Lazarow World-Hike-About

Did you hear the one about the Irishman stuck out in the 'platteland', in the sticks? Sounds like a joke coming. We try not to be that transparent so instead, we'll tell you how surprised we were to meet Victor, the proprietor of accommodation in the town of Rawsonville, a town formerly unknown to us. Yes, Victor is an Irishmen that can understand and speak a little of the local lingo. It's amusing hearing Afrikaans spoken with an Irish lilt. Nice, too. The important thing was that Victor was most pleasant including his staff members. We also met a woman friend who charmed us with her philosophy of life and how it should be led. We arrived in this strange town to be reasonably close to a hike that we wished to undertake. Alas, because of high winds and driving rain, we were forced to forego it. Instead we undertook a little gem that gave us good views of Brandvlei Dam and the town of Worcester, nestled below the mountains. Unfortunately the high winds persisted throu...

We had a fine experience at this nature reserve in the Western Cape. In addition to the wonderful coincidence we mentioned in an earlier blog that took place here, we tried something different, which actually is not different from our typical behavior. The only downside to this hike, besides the descent, occurred on the way back from the peak when we decided there might be a better route to follow to reach the commencement point. After adding at least 2 miles to the hike and a number of steep inclines, we learned we were wrong. Jen arrives at a peak, with the town of Montagu behind...and I suppose, below. Fortunately, that's not a growth from her head. Some think it’s a little dangerous living high in the mountains; others, like ourselves, worry more about traffic or muggers or both; while many don’t realize, if not dangerous, what might strike a person at ground level in rather modest and ordinary towns. Often, when traveling along highways, we decide to take a break, f...

The photographs that follow, all but three, are taken on trail. Most are from the Western Cape, South Africa, some from Reunion and only one or two from Chamonix, France, the three countries we visited during a memorable trip. While we should have attached names to the various flowers, we decided against it as our resources of information are limited and our guesses would prove to be misleading. As a US Justice once remarked about pornography, to paraphrase: 'I may not be able to define it but I'll recognize it when I see it'. In a similar vein, the beauty and coloring of the flora is outstanding and we recognize and appreciate it although cannot identify many species. 'Slow down'! Baby under-board. (Is that an upload or download...we often get confused.) From Mom's garden... Cheers, Jenni and Jeffrey