Montagu to Barrydale, Ladismith, Calitzdorp and Oudtshoorn plus a little Innovation/Entrepreneurship.

Hi,

Back on Route 62 from Montagu to Barrydale, a trip of about fifty kilometres. Greg Beadle in his book says the following when referring to this part of our journey, "From here we head into the Little Karoo, with scenery varying between lush, fertile river valleys and the arid openness of the Karoo plains."

I recommend a stop at Karoo Saloon and that one rides the Tradouw Pass but let us keep both these for the trip back to Cape Town. Barrydale is a small Karoo town, it has been around since 1882 and is a popular stopping point for the tourist buses that ply their trade between Cape Town and the Cango Caves in Oudtshoorn. There are a variety of eateries on the main road, we like to visit the Country Pumpkin, especially for lunch on a Sunday.

The first time we visited Barrydale we fell in love with this beautiful little Karoo town, so much so that we went for lunch and went home with a stand. Property prices are particularly favourable in relation to city prices We found a stand in the village, opposite the church, but next to a farm. We could not resist, the plan was to sell our Montagu home and to build a new home, first for weekends and possibly for our retirement years. The recession has changed all of that, there are many houses for sale in Barrydale and one gets so much more value from buying an existing house than one does when building a new one. We will have to see what time and good fortune brings .......? 

Below a selection of photo's of Barrydale and the surrounding area.

Our stand, in the main road of the village opposite the church

Next to a farm, up close to our fence

The Barrydale Waterfront

The Waterfront teeming with fish

Rustic tranquillity

Typical use of the slate found in the area

Between Barrydale and Suurbraak

Peace, perfect peace

Back on the road "en route" to Ladismith, a town built on the commercial success of ostrich feathers. From Ladismith you proceed towards Calitzdorp encountering the Huisrivier Pass, tight bends and an exciting stretch of road. What amazed me when riding this part of Route 62 was the number of tortoises that one encounters crossing the road.

Lunch?

From Calitzdorp we head towards Oudtshoorn, the home of the Cango Caves and the ostrich farms. I have many memories of this town, in 1972 I did my basic military service at the 1st South African Infantry Battalion, something that all young, white males had to do on completing their schooling. In this day and age we all have varying views on military service. All that I would like to say on the subject is that it was a wonderful experience. My time in the army, the initial period and the three month camps that followed made a man out of me and I believe that young men would benefit greatly by enjoying and at times enduring a similar experience. I would have been happy for my two sons to have had a period in the armed services, they would have thrived on it.

I re-visited Oudtshoorn in 2011, I was awarded a contract to train employees of the Provincial Government in Project Management, I thoroughly enjoyed working with the course delegates and being back in Oudtshoorn to see how it had changed, developed and expanded.

In future editions we are going to leave Route 62 and travel over the mountain to George and Wilderness and on to Port Elizabeth.

Innovation/Entrepreneurship

I have always told my students that the best time to open a business is when you are young and fearless, also when you have the least to lose and importantly the most to gain! Those of you who have read my previous posts will be aware that this is a topic that I am passionate about and always encourage people to venture out on their own, capitalise on opportunities and be successful.

Entrepreneurial: Three dimensions, innovativeness, risk-taking and proactiveness.

Innovativeness: To what extent are you/your company doing things that are novel, unique or different. A need not previously addressed, a new way of addressing an existing need, a new or improved service or a new or improved process to accomplish a task or function.

Risk-taking: Anything new involves risk, or some likelihood that existing results will differ from expectations. A willingness to pursue opportunities that have a reasonable likelihood of producing losses or significant performance discrepancies. Risks that are moderated and calculated. Nothing venture, nothing gained.

Proactiveness: Acting on rather than reacting to the environment.

How entrepreneurial are you?

(The above from Corporate Entrepreneurship & Innovation: Morris, Kuratko and Covin).

Entrepreneur: An entrepreneur is a person who sees an opportunity in the market, gathers resources and creates and grows a business venture to meet these needs. He or she bears the risk of the venture and is rewarded with profit if it succeeds.

(Entrepreneurship: Nel and Nieuwenhuizen)

In South Africa we do not have a culture of entrepreneurship, the question is:

 "Do you have it in YOU to be a great entrepreneur?"

Ciao, till next time,

Clive :-)

-oOo-