GRAAFF-REINET staan nie verniet bekend as die Juweel van die Karoo nie. Daar is min ander dorpe in Suid-Afrika wat kan spog met so-veel skatte van kultuurhistoriese waarde, en meer natuurbestemmings as wat mens kan noem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dit is ook die tuiste van \u2019n hele aantal interessante karakters, wat self hul gewig in goud werd is vir di\u00e9 dorp. Een van hulle is David McNaughton, eienaar van Karoo Connections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
David, wat in Graaff-Reinet grootgeword het, het later jare in Oos-Londen gewoon en gewerk, maar altyd terug verlang na sy tuisdorp. \u201cEk het een nag \u2019n droom gehad van \u2019n ou Landrover, en hoe ek en my pa daarin rondreis, van die veld leef en kamp opslaan op \u2019n klomp plekke wat ons in my jeug graag besoek het.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In die laat 1990\u2019s het David en sy gesin teruggetrek Graaff-Reinet toe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cN\u00e1 twee jaar tuis, was ek deeglik bewus van die toeriste wat daagliks soos verlore skape deur die dorp drentel. Ek het weer my droom onthou, \u2019n moe\u00eb ou Landrover gekoop, en die res is geskiedenis!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vandag is Karoo Connections se kantore \u2019n miernes van bedrywighede. Toeriste vanoor die hele w\u00eareld word op begeleide toere ge-neem. \u201cOns gewildste toere is na die Vallei van Verlatenheid en die historiese Graaff-Reinet-toer, waartydens ons die museums besoek. Ons kry ook heelwat Duitsers en Nederlanders wat ge\u00efnteresseerd is in die Anglo-Boere-oorlog.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Karoo Connections se kantore is ook die tuiste van McNaughton\u2019s Bookshop, waar nuwe en tweedehandse boeke aangekoop word. David, wat nie bang is vir baie hooi op sy vurk nie en boonop net passievol kan praat oor Graaff-Reinet, is ook betrokke by die Seeff-eiendomsagentskap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Die jongste vertakking van sy besigheid is die Bidvest-motorverhuringsagentskap. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDie geskiedenis herhaal homself met die motorverhurings en toeristevervoer wat ons verskaf,\u201d lag David. \u201cEk het op \u2019n ou advertensie afgekom en besef my oor-oupagrootjie, eienaar van die destydse McNaughton\u2019s Hotel, het ook \u2019n passasierskoetsdiens van Graaff-Reinet na Port Elizabeth en Richmond bedryf, voordat hy later jare begin boer het.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vandag bied Karoo Connections en Bidvest \u2019n diens van soortgelyke aard, maar gelukkig met meer bestemmingskeuses en teen \u2019n aansienlik verkorte reistyd! \u2019n Mens sou dink dat dit naderhand vervelig kan raak om groep n\u00e1 groep op dieselfde toere te begelei, maar volgens David raak hedendaagse toeriste al hoe meer ge\u00efnteresseerd in doendinge wat buite die gewone toeristebestemmings val. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gelukkig het Graaff-Reinet geen tekort hieraan nie, en David ken vele interessante plekke en mense waar besoek afgel\u00ea kan word. \u2019n Mens kan jou verluister aan sy lewendige vertellings van staaltjies en geskiedenis van die omgewing, en dis duidelik dat David se werk en passie een en dieselfde ding is. Dat David McNaughton diep spore trap in sy geliefde tuisdorp, laat geen twyfel nie.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
GRAAFF-REINET staan nie verniet bekend as die Juweel van die Karoo nie. Daar is min ander dorpe in Suid-Afrika wat kan spog met so-veel skatte van kultuurhistoriese waarde, en meer natuurbestemmings as wat mens kan noem.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":51385,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"49655dd1-1681-4c5f-a250-dfbc21d3ebdc","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"Elsab\u00e9 Pienaar","background_color":"","block_editor":"","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-51383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n