Kimberley – a diamond in the wilderness!

Written by Suzanne Whitby


Onrepparttar border ofrepparttar 133856 Northern Cape and Free State, 177km west of Bloemfontein, lies Kimberley,repparttar 133857 capital ofrepparttar 133858 ofrepparttar 133859 Northern Cape. When you think of Kimberley and its Diamond fields, it is easy to imagine a wonderland of romance and riches. And yet,repparttar 133860 reality is that Kimberley and its surrounds are mostly dry and uninspiring; it is unlikely thatrepparttar 133861 city will again experiencerepparttar 133862 glamour and importance that it had for two decades atrepparttar 133863 end ofrepparttar 133864 19th century. For this reason, many tourist by-pass Kimberley and it was this self-same reason that I decided to purposefully travel to this city. In doing so, I found a well-hidden gem beneathrepparttar 133865 dusty surface ofrepparttar 133866 region, simply waiting to be discovered byrepparttar 133867 intrepid traveller!

My arrival in Kimberley did not bode well. I arrived later than planned, and found myself bedless-and-breakfastless too. After several calls to hotels that were full, I found a room in a religious establishment of sorts. The greeting atrepparttar 133868 establishment was less than warm, to put it politely, howeverrepparttar 133869 room was clean andrepparttar 133870 bed comfortable and I was too tired to go elsewhere.

After a refreshing shower, I found myself in better spirits and it was with a spring in my step that I once again located my little run-around and headed into town. It was thus in a chirpy frame of mind that I found, and thoroughly enjoyed, what I believe to be Kimberley’s best kept secret. The Star ofrepparttar 133871 West!

Just aroundrepparttar 133872 corner fromrepparttar 133873 Big Hole,repparttar 133874 Star ofrepparttar 133875 West is a pub that draws its clientele fromrepparttar 133876 locals. It is Kimberley’s oldest pub and it still serves beer to diamond diggers afterrepparttar 133877 diamond markets on Saturdays. As a female, I was a bit concerned as to whether I was welcome when I noticed several worrying, framed newspaper cuttings – all dealing withrepparttar 133878 objection ofrepparttar 133879 local drinkers (men) to allowingrepparttar 133880 weaker sex (women) intorepparttar 133881 pub. Fortunately, these do seem to be more of a decorative touch than a not-so-subtle warning, and I felt very welcome inrepparttar 133882 sparsely decorated interior.

The food was possiblyrepparttar 133883 best that I had tasted in several weeks. I had eaten several steaks in Johannesburg, many at some ofrepparttar 133884 priciest places inrepparttar 133885 city, but not one could compare torepparttar 133886 steak and salad that I enjoyed inrepparttar 133887 Star ofrepparttar 133888 West. And at a quarter ofrepparttar 133889 price of my previous steak-encounters – a mere R40/ £4 – my credit card didn’t complain either!

You may think that this is enough for me to raterepparttar 133890 place so highly, however it wasrepparttar 133891 customers that maderepparttar 133892 evening for me. My neighbours atrepparttar 133893 bar comprised a priest and two diamond diggers, and they were some ofrepparttar 133894 best live entertainment that I have witnessed in a pub for a long time. I was treated to some beautifully sung Afrikaans songs, a rousing rendition of Shosholoza – onrepparttar 133895 bar, no less! – and I was whirled aroundrepparttar 133896 “dance floor” (I userepparttar 133897 term lightly) in a rapid, albeit drunken, two-step.

Byrepparttar 133898 time I left to return to my little room, I felt quite at home and it was a heavy heart that I waved goodbye, knowing that I would not samplerepparttar 133899 fare orrepparttar 133900 entertainment ofrepparttar 133901 establishment again. (Location: Nearrepparttar 133902 big hole, onrepparttar 133903 corner of West and North Circular Roads.)

As sad as I was to leaverepparttar 133904 Star ofrepparttar 133905 Westrepparttar 133906 day before, I was quite happy to pay my bill and leave my accommodation inrepparttar 133907 morning afterrepparttar 133908 night before.

I was looking forward to some seeing some ofrepparttar 133909 mining sites, andrepparttar 133910 first on my list was a tour of Bultfontein Diamond mine. At nine o’clock sharp, I presented myself to a cheeky Yorkshire man who had been working in Kimberley forrepparttar 133911 longest time, having fallen intorepparttar 133912 trap of getting married.

After a brief video about diamonds and mining, I donned a very attractive, bright orange jumpsuit, a hard-hat and several heavy boxes attached to my belt which were to power my light. As promised, instead of wandering around a sanitised visitor centre, I found myself travelling 825 meters intorepparttar 133913 depths ofrepparttar 133914 earth torepparttar 133915 depths ofrepparttar 133916 mine, where tourists weren’t of much interest torepparttar 133917 miners.

Rehoboth Beach For A Vacation Of Fun In The Sun

Written by Elizabeth Ann Wares


With summer just aroundrepparttar corner, how are you doing with your vacation plans? Have you ever considered visitingrepparttar 133855 Delaware Beaches? Beside being known asrepparttar 133856 "First State", repparttar 133857 Rehoboth Beach area in Delaware has also been referred to as "The Nation's Summer Capital".

This pouplar and fun beach resort is located onrepparttar 133858 Atlantic Coast. Because it's only only two hours from Washington, D.C., Baltimore, MD, Philadelphia, PA, andrepparttar 133859 South Jersey area, you will enjoy a vacation destination that offers a calmness and welcoming feeling, in a relaxing, slower paced family atmosphere.

Accommodations runrepparttar 133860 gamut and include anything from quaint bed and breakfasts to fine hotels and everything in between. Apartments, condominiums, cottages, and private homes are just a few ofrepparttar 133861 options to choose from. The local realtors offer services to assist you in findingrepparttar 133862 ideal lodging for your stay.

There is an abundance of food choices. Whether you decide to eat at your hotel or go exploring, each eatery has their own specialty. Menus range fromrepparttar 133863 local catch ofrepparttar 133864 day to vegetarian. The area is also well known for it's shopping opportunities. There are many local artisans, as well as factory outlets where you can really stretch your vacation dollars.

Another thing that Rehoboth Beach is famous for is its mile-long boardwalk. Many people come down just to walkrepparttar 133865 boards and watchrepparttar 133866 ocean waves. You can also bike ride or jog or just hang out and people-watch. If you are lucky enough you can catch a glimpse of dolphins, porpoises, and other wildlife, such as pelicans. Other activities which are great forrepparttar 133867 kids as well as adults include arcades, musical entertainment, miniature golf andrepparttar 133868 many festivals that schedule Rehoboth Beach for their venues.

Cont'd on page 2 ==>
 
ImproveHomeLife.com © 2005
Terms of Use