I dream of Africa – ostriches and wine

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!