KZN/Lesotho road trip: Day 18

Last night we had a visit from some students asking us to fill in a survey about SANPARKS. I filled it in but they did not come and fetch it like they said so I handed it in at the reception when I returned the key. Breakfast had been eggs, toast and leftover thinly cut pork ribs. We packed the car and eventually got it started. It has been battling to start due to altitude and the cold I think. When it did start it put out an enormous smoke cloud which just happened to drift past a family sitting enjoying coffee and rusks outside their rondavel. Oops!

There are two game viewing drives which we planned to do. There are a few species of buck and black wildebees to see as well as some bird species. It was a nice drive into the hills but game was a bit scarce. One of the viewpoints looks over a dam and we spotted a white breasted cormorant in the water. We saw a black wildebees fairly close and then spotted something in the distance. It was too far away to identify so we used the camera to zoom as far as it could to take a photo and then enlarged the picture. It was very blurred and looked like a donkey as it had long ears. Then I thought that maybe it was an oribi (buck) as the pamphlet we had got mentioned them and we had never seen one before. I googled it on my phone and that confirmed that we had just seen an oribi albeit very far away.

Towards the end of the second drive we encountered some baboons. It was a very large troop and very scattered all over the hill, each doing its own thing. One seemed to be digging like a dog. After the drive we decided to head towards Ladybrand as we were to stay there for the next two nights at my cousin, Andrew, and his family. We still had a little time so we stopped off at the van Reenen family cemetery just outside the resort. That family started Golden Gate farm and owned it until the parks took it over. It was interesting to discover the graves of two people from the family who were killed by a lightning strike on Mount Aux Sources in 1932.

Then it was off towards Clarens. Andrew had said to us we should have breakfast there but we did not realize the significance of the suggestions. With time in hand I decided to drive through the town to see what it was like. The main street turns into a square and it was like another Greenmarket square. The place was humming. There are shops everywhere selling just about everything. Food, art, clothing, beer, property, antiques, you name it. We had to stop and look around. It was lunchtime so we had to find some food. We settled on the Clarens Brewery. I know, it sounds like we have a drinking problem but they offered a German sausage and cheese platter with pickles, gherkins, relish and a few things we could not figure out but tasted good. Ever heard of onion marmalade? They also offer a tasting of their beers and ciders before you buy anything. Very convenient.

After lunch we had to go in search of some onion marmalade at the local grocer. Then I had to drag Lesley away as we still had an almost two hour drive to Ladybrand. We eventually arrived in the town and drove around trying to remember the directions Andrew had given us. We were astonished at how potholed the streets are. The municipality has done nothing to fix the roads. We eventually called Andrew to rather come a fetch us as it would be quicker. He has just finished building a new house in a newer area of the town. He arrived within minutes and we followed him home. Lesley and I remembered doing the same thing 26 years ago when we were in Pretoria and camping in a park. Andrew was horrified that we were there as somebody had been murdered in the park recently and he insisted that we stay at his flat. That time it was a little more difficult trying to follow him through Pretoria.

It is the 1^st of April today and I said to Lesley that maybe we should phone Andrew and say we were not coming as an April fool’s joke but she said I could not be so cruel. We were made very welcome by Andrew, Mandy and Hannah. Hannah has even given up her double bed for us for which we are grateful. The rest of the evening was taken up with catching up on family news and holiday happenings. Andrew made a braai of matured rump steak that he had got from the local Spar and it was really tender. We decided to make a point of stopping there to buy some on the way out.

Then it was off to bed on a really comfortable mattress.