BEN
- We woke up and did our requisite chores, which now include breakfast for
guests and the clean up afterward.
Once all the guests were fed and off on whatever daily adventure they had
planned for the day, Gabby and I had a wide open afternoon. We decided to do some more hiking on the farm. We put up the ‘call if you need us’ sign,
diverted the phone to our cell phone (actually Adrian’s old one) and set off to
check out the Mzimkulu Lookout. It
was a simple 1.5 km hike that wound up and around a small, rocky hill that looks
out over the road, the Mzimkulu River, and the valley beyond. We got up to the top and had a wonderful view
of the mountains as well. We got to the
very edge of the hill, which was actually composed of giant cliffs, found the
perfect rock, and had a snack of apples and chips while taking in the scenery.
As we made our way down the mountain and past the horse corral, where the sick
and pregnant stay, we noticed something different. The large white female horse that was very
pregnant since the day we had arrived was coming out of the woods with a jet
black young foal! Holy shit! In the time it had taken us to hike up, have
a snack, and hike back down, a baby was born and was already on its feet! We stood and watched the newcomer a bit as it
tottered around on its new legs. We
would later learn that this was actually a mule (donkey-horse mix) and a disappointment
to the farm, as they thought they would have another big beautiful horse. Whatever, it is still very cute and very cool
in my book.
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| Mzimkulu Lookout |
We
got back and Steve suggested that since it was such a hot day, we go for
another hike up to Blue’s Pool. A young
German couple had just finished their horse ride, so we invited them
along. We hiked upstream alongside the
small river that runs through part of the farm, until we reached a beautiful
little swimming hole with a small waterfall running into it. It is right near the old log cabin on the
property, way out in the middle of nowhere (Steve wants to fix up the cabin and
make it a luxury accommodation). There
is an old wooden platform a few meters up from the pool to jump from, which I
of course took advantage of. It was a
bit scary at first, but the water was surprisingly not-freezing and very
refreshing. We jumped and played for a
while before making our way back to the backpackers to prepare for our largest
dinner yet: 22 people!!
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| The leap into Blue's Pool |
The Lesotho trip
was returning and we had a bunch of newcomers, so it was time for a giant
braai. Lulu made some excellent soup and
Steve some Lesotho bread (which is like a giant, delicious cake). The meat was wonderful, and we had a large
fire going, making for a warm atmosphere.
I worked the bar for pretty much the whole night, chatting with whoever
wanted a drink, and meeting all kinds of strange and cool people. Gabby and I spent a lot of time with Michael
and Greg, the two Americans, and had fun being silly and laughing at their antics; flirting with
the ever crazy-party-girl-cougar Tash.
At one point Tash grabbed two viennas from the fridge, ate them raw, and
Greg exclaimed, “O my God! There are two of them and there are two of us!” It turned out to be a great day and a pretty
fun night.
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