S1 - Ep 502 - Vryburg, North West!

After many weeks, we were back on the road, this time visiting Vryburg in the North West. After 1,152 kilometers, we finally arrived. Our first stop was our accommodation at Cosmos Self Catering Units, before we started exploring the town. Once again, it was a bigger town than we had expected. Driving through the streets was fascinating as we discovered the museum and the Concentration Camp Cemetery. We also found the old steam engine in town, still standing there, proudly showcasing its past. The station was out of action as usual, but we were happy to see the nameboards were still up. We had a great time in Vryburg. #DustBugs #dustbugstravel #adventuretravel #southafrica #southafricavlog #travelongravel #dusty #sandy #northwest #vryburg
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Accommodation in this episode was provided by:
Cosmos Self Catering Units
Marie Matthee
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[@Linda-ly5td]

Vryburg, fantastic TOWN 👏 I love our town❤

[@DustBugsTravel]

We do too! It was cool to visit and explore your town. Thank you for watching our video! 🚙😁

[@Linda-ly5td]

@@DustBugsTravel I never knew that there's a rich history in Vryburg, thanks to you. The Anglo Boer War Concerntration camp cemetery, oh my God, thanks again. 😊

[@ronnykenny3965]

My heart is happy, back on the road, so many places I've never been to & won't ever get to so heartfelt thank you 🙌. Hopefully Dusty & Sandy will soon be parents 😁.Marie sounds like a beautiful soul🥰🚙🚙🚙

[@DustBugsTravel]

We were thrilled to be back on the road too and so happy to be sharing our North West trip with you now. 🚙🤩 Marie was indeed a fantastic host! 👌🏻

[@mariusroos]

Excellent visit. Thank you. Now I also have seen more of Vryburg. Quite interesting town. Thanks for all you showed us. Next one I am with.

[@DustBugsTravel]

I'm glad you enjoyed Vryburg, it was quite an interesting town to visit. We look forward to having you on board for the rest of our North West trip! 🚙😁

[@beryl9538]

I actually got excited over the food. I must say Vryburg is a big town. What a beautiful host. Please be safe on the road.❤

[@DustBugsTravel]

We were starving after that long drive and were so excited about our home-cooked meal. It was the perfect end to a long travelling day. 🚙🍲

[@mabelkhoza6831]

Happy to be with you again, what an introduction, it made me pack my bags and be ready for this journey, a lovely dry place thanks

[@DustBugsTravel]

Yes, it's dry in the North West, but a very interesting province which we're glad we took the time to explore. We appreciate you hopping on board again! 🚙😁

[@rennevanrenen6604]

Awesome intro and the hello,hello, hello.Enjoy,looking forward to the travels

[@DustBugsTravel]

I'm glad you like the intro! 🚙😁 Hello, hello, hello has become standard for me in the first episode of every new trip, Welcome back on board!

[@GailNetherlands]

Hi Sonia and Curtis. Thank you for taking us on another interesting trip. I didn't know Vryberg eas so big. Interesting history. Loved your accommodation and the meal looked so delicious. I could almost smell it! Yum. Lovely seeing Dusty and Sandy on your travels. I look forward to your next trip. Safe travels guys!❤

[@DustBugsTravel]

Sandy and Dusty had a grand old time, Dusty couldn't quite believe that he also had a travelling partner of his very own now! 🧸🧸

[@GailNetherlands]

@@DustBugsTravel Love it! ❤️

[@GailNetherlands]

@DustBugsTravel I'm following you guys on facebook now! Very interesting and easy to find videos past gone! 👍

[@terrimeyer3815]

I'm late but what a big surprise. Membership fees and a great new intro. I really hope people here will support you. It so cheap and totally worth it. Love all your avatars. NW lived in that province as well. ❤🎉❤ of course I'm joining whooppeeee🎉🎉🎉

[@DustBugsTravel]

Better late than never. 🚙😁 I know you'll always hop on board. Hopefully we can remind you of good times in the NW.

[@terrimeyer3815]

@@DustBugsTravel yes we loved living there. I'm just back from white river. Spend some time around all those trees. Looking forward to upcoming episodes

[@johandeklerk3401]

Thank you so much. Great video, was born there, have great memories. (A while ago you also passed my house in Philipstown, dont know if you remember that comment).

[@DustBugsTravel]

Philipstown was some time ago, but I do remember you commenting, yes. 😁 It's cool that we were able to take you back to your town of birth this time around.

[@deonzar]

Well I guessed the wrong province but no problem I love to watch wherever you go. We have stayed in Vryburg a few times on our overlanding trips up north but never actually had the time to explore the town,...so thanx for showing it to us.

[@DustBugsTravel]

We'll get to Limpopo. As you know, it's super far from home, so we have to plan carefully for that one. I hope you enjoy the NW with us in the meantime! 🚙😁

[@deonzar]

@DustBugsTravel Yes I will definitely enjoy the NW..

[@terrimeyer3815]

I also got it wrong. 🎉😂

[@teresawhite6112]

Thank you, tat is my birth place and I haven't seen it in almost 20 years ❤❤

[@DustBugsTravel]

We were happy to take you back to your birthtown. 🚙😊

[@PuckiMucki]

I love the intro. Is that what Sonia looks like in animated version? So happy you visiting a new province ❤😊

[@DustBugsTravel]

Pretty close! 🥰 It's difficult to get AI to do exactly what I ask though, but it's close enough for now. 😁

[@ChristaGodley]

😊wonderlik. Wat n mooi plek het nog net een maal daar deur gery baie jare terug. Dankie dat julle ons saam vat, ek dink die inleiding is besonders. Ek geniet julle so baie. Bly om te sien julle is nou gesond. Liefde tot volgende keer.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Glad you like the intro, we do too! 🤩 Vryburg was a very cool town to explore, I'm happy you came along! We'll see you in the next town! 🚙😁

[@1812nico]

Hi you two! I am so happy to be travelling with you again! Your come-back with with a black beard and Sonia so absolutely charming as I always pictured her to be, made my day. Vryburg is big but very interesting with its Stellaland Republic history. I always rushed through there on my way to family in the NC but I've now made a note of Cosmos, so as not to rush through again. The only sad thing (again) is the out of use station. It must be problematic for the cattle farming. But we'll keep our hopes up. Looking forward to our next exploration. Until then, keep safe on the roads, you're not in the WC now!

[@DustBugsTravel]

AI made us look ever-so-slightly younger than we are, but we'll take it! 🤣 We're so happy to have you back on board in the NW, an almost-new province for us!

[@charlietreston4035]

Hi guys glad to be back on the road again .very interesting video new one on me Republic of Stellarland and amazing to see photograph of the first president in the museum. The prison now repurposed as a museum and game reserve brilliant. And when the guy pulled out the rhino head crazy only in South Africa. Plenty of churches and a synagogue now a Christian Church. The park was well kept with the WW1 AND WW2 memorials plus the police. As always sports well catered for with the Ramblers club .very emotional the memorial to the victims of the concentration camps .the poor old steam loco had seen better days and again no action at the station but you got the name boards. Your accommodation was topnotch and the oxtail looked delicious and at 30 pounds a night very reasonable. Amazing video thanks for taking me along cheerio till the next one

[@DustBugsTravel]

Elton with the rhino head was definitely a highlight for us and, you're right, only in our beautiful country would you see that! 🦏🇿🇦 Happy to have you back with us!

[@sophiabrown6290]

😊 so glad your back love your channel

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you, that means so much to us! 🚙🤩 It feels good to be back!

[@teresawhite6112]

I have good memories of Oupa picking me and dad up from the station and then also every time we went over the tracks after Stella, my dad would ask if I reckoned the train had already gone past 🤣

[@DustBugsTravel]

At least the trains were still running back in the day. Those are indeed good memories. 😍🚉

[@conrayjones9290]

Love the new intro

[@DustBugsTravel]

Happy to hear! 👌🏼

[@lee-anneadams9222]

Hi Curtis, Sonia, Dusty and young Sandy, very happy to be on the road again, finally we get to see you too, Sonia 😂😂, love the intro. Enjoyed the visit, always grateful to learn new things, safe travels 🥾❤

[@wernerrumpel9065]

Hey Dusty 😂I watch you from Deutschland good Videos,but why we Do Not see your Travelpartner live in other simular Adventszeit..?.

[@DustBugsTravel]

@lee-annead... Look at you! Already remembering to mention Sandy in your comments. 😍🧸 I'm glad you enjoyed the intro. Thanks for joining us in Vryburg! 🚙🤩

[@DustBugsTravel]

@wernerrump... We introduced Sandy in our 'Thank You' video! 🧸 My wife, Sonia, isn't keen on being filmed, so I'll respect that for as long as she feels that way. 🥰

[@susannaemmerich1166]

Hi guys, you must be bushed after that long drive. Enjoy your beer Curtis and Sonia. Your cool drink. Lovely.!!🙃🙏💕🇿🇦👏👏👏 for new intro

[@DustBugsTravel]

The new intro is fun, I'm glad you like it too! 😁 We were rather tired after that long drive, but exploring invigorates us every time. Cheers! 🍻

[@lauravanzyl9404]

Dankie dat ek weer kon saam reis my kinders bly in Vryburg en Curtis my man het ook lank terug in Pomfret gewerk jul moet veilig reis ek sien uit na die vlg episode

[@drinapatrick8506]

Now my mouth is watering for that Oxtail and potatoes, also my most favourite.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Yup, it was absolutely first-class! 🥘

[@nicoellis1465]

A do like the intro

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thanks, it was a lot of fun to make too! 🚙😁

[@annawitter5161]

So good to join you once again. Yes, Curtis, I share your happiness in travelling and visiting a new town. Can't afford to do that now but sharing your journey is just as good. Love the butterfly 🦋 on the wall. The concentration camp cemetery is very emotional. War was necessary though. Otherwise our Afrikaner nation would have been wiped out. Looks like you had a really pleasant stay. I would choose room 3, with the skylight. But would need to spend more than one night

[@DustBugsTravel]

We're always happy when our accommodation is close to where we park, so we were quite chuffed with our room. 😍🏡 Welcome back on board!

[@annawitter5161]

Yes that's a big bonus especially when sore knees are involved. I have severe arthritis so all my sympathy! Oh that poor locomotive! My heart bleeds for this proud princess of yesterday 😢

[@Daniel-b3q]

Good my home town

[@DustBugsTravel]

Nice hometown you have! 🚙😁

[@kennethdshort]

The Locomotive at 53:41 design and shape reminds me of Stephensons steam engine in England , 1825 , the first steam engine to pull carriages with passengers. Probably dates from early years of 20th century

[@DustBugsTravel]

Interesting! As you know by now, we're always happy to find a loco. I so wish this one could somehow be restored back to its beautiful former self. 😍🚂

[@thewanderer58]

Love the new introduction. Glad you are back on the road again. I'd never visited Vryburg until now. A few nice looking churches in the town. Such a pity the old steam locomotive and train station have been left to decay.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you, happy to hear you approve of the intro! 😁 Vryburg has some awesome religious buildings and many too! 🚙💒

[@thewanderer58]

@@DustBugsTravel Just out of curiosity, would you have an idea of the total number of kilometers you've covered since commencing your travels in 2021?

[@DustBugsTravel]

We're approaching 70000km. Each one was incredible! 🚙😁

[@thewanderer58]

@@DustBugsTravel Wow! That's almost twice around our planet. Mind-boggling. Travel safe.

[@MoshoshoPrimary]

I Love that part when u start looking for food

[@johnmoslein5886]

Aitsa! Love the new graphics!

[@renetwessels4097]

Nice to see Stella and Vryburg .. how you see it.. safe travels .. still more to go and explore in Vryburg area..

[@DustBugsTravel]

There is always more to see in any town or place we get to. But we see what we can and move on. There are many other places waiting to be explored too. 🚙😁

[@KGSELD]

Nice beautiful town well-done to the residents for keeping their own town clean some other places in South Africa u can say pigs live here with people the way their are dirty is heart breaking

[@susannaemmerich1166]

Bonsmara that's the breed!!!!🙃😂👍

[@DustBugsTravel]

My darling wife would disagree with you! 😁 It's Brahman and Nguni all the way for her. And of course the black-and-white cows she loves so much! 😍🐂🐃🐄

[@EurikaKruger]

😂 dis n kostelike inleiding. Ek kon nie wag om te sien waarheen julle ons neem nie. Dit was lekker om Vryburg na jare weer te sien.

[@DustBugsTravel]

I'm glad you liked the intro! 🚙🤩 Thank you for coming back to Vryburg with the four of us.

[@sikhuntaka3740]

Love the new animated intro! 😁

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you, I also happen to think it's great! 🚙🤩

[@elrico8806]

Hello Hello,New adventures, here we go, i never thought vryburg was this big, i had a smaller town in mind, looking forward to the next video. please show dusty and sandy in the next video.🙂

[@DustBugsTravel]

Vryburg is a big and busy town and it was a cool place to explore. 🚙😁 You'll see Dusty and Sandy periodically throughout our trip. 🧸🧸

[@Scoops-g7j]

Thanks DustBugs 😊 and safe travels 😊❤

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you for coming along! 🚙😁

[@GezinaJoubert]

I love this I was born there know stay in strydenburg

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you for watching our video of your birth town! 🚙🤩 If you haven't seen our Strydenburg one yet, check out Episode 306.

[@LEDIEUALPHA]

Great town on my tourist trip to SA will definitely visit vryburg

[@DustBugsTravel]

You will love it, it's an interesting place! Safe and happy travels! 😍🇿🇦

[@samsonkjoseph6087]

Baie dankie vriende.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Our pleasure! 🚙😁

[@lorrainedebeer2981]

Luv Dustbug videos.....hope u will not forget to visit the beautiful places in Limpopo like Haenertsburg....Magoebaskloof......Hoedspruit and many other fantastic small towns in the area.....as well as mapumalangas quaint Barbeton.....Graskop....Longtompass and many other stunning places in the area

[@DustBugsTravel]

We live in Strand in the Western Cape and those provinces are very far away for us, so we'll have to plan carefully. I'm not sure exactly when we'll visit. 🚙😁

[@derrickknight0407]

I was in Vryburg about 60 years ago, and, if I remember correctly, te Vryburg Hotel was a single storey building. Obviously, the town was a lot smaller then.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Yup, it's quite a big and busy place now. 🚙

[@user-sf7og5ke7p]

I left Vryburg 60 years ago.

[@horstnowy1555]

My oldest photos of the railroad station in Vryburg I have taken in 2005. The windows were broken, but the walls and the roof were still OK. Now even homeless people would not find shelter in the former station. The locomotive on display in town is a class 19D, the number was 3356. My oldest photos of it are from 2008 and 2010. It was still in reasonabe shape and the number plates were still on the sidewalls of the driver's cab. Now the plates are stolen and the rest of the locomotive looks horrible.

[@frederikbrits9559]

District known as the Hereford-cattle breed capital in SA

[@DustBugsTravel]

Interesting. They clearly breed with a lot of different cattle breeds there, judging by the signs we saw all over town. 🐃🐂

[@rebeccavanderwalt9920]

Hi Guys , great video as always. Quick question, what us the "wild card" you use when going in to certain nature places ?

[@DustBugsTravel]

It's an access card to National Parks which you purchase online or at the gates. Conservation fees are reduced if you opt for this option. You should find all the info on the www.sanparks.org website. 🚙🦌

[@rebeccavanderwalt9920]

@@DustBugsTravel awesome thank you

[@Helgardt6189]

55:10 what a sad train station.🙁

[@DustBugsTravel]

I totally agree. 😥🚉 I do hope though that you made a point of noticing some of the good things we saw too in the town of Vryburg! 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@sicko_the_ew]

I have family from that end of the world (Afrikaans people with English surnames, English with Afrikaans names, that kind of thing) and in English they call the town "Fry Burgh". One has to mutilate a word to make it English. (And this is people who you'd mistake for Afrikaaners when speaking Afrikaans, and who were citizens of the Republic from the beginning.) In a very technical sense, the burghers executed for treason were "guilty", since by the time of the war they were (technically) British subjects at the time. Of course they weren't. They were citizens of Stellaland, but there was no such thing by then. (I think Rhodes probably wangled things to annex the Republic as part of his "Great North Road" project - through those parts of the then Cape of Good Hope, up through Bechuanaland, to Rhodesia, and beyond - so it all started locally, rather than at Empire level. But when the Empire arrived, the Empire behaved like an empire - inhumanely, oppressively, ruthlessly.) And the concentration camp ... Kitchener knew. They all knew. The would certainly have known how concentration camps worked out in Cuba not many years before, just by having an up to date military education. I used to think the reason there were so many deaths was just "military efficiency" (because the military version of "efficiency" isn't) but no. That's no excuse if this is the way you know from recent history is how things are going to work out. And the harm has reached far into the future. They ploughed salt into our fields, and the whole country has suffered from the after effects in all sorts of ways, long after the innocents left to die there died. We were their Carthage (sort of), and they were our Rome. Hard to say that "them" is us, for some of us. Not entirely, but enough. I hope one day we reach a point where this thing has finally run its course.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Of all the possible pronunciations, Fryburg never came to our minds. 😁

[@sicko_the_ew]

@@DustBugsTravel I suppose a UK English mispronunciation would "take the V literally", so at least it's a local oddity. (I mean to rhyme with Waai Burgh, in gemengde lingos). And then there's good old "Maffa King". I'll bet there are still people up there who haven't gotten round to reversing that to Maffi Keng. Tip: Ottoshoop. (Hint: Look up Wikipedia. But I'd better go and see whether someone who "doesn't want to waste paper" there hasn't clodfooted in to ruin that page.)

[@sicko_the_ew]

Quick Report back. (Too late, I suppose, but nway ... ) The Ottoshoop Wikipedia entry is still worth reading, so you need to visit it while it is. I have an aunty who spent some time as a little girl, there. She had two "dolls" called Mr Papenfus, and Mrs Papenfunji that the grown ups called "bottles". (Lots of beautiful coloured glass bottles there - or there once were. Might've all been "mined", now.)

[@DustBugsTravel]

We're long back from the North West, but thanks for the info. 👌🏼

[@theexperimentalcqdx4208]

They store water at the bottom then that massive pump next to the tall tower pumps water to the top, then it gets fed into the town via gravity. Those antennas are repeaters, for Wifi, police.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Yup, I know them very well, water was my line of work for many years. 💦 It's the sheer size of the structures which fascinates Sonia the most though.

[@sanetsmit7960]

If you want to explore Sasolburg in the Free State I will give you accomodation for R1000.00 per night with breakfast and dinner.

[@charlesmodisane5457]

Have sew almost all episode bit never seen Sonia face?? Anybody dis😅

[@DustBugsTravel]

I have no idea what you're asking, but Sonia does not want to be filmed and I'm happy to respect rhat. 🥰

[@niko8452]

I really like your video but with all the respect Wryburg should be avoided by tourist at all cost. This place is extremly dangerous . Crimes against tourist are happening everyday even during daytime. My friend was robbed there and another one luckly escaped and had to ask police for escorting him outside the city. I believe local food is amazing if you lucky to get to the resteurant without harm. All you can do is order mcdonalds on drive thru . I know that many places in South Africa are dangerous but this city is in my top 5 list. I did not watched your previous videos so I dont know your travelling style but I can see that you bearly comming out of your car so I assume you are aware of the problems. I believe you should be mentioning about this issues for tourists watching your videos otherwise someone might watch it and decide to visit Wryburg lets say with kids . They might be lucky and spend nice time there but in other hand visit might cause harm and lots of stress too if things gone south. Best regards

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you for watching our video and for your comment. Our videos are how we document our own travels and experiences. We travel and make videos for fun and their purpose is certainly not to provide a guide for tourists or any other traveller. It is each traveller's responsibility to do their own research before they visit a place, like we do. We didn't feel threatened or unsafe in the town at all and, to be completely honest, we were warned against most towns we visited in the NW, but having visited 500+ South African towns in the last three years, we're used to being extremely vigilant and having to look over our shoulders in some places. Crime is everywhere in South Africa and certainly not limited to the NW or Vryburg. We have crime here in our very own beautiful home province of the Western Cape. That's unfortunately part of life and travel in South Africa and we're totally happy to do it in order to experience the incredible beauty of our country. 🚙🇿🇦 But that is a decision each person must make, based on their own information, research and beliefs. We mainly explore by vehicle, but I do film out of the window and I get out at lots of places to have closer looks. We've experienced a few incidents in townships because of how many pedestrians are on the road and because my camera is held out of the vehicle, so we avoid them now. I'll only stop at places where my wife, Sonia, feels comfortable to remain behind in the vehicle. Check out our Wolmaransstad video in Episode 508 and take note of our remarks in the opening of the video. If we deem the warnings about any particular place or town plentiful and serious enough, we'll certainly mention it as part of our video, but safety concerns aren't normally mentioned.

[@niko8452]

@@DustBugsTravel You are right. It is your channel and your content and you can post anything you wish to. I should not expect you to warn tourist or making a travel guide. I do apologise for my previous comment and please be sure I was not attacking you or complaining. Im just frustrated that there is not enough information available across the web. Every place have nice promo videos encouraging people to come to but no one is talking about the bad things. Best regards and all the best!