Yesterday was 21 so the 34 up here in the centre of Karoo is ramping up the heat again.
WE are having a more or less non driving day, only venturing a few KMs out to the OforOlive olive grove and cafe. Home of great oil and olives. We buy 3 jars, one enormous one of big pink “black” juicy ones, also mixed herb and garlic-stuffed. I wonder when we are going to consume all these...
We have an olive tasting board, much more food than we can cope with at this time in this heat. And cold beers!
It’s market day here and all the locals are gathered at the little market where the lineup for typical Dutch pancakes is long! I buy some ostrich fat salve that will cure everything! Unfortunately the dairy up the road is closed when we get there but we enjoy the homes and gardens along the way. And small boutiques with expensive clothes, gift items, etc.
PA is famous for its merino wool but knitted ware is very expensive. Not tempted here. But the yarns are beautiful so I buy some for a friend back home who is an avid knitter. I visit the weaving shop where accomplished weavers make cotton carpets and fabrics.
After out big olive tasting we visit the food store for bread, cheese, chocolate and another Pinot Noir for leftover supper at home on our little patio. Heavenly.
After a cool dip in the pool I talk for a while with Janine, a visitor, past resident of PA but now living in Natal up north. She regales me with all the problems of SA, raising kids here, lack of opportunity for them, disintegration of society.
There are a few mosquitoes here and we use our net to sleep. And the Peaceful Sleep repellant that smells so much nicer than Deet and Off.
It’s a long weekend here and people are still on holidays from school so there are lots of kids around but not at our hotel. Most other guests are cyclists here to prove themselves on the famous vertical passes! They are gone early before the sun gets high.
One other (German SA resident) guest tells us of an experience where his drink was spiked at a bar and his computer stolen. Further detail tells us he was an idiot, going to a local gay bar often to use his computer, but accepting a free beer from someone after 2 beers of his own! Duh.
We have not experienced any discomfort or scary circumstances but we are not in bars after dark either.
No comments:
Post a Comment