I do not know whether it is correct but when I heard you were talking about Old Joburg this came to mind. Someone told me some years back that the town planning of Ottoshoop, streetnames and town layout was copied and was used to start Johannesburg. Ottoshoop had a Rissik street, Commisioner and a few more that one will find in Johannesburg CBD. Apparently gold was discovered at Ottoshoop but due to the high water level all mining activities were halted and all miners moved to Johannesburg.
Loved your visit. In the 1970's I worked on a mine TCL Fluorspar. Ottoshoop was our nearest town. Station, post Office, hotel, general dealers with a vibrant community were all there. Also scouted around Bakerville, Molopo Oog, Jackobsdal and many other interesting places around that time. Brings back so many memories.
Hi guys another intriguing town that was once the commercial capital of SA mind blowing. Full of history from the Jameson raid to the the ship jumping Mr Kelly. There is a saying if you find a hole in the ground you'll find a irish man loved the old building and the old joberg referrals. The burnt veld reminds me of my time in SA. Going to the private game reserve was so inviting with all those different cats amazing the white tigers may be ligers cross with lion and tiger ? So nice to see lion cubs and wild dog puppies. The dam was excellent great place to relax with all the facilities no wonder the guy before you booked for two weeks..the animals in cages can be upsetting but sometimes its the lesser of two evils. I read the other a a extremely rare wild horse was born in a zoo in England in its home land in Iran Iraq its almost extinct so its only chance of survival is in a zoo .as always thanks for taking me along cheerio till the next one
Super interesting and encouraging about the rare wild horse that was born in an England zoo. 😍🐴 It just goes to show that some good can come of animals in captivity after all. I've heard of ligers before, but I don't think we've ever personally seen that cross. These were white tigers, joined by their brown / golden cousins, we couldn't see the sign on all of the enclosures. What gorgeous animals they are, but so far away from home! 🐯
My heart was so happy to see all the animals but I was a bit heartsore to see them caged. They really need to be in the wild. They all looked well fed but some sounded distressed. Have a safe trip.
The town Bakerville still exists. You missed the turnoff on the left from Lichtenburg and you took the turnoff in to the location or informal settlement at Bakerville. Malopo oog is the beginning of the Malopo river. It flows for a few kilometers and then disappeer underground. It surface again at Wondergat, and then it surface again at Kuruman. Regards. Love your travelling experiences.
I am so sorry that you could not find the town Bakerville. There is still some of the old diamond diggers living there with very interesting stories about the old days.
Kyk ek het nie veel verwag nie maar is verbaas. So klein plekkie maar om daai pragtige diere te sien was n hoogte punt vir my voel ook jammer vir hulle nes Sonia. Baie dankie nou weet ek ook van die plek. Veilig ry
The railway line at Ottoshoop is the main railway line from Jhb to Botswana. They are busy repairing the railway tracks between Magaliesburg and Koster. The line then goes to Zeerust, Ottoshoop, Mafikeng, 😊and then into Botswana.
Soooo beauuuuutiful animals.. am also sensitive if it comes to animals.. am a animal lover.. thank you Cirtis and Sonia for the share.. much appreciated friends 🎉❤❤❤
Curtis, you say that the animals are well looked after and are safe. The board at the entrance says "hunting safaris". Something is not quite kosher at that place!
Correct. I said it and I maintain that they're well looked-after. That was clear to see. We're not into hunting in any way, shape or form and we simply document our travels in our videos. We're not investigative journalists who try to figure out and get to the bottom of everything. We love animals and we wanted to include them in our video, despite our sadness about them being caged. I saw Hunting Safaris on the board at the entrance and assumed that those activities are offerent in a different section of the property. 🤷🏻
Curtis you were entering dangerous territory when you asked Sonia if she needed a broom. Interesting wildlife park . Ottoshoop has lost its hoop.Just like the Jamieson Raid came to a sticky end and lost Cecil Rhodes' hoop. I could not help but wonder if there are still diamonds lying around in the veld at Bakerville. Another very interesting visit. Baie dankie julle twee.
Yet another reason why I like this channel. It shows me areas in South Africa that challenge my ideas on how the areas may look, but look completely diffefrent. I thought this part of South Africa is very arid with little vegetation, and hereI see that trees are in abundance. I also get to learn about history like that of Ottoshoop. I see that you got an animated intro for this season of videos. Who designed it for you?
You're very kind, thank you. We're very happy to have you travelling with us to new and familiar places. 🚙😊 I decided to dabble in AI a little and 'designed' (a rather strong word for what I did!) our new intro myself. We thought it was high time for something fun and different and non-specific to any particular area. It still needs a little work here and there, but I was happy with the outcome for the most part. 😁
Thanks for the trip! I also share Sonia's sentiments on the animals pacing in confined spaces. Pity you missed Bakerville. Safe travels guys till the next episode! ❤
We were just as bummed that we couldn't find Bakerville. The only signboard we saw, led us to the informal settlement. I'm pleased to read in the comments that the little mining town still exists though. 🚙💎
Im with Soni on this one. Glad you phoned darling, cause I was also upset with the pacing.....which is what any caged animal does. I did love the dam as you took the corner Curtis.....look at this...❤😂❤ lovely video and the restaurant looks awesome. I'd of never guessed that ottoshoop was a suburb of JHB...rotflmao 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Some residents of the Ottoshoop of 70 or so years ago said the only thing they recognized was the shop (which they lived next door to, but I think the house is gone). They also lived on the farm, Koppiestinkhoutboom for a time, so liked hearing the name has still survived in some form. They didn't like seeing all the big cats in cages, though. I think some animals take to cages better than others. Lions, for instance, seem to be quite fine as long as they don't get lonely or have food. (That one tiger looks like it was a very fat cat once in its life, so I'm guessing it's not possible to send it back to Benghal.) That's the problem. How do you accommodate these animals - assuming these are rescues, and not just the result of another next first grandson of the deceased last landowner spending the whole of life getting exactly what he wants when he wants it, while unimportant people like Mom and Dad get passed by in the old inheritance tax dodge that keeps things intact the aristocratic English way (where only one son becomes the Lord; and even the rest of the siblings more or less get to fend for themselves). I'm not saying that's what's going on here, just that it's a real possibility. Have met/ seen in action/ heard from reliable sources about enough Lords and Masters of their own little kingdoms before. They can be good, and they can be downright evil. There's room for all those attitudes to life in that situation. The white lions/ lygers, or whatever they are, I suspect of being "hunting specials" at one time. You can't send those into the wild. No camouflage for starters. Anyway thanks! Great to see what Ottoshoop looks like, even if it doesn't look like much. So it has two roads now! It doubled in size, then! And it's got tar roads! They didn't have tar roads back in the day. The ancient ones say that back in the olden days Ottoshoop had a proper station, so that's been obliterated at some time, since. It's hard to tell which phase of obliteration it would've been, though, since the previous government also had a tendency to obliterate things, and a very selective sense of heritage. The palm trees are from long ago, too, BTW. Once upon a time a big wasp flew there, dug a big hole, flew off, came back with a big spider, and buried it there. I have witnesses who saw this. The town was once a base for cave divers in the Wondergat (which is apparently out nearer to the Malopo - which was once where the community would get together for various celebrations). You might find the cave has been cut off from public access now, too, and that divers now stay in some sort of purpose built resort. All the diggings mean the general region is full of holes in the ground - some of them quite dangerous. The kids used to play in them, even though most of them couldn't swim. There were various accidents, but none fatal.
The animals were absolutely beautiful and in great shape, although there was a chubby one here and there, and certainly look cared for. We just don't like them caged, and never will. If it's a toss-up between them living on borrowed time and waiting to be hunted or being kept in a confined space for their own protection and safety, I, and even my darling wife, would opt for the latter every single time. ❤️🐾
@@DustBugsTravel I agree. It's a very hard choice, but once you've set up all the viable options in a row, there just aren't many, and no ideal ones. This one works well enough in an imperfect world. And for some of the animals it works perfectly fine. I don't think lions have any romantic notions about being out there hunting on the savannah, for instance. A bit of company, a lot of food, and you have a happy lion. (The tiger I'm thinking of is the one with lots of loose skin in the belly. Reminds me of a cat who walked into my place from the bush, once, and adopted me. In my cat's case, I think she began life as one of the well-fed, but well-loved cats of the people from the farm across the main road from us at the time. They were both suddenly killed in an accident one day, and then the vulture sisters moved in, purely focused on turning the farm into as much money as possible, and the cats had to fend for themselves. Must have been hard for mine, because the amount of loose skin she had was consistent with her having being quite a fatty in the good days before she just got dumped. So without really good reasons for thinking so, I imagine that tiger was just a big version of my cat. A very big, well-loved cat who got lots of snacks to make him or her happy. And then maybe his or her "owner" died, someone stingy took over, and before starvation set in, there was a rescue, and a happy ending. The tigers looked pretty happy there, at least.) The only one that looked really stressed was that panther. (Reminds me of a visit to Pretoria Zoo, long, long, long ago. The jaguar cage had a deep path along its edges, and they just went round and round and round. I think to be a happy jaguar, you have to be out there killing things, not just with plenty of food you don't have to waste time hunting - as I imagine a lion might see things.)
Hi. That ruins opposite the post office was my dads shop n cafe. Ok stores or also known as Abraham se winkel. I was born there and ottoshoop was a hub of activity. The station had the most beautiful gardens. Infect all use to take so much pride in their gardens. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Molopo oog is the river who make a confluence with the Orange river near Upington, hiding place for Nonnie de la Rey and other women during the Boer War
Very interesting trip.such a small town with such a huge deep history. But Old Joburg is now just a thought. Indeed it must have been a busy town with all the diggers around. Thank you for showing us Ottoshoop. I enjoyed it. It is as if you go back Iin history and experience it. Well done guys. Looking forward to the next one
Thanks for the video. Another part of our country I would like to visit. It usually takes me about 2½ hours to watch one of your flicks, because I like to follow your routes on Google Earth. Unfortunately the people who shot the material fpr Google did not travel on each street you drive on. Anyway, it's nice without ice!!!
The caged animals reminded me of Ted Hughes's poem "The Jaguar" in which, unlike the animals in a zoo, the jaguar does not accept its fate but, in its mind, remains a free wild animal: The apes yawn and adore their fleas in the sun. The parrots shriek as if they were on fire, or strut Like cheap tarts to attract the stroller with the nut. Fatigued with indolence, tiger and lion Lie still as the sun. The boa-constrictor’s coil Is a fossil. Cage after cage seems empty, or Stinks of sleepers from the breathing straw. It might be painted on a nursery wall. But who runs like the rest past these arrives At a cage where the crowd stands, stares, mesmerized, As a child at a dream, at a jaguar hurrying enraged Through prison darkness after the drills of his eyes On a short fierce fuse. Not in boredom- The eye satisfied to be blind in fire, By the bang of blood in the brain deaf the ear- He spins from the bars, but there’s no cage to him More than to the visionary his cell: His stride is wildernesses of freedom: The world rolls under the long thrust of his heel. Over the cage floor the horizons come. 
Hi Curtis and Sonia , Was very intrigued about Bakersville , did some searching of my own on Google maps for info on town, and also info on the Diamond Diggings . As to the town I note on Google maps there's a Roman Catholic church and an Internet café and it's along from where you turned in , but where those are is anybody's guess. I used Google Street view to compare with your footage. Did note the previous turn off to Greefslaagte looked more promising as to where the town and old diggings are. I'm trying to place those diggings on Streetview with what you showed in your video, you were on the R505, right? You would think a site with such significance would be better sign posted , on Wikipedia it talks of the Elandputte cattle dip site being made a national monument. Emailed you a link to an article about the diggings . It's got pics too. I also checked out Wikipedia. I noted when you seemed to have explored all of the town there was still half the time of the video left and then you find the Game Lodge. What a great place , like most I didn't like the small enclosures. It's nothing more than a zoo. Glad to see SPCA is involved in monitoring the well being of the animals. Leaving the Game Lodge and turning right could only take you to one place . We are off to a town starting with the the letter ...... Z next I presume.
I'll get to your email one of these fine days. It takes me a while to respond because there are so many. 😁📧 We were indeed on the R505 when we saw those heaps. We were quite bummed about not being able to find Bakerville, but we followed the only board and it took us to the informal settlement. 🚙🤷🏻
As a child, I went with my school on a trip in Std 5, to this part of the world, we went to Molopo oog, I just remember, it was so beautiful. I always wanted to revisit it, but never did. This area was Diamond mining, panning area, From Lichtenburg Bakerville I think it was a triangle area, I can't remember maybe Zeerest was part of it as well. You were a Meyer, I married a Meier, Meier is German, is Meyer also??
Sonia and I aren't really into genealogy, but we've heard many explanations of the origin of the surname, including French. My father-in-law was confident that the origin was Dutch though, so I'll go with him. ❤️🇱🇺 I would imagine Meyer and Meier are variants of the same name.
Where have all the people gone in Ottoshoop? I think I counted more dogs than people. Oh, and two donkeys! The place made me feel uneasy for some reason ..... as it did with you Curtis not wanting to leave Sonia alone in the car to take a stroll. Nevertheless, very interesting to see the "old Jo'burg ..... what's left of it. The Kaya Inkalamo Game Lodge was pretty, but, like yourselves, I would have preferred to see the animals uncaged. I do agree that they appear to be well-fed and cared-for, but the cages are way too small to allow for natural movement. I'll join you at the next stop.
There were actually quite a few folks about for a town that tiny, but I'm not really into filming people, so didn't catch many on film. We felt quite comfortable in town, but because there were quite a few people around the Post Office area, I wasn't keen on leaving Sonia in the vehicle there and wander too far away. Safety will always be number one. Ottoshoop for sure has a lot of doggies though, we also noticed that! 🚙🐶
If you watched the full episode, you would've heard that we were also concerned about them being caged, but we have to believe the staff when they assured us the animals are well looked-after. 😍🐾
Tigers don't belong in Africa . I can't imagine how they feel. Its like a human confined to a one room flat on the 4th floor , with a treadmill and a fridge full of food . I find this very upsetting . (I know its not your fault )
I love the way you investigate obscure turnings without planning. It is so interesting. "Hunting lodge". Not for me. Overweight cats in cages. Horrible.
Ottosdal het begin op ons ou familieplaas Korannafontein. My van is Otto. Ek Sal Graag wil weet Waar Ottoshoop sy naam vandaan kry. My oupa was die bankbestuurder in Lichtenburg. Groete Lambert Otto
I do not know whether it is correct but when I heard you were talking about Old Joburg this came to mind. Someone told me some years back that the town planning of Ottoshoop, streetnames and town layout was copied and was used to start Johannesburg. Ottoshoop had a Rissik street, Commisioner and a few more that one will find in Johannesburg CBD. Apparently gold was discovered at Ottoshoop but due to the high water level all mining activities were halted and all miners moved to Johannesburg.
Loved your visit. In the 1970's I worked on a mine TCL Fluorspar. Ottoshoop was our nearest town. Station, post Office, hotel, general dealers with a vibrant community were all there. Also scouted around Bakerville, Molopo Oog, Jackobsdal and many other interesting places around that time. Brings back so many memories.
Van Al die plekke wat ek hier sien, is Ottoshoop een van die plekke waar ek moet 'n draai maak, dankie vir 'n puik program.
My heart goes out to those animals, no matter how well they are looked after .🙃😢💕
Thank you! 🥰
Hi guys another intriguing town that was once the commercial capital of SA mind blowing. Full of history from the Jameson raid to the the ship jumping Mr Kelly. There is a saying if you find a hole in the ground you'll find a irish man loved the old building and the old joberg referrals. The burnt veld reminds me of my time in SA. Going to the private game reserve was so inviting with all those different cats amazing the white tigers may be ligers cross with lion and tiger ? So nice to see lion cubs and wild dog puppies. The dam was excellent great place to relax with all the facilities no wonder the guy before you booked for two weeks..the animals in cages can be upsetting but sometimes its the lesser of two evils. I read the other a a extremely rare wild horse was born in a zoo in England in its home land in Iran Iraq its almost extinct so its only chance of survival is in a zoo .as always thanks for taking me along cheerio till the next one
Super interesting and encouraging about the rare wild horse that was born in an England zoo. 😍🐴 It just goes to show that some good can come of animals in captivity after all. I've heard of ligers before, but I don't think we've ever personally seen that cross. These were white tigers, joined by their brown / golden cousins, we couldn't see the sign on all of the enclosures. What gorgeous animals they are, but so far away from home! 🐯
It's only the "hoop" that's left Otto made tracks loooong ago.🙃🙏😂
My heart was so happy to see all the animals but I was a bit heartsore to see them caged. They really need to be in the wild. They all looked well fed but some sounded distressed. Have a safe trip.
Thank you for the trip. It was lovely to see those beautiful animals up close but 😢😢😢 ek se niks meer nie. Take care 🙏❤
My affinity for this town is Ottomatic.
The town Bakerville still exists. You missed the turnoff on the left from Lichtenburg and you took the turnoff in to the location or informal settlement at Bakerville.
Malopo oog is the beginning of the Malopo river. It flows for a few kilometers and then disappeer underground. It surface again at Wondergat, and then it surface again at Kuruman. Regards. Love your travelling experiences.
I am so sorry that you could not find the town Bakerville. There is still some of the old diamond diggers living there with very interesting stories about the old days.
Kyk ek het nie veel verwag nie maar is verbaas. So klein plekkie maar om daai pragtige diere te sien was n hoogte punt vir my voel ook jammer vir hulle nes Sonia. Baie dankie nou weet ek ook van die plek. Veilig ry
The railway line at Ottoshoop is the main railway line from Jhb to Botswana. They are busy repairing the railway tracks between Magaliesburg and Koster. The line then goes to Zeerust, Ottoshoop, Mafikeng, 😊and then into Botswana.
Soooo beauuuuutiful animals.. am also sensitive if it comes to animals.. am a animal lover.. thank you Cirtis and Sonia for the share.. much appreciated friends 🎉❤❤❤
Curtis, you say that the animals are well looked after and are safe. The board at the entrance says "hunting safaris". Something is not quite kosher at that place!
Correct. I said it and I maintain that they're well looked-after. That was clear to see. We're not into hunting in any way, shape or form and we simply document our travels in our videos. We're not investigative journalists who try to figure out and get to the bottom of everything. We love animals and we wanted to include them in our video, despite our sadness about them being caged. I saw Hunting Safaris on the board at the entrance and assumed that those activities are offerent in a different section of the property. 🤷🏻
Curtis you were entering dangerous territory when you asked Sonia if she needed a broom. Interesting wildlife park . Ottoshoop has lost its hoop.Just like the Jamieson Raid came to a sticky end and lost Cecil Rhodes' hoop. I could not help but wonder if there are still diamonds lying around in the veld at Bakerville. Another very interesting visit. Baie dankie julle twee.
The depth of the diamands was found up 1.5 meters deep, these diggins you will find all over Western Transvaal......goeie video Curtis en Sonia
Yet another reason why I like this channel. It shows me areas in South Africa that challenge my ideas on how the areas may look, but look completely diffefrent. I thought this part of South Africa is very arid with little vegetation, and hereI see that trees are in abundance. I also get to learn about history like that of Ottoshoop.
I see that you got an animated intro for this season of videos. Who designed it for you?
You're very kind, thank you. We're very happy to have you travelling with us to new and familiar places. 🚙😊 I decided to dabble in AI a little and 'designed' (a rather strong word for what I did!) our new intro myself. We thought it was high time for something fun and different and non-specific to any particular area. It still needs a little work here and there, but I was happy with the outcome for the most part. 😁
My ou geboorte dorpie, die kleinste dorpie in die land. Hier begin skool gaan.❤
Thanks for the trip! I also share Sonia's sentiments on the animals pacing in confined spaces. Pity you missed Bakerville. Safe travels guys till the next episode! ❤
We were just as bummed that we couldn't find Bakerville. The only signboard we saw, led us to the informal settlement. I'm pleased to read in the comments that the little mining town still exists though. 🚙💎
Thank you, just refreshing some old memories.
Im with Soni on this one. Glad you phoned darling, cause I was also upset with the pacing.....which is what any caged animal does. I did love the dam as you took the corner Curtis.....look at this...❤😂❤ lovely video and the restaurant looks awesome. I'd of never guessed that ottoshoop was a suburb of JHB...rotflmao 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Some residents of the Ottoshoop of 70 or so years ago said the only thing they recognized was the shop (which they lived next door to, but I think the house is gone). They also lived on the farm, Koppiestinkhoutboom for a time, so liked hearing the name has still survived in some form. They didn't like seeing all the big cats in cages, though.
I think some animals take to cages better than others. Lions, for instance, seem to be quite fine as long as they don't get lonely or have food. (That one tiger looks like it was a very fat cat once in its life, so I'm guessing it's not possible to send it back to Benghal.)
That's the problem. How do you accommodate these animals - assuming these are rescues, and not just the result of another next first grandson of the deceased last landowner spending the whole of life getting exactly what he wants when he wants it, while unimportant people like Mom and Dad get passed by in the old inheritance tax dodge that keeps things intact the aristocratic English way (where only one son becomes the Lord; and even the rest of the siblings more or less get to fend for themselves). I'm not saying that's what's going on here, just that it's a real possibility. Have met/ seen in action/ heard from reliable sources about enough Lords and Masters of their own little kingdoms before. They can be good, and they can be downright evil. There's room for all those attitudes to life in that situation.
The white lions/ lygers, or whatever they are, I suspect of being "hunting specials" at one time. You can't send those into the wild. No camouflage for starters.
Anyway thanks! Great to see what Ottoshoop looks like, even if it doesn't look like much. So it has two roads now! It doubled in size, then! And it's got tar roads! They didn't have tar roads back in the day. The ancient ones say that back in the olden days Ottoshoop had a proper station, so that's been obliterated at some time, since. It's hard to tell which phase of obliteration it would've been, though, since the previous government also had a tendency to obliterate things, and a very selective sense of heritage. The palm trees are from long ago, too, BTW. Once upon a time a big wasp flew there, dug a big hole, flew off, came back with a big spider, and buried it there. I have witnesses who saw this.
The town was once a base for cave divers in the Wondergat (which is apparently out nearer to the Malopo - which was once where the community would get together for various celebrations). You might find the cave has been cut off from public access now, too, and that divers now stay in some sort of purpose built resort. All the diggings mean the general region is full of holes in the ground - some of them quite dangerous. The kids used to play in them, even though most of them couldn't swim. There were various accidents, but none fatal.
The animals were absolutely beautiful and in great shape, although there was a chubby one here and there, and certainly look cared for. We just don't like them caged, and never will. If it's a toss-up between them living on borrowed time and waiting to be hunted or being kept in a confined space for their own protection and safety, I, and even my darling wife, would opt for the latter every single time. ❤️🐾
@@DustBugsTravel I agree. It's a very hard choice, but once you've set up all the viable options in a row, there just aren't many, and no ideal ones. This one works well enough in an imperfect world. And for some of the animals it works perfectly fine. I don't think lions have any romantic notions about being out there hunting on the savannah, for instance. A bit of company, a lot of food, and you have a happy lion.
(The tiger I'm thinking of is the one with lots of loose skin in the belly. Reminds me of a cat who walked into my place from the bush, once, and adopted me. In my cat's case, I think she began life as one of the well-fed, but well-loved cats of the people from the farm across the main road from us at the time. They were both suddenly killed in an accident one day, and then the vulture sisters moved in, purely focused on turning the farm into as much money as possible, and the cats had to fend for themselves. Must have been hard for mine, because the amount of loose skin she had was consistent with her having being quite a fatty in the good days before she just got dumped.
So without really good reasons for thinking so, I imagine that tiger was just a big version of my cat. A very big, well-loved cat who got lots of snacks to make him or her happy. And then maybe his or her "owner" died, someone stingy took over, and before starvation set in, there was a rescue, and a happy ending. The tigers looked pretty happy there, at least.)
The only one that looked really stressed was that panther. (Reminds me of a visit to Pretoria Zoo, long, long, long ago. The jaguar cage had a deep path along its edges, and they just went round and round and round. I think to be a happy jaguar, you have to be out there killing things, not just with plenty of food you don't have to waste time hunting - as I imagine a lion might see things.)
Hi. That ruins opposite the post office was my dads shop n cafe. Ok stores or also known as Abraham se winkel. I was born there and ottoshoop was a hub of activity. The station had the most beautiful gardens. Infect all use to take so much pride in their gardens. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Another enjoyable episode. So glad you found the animals. I also battle with the animals in cages. They do look in wonderful condition. Hapoy travels.
Nice travel - love the atmosphere with those animals - your channel is a breath of fresh air!
Sweet cats 🤗
Molopo oog is the river who make a confluence with the Orange river near Upington, hiding place for Nonnie de la Rey and other women during the Boer War
Very interesting trip.such a small town with such a huge deep history. But Old Joburg is now just a thought. Indeed it must have been a busy town with all the diggers around. Thank you for showing us Ottoshoop. I enjoyed it. It is as if you go back Iin history and experience it. Well done guys. Looking forward to the next one
Baie dankie vriende.
Near the rail station is a stone house where David Livingstone lived a few months
Thanks for the video. Another part of our country I would like to visit. It usually takes me about 2½ hours to watch one of your flicks, because I like to follow your routes on Google Earth. Unfortunately the people who shot the material fpr Google did not travel on each street you drive on. Anyway, it's nice without ice!!!
My hart goes out to those animals, they will not understand at least they are looked after.
The caged animals reminded me of Ted Hughes's poem "The Jaguar" in which, unlike the animals in a zoo, the jaguar does not accept its fate but, in its mind, remains a free wild animal:
The apes yawn and adore their fleas in the sun.
The parrots shriek as if they were on fire, or strut
Like cheap tarts to attract the stroller with the nut.
Fatigued with indolence, tiger and lion
Lie still as the sun. The boa-constrictor’s coil
Is a fossil. Cage after cage seems empty, or
Stinks of sleepers from the breathing straw.
It might be painted on a nursery wall.
But who runs like the rest past these arrives
At a cage where the crowd stands, stares, mesmerized,
As a child at a dream, at a jaguar hurrying enraged
Through prison darkness after the drills of his eyes
On a short fierce fuse. Not in boredom-
The eye satisfied to be blind in fire,
By the bang of blood in the brain deaf the ear-
He spins from the bars, but there’s no cage to him
More than to the visionary his cell:
His stride is wildernesses of freedom:
The world rolls under the long thrust of his heel.
Over the cage floor the horizons come.

'His stride is wildernesses of freedom'. 🐅❤️ That's all we want for every single living creature, freedom. Powerful stuff, thank you for sharing.
Hi Curtis and Sonia ,
Was very intrigued about Bakersville , did some searching of my own on Google maps for info on town, and also info on the Diamond Diggings . As to the town I note on Google maps there's a Roman Catholic church and an Internet café and it's along from where you turned in , but where those are is anybody's guess. I used Google Street view to compare with your footage. Did note the previous turn off to Greefslaagte looked more promising as to where the town and old diggings are. I'm trying to place those diggings on Streetview with what you showed in your video, you were on the R505, right?
You would think a site with such significance would be better sign posted , on Wikipedia it talks of the Elandputte cattle dip site being made a national monument.
Emailed you a link to an article about the diggings . It's got pics too. I also checked out Wikipedia.
I noted when you seemed to have explored all of the town there was still half the time of the video left and then you find the Game Lodge. What a great place , like most I didn't like the small enclosures. It's nothing more than a zoo. Glad to see SPCA is involved in monitoring the well being of the animals.
Leaving the Game Lodge and turning right could only take you to one place . We are off to a town starting with the the letter ...... Z next I presume.
I'll get to your email one of these fine days. It takes me a while to respond because there are so many. 😁📧 We were indeed on the R505 when we saw those heaps. We were quite bummed about not being able to find Bakerville, but we followed the only board and it took us to the informal settlement. 🚙🤷🏻
What one does not see easily is that farms have private airstrips.
As a child, I went with my school on a trip in Std 5, to this part of the world, we went to Molopo oog, I just remember, it was so beautiful. I always wanted to revisit it, but never did. This area was Diamond mining, panning area, From Lichtenburg Bakerville I think it was a triangle area, I can't remember maybe Zeerest was part of it as well. You were a Meyer, I married a Meier, Meier is German, is Meyer also??
Sonia and I aren't really into genealogy, but we've heard many explanations of the origin of the surname, including French. My father-in-law was confident that the origin was Dutch though, so I'll go with him. ❤️🇱🇺 I would imagine Meyer and Meier are variants of the same name.
Where have all the people gone in Ottoshoop? I think I counted more dogs than people. Oh, and two donkeys! The place made me feel uneasy for some reason ..... as it did with you Curtis not wanting to leave Sonia alone in the car to take a stroll. Nevertheless, very interesting to see the "old Jo'burg ..... what's left of it. The Kaya Inkalamo Game Lodge was pretty, but, like yourselves, I would have preferred to see the animals uncaged. I do agree that they appear to be well-fed and cared-for, but the cages are way too small to allow for natural movement. I'll join you at the next stop.
There were actually quite a few folks about for a town that tiny, but I'm not really into filming people, so didn't catch many on film. We felt quite comfortable in town, but because there were quite a few people around the Post Office area, I wasn't keen on leaving Sonia in the vehicle there and wander too far away. Safety will always be number one. Ottoshoop for sure has a lot of doggies though, we also noticed that! 🚙🐶
I wonder if those donkeys have a future appointment at the Game Lodge ?
Was hier op skool .1956/57. Mnr Olivier hoof .
Tweeman skool
I hope the animals are there for protection 😢
They're certainly protected and well looked-after. We just don't like to see them in confined spaces. 😢🐾
That limited space for game.....😢😢
Hi guys,Ottosdal yes but Ottoshoop no. Take care.🙃🙏💕🇿🇦
We never compare places, every place has its imperfections, so it's a yes from us for Ottoshoop. 🚙💎
I wonder what the story is behind these caged wild animals..... Like me being put in jail........😥😥😥😥😥😥
If you watched the full episode, you would've heard that we were also concerned about them being caged, but we have to believe the staff when they assured us the animals are well looked-after. 😍🐾
Tigers don't belong in Africa . I can't imagine how they feel. Its like a human confined to a one room flat on the 4th floor , with a treadmill and a fridge full of food . I find this very upsetting . (I know its not your fault )
I love the way you investigate obscure turnings without planning. It is so interesting. "Hunting lodge". Not for me. Overweight cats in cages. Horrible.
Ottosdal het begin op ons ou familieplaas Korannafontein. My van is Otto. Ek Sal Graag wil weet Waar Ottoshoop sy naam vandaan kry. My oupa was die bankbestuurder in Lichtenburg. Groete Lambert Otto
My wife, Sonia, explains the origin of the name of the town in our video, you should give it a watch. 🚙😊
Dankie waardeer.