16) A Journey to Cape Town
We caught the train in Pretoria in the late evening and the journey took us all that night, all the next day and the following night and we arrived in Cape Town in the early hours of the morning. We had often heard about the wonderful luxury “Blue Train” of the South African Railways and we thought that this must be it. We found out later that this was just a regular passenger train, the “Blue Train” was much more luxurious. We though it was wonderful though and so did the children. They had never been on a train journey before and loved the steam engines, the bunk beds, the guards’ whistle and most of all they loved the railway staff. They were just so good to us. When we went to the dinning car for any of our meals I would feed the children first and then one of the stewards would take them off my hands, take them for a walk and entertain them while Jonny and I had our meal. I remember that when we stopped at Kimberly one of the stewards took the children on to the platform to show them the bird aviary that was there. One of the stewards had a funny way of whistling that amused the boys and they looked out for him all the time.
Most of the journey was through the Great Karoo, a Hottentot word which means ‘land of thirst’ and it describes this area well. It is well known for the sheep that seem to thrive in the hot dry climate. They are farmed for their meat and their wool and South Africa is second only to Australia in its production of wool. It was a long journey but it was so much easier than going by road. We could stretch our legs up and down the corridors, have cool drink and toilet breaks without stopping and spend time entertaining the children instead of them just getting cranky in the back seat of the car.
We knew that we would have to spend a day or two in Cape Town and as we did not have any idea about hotels there we asked one of the railway stewards to recommend a place for us to stay. He gave us the name of a hotel and told us that whenever he was in Cape Town he stayed there. We had already learnt that he was a married man with six children so we assumed that that would be a fairly reasonably priced place. When we arrived there we found it was rather more luxurious than we had been expecting and wondered how a railway employee with six children could afford to stay there. We booked in saying that we did not know exactly when we were leaving but it would only be for a day or two. It was a lovely hotel, but not really suitable for small children, the other patrons were all very kind. They were mostly middle-aged Jewish couples and they took a liking to our children, they were very taken with Jonathan’s name, saying that it was a Jewish name and made a big fuss of them. But I always got the feeling from the hotel staff that they thought that we were a disturbance to the other guests and got very embarrassed when every morning they would ask me “Are you leaving today Mrs. Crowther?” and the ‘day or two’ stretched to ‘four or five.’ Firstly the ship did not arrive when it was supposed to, I think it was two days late and then when Jonny had gone to the docks to see about the off loading of our car it had been damaged slightly and it had to be repaired there and then to be covered by the ships insurance so we had to wait for that.
We did not have transport but Jonny’s brother Don who was at that time the Service Manager for Datsun Nissan South Africa had asked one of his Cape Town staff, a man called Les to look after us while we were there and he not only drove Jonny around to get the business of the car sorted out he also took us sight seeing. We asked if we could go up the cable car to the top of Table Mountain and he drove us to the boarding station. On the way there Dominic fell asleep on my lap in the car and when we got there Les said that he would stay in the car and look after Dominic while we went up. Of course Dominic woke when the car stopped and so we said that we could now all go up. This was the old cable car which I believe is no longer in use, it was pretty slow but it was an amazing view as the car climbed up to the summit and from the top it was so good it just about took ones breath away. It really was well worth it. There was a telescope up there with which we were able to look at ships out at see and peer down on the lovely city below us. Sir Francis Drake called it the “Fairest Cape of all” I have not seen many others so I am not in a position to judge that but I must agree that it is very beautiful. I have read that the mountain is visible at times many kilometres out to sea and that made the bay easy to find for the seafarers in search of shelter, and drinking water and provisions. When we got down to the bottom again Les confessed that although he had lived all his life in Cape Town he had never been up to the top of the mountain before, we could not believe it. I think he was a bit nervous of the cable car but did not like to admit it. He said that he had enjoyed it so much and he was glad that we had made him go and now that he had done it he was going to take his wife as soon as he could. He and his wife took us around the Kerstinbosh Botanical gardens. They were very beautiful; although it was winter and they were not at their best I enjoyed it. I particularly remember seeing Arum lilies just growing wild until then I had never seen them except in the florist shops but they are indigenous to South Africa and were growing in profusion.
The day before we were eventually ready to leave Les had driven Jonny to collect the Jag and he brought it back to the hotel ready for us to leave early in the morning. We could not believe the change in the attitude of the hotel manager. His eyes nearly popped out of his head and from being rather condescending he became quite respectful. I think he thought that anyone who owned a car like that must have lots of money. Although we did not realise it until then the E type Jag was very scarce in South Africa and so it caused quite a stir whenever we went with it. It was a lovely car, primrose yellow and just the most beautiful and eye catching shape but not really suitable for a family. There was not a lot of room on the back seat, fortunately our boys were still small and did not need much leg room.
We knew that we could not make the journey in one stretch so had planed to spend the night in Kimberley as it was about half way to Pretoria. We drove into Kimberley in the late afternoon, I think it was a Friday or Saturday and picked out a motel that we though would suit us. I sat in the car while Jonny went to check us in, but there was no room there so we tried another and than another and again another as it became obvious that there was “no room at the inn”. Apparently there was big dog show in town that weekend and people had come form all over to show their pets so the hotels were all fully booked. We pulled up to the last one, thinking we would just try it before we headed for the next little town. By now the children were tired and hungry and we wanted to get them into bed. Again Jonny went inside and I sat in the car and once again the car caused a stir. Within a moment or two there was a crowd of admiring men and boys around it, and I felt that I knew just how a gold fish in a bowl feels. Jonny came out to tell me that this hotel was also full but the owners had suggested that we come in, bath the children and have supper and they would phone the hotel in the next town and book a room for us. That way at least we would have eaten and the kids would be ready jut to pop into bed when we got there. It sounded like a great idea and I got out of the car while being watched by all those car enthusiasts. We had had a long journey from Cape Town, in a rather small car, Dominic had been sick over me once and I was tired and bedraggled. I could almost feel them looking at this scruffy individual getting out of this fabulous car and I could imagine them thinking “How does she fit in with that car?”
The Hotel was owned and run by a wonderful Jewish family, they took me to a bathroom where I bathed the boys and put their pyjamas on and cleaned myself up a bit too. We then discovered that the dining room was actually closed and that the meal we were about to have would be served in the family’s private dinning room with them. There were three generations there and they were very interested in our story, where we had come from and where we were going. Of course the men wanted to know all about the Jag. They were such a generous thoughtful family, I wish I had kept in touch with them; I would have liked to tell them once again how much we appreciated their kindness. When it was time to go they would not accept any money for the meal and the use of the bathroom, they said that we had been their guests and just to have seen our lovely car was payment enough.
When we got back to Pretoria I was very sure that I did not want to drive our Kombi all the way to Salisbury while Jonny drove the Jag. I also did not want to drive the Jag. We advertised in the local newspaper asking for anyone who would like a lift to Salisbury in return for doing a share of the driving and our advert was answered by a lady who wanted to go to Salisbury to visit her mother who was not well. She had driven a Kombi before and so was quite happy to drive while I looked after the children. I don’t think I mentioned before the Kombi was a delivery van and had no windows in the side at the back and only had the two front seats. With mattresses on the floor and all their toys around them the boys should have been very comfortable but they were restless and unsettled by all the moving and all the different beds they had slept in over the last couple of weeks and they did not travel very well. They needed to be constantly entertained and I knew I could not manage that and driving the long journey north. So it was good that we had the lady to help me.
We were very eager to get back to Rhodesia, to apply for our housing loan and to be able to start building our house. We had been told that four months after our loan was granted we would be in our own home and we were looking forward to that. We would be able to get our dogs out of kennels and get the kids into a good routine again. We had a lot to learn.
Most of the journey was through the Great Karoo, a Hottentot word which means ‘land of thirst’ and it describes this area well. It is well known for the sheep that seem to thrive in the hot dry climate. They are farmed for their meat and their wool and South Africa is second only to Australia in its production of wool. It was a long journey but it was so much easier than going by road. We could stretch our legs up and down the corridors, have cool drink and toilet breaks without stopping and spend time entertaining the children instead of them just getting cranky in the back seat of the car.
We knew that we would have to spend a day or two in Cape Town and as we did not have any idea about hotels there we asked one of the railway stewards to recommend a place for us to stay. He gave us the name of a hotel and told us that whenever he was in Cape Town he stayed there. We had already learnt that he was a married man with six children so we assumed that that would be a fairly reasonably priced place. When we arrived there we found it was rather more luxurious than we had been expecting and wondered how a railway employee with six children could afford to stay there. We booked in saying that we did not know exactly when we were leaving but it would only be for a day or two. It was a lovely hotel, but not really suitable for small children, the other patrons were all very kind. They were mostly middle-aged Jewish couples and they took a liking to our children, they were very taken with Jonathan’s name, saying that it was a Jewish name and made a big fuss of them. But I always got the feeling from the hotel staff that they thought that we were a disturbance to the other guests and got very embarrassed when every morning they would ask me “Are you leaving today Mrs. Crowther?” and the ‘day or two’ stretched to ‘four or five.’ Firstly the ship did not arrive when it was supposed to, I think it was two days late and then when Jonny had gone to the docks to see about the off loading of our car it had been damaged slightly and it had to be repaired there and then to be covered by the ships insurance so we had to wait for that.
We did not have transport but Jonny’s brother Don who was at that time the Service Manager for Datsun Nissan South Africa had asked one of his Cape Town staff, a man called Les to look after us while we were there and he not only drove Jonny around to get the business of the car sorted out he also took us sight seeing. We asked if we could go up the cable car to the top of Table Mountain and he drove us to the boarding station. On the way there Dominic fell asleep on my lap in the car and when we got there Les said that he would stay in the car and look after Dominic while we went up. Of course Dominic woke when the car stopped and so we said that we could now all go up. This was the old cable car which I believe is no longer in use, it was pretty slow but it was an amazing view as the car climbed up to the summit and from the top it was so good it just about took ones breath away. It really was well worth it. There was a telescope up there with which we were able to look at ships out at see and peer down on the lovely city below us. Sir Francis Drake called it the “Fairest Cape of all” I have not seen many others so I am not in a position to judge that but I must agree that it is very beautiful. I have read that the mountain is visible at times many kilometres out to sea and that made the bay easy to find for the seafarers in search of shelter, and drinking water and provisions. When we got down to the bottom again Les confessed that although he had lived all his life in Cape Town he had never been up to the top of the mountain before, we could not believe it. I think he was a bit nervous of the cable car but did not like to admit it. He said that he had enjoyed it so much and he was glad that we had made him go and now that he had done it he was going to take his wife as soon as he could. He and his wife took us around the Kerstinbosh Botanical gardens. They were very beautiful; although it was winter and they were not at their best I enjoyed it. I particularly remember seeing Arum lilies just growing wild until then I had never seen them except in the florist shops but they are indigenous to South Africa and were growing in profusion.
The day before we were eventually ready to leave Les had driven Jonny to collect the Jag and he brought it back to the hotel ready for us to leave early in the morning. We could not believe the change in the attitude of the hotel manager. His eyes nearly popped out of his head and from being rather condescending he became quite respectful. I think he thought that anyone who owned a car like that must have lots of money. Although we did not realise it until then the E type Jag was very scarce in South Africa and so it caused quite a stir whenever we went with it. It was a lovely car, primrose yellow and just the most beautiful and eye catching shape but not really suitable for a family. There was not a lot of room on the back seat, fortunately our boys were still small and did not need much leg room.
We knew that we could not make the journey in one stretch so had planed to spend the night in Kimberley as it was about half way to Pretoria. We drove into Kimberley in the late afternoon, I think it was a Friday or Saturday and picked out a motel that we though would suit us. I sat in the car while Jonny went to check us in, but there was no room there so we tried another and than another and again another as it became obvious that there was “no room at the inn”. Apparently there was big dog show in town that weekend and people had come form all over to show their pets so the hotels were all fully booked. We pulled up to the last one, thinking we would just try it before we headed for the next little town. By now the children were tired and hungry and we wanted to get them into bed. Again Jonny went inside and I sat in the car and once again the car caused a stir. Within a moment or two there was a crowd of admiring men and boys around it, and I felt that I knew just how a gold fish in a bowl feels. Jonny came out to tell me that this hotel was also full but the owners had suggested that we come in, bath the children and have supper and they would phone the hotel in the next town and book a room for us. That way at least we would have eaten and the kids would be ready jut to pop into bed when we got there. It sounded like a great idea and I got out of the car while being watched by all those car enthusiasts. We had had a long journey from Cape Town, in a rather small car, Dominic had been sick over me once and I was tired and bedraggled. I could almost feel them looking at this scruffy individual getting out of this fabulous car and I could imagine them thinking “How does she fit in with that car?”
The Hotel was owned and run by a wonderful Jewish family, they took me to a bathroom where I bathed the boys and put their pyjamas on and cleaned myself up a bit too. We then discovered that the dining room was actually closed and that the meal we were about to have would be served in the family’s private dinning room with them. There were three generations there and they were very interested in our story, where we had come from and where we were going. Of course the men wanted to know all about the Jag. They were such a generous thoughtful family, I wish I had kept in touch with them; I would have liked to tell them once again how much we appreciated their kindness. When it was time to go they would not accept any money for the meal and the use of the bathroom, they said that we had been their guests and just to have seen our lovely car was payment enough.
When we got back to Pretoria I was very sure that I did not want to drive our Kombi all the way to Salisbury while Jonny drove the Jag. I also did not want to drive the Jag. We advertised in the local newspaper asking for anyone who would like a lift to Salisbury in return for doing a share of the driving and our advert was answered by a lady who wanted to go to Salisbury to visit her mother who was not well. She had driven a Kombi before and so was quite happy to drive while I looked after the children. I don’t think I mentioned before the Kombi was a delivery van and had no windows in the side at the back and only had the two front seats. With mattresses on the floor and all their toys around them the boys should have been very comfortable but they were restless and unsettled by all the moving and all the different beds they had slept in over the last couple of weeks and they did not travel very well. They needed to be constantly entertained and I knew I could not manage that and driving the long journey north. So it was good that we had the lady to help me.
We were very eager to get back to Rhodesia, to apply for our housing loan and to be able to start building our house. We had been told that four months after our loan was granted we would be in our own home and we were looking forward to that. We would be able to get our dogs out of kennels and get the kids into a good routine again. We had a lot to learn.
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