Durban?... not exactly!

So reluctantly we head back on the road to Durban direction. Not reluctant to get back on the road but more so the destination. Just the thought of going near a ‘city’ is almost unpleasant after the tranquillity of the Midlands and the worst traffic we’ve seen in ages is Saturday morning in Howick. As we came down the N3 Erin counted over 200 trucks heading in our direction alone! It was a freakin’ hair-raising drive of note! Downhill all the way with bumper to bumper trucks on one side of us and cars whizzing on the right of us… hectic in the van trailing the golf, I even started counting trucks!

So we get near the pre-determined spot and smelt the stinky river so decided to try something else – fine time to take a wrong turn in the middle of the suburbs on a skinny little road! Eventually we get back on track and head for ‘Toti… Ja whatever, what a joke! The park on first impression left a lot to be desired and we desired something else. So back on the highway we decided to head to South Coast and we arrived at Rocky Bay in Park Rynie but they should’ve called it Windy Bay!?

we knew there would be days like this

6am fishing ...(?)

The caravan park is cool enough and we even get 3G signal, hence all the updates! I imagine it must be lovely here in summer when the wind is not blowing but so far it has not let up… Ja I know we’re from Cape Town and should be used to the wind but this is ridiculous! 

As we sit here in the tent looking out at a very rainy and windy night, it’s only 20 meters to the sand, we hoping for calmer conditions… But looking on the bright side crappy weather means less distraction for Erin writing exams and just maybe Andrew will catch that fish!

Once again Peppa (the cat!) has gotten herself into a spot of trouble by ‘soeking’ with the resident cat. Looks like we might be off to the vet for some painkillers, and might as well get her a tetanus injection too! LOL!! Tsonga went and got herself beaten up by the same cat and also has bites on her ankles but Peppa is still limping and getting bed rest!

The Office ...

Karkloof

So off we go to the other side of the highway to visit some more mountains and Garmin leads us into the unknown… meandering along the Curry Post road! Dirt roads filled with potholes and twist and turns around rolling hills. But at the end of it all  we decided it was actually a cool detour that we would have not ordinarily taken and we saw some truly beautiful scenery.

We ended up at a gorgeous little place at the foot of a tree plantation where the road was miles away and the 3G signal even further!

the front view at Bushwillow

Erin swam in the little lake every day before and after school, just can’t keep her away from water. The hospitality at Bushwillow Park was outstanding and the sites superb, our every need attended to… & for a reasonable rate too! Ha! Finally someone not trying to rip us off, we even got free weed ,Ag I mean wood heh! LOL.

Nestled in the hills

We went into Howick for a list of supplies and stopped off at their highlight attraction “Howick Falls” – a bit of a disappointment, it was so polluted at the bottom pool and on the other side of the railing.

Howick Falls

We caught the local Saturday Farmer’s Market and man oh man… stunning!  I was like a little kid on Christmas morning with all the locals selling their local wares – cheeses, breads, chutneys, meats, veggies, … you name it and it was there in it’s purest most organic form! As a city slicker it was a genuine treat to experience something that does not come naturally in the suburbs of any metropolis.

Karkloof Falls - we were right at the top

After the market we had a picnic at Karkloof Falls not far up the drag and was even more impressive with 10 meters taller than Howick and 100 times more beautiful.

top of Karkloof Falls

It was so dark at the campsite at night that all we could see were 2 tiny specks of light on the hillside and loads of stars in the nightsky. Still no fishing though, but I can confidently say that was no fault of ours as there was no fish!

The cats had a ball as there were no other animals there except 'Wicked' the owner's jack russell who presented no problem for them.  They had the run of the place exploring everywhere.  When it was time to leave I got the feeling as they ran away from me into the bushes that they did not want to leave!

Tsonga & Peppa 'hunting'

Eventually the park started filling up… with one other caravan, so we decided to head towards Durbs. Don’t think we would’ve left if we had internet signal… but exam time is just around the corner!

Meandering in the Midlands…

The drive through the Midlands was truly stunning! Such a contrast compared to where we’ve come from so far… rolling hills and so much water everywhere, not to forget cows far and wide everywhere you look, LOL!!

We found a beautiful little place tucked away near Rosetta where we ended up staying a few more days than planned. Wow, what an amazing place to stay! We parked right on the lake’s edge and caught the fly-fishing bug, Andrew even got himself a free casting lesson from the resident ‘Springbok’ fly-fishing champ. Ha… now all we have to do is catch the $*@!% fish!

We did the tourist thing going into the nearest ‘village’ and found some stunning odds ‘n ends to add to the collection of memorabilia. Best of all though was basking in the nature of it all with the mountains in the background reflecting clearly in the lake, the birds doing their chirping thing and once again the fish mocking us!

We met a fabulous dog – an Australian Cattle Dog and his name… you guessed it, Bruce. An intelligent dog of note and stunning looking – we totally fell in-love with him! His body is like a 'wild' dog, staunch & strong with giant paws.

Weather was a little unpredictable with one day changing so drastically from the next – the one morning we woke up to a rainy highlands looking day. It was so surreal as it just came out of nowhere as the day before was super-hot! Everything was covered in frost, was a beautiful sight but not so wonderful when I remembered I left Andrew's pants on the washing line, oops! The thing about getting lost in the mountains is you lose all communication with the outside world … bliss.

Erin finally finished up with her Term 3 work and can now begin putting in the hours getting ready for exams, which should be a good indication on how well she is adapting her school with the travelling. Obviously it has taken a lot more focus and motivation from her to maintain her school schedule, especially in this holiday environment but she is doing well and blossoming into a confident and intelligent young girl.

Daddy's girl

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