Staying on an ostrich farm we decided to take a tour and learn more about these indigenous creatures! We now know: their feathers are anti-static and are being used by car manufacturers to remove dust before painting; the males are black and white, while the females are a grey color because the females sit on the nest during the day and blend into the earth tones, while the males perform that duty at night! Why does an ostrich stick its head in the sand? the nest is a hole in the ground about 3 ft in diameter and 1 ft deep. The eggs have to be turned twice a day and when the male and female change shift sitting on the nest they turn the eggs. When turning the eggs, it appears that they have their head stuck in the sand!!! Fully grown they weight up to 120 kg. and they live to about 50 years of age. They lost the ability to fly because they can pretty much out run any predator. The industry has suffered due to bird flu and our host had to slaughter his flock in 2011 because of one infected bird. The meat is essentially the same as beef fillet but very low in cholesterol.

We took Rte 62 which followed and passed through more mountains and discovered that once we were on the south side (ocean side) everything became beautifully green and the landscape opened up to orchards, vineyards, and acre upon acre of wheat fields.

Stellenbosch is a delightful university town which is bursting with cafes, wine bars, bistros and lovely Cape Dutch buildings.

Accommodations at Eendracht Hotel on Dorp Street (right downtown Stellenbosch) and dinner at Stellenbosch Kitchen – delicious rack of lamb and smoked pork loin!

We crossed the border into Swaziland at Jeppe’s Reef and drove through the densely forested mountains to Piggs Peak. I don’t believe I have ever seen such tall and straight trees and we saw many logging trucks carrying the lumber that is used in the “post and beam” construction in these parts. The mountains and valleys are extremely scenic and we also enjoyed seeing the people as they went about their business at road side stalls, in small towns, and walking along the road. We saw lots of school children walking the road to or from school – many of them quite small – probably 7 or 8 years old. The local mode of transport – little white mini buses – zoom along and stop frequently to pick people up.

Just before Mbabane (the capital) we stopped at a glass making foundry where recycled bottles are used to make beautiful glassware. We saw a very innovative wine carafe with a dimple for holding ice to cool the wine, but decided against buying it due to difficulty taking it in our luggage. We also saw some beautiful locally woven silk, mohair, and cotton made into scarves, shawls, blankets, etc. and gorgeous colorful and finely woven baskets. Most of these products are created by local women and sold through cooperatives.

We skirted Mbabane and drove in the eZulwini valley making a stop at a Swazi cultural village. We had an excellent tour given by a young Swazi woman who explained life as it was in rural environments and how many of the cultural habits linger today. For example, it is legal to have more than one wife – in fact the King, whom we saw in a motor cavalcade on our way to this village! – has 16 wives and his father had 70 or so!!! A virgin wife costs 17 cows or the equivalent of 5,000 rand per cow!  We continued our drive until we reached  The Forester’s Arms where we are staying for one night. What a charming place! dating back to the 50’s it has all the old charm that one imagines. The staff were amazingly attentive and helpful and the women all wore traditional “mother-in-law dresses” (good dresses one would wear to visit or meet your mother-in-law!) The food was exceptional.