That Nostalgic Feeling

On a recent launch we drove past the Merry Pebbles Resort, which we remember from decades ago when we were young. Floating down the river on a tube, running around until well after the sun had set and then settling down to a plate full of braaivleis. Does it still have the same vibe?

MPUMALANGA is a beautiful province but there have been some sad tourist-related stories in recent years.

The most obvious place to start is Pilgrim’s Rest, which used to be a quaint little town where you could spend the morning walking around and looking at the various tourist attractions, followed by an agreeable lunch at one of the various non-franchise restaurants. These days it’s as dilapidated as the old mine beneath it. It’s a sad story, especially if you remember it as it once was.

On the recent Renault Duster launch, we bunked in the accommodation next to Merry Pebbles Resort, which inevitably came up during the dinner discussion. It seems everybody in South Africa has been there at some point, so we decided to head on over early the next morning to see if it was still as magnificent as our 15-year-old selves remember.