Karoo Travels - The Serendipity Book Store in Bedford

The Signs Of this Little Book Store In The Karoo Town Of  Bedford Caught Our Eyes

BOOKS AND THINGS! why resist?

The Serendipity Book Store in Bedford in Donkin Street is situated in a "historical"

Since there is not too much traffic on the main road of Bedford, stopping right o away on the side of the road is not a problem. The small Karoo town is a rather sleepy place, except on Fridays. The signboard that captured our attention belongs to an old house, 150 years, that has already historical value in South Africa.
"Well it's not like in Europe, where you have houses, that are a thousand years old," the owner explained,"but for here it's a very old lady."  

Bedford Street Scenes - A Karoo Town In South Africa

The Signs Promise Books, Books, Books  - In Bedford

The Serendipity Book Shop is located on the left side of the main just before leaving Bedford

old houses and old walls

The Karoo has seduced many with their indescribable charm. The open plains, extremely hot in summer and wit icy cold nights in winter have drawn many from the big cities. And so it happened to  the owner of this book store, who relocated from Cape Town where she has lived many years to this small village in the Karoo.

Mountains in the distance

"We decided to move to the country and have never regretted it. It's a beautiful place and we have so many gorgeous old houses here. Just drive off the main road and you will see them".

The inside is as interesting as the outside.

The owner busy marking some German books

"Just be a careful" she says, there is so much dust, I have been away for a while and I just opened the doors today. Lucky us!"

Some other "Things" at the entrance of the Bedford Book Store

The locals are having their chat across the road

Once Upon A Time At The Cango Caves

Once Upon A Time In South Africa At The Cango Caves - The Entrance To The Cango Caves  in the 1950's

Today we are posting two lovely old prints of the famous Cango Caves in South Africa, dating back to the 1950's, a time when art lovers would sit in front of their easels painting the scenery outside the caves, the ladies wearing elegant dresses and summer hats. 

Prof. A.J.H. Goodwin  a archeologist of the University of Cape Town carried out a test excavation in the Cango Caves in 1930. Stone artefacts and other cultural material show people had been living in the entrance to the caves over a long period during the Middle and Later Stone Ages.
The caves were discovered in 1780 by a local farmer named Jacobus Van Zyl. The chamber he first was lowered down into (Van Zyl Hall, which is as long as a football field), is named in his honor. Further exploration was done and a second chamber discovered in 1792. The caves soon became a popular place to visit.

The Cango Caves In the 1950s - The Throne Room In the Cango Caves approximately 60 years ago

There goes the legend that Mr. Johnny van Wassenaer, the cave’s first official guide had walked 29 hours to find the end of the caves in 1898. When there, he is said to have calculated that he was 25 km from the entrance, and 275m under ground. His route apparently followed an underground river. So far, no caves have been found to support this story.

The Cango Caves are located in Precambrian limestones at the foothills of the Swartberg range near the town of Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The principal cave is one of the country's finest, best known and most popular tourist caves and attracts many visitors from overseas. Although the extensive system of tunnels and chambers go on for over four kilometers, only about a quarter of this is open to visitors, who may proceed into the cave only in groups supervised by a guide. Tours are conducted at regular intervals on most days - there is a "Standard Tour" which takes an hour and an "Adventure Tour" which takes an hour and a half. The "Adventure Tour" consists of crawling through narrow passages and climbing up steep rock formations guided by small lights. The caves contain spectacular halls and grand limestone formations (on both tours) as well as some rather small passages on the Adventure Tour. The smallest passage that tourists will have to pass through on the Adventure Tour is just under 30cm high at the exit.

The caves are considered to be part of the Garden Route.

Welcome To The Jungle - Bird Eat Bird

Bird Eat Bird

Satisfied for now

There Is A NEW Cake Box At Bonza Bay Beach

There Is A New Cake Box At Bonzas

Summer finally came and with it came "The Cake Box" at Bonza Bay Beach in East London. Bonzas is one of the most beautiful beaches in East London and The Cake Box is exactly what Bonzas needed.

The Lounge Corner At The Cake Box made from reclaimed and recycled wood

Our label ' Chocolat Negro" is all about recycled design and art. In this journal we introduce you to our new products and to what inspires us. But it is also a site to showcase interesting recycling and design projects. The Cake Box is one of those projects. We call it a project because we have seen the owner Ant Faye working on it for a long time. First she opened a kiosk from where she sold breakfast, snacks, cool drinks and sweets. Then she created additional seating possibilities under shady trees.

Then she opened "Supertube" again.

 

And now she created the Cake Box! Gradually she has upgraded the Bonza Bays car park area.   

A Flower Power Caravan Is The Home Of The Cake Box

The Cake Box is situated in a Caravan, entirely hand decorated by Ant Faye. 

"I have received most of my inspiration from the internet, she says, but I have done everything myself."

A lot of attention has been paid to detail

Great Attention has been paid to detail and the whole open air caravan coffee shop  reminds you of the 70's.

"Some South Africans will appreciate this," Ant Faye says. 
 

Hand Painted Stones At The Cake Box

There are hand painted stones with psychedelic patterns. The color choice is green, yellow, pink and blue. No browns and greys here. 

Some psychedelic stones baking in the sun!

Shells and sea glass and other sea finds!

The place is mostly made from reclaimed and recycled material, that the owner has sourced from recycling companies and through the help of some friends. The floor is made from wooden planks, striped and nailed together as a deck.

Something young and something old

Some good love

Shells And Beach Pebbles

A Coffee Table made from reclaimed wood designed and painted by Ant Faye

Tables on a wooden deck made from reclaimed wood facing "supertube"

Ant Faye

But there is more to the Cake Box. This is essentially a family business. While the daughter runs the kiosk and supertube, the mother's kingdom is the Cake Box. And guess, what? They communicate via radio between the two places. 

Ant Faye's Mother, The Queen Of The Cake Box

 "The Cake Box is actually my mother's business", Ant Faye says.

Inside the caravan, it looks like in a doll house. Ant Faye never stands still for a second, as you can see in the pictures. She whirls around between the coffee machine, the pink painted fridge and the baby blue shelves with pink dots.

 

While it looks to me, as if Mom is doing the book keeping in the corner! Or may be just enjoying her coffee and her cake. Well, that is the privilege of a mother.

Let them have cake, because there is delicious home baked cake at very reasonable prices!

Let Them Have Cake!

Delicious chocolate cake and lemon meringue a R 15.00 a slice.

Detail of the Caravan Wall Mural A Beautiful Reminder Of The 1970's

And who would not like to lounge around in this cool place, with a chocolate cake and fresh coffee and look over the river! Let's support The Cake Box, it's a unique and very cool place.

Featherlite

If you want to bed you and your lover in a nice, big and soft bed  - you have to make it first!

So goes the old saying!

Two Feathers At Once In Opposite Directions!

Depending on the softness and size desired, a considerble amount of work can be involved.

And, often while the one slaves in the sun....

the other one waits in the shade!

giving more or less good advice

Until the work is done

and when you have just finished and think everything is all fine...

more suggestions keep flowing in

And who the hell cares in anyway if you have just occupied somebody else's house!