As a Christmas treat we went to see The Nutcracker on Ice at Monte Casino
Jacques' 8th Birthday
We were invited to come to Jacques party on the 11th of December
Showing us the watch he got as a present
Opening the present from us
Melissa and Jacques
Golden Gate Highlands National Park Holiday
Back in September I entered a Nature's Source competition where if you "liked" their page they would donate a sapling to the Kruger Park and you could also stand a chance of winning one of 6 getaways to any SANPARK of your choice. I was so excited when they phoned to tell me that I was one of the lucky winners. We decided to go to the Golden Gate Highlands National Park.
(if you want to see any picture a bit bigger just click on it)
We set off on Friday morning arriving in Clarens at lunch time.
The town is very quaint with many curio shops and art galleries
there are also many local eateries
It wouldn't have been a proper Free State town without the windmills
the NG Kerk Hoofstraat
Some of the artwork for sale
All the businesses have pretty gardens - even the bottlestore lol
One of the ladies selling the cherries that they area is known for
There are many side walk coffee shops too
The sign outside the german resturant
This monument is in the town square and is in memory of the 5 burghers who were murdered during the Basotho war of 1865
Approaching the gate of the park
The Van Reenen Family graveyard dating back to the 1890s
Van Reenen named this area Golden Gate after seeing the sunset on the cliffs when he settled there.
Our first view of the impressive Brandwag Buttress Rock Formation
The turn off to Glen Reenen - the camp we stayed in.
Our cottage
The lounge and dining room which is rustically decorated.
One of the two bedrooms
A panoramic view of Glen Reenen
nestled in the beautiful mountains
Mushroom Rock
We decided to go on a drive to Blesbok Loop
A view of Mushroom Rock as we started to climb
There are so many pretty scenes
Mom infront of the Langtoon Dam lookout
Alan
The mountain in the back is in Lesotho
Zuluhoek lookout point
Generaals Kop lookout at 2200m above sea level
Alan holding on to the sign in the strong wind
A Glossy Starling
The next morning we went on the Oribi Loop. It is a basin filled with the most beautiful grass that, in the strong wind, looked just like waves of water.
It was also here that we saw some animal, mainly bucks.
There are these wild flowers blooming all over the park
more buck ( I don't know which type)
The Drakensberg Lookout point - the far mountains with the white clouds over them in the left first quarter of the picture are the Drakensberg
Some more wildflowers
Alan and Lyn decided they would like to do a few of the hikes in the area.
Starting with the Brandway Buttress
The warning sign at the start of the trail
The magnificent sand stone cliffs
Alan having a look to where they have to trek to
their goal - ontop of the Brandwag Buttress
Alan at the trail marker
Lyn at the trail marker
Looking back down at Glen Reenen - our cottage is the first green roof on the right after the rondawels
The trail really starting to get tough
Another look at Glen Reenen from higher up the trail
some of the weird rock formations
a strange little vetplant
Another look at Glen Reenen from higher up the trail
The last part of the trail is so steep you have to pull yourself up using the chain and then you are finally on top of the rock
Lyn on Brandwag Buttress
Alan on Brandwag Buttress
Glen Reenen from the top of the Buttress
From the top looking down on the Brandwag Hotel
I tried my usual trick of taking a photo through the binoculars of them on the buttress - you can just make out their blurry shapes
After carefully negotiating their way down they hiked to Echo Ravine
Approaching Echo Ravine
Lyn entering the ravine
Alan entering the ravine
By the time they decended the mountain it was sunset, giving the area the golden glow
Each morning we were woken by either the monkeys or baboons running on the hut's roof
this fella stole food from our neighbours cottage and ran up the rondawel roof to eat it
There were many young baboons but this was the tiniest baby
These two came right up to our kitchen window to see what we were doing
After breakfast Al and Lyn decided to hike to the natural pools
They even saw a dassie on the way there
The freezing natural pool
The strange rocks of Rooidraai - you can definitely see their red colour
Mom and Lyn at Mushroom Rock
Looking back at Glen Reenen's camping grounds
The view from Zuluhoek
Me (Maryann) at Langtoon Dam Lookout
Lyn at Langtoon
There are so many kinds of wildflowers in the park
A wildebeest
Mom and Lyn at Generaal's Kop
Looking back toward Mushroom Rock and Brandwag Buttress
Lyn at Generaal's Kop
some animals on the ridge in the Oribi Basin
mommy and baby zebra
The sign showing the vulture restaurant
Al and Lyn hiking up to look at the vulture restaurant
The hundreds of bones left over from the vulture feedings
The strange outcrop in the Drakensberg view lookout
Lyn, Maryann, Cynthia and Alan
Leaving the park after a great holiday and heading toward Clarens for tea
delicious scones and jam
and custard danish
Maryann, Alan and Lyn
My keepsake from the trip - a little Basotho lady sitting on a bit of the sandstone from the area
Pretty scenes on the road back to Gauteng.
We all had a lovely holiday!
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