Orange Juice Adventure

 We did not know that this day of travels was going to prove our most challenging of all. We decided to take the route over the top of Lesotho rather than under as our first trip to Rhodes had been treacherous. Basically all routes into KZN and round Lesotho are just in a BAD BAD state. We travelled what is commonly referred as the worst road in SA and sho it really is but it was a case of each road had it's problems. A 5hr trip became an over 8hr trip--LOOOONG and tense. But we got to Golden Gate and had a pleasant evening.

 We have been very fortunate on our travels to connect with some kind people's... Today we were offered a boat ride around the dam. We thought it would be a little ski boat type thing BUT NO it was a large cruise boat with drinks & lunch included. It is a massive dam the distance to travel around it is almost 500km's. School work before boat cruise...

 The campsite at Waschbank was so good we had to return on the way  home. To further Howard's education even more we made a stop at Nieu Bethesda, 'The Owl House' (Not sure Howard thought much of that education) but it was a worthwhile if unsettling stop. Literally everything in the house is covered in fine shards of various coloured glass. Quite unnerving, gives the feeling of danger, like a pot scourer rubbing at your skin, a mind not at home with life trying to find a way to reconcile the inner thoughts with the world around them. Having my own experience of troubled minds I could see immediately the disturbance some of it very similarly themed to my mums. It is a very visual representation of a schizophrenic's' mind and in that could be helpful for some who struggle to understand the concept. For me the artistic element was swamped by the disturbance but when viewed without that lense some of the sculptures are beautiful and if seen alone have great merit. Vario

 Howard is starting school this week and we very quickly realised we may be chasing signal in order to make that happen--so the next week became shaped by the weird and wonderful stops we made to get into a 'class'. We spent a couple of nights in De Rust to further Howard's education by a visit to Cango Caves. I last went when I was his age, and I have to say I was blown away, it is a truly remarkable now Heritage site of S.A. The age in itself is amazing one formation is dated at 1,5 million years old--eisch too many numbers there. The stalactites grow 1mm every 100years!!! In the MIDDLE of nowhere...  There is always a church!! Signal Stop... 1.5mil years old!!! Homes of the 'Feather Barons' in Oudtshoorn when Ostrich feathers were ALL the rage a'la mode Introducing Howard to smash--a campers delight, the foods you eat no where else.

We were lucky enough to share a weekend on an Olive Farm in the Worcester region. De Hut makes award winning Olive Oil and we are fortunate to know the owner Trevor Rayson. A wonderful weekend on the banks of the Breed Rivier in our well appointed Log Cabin. Sundowners continue...