I haven't really been planning the activities of this trip other than look for buildings which I usually Google the night before. I want to make sure that I don't miss something unknown. After chatting with the McNaughtons book shop lady in Graaff Reinet, a thought had parked in my mind - the Valley of Desolation. After reading that it's a tar road all the way and that it was only a short distance from town, I decided to take my breakfast yoghurt and go there.
Wow.
It was mind blowingly beautiful. The chap at the gate was very kind and described the what and the where and I drove up a very lush Valley. The road, albeit narrow was in excellent condition and I found myself tailing a very large tortoise. 'Mmm, this might be a little slower than I wanted to drive' - but fortunately he veered right so I could pass. I forgot about them hiding when frightened and I drove away making sure he came out of his shell and got out of the road. A couple of monkeys dashed across the road too but fortunately not one car wanted to pass me on it's way down.
I got out at the first look out point where the town is totally visible and my jaw dropped. I had been nervous driving up the higher bits and I wasn't thinking properly when I parked the car, so I probably didn't use the photo opportunity properly but I did take some pics of my blue baby. I walked up to the look out point and was surprised by how less frightened I am on foot over mountains. I did the mandatory selfies and continued up higher to the top point.
I have been to the Drakensberg, the Pyrenees, fish river canyon, Bourkes luck potholes, the Scottish highlands and the Swiss Alps but this just seemed so different, I was almost flabbergasted. These dolerite stones standing tall for 100s of millions of years and here I was standing alone in awe. I couldn't let this backdrop opportunity go to waste as this was certainly no green screen so I had to do a Katryn video. (click here) I had just taken off my wig and settled to my yoghurt when a family arrived. The older gent was a few minutes behind the younger and he started talking to me. I blinked a few times not understanding a word he said. I was going through my very limited language repertoire, when I realised he was Scottish!!!! He came from Balloch! I blame the altitude.
I left the viewpoint just in time because there were more cars at the lower point. Fortunately the traffic angels kept my path clear of cars, and I saw another smaller, quicker tortoise hustling over the road, near a squirrelly thing and at the bottom of the pass- a beautiful bokkie that vanished into the thick bush when I tried to take a picture.
On the road to Nieu Bethesda I caught myself smiling at nothing and everything and was just marveling at the beauty everywhere.
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