S1 - Ep 310 - Van Zylsrus - A Characterful Town Next to Kalahari Dunes!
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- Опубліковано 25 сер 2024
- As we were travelling towards the small settlement of Van Zylsrus, this small Kalahari settlement called us to explore its hidden gems. A characterful town situated right next to Kalahari dunes, seemed to harmonise perfectly with the incredible natural beauty surrounding it. But it was the striking allure of the Kalahari's red sands that truly captivated our senses. Our wanderlust led us to the magnificent Van Zylsrus Hotel, a real asset to this little place. From the moment I stepped inside, it became apparent that no detail had been spared in crafting this haven. Every corner unveiled a new surprise, from handcrafted artworks adorning the walls to tastefully-arranged furnishings. As we left the village behind, our hearts brimmed with memories that would forever be etched in our minds. This journey had taken us to a place where time seemed to stand still, where the beauty of nature intertwined seamlessly with the artistry of human creation. #DustBugs #adventuretravel #southafrica #southafricavlog #travelongravel #northerncape #vanzylsrus
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Well the hotel is definitely the highlight of the town...it will be very nice to stay over for a few days there.
The dunes for us first and then the hotel, I have to be honest! 🚙🏜️ It was just incredible to see the red Kalahari sand while driving around the little town. Such great care has gone into the hotel, it's a phenomenal place! I agree with you, I could easily laze around there for a week! 😎
Another surprising little town - with the biggest surprise (for me) being the hotel! Whoever would have guessed its size from the street facade - or the inspired creativity of its rustic decor and gardens! Clearly a place in which much love and labour has been invested by its owners.
Good food too
@Des H I know! The hotel looks fairly small from the front, but it's quite an expansive property and so incredibly interesting and quirky and colourful all at the same time! It was a joy to walk through there from start to finish. Glad you came along! 🏘️👌🏻
Hey....this hotel is so cute. I really love the whole vibe. Looks like a lovely place. You really make the most of every place you go to....which i just love about you two cuties 🎉🎉🎉🎉
We're so glad you enjoyed the hotel too, it's a lovely place with so much attention to detail! The colours, the interesting spaces everywhere I walked, the ornaments. I can go on and on. It's a vibe thing, you're quite right! 🤩 I think that place will cheer anyone up who stops over there for a night. Or seven. 😁🚙
Cool
Thank you! 🚙😁
Beautiful little towns - there`s a place in the sun for every one!
Indeed! And there is certainly enough sun to go around in Van Zylsrus! 😎☀️
Truly a little Oasis, you really put the little town on the map with this contribution, thanks for excellent video!
Such a stunning place with those red dunes right at the edge of town! I'm so glad you enjoyed this video, thank you for coming to Van Zylsrus with us! 🚙🏜️
@@DustBugsTravel I have travelled with you guys to a few places, Hopetown is another town I enjoyed as I have friends who farm some 25km out on road to Strydenburg.
I enjoyed my time in 2021 in this small town, food from the hotel is delicious and my favorite place was also at the bar.
Van Zylsrus is a great place! 😁🚙 It sounds like you had a fun time at the hotel! It's clearly the place to be in Van Zylsrus! 🍻🥩
I'll passed the town probably 4 times and never saw water in the Kuruman river. Two/three seasons ago the river was in flood....some children of 6/7 years old in Van Zylsrust first ever experienced a spectacular scene of flowing water. Great video Curtis, Sonia
Wow! I can only imagine the sight of the Kuruman River in flood, that must be amazing! The young ones must've been blown away when they saw that! 😳🌊 I'm always happy when you enjoy a video, thank you for being our companion on the backseat! 🚙😎
Such a nice town and i am glad to see the hotel is still well and alive.the vegetation and scenes are really beautiful a special part of our country. The church is also nice and well kept for such a small town. Thanks guys well done. I appreciate your time and cost you put in to make it possible for us. My seat is booked for the next one.
The scene with the red dunes at the edge of town is forever etched in our minds, it was a truly special sight! 😍🏜️ The church design was rather unique and it's in such fantastic shape, which was very encouraging to see! 💒 This trip to the Northern Cape was a memorable one on so many levels and we're always glad to hear you enjoy our videos. Thank you for being a fixture on our backseat! 😁🚙
Hi you two! What an amazing peaceful place! Thank you for taking me along. I always love the houses with the pillared stoeps on the big plots of land. It must be wonderful to live there with giant Brahman bulls on the one side and the red Kalahari dunes on the other side of town. The (few?) people living there are really taking good care of the place -- school, church, no litter... .
The hotel is an amazing place with all the artwork nice garden, with a pool no less! No lack of seating both inside and out. The hotel looks like a 'settlement' of its own. I could easily settle there for a double J&B or three.
This was really one of your most heart warming visits. I'm ready for the next trip!
Keep safe!
Van Zylrus had a population of 848 in 2011 according to Wikipedia and I honestly can't imagine there being many more in 2023! So it's indeed a tiny little place, but with a truckload full of character and charm. The red Kalahari dunes on the edge of this special place were incredible! 🚙🏜️ I shall glady join you in the hotel bar for a cold one or three! Just name the date and the time! 😁🥃🍺 So glad you joined us this time, it was super cool! 🤩
Hi guys another gem loved the sand dunes in town .it seems like a sleepy little place but has a big modern church love the old portable petrol pump still in gallons..Nice primary school lovely to hear the kids playing. The high school had great sports facilities and astro turf brilliant also new buildings being built encouraging. Old kraal were interesting I wonder what tribe lived there. STOP SIGN in the dry river bed crazy. Good to see that the hotel was up and running and what a colourful place mosaics everywhere Nice to see the crosses on the wall designs in the path also what a great idea tyre stepping stones. These quirky bars are my favourite noticed one of the local guys sitting at the bar the gardens through out the hotel and the pool topped it off I could imagine staying there for a few days exploring the sand dunes thanks for taking me along great video cheerio till the next one
An absolute gem in the desert, you're so right! 🤩🏜️ It was fascinating to explore this place and of course the dunes almost right in town and roads and a stop sign in the river bed were all next-level for us cityfolk! I've never seen an old portable petrol pump like that, I really enjoyed that a lot! ⛽ The hotel was such a joyful place to walk through, they certainly have no shortage of colour in their lives over there, I just loved it! I agree with you, I could also settle in easily in one of those rooms and just chill out and wander through and over the dunes, that sounds like a fantastic plan to me! And afterwards we can have a few cold ones in the quirky bar, how cool that would be! 🍻 Thanks for coming with us again today. As always, we so appreciate your company and of course your thoughts after the visit. 🚙😁
“Moenie mors nie, hou ons dorp skoon”, dat is een mooi bord bij de ingang van dit leuke dorp. Alleen bij de sportvelden neemt men het minder nauw met de rommel, verder is dit dorp inderdaad brandschoon. Die weg gemaakt van zoveel kleine stenen, dat moet een ‘monnikenwerk’ zijn geweest, heel fraai gedaan! Fijn dat je Sonia niet achterliet en haar gewoon mee de duin op reed 😍. Met haar scherpe ogen zag zij gelukkig dat het kerkhek wel open kon. Al hoop ik dat kerkzaal architect Hans Koorts een betere gezondheid heeft dan zijn achternaam doet vermoeden 🤭. Door het onderzoek naar Anna’s voorouders ben ik dezer dagen helemaal verzonken in de Gereformeerde kerk geschiedenis in Nederland, en blijkt dat in het gehucht Ureterp zowel haar als mijn predikanten voorouder een belangrijke rol speelde tijdens de scheuring van die kerk, kwam ik vannacht achter. Erg leuk om te doen, het voelt als een DustBugs toer door Friesland. De wereld is een dorp, preekte mijn overgrootvader ooit, en zo is het. Dat hotel is werkelijk prachtig en heel kunstzinnig, origineel en speels ingericht, dat banden looppad is echt geweldig! Het was een genot om je rondtoer te bekijken.
We always love visiting a clean town and it was clear that most of the folks in Van Zylsrus try to keep it that way! 👌🏻🚮 The church design was rather unusual and very interesting to us, I was also happy that the gate was open and I could take a walk around. 💒 Your research into ancestry certainly seems to have you captivated! History, whether of a family or a town or a building, remains incredibly interesting, so I don't blame you at all! 😊 The hotel is truly one-of-a-kind with so much colour and quirky items on display! It was especially fun to see the tyre walkway, I loved that too! Your grandfather was a wise man. The world is indeed a village. 🚙🌍
After after South Africa is done please do more videos on Namibia and Botswana ❤️....the Karoo's.... Namibian desert etc....more love from Kenya 🇰🇪....
We appreciate you watching all the way from Kenya! We've travelled extensively through the Karoo, it seems as if you've got some catching up to do on those videos! 😁🚙 We would love to explore Namibia and Botswana once we've seen as much of our own country as we can safely. 😍🇿🇦
I once stayed overnight in the Kgalagadi Trans-Frontier park. Seeing giraffes and oryxes was commonplace. We saw a pride of lions, a cheetah and a leopard.
I don't think you know the two of us well enough yet. 😁 Of course we expect to see wildlife in the National Parks, but it never becomes 'commonplace' for us. And we're even more excited when we spot giraffe, antelope and other wildlife next to a gravel road outside of a National Park. 🦒🦌 That will forever give us great amounts of joy!
Woke up this morning hoping to find my daily fix and i did but hubby disturbed me & said come we need to leave. Was lovely finishing the vlog this afternoon so I'm ( done & dusted )excuse the pun & waiting next episode.😊 That was another beautiful exquisite visit, don't know what we' do without these awesome trips so lovingly shared, Thank you both once more 🥰
Done and dusted you are, we like the sound of that! 🚙😁 We appreciate you watching our video of Van Zylsrus! We were wondering what happened when you weren't on the backseat all of a sudden. So glad to have you back! 🤩
That sand dune was absolutely stunning. Thank you once more.
The highlight of Van Zylsrus for us for sure! We loved it too! 😎🏜️ Happy that you joined us again, thank you! 🚙😁
An interesting town full of creativity, starting with a colourful petrol garage and two wrecked old motor cars! So glad you got in to see the church. The dune is totally amazeballs! Never seen trees grow on a sanddune before! They must have very deep roots. That Kamikaze dog! Dont you hate it when animals run in front of the car! Love the mosaic artwork on the hotel. In fact this hotel is a feast for the eye! Dankie, dit was iets besonders!
When I showed Sonia the footage of the hotel, she immediately thought of you and how she thought you'd love it! I can't wait to tell her she was right! 🥰 You will not know where to look if you have to take a walk through that hotel and its grounds. The attention to detail in all the little touches are just unbelievable. I'm so glad you enjoyed and appreciated that too! The red sand dunes on the edge of town were something we've never seen before, so close to a town at least. It was unbelievable to be in the little town one minute and on the dunes the next. 🚙🏜️ Van Zylsrus is a quirky place in the best way possible, it was great fun to visit! I get very nervous when any animals are close to a moving car, yes! And this little dog was relentless! 😨🐶
@@DustBugsTravel that was one of the most beautiful hotels I ever saw
Anna Witter! you rip me with your expressions and wit. I look forward to reading your comments. You appear to have travelled extensively with your family here in South Africa.
@@colinparmanand3162 Yes I have spent most of my life in South Africa, starting with my birth at the foot of beautiful Table Mountain. My parents were teachers so every June holiday we went up country. Mostly to sunny Free State. Then I married a beautiful man who also loved travelling so we explored many places together. So many amazing experiences!
The hotel is a real oasis for the weary traveller. Fantastic food. These isolated communities are very special and worth visiting.
Indeed! The hotel is a huge asset to this little town and it was fun to walk around there! 🚙😁 It was a fantastic experience visiting this part of the Northern Cape, the folks cope so well in very harsh climates and surroundings, they deserve to be commended! 👌🏻
I do wonder if that river ever flowed, how the kids and teachers would get to the school. Although I suppose if it did the school would be closed and celebrations would be taking place instead. Loved Van Zyls Rus, looks so peaceful and the goats have been doing their job well keeping the place grass free..except on the soccer field 😊
I have no definite info to confirm this, but my thought is too that they'd stay at home until the water has subsided. 🌊📚 Glad you enjoyed our visit to Van Zylsrus, a stunning little place! 🚙😁
The hotel really is an amazing place. Will definitely visit there one day
Absolutely wonderful! You'll have an amazing time! 🚙😁
Vansyls Rus was quite a pleasant surprise to me. The hotel was interesting to visit. So inviting . The colours I loved. They must cater for the farm folk in the area. Thankyou for giving me a peek at that red Kalahari dune. 😁😀
The red Kalahari dune was fantastic to see! If I had my way I might've ventured a few metres up the little slopey bit, but my darling wife would have none of it! 🚙🏜️ They have a lot of visitors at that hotel. We saw quite a few guests and all those plaques on the walls of the bars were bought by patrons who had the inscription of their choice put on there. It's a fantastic place with so much character! The colours were a joy to the eye at the hotel and at the filling station. Glad you enjoyed Van Zylsrus with us! 😎
Wonderful old typical country hotel, decorated with remarkable imagination and ingenuity from mostly scrap materials, especially the balustrade made of bottle tops.
It's a wonderful place indeed! I loved the walkway with the paving stones surrounded by old tyres. Very cool! 👌😎
What an awesome work of art in design of gardens, places to relax and animal kingdom depicted everywhere in that hotel! I didnt want to leave! Children who visit must love it! Thankyou, i will escape there online, often! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Absolutely! A jungle paradise on the doorstep of a desert paradise! The best of both worlds if you ask me! 🏜️🏘️ I'm glad you enjoyed the footage of the hotel, it is a fantastic place with attention to detail seldom seen. 👌🏻
How lovely just loved the sand dune and also the hotel very special. Thank you.
I'm so glad you enjoyed this very colourful town with us. 😍 The hotel was fantastic and must be fun to stay at! The sand dune for us was the ultimate highlight of Van Zylsrus. 🚙🏜️
Whow! What a pleasant journey. That dust speck on the dashboard was me hitching a ride and what a pleasant time I had experiencing the place through your eyes. Keep it up.
I saw you the whole time! 🚙😁 It was super fun having you on the dash as we explored this special little place! You got pretty excited too when you saw some of your dusty friends on that gorgeous sand dune! 🏜️😎
Beautiful red dunes with greenery on it…..fantastic👌👍
Curtis, Sonia and company, how apt was the entrance "Relax you are in Van Zylsrus" how true we got to find out later. The Hotel was so intimate befitting the small population where "everybody knows your name" (as in "Cheers" the TV series). Nice!
We certainly got to relax in the short time we spent in the little town of Van Zylsrus! 🚙😁 I'm sure the hotel is like an oasis for the locals and visitors alike. What an amazing place! 👌🏻
Stunning church right there👌👍 Wow!!! Unique design that!
It's pure savannah/bosveld. Glorious!
We loved the landscape too! 🚙🏜️
such a tasteful hotel and the size surprise me. Did they say if they get lots of visitors?
The facade of the hotel is totally misleading and I was also expecting a much smaller place, but it just went on and on and is really quite a sprawling property! 🏘️🥰 They definitely have a lot of visitors. On the random Thursday afternoon we were in town there were quite a few guests walking in, out and around the hotel too! I think it's quite a popular stop for folks on their way to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park. 🚙🦁🐘
Hi Curtis and Sonia. We found an Anglican Church in Faure today. It looks old an well kept. There were quite a few well-kept graves in the grounds of the church too. I couldn't find a foundation stone or any indication how old the church is. I can send you some photos of the church if you're interrested. No obligations or anything - I just like your show and your interest in old churches. Faure is near Stellenbosch & Somerset West. Please let me know where to send photos to, if you'd like to see them.
How cool that you were in our neck of the woods today! 👌🏻💒 We live in Strand, neighbour of Somerset West, and we're familiar with the St Paul's Anglican Church. I think that's the one you're referring to. A beautiful old building, I especially love the belltower! There are well over 100 graves there if I remember correctly and some indeed very old. 🏛️ We've done a little bit of research in the past and found that the church was built circa 1854 and the congregation established in 1856. So a rich history there! You're welcome to send your pics to dustbugs1@gmail.com. We appreciate you thinking of us! 🚙😊
Thanks so much. Will do.
Van Zylsrus is giving off super sweet energies, probably the only town in Africa with this clean energy, spiritual beings came to clean the Kalahari desert area from 18/11/'21 to 22/11/'21& from 15/11/'22, 40 Allied spaceships are monitoring the Kalahari desert area, because when 'Wormwood' hit earth, very soon, the Kalahari will be in the Northern hemisphere, this is where the Golden City, New Jerusalem will be lowered down...Gaia earth is going to do a total flip, all 7 Archangels will be holding hands around her that she won't fall apart...;-)))
I love VZR. The hotel is a fabulous place to stay enroute to KTP. The road to KTP terrible
The hotel is indeed a fantastic place for an overnight or longer stay, I'm sure! 🚙🏘️ As for the roads in the area, some of them were pretty challenging! 😨
i have some fotos of the kuruman river in flood
That must be absolutely awesome to see! You're privileged to have witnessed that yourself! 😳🌊
@@DustBugsTravel i was not there myself , but friends of mine own 1 of the guest houses there , they send me some pics , I live in Kathu
Would be beneficial to your video’s if you included information about the availability of important features such as whether these small towns have a decent grocery shop and a pharmacy and other services. Looking at churches is fine but does not provide important info about a town especially for those who might want to settle in these smaller country towns.
We travel for our own enjoyment and share our experiences with those who may also enjoy seeing remote towns and places they haven't been to yet or haven't heard of yet. It is not our goal for our videos to act as a guide for folks who are thinking of settling in a place. We happen to love looking at churches, amongst other things, and include in our videos what we find interesting. That is how we will continue. 🚙💒
Ek bly in Kuruman...ek dink hulle skuif net die pad. Daar gaan n nuwe af draai wees.. maar lyk my dis n abandoned project..
Thank you for the info, much appreciated! We had no idea what was really going on with that stretch of road, but it did look like they're not currently working there though. I do hope they finish it sometime! 🚙🛣️
Old Dutch - Van Zylsrust
Modern Afrikaans - Van Zylsrus
And I can't help but notice you're favouring the Old Dutch spelling! 😁 Thanks for the info!
Baie dankie julle twee pragtige mense julle vat my terug op my kind wees daar op Vanzylsrus my oorlede stief oupa en ouma het n plaas daar gehad genaamd Mahomal (oupa rooibok) oom Andries en tannie Chrissie Burger..oupa het verkoop en die eerste huis op linkerkant as jy dorpie inkom was wit nou groen het oupa laat bou hulle is ook daar op Vanzylsrus begrawe dit was die twee dierbaarste mense ooit..die hotel het aan oom Dudley behoort hy ook nou oorlede die Limpopo rivier skei Vanszylsrus van Botswana baie baie dankie julle is awsome ❤❤
The hotel is really interesting but the town is a disappointment. No infrastructure. Expected much more.
The hotel is stunning! 🚙🏘️ We travel for enjoyment and try not to have any expectations of any place we visit. There is so much more good than bad in every single place we get to and we try and focus on those. We were actually very impressed with the little town of Van Zylsrus and what the folks achieve there in such a remote area! 👌🏻
watching from australia. it suprises me how mutch this place looks like mildura in north west victoria. near the murray river. alwase been something ive wanted to do is visit the kalahari. nice vid mate. this ytown is on my bucket list if i ever visit south africa. i love small rural towns like this. heaps here in australia. alwase feel more comfortable in them