South African (Off-Topic) Quiz

[+trevorh7000]

The Wailway twack!

 

blazes that was pretty quick - not quite the answer I was looking for - but Cownchicken know what it is

 

Something a twain wuns on of course!!!!!

 

Cownchicken your'e up!

 

Trev

 

Discombobs theory was quite interesting as was Cincols

Edited July 17, 2009 by trevorh7000

[+cownchicken]

Gosh, we were joking!!

Okay, which town was previously known as Jan Disselsvalleij?

[+cincol]

It is the one at the end of the wailway twack - cannot wememba its name!

[+Carbon Hunter]

De Aar?

[+Discombob]

Swellendam?

[+GlobalRat]

An old hiking map shows a river by that name in the Cederberg so will fly with Clanwilliam as a likely candidate.

[+cownchicken]

You're it GR.

[+GlobalRat]

With which South African product will you "experience Kwetsa"

[+cownchicken]

Sorghum beer?

[+GlobalRat]

Sorghum beer?

 

Quite possibly but not the answer I'm looking for

[+the pooks]

Fermented mopani worms? (I recall images of drunk baboons or elephants or something)

[+the pooks]

what about boom, my mate

Edited July 19, 2009 by the pooks

[+GlobalRat]

Something quite common, quite legal, no age restriction.

 

Some will consider it a favourite, others have it occasionally, some hate it (it's not Marmite). Most of us will see it almost every day

 

There are a number of variants available. The commercial variant is reknowned for it's "Kwetsa" and therefore used as a marketing ploy.

[+Carbon Hunter]

Minibus taxis?

[+cincol]

Nkuku - a.k.a. chicken?

[+DamhuisClan]

Mielie pap?

[+Discombob]

Nando's Peri peri?

[+DamhuisClan]

some form of music?

But I think that is Kwaito (?spelling)

Edited July 21, 2009 by DamhuisClan

[+GEO936]

Something with beans or samp in it?

[+GlobalRat]

CnC have been the closest so far...... keeping in mind

 

Something quite common, quite legal, no age restriction.

 

Some will consider it a favourite, others have it occasionally, some hate it (it's not Marmite). Most of us will see it almost every day

 

There are a number of variants available. The commercial variant is reknowned for it's "Kwetsa" and therefore used as a marketing ploy.

Edited July 21, 2009 by GlobalRat

[+Carbon Hunter]

Maas (sour milk)?

[+Bouts777]

Milk

[+Discombob]

mageu?

[+cownchicken]

Maybe ginger beer?

[+the pooks]

In 1882 there was a rare transit of Venus. By that time Kepler has developed an accurate model of the solar system, but it lacked one ingredient - scale. The Venus Transit allowed astronemers to measure the distance between the Earth and the Sun, hence there was a big hooh-hah to observe the transit properly. Several expeditions were sent to various observing sites in South Africa. My question is about the British expedition: they erected two concrete pillars at their observing site to be used for mounting their instruments. These pillars were engraved with the names of the astronomers working on site and are still there today. It was declared a national monument in 1938.

 

What is the (modern) name of the town where the British had their observing station?

 

It's possible to visit the pillars today, but you'll have to know exactly where they are - they're located in the backyard of a liquor store in a rather shabby area. It's sad to see a national monument hidden away like that...

 

Here's an interesting follow-up to this question: I went and did a new cache in Wellington and got chatting to the cache owner who is a fountain of knowledge on all things astronomical. He has written a whole article on the Transit of Venus with all sorts of connections between Wellington and Touwsrivier where observations were made at the time. Even Jimmy Logan of Matjiesfontein is mentioned in the article (where cnc's cache with the same name surely comes from).

 

After reading his article on the ToV, I sent hime a link to this question in the forums - here is the conversation that ensued:

 

Laurence Lombard wrote:

Ek neem aan jy sou hierdie vraag korrek kon beantwoord!

 

Ja, ek behoort darem seker!! :-)

 

Sê egter vir cincol hy is nie heeltemal reg met die hotel oorkant die karavaanpark nie. Dit is 'n ou fout wat mense maak om aan te neem dit is die Loganda Hotel. Die ToV monument is egter by die ou Douglas Hotel wat in 1982 (as ek reg onthou) gesloop is. Dit is in die dorp - sien aangeheg. Om dit te besoek is die beste om te vra by die bottelstoor, daar was nogal kwaai honde toe ek laas daar was!

 

Aangaande die ou stoomtreine, ek het nogal gisteraand daaroor gelees in Boon Boonzaaier se boek. Hy reken stoom is vanaf 1976 begin onttrek en op Touws gestoor om die roes te verminder. Hulle is egter later (einde 80's dink ek) begin aftakel en as skroot uitgevoer na China. TERRIBLE!!

 

Groetnis

Willie

[+cincol]

Baie dankie vir die adisionele inligting - baie interesant om van die Wellington "connection" te lees. Daar word genoem dat die oorspronklike hotel nou gesloop is. Dis miskien so, maar ek kan nie die presiese jaar onthou wanneer ek daar was nie - dit was of 1977 of 1979. Ons het by die karavaanpark oorgeslaap omdat ons die volgende dag wou brêkfris by die Lord Milner in Matjiesfontein. Ek onthou die kolomme so 'n blou kleur geverf was en vir een of ander rede onthou ek 'n groot rankplant wat naby gegroei het. Waarookal dit was, het ons soentoe geloop daardie middag. As die karavaan staan gemaak was was dit tyd om die voete te gebruik!! Dit was 30+ jaar terug en die geheue is nie meer wat dit behoort te wees nie.

[+the pooks]

Baie dankie vir die adisionele inligting - baie interesant om van die Wellington "connection" te lees. Daar word genoem dat die oorspronklike hotel nou gesloop is. Dis miskien so, maar ek kan nie die presiese jaar onthou wanneer ek daar was nie - dit was of 1977 of 1979. Ons het by die karavaanpark oorgeslaap omdat ons die volgende dag wou brêkfris by die Lord Milner in Matjiesfontein. Ek onthou die kolomme so 'n blou kleur geverf was en vir een of ander rede onthou ek 'n groot rankplant wat naby gegroei het. Waarookal dit was, het ons soentoe geloop daardie middag. As die karavaan staan gemaak was was dit tyd om die voete te gebruik!! Dit was 30+ jaar terug en die geheue is nie meer wat dit behoort te wees nie.

 

I think besem did have the location described correctly. I just thought I'd add the chat as an extension to our hobby. Mrs Pooks writes articles for the local newspaper, so when I told her about this cacher she says she interviewed him a year ago and told him all about geocaching. I haven't confirmed this, but we might well have inroduced hime to the game. Small world - now I bump into him because I found one of his caches, we get talking and he ends up knowing all sorts of things about Wellington, Touwsrivier and Matjiesfontein (he grew up in Touwsrivier and presently lives in Wellington and is an astronomer - all things we have been talking about in this quiz). This is so cool!

[+GlobalRat]

Maybe ginger beer?

 

Bingo. You're it!

[+Discombob]

ah-ha so what is Kwetsa then?

Although would ginger beer really be a South African product?

[besem]

Here's an interesting follow-up to this question: I went and did a new cache in Wellington and got chatting to the cache owner who is a fountain of knowledge on all things astronomical. He has written a whole article on the Transit of Venus with all sorts of connections between Wellington and Touwsrivier where observations were made at the time. Even Jimmy Logan of Matjiesfontein is mentioned in the article (where cnc's cache with the same name surely comes from).

 

Small world... I know Willie from the Cape Centre of the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa - he was our contact person on my visit to Sutherland. At the time, I had just started geocaching - the Salt of the Earth cache was my 18th. It was on the way to Sutherland when our group stopped over at the Venus Transit memorial - it's the only reason I know of its existence.

[+cownchicken]

Which Afrikaans poet was born in Sutherland?

[+Carbon Hunter]

Langenhoven?

[+Carbon Hunter]

Here's an interesting follow-up to this question: I went and did a new cache in Wellington and got chatting to the cache owner who is a fountain of knowledge on all things astronomical. He has written a whole article on the Transit of Venus with all sorts of connections between Wellington and Touwsrivier where observations were made at the time. Even Jimmy Logan of Matjiesfontein is mentioned in the article (where cnc's cache with the same name surely comes from).

 

Small world... I know Willie from the Cape Centre of the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa - he was our contact person on my visit to Sutherland. At the time, I had just started geocaching - the Salt of the Earth cache was my 18th. It was on the way to Sutherland when our group stopped over at the Venus Transit memorial - it's the only reason I know of its existence.

All I see here is a good site for an EarthCache

[+Team Ginger]

N.P.van Wyk Louw (en sy jonger boetie W.E.G. Louw)

 

Serenade vir ‘n Sutherlander:

Deur: Nerine Potgieter; Nataly Rabe; Lucinda van Rooyen; Vicki Henning (2002)

 

Meneer? Mevrou? Kan U hom nog onthou?

Wyle digter en skrywer mnr. N.P. van Wyk Louw?

Op 11Junie 1906 op Sutherland gebore,

Saam met jonger broer vir die digkuns beskore.

 

Op Sutherland gewoon en geskool tot ouderdom dertien,

Tot die gesin groener weivelde in Kaapstad sien.

Vanaf 1923 gestudeer vir die grade MA en BEd,

Wat hy aan die Universiteit van Kaapstad behaal het.

 

Na slegs ‘n jaar in die onderwys, met skud op die blad,

Aangestel as lektor in die dept. Opv. aan Universiteit Kaapstad.

In 1950 aanvaar hy ‘n professoraat in Amsterdam,

1958 neem hy dieselfde pos by Universiteit Witwatersrand aan.

 

Maar mnr. N.P. van Wyk Louw, waar lê jou sterkte?

Dit lê in al my wonderlike werke:

Hy was een van die mede-stigters van die lit. tydskrif Standpunte

En reeds met sy eerste bundel : Aleenspraak as beste van die 30’s bevinde

 

O, en hy was tog so bly,

Om die Hertzogprys 5 keer te kry.

Hy skryf ook opstelle oor sy opvattings in sy vrye tyd

Omtrent kuns, kultuur en nasionale bewustheid.

 

Dankie vir Internet en biblioteke,

Hier lê digtersskatte versteke,

Pragstukke soos in sy laaste bundel Tristia is iets van die verlede

Hy is op 18 Junie 1970 in Johannesburg oorlede.

[+Carbon Hunter]

N.P.van Wyk Louw (en sy jonger boetie W.E.G. Louw)

 

Serenade vir ‘n Sutherlander:

Deur: Nerine Potgieter; Nataly Rabe; Lucinda van Rooyen; Vicki Henning (2002)

 

Meneer? Mevrou? Kan U hom nog onthou?

Wyle digter en skrywer mnr. N.P. van Wyk Louw?

Op 11Junie 1906 op Sutherland gebore,

Saam met jonger broer vir die digkuns beskore.

 

Op Sutherland gewoon en geskool tot ouderdom dertien,

Tot die gesin groener weivelde in Kaapstad sien.

Vanaf 1923 gestudeer vir die grade MA en BEd,

Wat hy aan die Universiteit van Kaapstad behaal het.

 

Na slegs ‘n jaar in die onderwys, met skud op die blad,

Aangestel as lektor in die dept. Opv. aan Universiteit Kaapstad.

In 1950 aanvaar hy ‘n professoraat in Amsterdam,

1958 neem hy dieselfde pos by Universiteit Witwatersrand aan.

 

Maar mnr. N.P. van Wyk Louw, waar lê jou sterkte?

Dit lê in al my wonderlike werke:

Hy was een van die mede-stigters van die lit. tydskrif Standpunte

En reeds met sy eerste bundel : Aleenspraak as beste van die 30’s bevinde

 

O, en hy was tog so bly,

Om die Hertzogprys 5 keer te kry.

Hy skryf ook opstelle oor sy opvattings in sy vrye tyd

Omtrent kuns, kultuur en nasionale bewustheid.

 

Dankie vir Internet en biblioteke,

Hier lê digtersskatte versteke,

Pragstukke soos in sy laaste bundel Tristia is iets van die verlede

Hy is op 18 Junie 1970 in Johannesburg oorlede.

 

Wow - and then he lived around the corner from me in Linden (see my Eagle's nest cache in Linden for a waypoint to his home).

[+cownchicken]

Go for it Team Ginger.

[+Team Ginger]

Aha!! Finally, after 26 pages I know something!!! hehe

 

OK, I wanted to ask what a rhinotillexomaniac is - then thought - maybe that's not so nice a thing... hehe

 

So here goes: What is a 'Chupacabra'?

[+Carbon Hunter]

Aha!! Finally, after 26 pages I know something!!! hehe

 

OK, I wanted to ask what a rhinotillexomaniac is - then thought - maybe that's not so nice a thing... hehe

 

So here goes: What is a 'Chupacabra'?

Well done - I would have expected you to get the Kwetsa = Ginger answer previously!!!! It must have been an omen

[+Team Ginger]

hehehe - I cannot stand ginger beer!

[+DamhuisClan]

So here goes: What is a 'Chupacabra'?

 

It sounds very close to an afrikaans word I know (Kapibara), so I will take a flyer, at it:

Is a huge rodent from South America?

It looks a little bit like a dassie, but much bigger, and longer legs.

[+cincol]

Sounds like something you would find hopping around in the Australian outback - or similar parts of the world! Never heard of it before - whatever it might be.

[+Bouts777]

What is a 'Chupacabra'?

 

It doesn't have anything to do with woman's underwear does it?

[+cownchicken]

Coconut?

[+Discombob]

So here goes: What is a 'Chupacabra'?

 

It sounds very close to an afrikaans word I know (Kapibara), so I will take a flyer, at it:

Is a huge rodent from South America?

It looks a little bit like a dassie, but much bigger, and longer legs.

 

Thats a Capybara you are thinking of - pretty close to the Afrikaans!!

[+trevorh7000]

So here goes: What is a 'Chupacabra'?

 

It sounds very close to an afrikaans word I know (Kapibara), so I will take a flyer, at it:

Is a huge rodent from South America?

It looks a little bit like a dassie, but much bigger, and longer legs.

 

Thats a Capybara you are thinking of - pretty close to the Afrikaans!!

 

That answer had me fooled for a while as I got confused between the real answer and the very cool Capybaras. Now I know my hours trauling the intertubes are starting to pay off.

 

A chupacabra falls into the realm of crypto zooolgy much like nessie, yeti and bigfoot. It is mythical dog like beast that gets sighted every so often. My research is failing me at this stage as to which country or even which continent. But I would say the Americas.

 

Checkout cryptomundo.com for more details on chupacabras and other beasts.

[+the pooks]

Aw c'mon Trev - how can you think straight with all this extra information floating around in your brain.

 

Makes me think of those two graffiti books from way back: "Prune juice shall set you free" and "Does the noise in my head bother you". One of them had a poem apparently written on the walls of the toilets of the Houses of parliament:

 

In the house up above

When a motion is read

A man stands up

And uncovers his head

 

In this house down below

when a motion's to pass

a man sits down

and uncovers his ****

 

Sorry - apparently I have a lot of noise in my head too, and I could not resist letting this bit out...

[+Team Ginger]

Sounds like something you would find hopping around in the Australian outback

hehehe Cincol, it is believed that the Chupacabra hops like a kangaroo... but does not look anything like it though. ..and I haven't read anything about sightings in Aus.

 

..woman's underwear ..

Hmm - I think q&a about womens' undies may be answered too easily LOL

 

A chupacabra falls into the realm of crypto zooolgy much like nessie, yeti and bigfoot. It is mythical dog like beast that gets sighted every so often. My research is failing me at this stage as to which country or even which continent. But I would say the Americas.

 

A chupacabra is a legendary hairless dog-like creature, reported to attack and drink all the blood of livestock - making one or more small holes in the animal. It is supposedly a heavy creature, the size of a small bear – stands and hops like a kangaroo. It has a row of spines reaching from the neck to the base of the tail, dog- or panther-like nose and face, a forked tongue, and large fangs.

Sightings reported early in 1990 in Puerto Rico, and have since been reported as far north as Maine, and as far south as Chile.

 

So, well done trevorh7000!! You're it!! this was fun!!!

[+Discombob]

Ah thats right, I have heard of those buggers before!

[+trevorh7000]

Ah thats right, I have heard of those buggers before!

 

Alright moving right away from those goat lood sucking buggers to something completely different.

 

SawaSawa has punblsihed a number new caches in Cape Point Area, his latest being Olifantsbos Submarine Lookout in which he mentions the wreck of the Thomas T. Tucker which ran aground on its maiden voyage.

 

The Thomas T, Tucker was one of over 2700 ships built to the same design in American shipyards during WWII. These ships were cheap and fast to make and consisted of premade panels welded together. The record to make one was 4 days!!! By the end of the war the average construction time was 42 days.

 

What were these ships called and what was their purpose?

[+cincol]

Were they not called Liberty Ships? Their purpose was to transport munitions destined for the "front lines" as quickly as possible - mainly on the Trans-Atlantic route.