel]

There was really a lot to see in Brandvlei, especially for a town so small in size! 🚙😍 We had a fun time at Die Windpomp and there was also a lot to see, from the caps, to the Elvis paraphernalia to the trophies and of course our little piece of graffiti! 😁 I think Sonia pretty much knows exactly how I feel about her by now! 🥰 The fact that no grass grows there, gives the town a neat and raked appearance which I found quite appealing in its own right. I hope with you that those Bibles will remain safe, they certainly have a prime position in that beautiful church and rightly so! 💒📖

[@deonzar]

Die Windpomp Restaurant...we always stop there on our way to the Kgalagadi or back....we just love it. And a nice and clean town Brandvlei really is, and I am glad they are renovating the Hotel, I do hope they get many occupants.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Die Windpomp was a great stop, it's a super fun place with delicious food! 🍻🍔 We've wanted to visit Brandvlei for a while now and it was great to eventually make it out there! Perhaps next time you can stay over at the hotel! 🚙😁

[@rickelliott4130]

last time i visited Brandvlei, on the menu it had "Die Beste pomp in die dorp". the barmaid was rather embarrassed when asked about it.

[@DustBugsTravel]

I didn't see that anywhere during our visit, so it seems they've moved on from that one! 🚙😁

[@sensorymats8544]

Is there a reason you dont carry mozzie repellents with you on your trips? The new Spar brand one is excellent and has no chemicals in it - from someone who will attract the one single mozzie in a rugby field ! lol :)

[@DustBugsTravel]

We know the feeling! They usually only bother Sonia, but this night it was both of us! We actually have ample supplies of Peaceful Sleep whenever we travel, but I think there was this one Brandvlei mozzie who wouldn't have any of it and kept on zooming and buzzing away the whole night. 🦟😆 Thank you, I'll certainly remember the Spar brand one, I didn't know about that one.

[@sensorymats8544]

what is the source of Brandvlei's water? do you know?

[@DustBugsTravel]

I asked our host and he said the majority of the water in Brandvlei comes from boreholes. 💦

[@wilhelm3458]

who arranges your accommodation

[@DustBugsTravel]

My wife, Sonia, does. 🚙🏠

[@fantomas7976]

Have you seen the famous gang prison in brandvlei? is it close in the city or outside? Regards Wyszukaj to w Google 😉

[@DustBugsTravel]

I think you're referring to the Brandvlei Correctional Centre in Worcester in the Western Cape. The town of Brandvlei, which we visited in this video, is located in the Northern Cape province. The two towns are about 500km apart. 🙂

[@neilarmitage6632]

Can't find it on the map

[@DustBugsTravel]

The map at the beginning of our video should help you out. 🚙