After the fabulous time in Etosha we had work in Windhoek for nearly a week then flew back to Johannesburg on the Friday. Martin and I had to be in Swaziland for the Monday and, once again, he thought a safari was in order. We had planned to stay in Kruger itself but the prices were extortionate so we stayed in Graskop, intending to safari on the Sunday.
On Saturday we drove out of the metropolis of Johannesburg onto the N4 and, after a few hours, stopped at the Alzu Petroport. My third time now so it's starting to feel local.
Eland drinking.
And white rhino loafing around.
Once you leave the N4 the road winds its way up towards Graskop through some stunning valleys on the edge of the Drakensberg escarpment. A long drive but worth it.
We decided that evening that we couldn't fit in a Kruger visit as it would have meant an early start on the Sunday with a large chunk of the day in the car. We had work to do so instead spent the next morning writing up Namibia, enjoyed a pancake lunch (a local speciality apparently) then a took drive around the local area. Our first stop was Bourke's Luck Potholes. Apparently he wasn't a successful gold prospector, but his name has stuck.
Amazing geology.
We then drove to God's Window to see the panoramic view.
And, finally, we swung by Pilgrim's Rest. This was once the centre of the gold mining business.
Martin remembers this from a decade or two ago when it was a thriving tourist town but it has been sadly mismanaged. The souvenir shops are closing, the buildings unmaintained and the tourists, needed to keep the economy pumping, absent.
Anyway, a quick drive around and then back accompanied by yet another wonderful African sunset.
On Monday we drove down to Swaziland to meet the other RGC'ers at Mananga Lodge in the north east of the country. Oooh, these sunsets are so awesome!
On Tuesday we set to work.
Bandile has such a cool shirt :-)
We had lots to discuss and spent the next two days debating current and future business plans. We sat outside all Tuesday and on Wednesday were just settling down when Sipho leapt up off his chair. And I'm not surprised. A snake was slithering out of the arm of it. Bearing in mind Sipho was bitten by a snake earlier this year, and nearly lost his foot due to the infection, he had every right to jump.
We watched it slide out and off up into the next chair. We elected to sit inside thenceforth...
In the evenings we would braai.
And sometimes, to break up the work, we'd shop. It's certainly cabbage season in Swaziland.
During my stay at Mananga I read a tourist brochure and realised that I had hardly explored this country. I was on my third visit and yet each time we'd pretty much driven in, worked, and then driven out. I noted that there was a nature area northwest of us which we could drive through on our way back to Johannesburg. Fortunately, we weren't in a rush so this was do-able and, also fortunately, Martin's car is a 4x4. That came in handy later.
So we set off towards Piggs Peak in the Hhohho district of Swaziland. Nice and steady to start with.
Then the dirt section started.
And the views got more amazing.
We had a short stretch of tarmac at one juncture, which literally stopped with ~5 cm drop just outside Piggs Peak town.
And then we were back onto the dirt road. You can imagine how tricky this is to navigate in the wet.
This is the main road to the border post of Bulembu/Josefdal but there is an impasse on who should pay for its upgrade. The road has been partly destroyed by numerous mining HGVs using it - however the owner of the company unsurprisingly isn't interested in paying for the road to be resurfaced and the government is refusing to 100% fund it.
So glad we took this circuitous route. Such scenic views.
We stopped for lunch at Bulembu Lodge. Bulembu has a fascinating history shaped by mining, bankruptcy, environmental contamination and Christian orphanages. The wiki link I've provided only tells half the story...
This was a wonderful pit stop. The sort of place you initially would be a dream to live in, until you realise how isolated you'd really be.
The border. Small and sweet. Didn't take us a minute to get through.
The views, the views!
And then it was a long drive back on the N4 into Johannesburg. My last African sunset for some time to come.
On Saturday we drove out of the metropolis of Johannesburg onto the N4 and, after a few hours, stopped at the Alzu Petroport. My third time now so it's starting to feel local.
Eland drinking.
And white rhino loafing around.
Once you leave the N4 the road winds its way up towards Graskop through some stunning valleys on the edge of the Drakensberg escarpment. A long drive but worth it.
We decided that evening that we couldn't fit in a Kruger visit as it would have meant an early start on the Sunday with a large chunk of the day in the car. We had work to do so instead spent the next morning writing up Namibia, enjoyed a pancake lunch (a local speciality apparently) then a took drive around the local area. Our first stop was Bourke's Luck Potholes. Apparently he wasn't a successful gold prospector, but his name has stuck.
Amazing geology.
We then drove to God's Window to see the panoramic view.
And, finally, we swung by Pilgrim's Rest. This was once the centre of the gold mining business.
Martin remembers this from a decade or two ago when it was a thriving tourist town but it has been sadly mismanaged. The souvenir shops are closing, the buildings unmaintained and the tourists, needed to keep the economy pumping, absent.
Anyway, a quick drive around and then back accompanied by yet another wonderful African sunset.
On Monday we drove down to Swaziland to meet the other RGC'ers at Mananga Lodge in the north east of the country. Oooh, these sunsets are so awesome!
On Tuesday we set to work.
Bandile has such a cool shirt :-)
We had lots to discuss and spent the next two days debating current and future business plans. We sat outside all Tuesday and on Wednesday were just settling down when Sipho leapt up off his chair. And I'm not surprised. A snake was slithering out of the arm of it. Bearing in mind Sipho was bitten by a snake earlier this year, and nearly lost his foot due to the infection, he had every right to jump.
We watched it slide out and off up into the next chair. We elected to sit inside thenceforth...
In the evenings we would braai.
And sometimes, to break up the work, we'd shop. It's certainly cabbage season in Swaziland.
During my stay at Mananga I read a tourist brochure and realised that I had hardly explored this country. I was on my third visit and yet each time we'd pretty much driven in, worked, and then driven out. I noted that there was a nature area northwest of us which we could drive through on our way back to Johannesburg. Fortunately, we weren't in a rush so this was do-able and, also fortunately, Martin's car is a 4x4. That came in handy later.
So we set off towards Piggs Peak in the Hhohho district of Swaziland. Nice and steady to start with.
Then the dirt section started.
And the views got more amazing.
We had a short stretch of tarmac at one juncture, which literally stopped with ~5 cm drop just outside Piggs Peak town.
And then we were back onto the dirt road. You can imagine how tricky this is to navigate in the wet.
This is the main road to the border post of Bulembu/Josefdal but there is an impasse on who should pay for its upgrade. The road has been partly destroyed by numerous mining HGVs using it - however the owner of the company unsurprisingly isn't interested in paying for the road to be resurfaced and the government is refusing to 100% fund it.
So glad we took this circuitous route. Such scenic views.
We stopped for lunch at Bulembu Lodge. Bulembu has a fascinating history shaped by mining, bankruptcy, environmental contamination and Christian orphanages. The wiki link I've provided only tells half the story...
This was a wonderful pit stop. The sort of place you initially would be a dream to live in, until you realise how isolated you'd really be.
The border. Small and sweet. Didn't take us a minute to get through.
The views, the views!
And then it was a long drive back on the N4 into Johannesburg. My last African sunset for some time to come.
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