So remote, No remote

 

Saturday, February 25, 2023

Saturday was a loooong day of travel from Addo to Gariep Dam.  We left at 8am and didn’t get in until 5pm.  On the way we stopped at Mountain Zebra National Park. 

This park was established in 1937 by farmers in the area to conserve the Cape mountain zebra which was an endangered species at the time.  I didn’t know there were different kind of zebras, but you could really see the difference in their stripes.  

The belly of the Cape mountain zebra is white, and the backside has almost a braided look along the back and by the tail.  The park started with just 5 of these zebras and now has over 1000!  

The park and roads are very rugged and primitive.  We had quite drive (54 kilometers in 2 hours) traversing the bumps and holes.   

We were able to see wildebeests and hartebeests and eland and lots of springbok., and even an ostrich! (I’m starting to recognize the animals!)   

The ostrich ran across the road right in front of us.

We are struck by the remoteness of the area…large expanses of grassland and hills and mountains.  It can be 100 miles between exits for the towns.  Occasionally we would see cows in a field and wonder where they belong, as there was no visible farm or population close by.   

And, speaking of remote--can't believe we've survived with no remote-- haven't seen a tv in 2 weeks!

Upon leaving the park, we made a wrong turn, and ended up adding about an hour to our drive.   We were stopped by a group of goats on the road, and wondered if they made a wrong turn too!

We eventually made it to our destination. —Gariep Forever Resort.  This is an interesting place—a wedding venue (hey nieces and nephews—it would be a great spot for a destination wedding!) The facility is quite nice with a huge swimming pool, nice chalets, and hotel accommodations, with access to the lake for fishing and boating.  

We were excited to find that we had an “ensuite”.  It is a little private bathroom/kitchen facility in a little "house" next to the camping spot…what a treat!  It was so nice to be able to take a nice shower in a private bathroom....and a pretty nice bathroom!  

Too bad we're just staying one night...we could get used to this! ...if only we had a remote!