“We have two options: We can either continue westwards along the R62 towards Montagu, across the Montagu Pass, and via Robertson and Worcester up to the N1…”
“Or?”
“We can head south across Tradouw Pass, and join the N2 near Swellendam.”
We chose the route across the magnificent Tradouw Pass, built by Thomas Bain right before he was commissioned to construct Garcia’s Pass (which we had just crossed that morning). The name of Tradouw Pass is apparently derived from the Khoi words ‘tra’ or ‘taras’ (women) and ‘dau’ or ‘daos’ (poort or ‘the way through’) – thus ‘the poort or way of the women’. We had traversed this from the opposite direction during last year’s visit to a little farm outside Swellendam (I briefly wrote about its history here).
So, will you join us?
Perhaps we can even have a picnic at one of the many viewing sites, admiring the breathtaking sceneries and marvelling at the engineering skills, perseverance and sheer guts of those road-builders of the olden days, while we sip some tea and munch some crackers with salad and ostrich biltong?
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Love mountain passes! Wonder why they called it the “the path of the women”? Was it the easier way to get across the mountains? Or was there some other reason the women went that way?
I wonder about that too, Lisa – all I’ve managed to find is that it is a hybrid of two Khoi words – “tra” or “taras” meaning “woman or women” and “dau” or “daos” meaning “the way through” or “a poort”, which is translated as “the way of the women”. I too wonder about the story behind that. If you find out, please would you let me know?
Lovely pictures Reggie. And like all the little background stories.
Thank you, Rosie.
Very nice series of photos from this pass – a desolate but beautiful and magnificent scenery.
Thanks, Truels – it is indeed magnificent. The photos don’t do it justice.
If you have a closer look at the one photo (http://namibsands.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_3055.jpg), you can see a caravan on the road. This’ll give you sense of scale. So does this one (http://namibsands.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_3006.jpg).