Padstal Pitstops🚌

The drive home from our honeymoon was meant to be a simple trip, but it turned into a fun little extra adventure that left me with a heart full of memories. We decided to stop at a quaint padstal along the way - only to realize we had arrived too early, they were still closed and locked up. But that turned out to be the best part!

This quirky roadside-stop-shop was named "Peet se Padstal" located on the side of the road in Bela-Bela Limpopo. For those that don't know "padstal" is an Afrikaans word for "farm stall" and they can be found all over South Africa, perfect little roadside pitstop shops for you to grab all your road trip essentials as you drive to whoever it is you are heading. What are road trip essentials you ask? Biltong, biscuits, koeksisters, a beverage of your choosing, a bag of crisps and a teddy bear🤷‍♀ (At least that is my ideal road trip list, what are your road trip essentials?)

With plenty of time to spare, we explored all the quirky and fascinating things outside the shop. There was so much for me to photograph: fun plants, a bright red bicycle mounted against the building, colorful painted pots, and even a rhino statue. One of the most eye-catching sights was an old, rusted yellow school bus—broken down yet somehow beautiful in its own way.

The decor only got more interesting. We found a statue of a soldier made entirely out of chicken wire, complete with a hard hat, sitting casually on a wooden bench.

Near the entrance stood a cheeky monkey-like figure, also crafted from chicken wire, wearing a wig, cowboy hat, and a high-vis vest. He held a tin cup from one of his fingers and was perched atop a pot filled with succulents. (this guy freaked me out just a bit)

When the doors finally opened, we wondered inside only to discover something that touched my heart more than I expected - a jar of "Champion" toffees. This jar brought a flood of warmth to my heart and so many warm memories. They were my dad’s absolute favorite. I can still picture him bringing home handfuls of them, his generous heart always making sure to buy some for the tellers too.

Seeing that jar filled me with love and memories of my daddy—such a small thing, but it meant the world. It always amazes me that such simple, seemingly insignificant things can hold the most precious memories.

I took a photo of this sign "Oppi stoep plaas kombuis" which translates to "On the porch farm kitchen" It made me smile because my husband has always spoken about spending our retirement sitting on the porch, enjoying tea and cookies while watching the sunset, more irony is that he spent most of his childhood growing up on a farm. Unfortunately we had no time to actually try out the coffee shop but it felt like a sign that we need to go back and try it!

And more, there was a bright orange pumpkin and a wheelbarrow perched right on the roof of the padstal. Every corner we turned revealed something new and interesting, making the wait for the shop to open pass by in no time. Every couple seconds one of us were saying "Hey look here love!" causing the other to turn around to see what other weird and wonderful thing was perched away in the garden.

I couldn’t stop snapping photos! But my favorite find of the day? A giant round cactus sitting in the bowl of a broken toilet—truly the most unexpected and hilarious planter I’ve ever seen. I think that would make for quite a painful potty break but I mean, it looked pretty awesome in my opinion.

We left the padstal with homemade cookies and biltong (of course - seriously it is not a South African road trip without biltong!) and smiles on our faces, grateful for the unexpected joy and nostalgia the stop brought us. It was the perfect way to end our honeymoon—proof that sometimes, the best moments are the ones you didn’t plan.

If you find yourself in Bela-Bela, do yourself a favour and stop here to find all the fun treasure for yourselves. Its like a scavenger hunt of the weird and wonderful!

All photographs are copyrighted to the author
~ AJ Champz

Photography instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/ajchampz.photography/

[//]:# ([//]:# (!worldmappin -24.90079 lat 28.25233 long d3scr))

[//]:# ([//]:# (!worldmappin -24.90079 lat 28.25233 long d3scr))