We are going to try to add more pictures of what happened in the Karoo. I hope that this time I will not have the problems with the pictures that were such a tussle last time. You can see that Shivan was standing down the slope taking a picture of the sunset after our hike up the mountain to the west end where we could get the best view of impending sunset. It had been cloudy all day but began to break up just to the west so the sunset was more spectacular than usual. This was good since it was very cool. I won't say cold to MN and WI 'ites but it was cold for the clothes we had on. 
In the end it was worth it because the view was super!
In the end it was worth it because the view was super!
It is still hard to see but I did a photo (below) of a S.A. map in my apartment to show where we were when we were in the Valley of Desolation in the Karoo. 
This is in a park just outside of the picturesque town of Graaf-Reinet. (At the end of the pen) It is the fourth oldest European city in S.A. They have kept the architecture of the Cape Dutch houses of course I didn't take any pictures of the houses because it was raining much of the day. There are a number of interesting museums as well. Norma and I explored the Old Library museum which had information on Robert Subukwe who was the founder of the Pan African Congress. He was one of the people most prominent in forcing the changes to happen in S.A. He spent much time in jail needless to say. An interesting aside is the fact that his children were raised in the US with the help of Arthur Ashe the tennis star. It had some other local history, some fossils and an excellent section on the rock paintings done by the San in the area. We all thought that we would like to explore the town further if given the chance.
This is in a park just outside of the picturesque town of Graaf-Reinet. (At the end of the pen) It is the fourth oldest European city in S.A. They have kept the architecture of the Cape Dutch houses of course I didn't take any pictures of the houses because it was raining much of the day. There are a number of interesting museums as well. Norma and I explored the Old Library museum which had information on Robert Subukwe who was the founder of the Pan African Congress. He was one of the people most prominent in forcing the changes to happen in S.A. He spent much time in jail needless to say. An interesting aside is the fact that his children were raised in the US with the help of Arthur Ashe the tennis star. It had some other local history, some fossils and an excellent section on the rock paintings done by the San in the area. We all thought that we would like to explore the town further if given the chance.The next morning we headed down to the Klein or Little Karoo to see the caves and the ostrich farms. It also is a semi-desert valley but smaller and it appeared greener because they had had some recent rains that started the greening process. We stopped at an ostrich farm where some sat on and others actually rode. They normally wouldn't have as many ride as our group but most got a ride that wanted it. No ostrich tongues were hanging out so they seemed to be okay.
They have little shelters for the nest to keep the temperature down so more chicks will hatch. It is an A-frame structure that the ostriches can stand in and is open on both ends. The top left picture was the female moving away from the nest. We had to hold thorny branches to keep the male away should he decide that he was not happy with our being near the eggs. Fortunately, he didn't care. He probably thought that we were just some more crazy tourist. The students stood on the eggs and they will not break. This is due to a thick shell and good distribution of weight from the sand on the bottom side.
The top right photo shows the guide putting the saddle on one ostrich. Notice that they have it blindfolded to keep it calm while this was being done. The two bottom pictures contained Laura and Norma sitting on the bird but they didn't go for a ride. Riding on an ostrich is not easy because you feel like you will be falling off at any moment. They have plenty of help so if you look like you might fall someone comes over to help.
Linda was visiting us at the time so here is her picture on a "mean" looking bird.
The last part of the trip was a tour in the Cango Caves. Most of the group went through an area where they had to crawl through a tight area. About four stayed with Norma and I and we went on a more conventional tour of the main part of the cave. It was a very nice cave.
Linda was visiting us at the time so here is her picture on a "mean" looking bird.
The last part of the trip was a tour in the Cango Caves. Most of the group went through an area where they had to crawl through a tight area. About four stayed with Norma and I and we went on a more conventional tour of the main part of the cave. It was a very nice cave.
In total it was a nice trip but the bus ride back after the ostrich ride took a long time. We got in at about 11:00 P.M. We had work at Pendla and The House the next day so it was a short night.
I am running behind since I have the Cape Town trip to describe but I don't know if I can get it out before we leave for our Easter Break in Zambia and Botswana. That is it for now.
B.
