65.17 A Glance at the true beauty of the natural resources of the Republic of South Africa, we think...part 2.

The hills are 'smoking' as we saunter along and up them on the Fanie Botha Trek in the north of the country.
Day 3, we view the target.
The parting clouds allow us to view the peak after a long climb toward the Sentinel on the border of KwaZulu-Natal/Lesotho. Distinctive is a simple description.
That's the prettiest (ladder) girl I've ever seen. Wow! And I climb with her, too. Jen reaches the second stage of the chain ladders, emerging from frequent mists.
A genuine zebra crossing in Little Switzerland, KwaZulu-Natal, leads us safely into our apartment.
Reaching one of the highest passes in Africa, Sani Pass in Lesotho.
That's for walkers and vehicles. At the time, it was in good condition.
The sun knows how to turn on the charm, especially at the two extremes of the day.
"Coffee" at the highest pub in Africa.
Jen walking among the cliffs, mist and so much more, as she heads toward Tugela Falls, world's second highest.
Maybe you should move away from those slippery edges, Jen. The water flowing is at a low but nevertheless, still dropping from a high. Tugela Falls before Jen.
Following Jen into the clouds...getting closer to heaven.
Reaching the bottom of Howick Falls, Pietermaritzburg.
At the end of the day, after chasing dreams as well as facing reality, a shower, boots off and sitting on one's rear-end...the feeling is a good one on the Fanie Botha Trek. We reached the camp before the others; it allowed us some luxury.
We head to the Cape, the fairest of them all, some say. We attempt to climb Table Mountain from one of the many routes. Dare we say, 'Indian Venster' (Window to India) is quite a difficult one. 

This is a view from the 12-Apostles side of the mountain.

One has to be a little edgy up on the mountains as Jen displays her level confidently.
One would appreciate no back-handed or rear-end comments over this tricky climb...okay, we tried. Feel free!
"Yes, girl, it's only up until we are ready to go down. I hope that makes sense."
"It would be nice if you lent a hand or even two, please."
Time to go down; let's go home.
The Amphitheatre, Royal Natal National Park...stunning might be a superfluous comment.
Tiger Falls, Royal Natal National Park...without the falls in view.
Mount Everest Game Reserve, for those unable to cope with the real deal. A wonderful compact park. A little bit of a rocky climb to reach the summit.
Jen wanders through the wonderous Langalibalele Pass.
Verkykkop and Sphinx. Jen climbs toward the latter.
A window to the world.
Marvellous terrain.
Storms River stroll.
From The Sphinx.

Jen goes shopping for the latest fashions.

  And in the end, one cannot do justice to the multitude of sites and sights available for viewing. So, one posts a few photographs, struggles to select which make the cut, usually gets it wrong, while the rest remain in the clouds gathering moisture. At least, not dust, perhaps, rust.

Cheers, 

Jenni and Jeffrey

PS Third and final posting to follow of South African memories.

Welcome to special family members, Fonz and Punks, who flew into San Diego for a 'name change.'

  Fiona and Mark embarked on a weekend jaunt to spend time in San Diego with Jen and her husband. It was a lovely gesture and something we have missed. Fiona and Mark have these very busy travel schedules which interfere with our social lives. They believed they were coming to San Diego to spend time relaxing and catching up on each others' lives. Little did they know that Jen is not a person to sit around and talk. The Lazarow's of Dallas are quite naive. With that in mind, we collected them from the airport and headed to the glider-port. The hike is from the port down a steep grade to the beach, passing along Black's Beach, the nudist hangout or over, which is very unattractive from a male's perspective, especially mine. Maybe it's because a 70-year old, overweight male does not cut it for me. Then again, Jen says I'm a bit fussy.

 Perspective of the climb and view.
Over in Tecolote, Jen shouts for a helicopter. At times, she can be quite demanding. "Ask your brother-in-law," I respond, "He's far nicer than me."
"Anyway, you're close to the top...thereafter, only two more gradients to follow."
After passing a number of these rather out-of-shape fellows and noticing the in-shape women hardly clothed, or should that be mostly undressed, we headed to the steep section which took us into La Jolla, the Farms Road. Dare we say it is the high end of San Diego in addition to views of the coastline, hills and ocean. Mark had expressed interest in acquiring a home on the hills above the beach which are priced a little on the high side. However, he is not easily intimidated. They are now considering making an offer, (cash of course), for the beauty that caught his eye. (See below) 

I thought he might be extending himself financially, but he really seems to require a get-away home from life in Dallas. Whom I to argue?
We then continued up toward the Farms Road, very steep and tiring. Thereafter, we decided to complete a loop and arrive back at the glider-port via the road. (Avoid going down and back up, perhaps being on the lazy side). Being long-time residents of the city, we of course knew the route. After roughly 2.5 miles walking on a hot day, it turned out we arrived at the top of La Jolla Farms Road, the place from where we commenced the return to the port. How we made this mistake is beyond this man of much experience in San Diego, known for his superior sense of directions. We asked a surfer for confirmation of our error. He pointed out that I appeared to be badly sun-burned. Turns out I was red from embarrassment. 

  A warm and hot welcome for family. The guy on the left is my little, young brother, Mark (Punksie). I cannot even remember when I was his age. Fiona, (The Fonz), is a decade younger than her sister-in-law, Jen.
   We also realized we had not eaten breakfast, and it was already lunchtime. Unfortunately, we did not notice shady areas or places to sit in comfort. We must remember to bring this up at the next citizens' beach meeting. However, having an extremely sharp eye, I noticed a large toilet block which created shade as well as a bit of an odor. By that time, we needed some sustenance, so we selected a patch of ground (deemed our picnic spot) and enjoyed Jenni's usual nourishing and tastily prepared meal. 

  Thereafter, we headed back down to the beach, walked along it to Blacks (nude) Beach, kept an eye on the lovely birds (pelicans and seagulls, of course) and took the right turn to negotiate the sharp climb to reach civilization on the level...in a fashion. As Mark realizes, we may not be intelligent, but we do have a lot of fun. 

We alluded to the very attractive birds.
Mark is a little concerned of the house being washed down the hill. Well, it is one way of keeping it clean.
Here come the crew, struggling a little, or perhaps a lazy bunch.
Approaching the beach after a steep descent and in for a surprise.
The young lovebirds keeping together and turn around after being shocked by nudists. In the background, the umbrellas keep the shady parts shaded. 

Over in Tecolote Canyon, Jen negotiates some of the toughest slopes faced. She has devised a system of attaching bonding to the soles of her feet for extra gripping. Don't even ask about the serpents...
My Fair Lady did it, "By George (Jeff), she did it".

Cheers, 

Jenni and Jeffrey 

P.S. For the record, these are the 'birds' referred to within the blog.

65.16 South Africa at (our) Best...Part 1 of 3, a general overview.

  When one is able to look past the corruption in high places, the lack of basic services, and the fast-deteriorating infrastructure, the magnificence of the land continues to shine. The photographs cover a bit of KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Province, and a few from the Western Cape. These will be bolstered with the publication of further South African blogs. The Cape has a tremendous reputation of being an outstanding place. We agree entirely but there is much beauty throughout the country. 

  Perhaps, one of our favorite places is along the Drakensburg Mountain range. There are places, besides the natural features, where one feels one is transported back in time, even to colonial times. Such is the Drakensberg, a range that covers South Africa and Lesotho. 

 

Early morning, the Tztzikama Trek, beginning near Keurboomstrand.
Autumn on Kenmo Lake in Himeville.
Another perspective of a spectacular place...low key lake, but exquisite positioning and coloring.
Jen climbs the two-part double chain-ladders at the amphitheatre to reach the top of the Tugela Falls, the second highest in the world.
Followed by her fearful mate.
...who now stands at quite a high altitude; he's not even considering a little jump.
The world-renowned Drakensburg Range; the famous Monk's Cowl et al.
Place of world-renowned movie scene: Kamburg...field of dreams'.
Bourke's Potholes, Blyde River Canyon.
The Crack KwaZulu-Natal, Drakensburg Park, scene of many-a-crack-up.
Making pigs of ourselves as we enjoy stepping up in Hogsback onto a hogs back.
Returning from the mountain hike, we make pigs of ourselves again at the market, while one looks a little out of it.
The sun cascades over the ocean on the famous 'Otter Trail'.
He is not showing off as he climbs nearly vertically...well, maybe a little.
Jen hits the beach while on trail.
Prior to the above photograph, she was joined by fellow trekkers. We spent the nights with 6 other women...it was very stressful for Jeffrey...well, for want of a word.
They retain a system in South Africa of washing the rocks regularly. The birds are inclined to open themselves when relaxing in that environment.
Not again, but I spotted some otters and gave chase. This is where they led me.
More spillover of the sunlight.
Jen reaches an edge and must now improvise. The smile is a brave front.
Could not resist more color at Kenmo Lake.
This is in Reenen, at sunset, 'The Golden Butress', Golden Gate Park.
We move closer to the Cape for a few shots that will be dealt with in far more detail in part 2.

Jen shows her courage as she hops along mountain edges in 3-Sisters, Kleinmond...(small mouth).
Unfortunately, although he has been quite modest over the recent past, it appears the underlying weakness of a propensity to show-off is rearing itself. We are based in Perdeberg (horses' mountain).

Follow that curve from the peak of 3-Sisters.  

 From Du Toit's Peak, we look down upon the vineyards of Franschhoek.

...and a private estate, too.
Jen on descent from Aasvoel (vulture) Peak, outside Hermanus.
We close with Jen honing her skills (show-off, too) on Devil's Peak, Cape Town. In the distance is Lion's Head.

Cheers, 

Jenni and Jeffrey