The Map

The Map

Friday, September 28, 2012

So Little Time

Our days are jam packed from the time we get up til we crash at the end of the day. I have about a half an hour to blog before we set off on a new advbenture. To that end, I will just add a few photos now and try to caption them later. Heck, that might eve be after we get home! :-)






Hi Everyone,

Sorry about the grammer but we are somewhat rushed with our postings.  Here it goes.

 

We were up at the crack of dawn 530 to see the sunrise from our hotel suite.  This settting I am only used to seeing in art work. Arniston is a picture perfect fisherman’s village with whitewashed thatched cottages and brilliantly painted boats on the shoreline. Our first classs hotel room had a  Large sliding glass door, facing the Indian ocean.  How spectacular!  Then off to the  Waenhuiskrans caves where our timing was imperative to the low tide.  Our breakfast was again first class, with a brightly lit dinning area surround by windows, over looking the ocean.  With soft jazz music playing in the background, we again ate and drank merrily.






We arrived at the Game reserve around 4 pm if I remember correctly, I road the dusty gravel roads today and did surprising well.  Along the way two bikes got flat tires but with the help of our support vehicle we only experience a total of 45 minutes of down time.  I was so excited this day to experience the safari.  I was in total awe upon arrival.  The facility was spectacular and once again we were treated like rock stars.  They would load and unload our luggage; we were greeted with some kind of wine or port upon arrivals. Soon after we settled in, off on the safari we went.  Check these photos out.
Rhino’s horns are sought after as poachers make a up to a million Rand which equals to approx. 100,00.00 Can. The poachers scope out the game reserves, make a plan then come back for the kill, or sometimes they use tranquilizers guns for they cannot be heard.  This technique gives them the time to use a chain saw to hack off the horn.  Many times the Rhinso are left there to die bleeding to death.  Just last night Sept 27th, there were 3 rhinos killed at a game reserve? 


3 hours later, dinner time.  I must say all the food thus far is absolutely exquisite in taste... 
Destination Hanks place

 
Hanks Place, Stonehedge.  Hank is the support vehicle driver and owner of Overlander, a touring company that works in conjunction with Renedian tours.  All the bikes are his as well.  This day we had mostly gravel roads.  At one point I decide to take a rest and hopped into the truck with Hank.  It was a nice break to put my feet up, have a coffee, read the local paper and chit chat with our touring host.  Upon arrival a drink and a warm welcome from Hanks family and friends.  This night we slept in a tent with cot beds and outhouses with flush toilets!  What an interesting place, such character.  Our meal was home cooked by Hanks wife Maryke and her friends.  Puttu pap,  lamb spit roasted, chicken,  sweet potato in oophilo pasty, beet salad with lentils, wine (of course) homemade bread, dessert koeksister doe fried in olive oil then dumped in a sweet syrup.  What a phenomenal meal.  We were all just stuffed!  Ooops there’s more….Hanks special home made wine to boot.
Off to the campfire. Very comfortable and a surprisingly warm enclosure considering the strong winds that day. Time for a good nights sleep.





Us trying to keep up with photos and blogging.





 
 
Today we travelled on the longest road between 2 towns in South Africa, Ceres and Calvinia. 257 km stretch half of which was gravel.  I choose to be treated like a princess this day and travelled  by truck with Elaine and Hank.   These roads were very straight and boring so our goal was to just get there.  And there was nothing but a small town where we could freshen up, eat wonderful unique food once again and get a good nights sleep.  The weather was very strange for us as this area usually has 300 days without rain and only 100 mm of rain for an entire year.  For some reason unbeknownst to our guides, we recieved about 50 mm in the middle of the night that carried off and on up to the Namibia border.