Travel
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The Chaith of Sinith Africa
TROST; who have once visited South Africa must always return to her hospitable shores, even though many years intervene. The sense of South Africa can never be lost completely.; it lingers like a choice perfume reminding one of its essential, captivating charm ; it is a land where Nature cOnspires to captivate the traveller—sun, moon magic starlight, unrivalled hues of sea and sky, a vast colourful countryside- of mighty mountains, green valleys andever-rolling _ veld, a matchless atmosphere, so clear that one can see a hundred miles with the naked eye, vineyards and orange groves, sugar plantations and orchards of pears, peaches, apricots and mellow apples, hill- sides of waving yellow corn, cotton fields and tea plantations ; white-walled homes, after the old style of Dutch architecture, in which live a happy people, British and Dutch, children -of the sun-flooded lands—all these make an irresistible appeal to the visitor, calling him ever back.
Wherein exactly lies the charm of South Africa ? It is just South Africa herself, nothing less. When the Prince of Wales wandered through this delightful country he confessed that mere words failed to express its wholly satisfying beauty, its uniqueness, its compelling spirit of happy abandon. It, is a land full of contrasts, some awe-inspiring, others deeply restful, urging one incessantly to see more and more.
South Africa is fortunate in having Cape ToWn Tor its gate- way. A first impression generally determines one's- future voyaging, and the traveller steaming into Cape Town harbour will marvel at its revelation of sheer natural beauty. No other harbour in the world offers such a welcome scene, suelrmajesty of mountain and blue water. Table Mountain, the great sen- tinel of South Africa, dominating the scene, typifies the 'grand manner in which Nature has set to work. The early pioneers saw a symbol of hospitality in this vast " table top," towering 4,000 feet into a cloudless sky, and travellers receive the same impression of welcome to-day.
Inside this natural gate the country offers to match the mood of its guests, and every facility is offered towards their complete enjoyment. Even Table Mountain, that great, rugged rock whose beauty in some atmospheres is unsurpassable, can now be " climbed ' in ten minutes by an electric cable railway, thus saving hours of laborious climbing for the ambitious explorer ; the scene from the top is one of the world's finest views.
Should the choice be to explore the hinterland in the blue distance, there are excellent trains and splendid motor roads to obey the will. Most modern towns in the progressive Empire countries are alike, but apart from the cities like Cape Town, Durban and Jonannesburg, the townships of South Africa are unique in plan and romantic in spirit. Stellenbosch, Pretoria, Pietermaritzburg, Worcester in the lovely Hex River Valley, and Caledon give one a real glimpse of the unchanging South Africa, for early pioneers have left their mark on these places which no modern hand will ever efface. Oak of Blue Gum trees line the streets, and rippling water makes miniature brooks in every sloot : white gabled houses surrounded by gardens of multi-coloured flowers, an occasional bullock waggon defying the swift motor machinery, take one back into a world of a century ago and bid one lest in a present too-feverish world.
Should one's pleasure-seeking demand sport, there is hunt-
ing, fishing, swimming, surf-riding, tc_Anis, excellent golf, and splendid sailing around most parts of the coast. Good motor roads go to the back of beyond, and in the rarefied atmosphere every scene is intensely fascinating because it appears to be so near, yet in reality it dangles on the far horizon.
But if you would like to see most of South Africa in miniature with travelling a hundred miles, first explore the Cape Peninsula, easily the most picturesque bit of country for its size in the world. Visitors to the South of France speak of the magnificent marine scenery on the famous Corniche Road, but the new motor road which fringes the whole of the Cape Peninsula is now considered to be the finest and by far the most varied and picturesque marine drive on earth. Moun- tains, valleys, vineyards, and seventy miles of rocky coast, all blended in rich, riotous beauty, make this patch of South Africa the coming playground for travellers from all parts of the Empire. At all seasons of the year it breathes the spirit of holiday, and even in the depth of winter the days sun-flooded are only as cold as a mid-September day at home. Indeed, in South Africa the sun shines every day—all day for some 325 days in the year, and for the remaining forty it endeavours to " work half-time " ! At all times of the year South Africa offers a wonderful holiday, more especially during our six months of English winter, and above all it is one of the love- liest places in the Empire, and economically reasonable,. in which to spend one's years of retirement.
ARTHUR LA.MSLEY.
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