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#121
Wed 17 June 2009, 13:05
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I am also available in the Johannesburg area. At the moment I am travelling across SA doing site visits with Contractors for future SDH radio and fibre optic expansions on our telecomms network. Spend all of last week from the Natal midlands to Durban and from there to Empangeni. Sorry Lex did not have time to see you this time around. This week we started at Sabie and worked our way to Komatipoort on the border. Last night in Witbank and tonight in Bethal. Tomorrow on towards Ermelo and then back home
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#122
Wed 17 June 2009, 13:11
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Kobus get another phone that works when I call you
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#123
Wed 17 June 2009, 13:15
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Just got your sms, did you mean your battery is not so good or the phone
Will pop in.
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#124
Wed 17 June 2009, 13:18
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Only battery problem. Phone is ok when plugged into external source. Man what a pain when you are on the road.
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#125
Wed 17 June 2009, 23:27
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Sorry to have missed you Kobus, but they say work before play.
Maybe next time.
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#126
Thu 18 June 2009, 14:06
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Gotcha Gerald. They will appreciate that. And thanks Kobus. At the moment, I'm not sure when they plan to visit.
ALAN!!! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL MY DESIRE TO VISIT SA? I HATE Snakes. We had a lot of them on our property where I grew up but I never got used to them. I became a one man snake annihilation machine.
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#127
Thu 18 June 2009, 15:16
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Alan,
Nice set of teeth on that snake. Doug, I hope you don't kill all snakes. We need all of them - like every thing they have their place. I have a couple black snakes in my back yard. They are harmless so they are good to have around.
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#128
Thu 18 June 2009, 23:53
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I agree with Doug. It is only the brown house snake that I will leave alone. The rest must die!
There is a lot of differant snakes in our area from the tree variety to the green and black mambas. I do not see so many since I but up some concrete walling years ago. I have only seen black mambas a couple of times over the years will driving on rural roads. Never anything close to the house. They are very shy snakes but deadly when they are cornered.
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#129
Fri 19 June 2009, 00:09
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Doug,
The snake is more scared of you than you of him. The most problematic type of snake is an adder (genus: Bites), they don't flee. Once caught one 91cm long, thick as my arm. Most people get bitten when playing with snakes. Leave them alone and they will leave you alone. If they invade your living space, they are most probably looking for food: rats, mice & frogs. Jan
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#130
Fri 19 June 2009, 02:15
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Sorry Doug, not trying to scare you...Its not that bad, as Johan said for the most part you have to go looking for them. Down here in the Cape we are relativly safe, the worst ones being the Cape Cobra and Puff Adder which are mostly up in the mountains and for the most part shy(although as Jan said, the Puffy is one to watch out for as he will not get out of your way until you stand on him....
 ) On the farm here the last Cobra we had was about 15 years ago. The real nasties are up north and in KwaZuluNatal.At least we dont have Rattle snakes breezing into our workshops for a visit... Last edited by Alan_c; Fri 19 June 2009 at 05:27..
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#131
Fri 19 June 2009, 02:45
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we have some good size poffies in our area between the fynbos .
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#132
Fri 19 June 2009, 05:25
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Ons'n is meestals in die klubs in daai area van kaapstad,..., O jammer dit was 'n P, nie 'n M nie
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#133
Fri 19 June 2009, 05:42
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daardie "agtermekaar" kêrels?
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#134
Fri 19 June 2009, 07:28
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Alan what are you puffing
Ja Gerald sit sit so!
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#135
Sat 20 June 2009, 10:31
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Nils: I kill ALL snakes.
Jan: If the snake is more afraid of me why isn't it the one that's running away and screaming like a 4 year old girl. Tarantulas, rodents, and bats don't bother me but snakes are another story.
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#136
Sat 20 June 2009, 23:32
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Hi Doug,
Probably because its paralysed by the noise! Now rodents, that's another story. Once had a teacher and a mouse ran up her leg. She squeezed a gallon of water out of the poor mouse. Jan
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#137
Sun 21 June 2009, 00:47
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Just an update on my BlackBerry battery issue. JR's package was waiting for me when I arrived from my trip around the country on Friday. Thanks JR I am now back on the air. Just an interesting observation. If I have ordered the stuff directly the postage was quoted as $90.00. I see on the parcel from JR a price for postage of $3.02. Why would a company that sell equipment so cheaply charge so much for postage to extrnal Countries. JR popped it into a bubble envelope and it arrived without any customs issues
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#138
Sun 21 June 2009, 03:48
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Kobus
J.R. is an individual and not a corporation. Some times business charge more for shipping and handling and they some time fall under regulations that individuals don't Batteries are considered harzadous material and a company has to follow guidelines for shipping such mateial.
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#139
Sun 21 June 2009, 05:04
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They would most likely popped it into a bag and shipped it just like he did. Well at least I got my stuff and it did not cost me an arm and a leg.
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#140
Sun 21 June 2009, 07:19
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Kobus, glad I could help. If I can help in the future just let me know.
I WAS getting a little concerned when it took so long to get there. If I had to do again I would send it with a tracking #, We were lucky . But then I've always said "I would rather be lucky than good"
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#141
Sat 11 July 2009, 09:28
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Klein Karoo
We have just returned from a week in the Klein Karoo (Little Karoo). A semi desert area between two mountain ranges parallel to the southern coast. (Swartberg in the North, and Langeberg in the South) This area is well known for Ostritch farming, Port (the drinking kind) and many natural attractions.
We stayed at Calitzdorp Spa, a natural hot spring resort (water at the eye is around 52 deg C). Trips were done to the Cango Caves, Cango Wildlife Ranch, Highgate Ostritch Farm and the CP Nel Museum. Tradouw Pass 1.jpg Tradouw Pass 3.jpg Along the way, we passed through the Tradouw Pass, one of the many built by Andrew Bain and his son Thomas Bain in the 1800's (By hand - no machinery in those days, only explosives and prison labour) A distant family ancestor on my Mom's side. Route 62.jpg Ronnies Sex Shop 2.jpg Route 62 is the main route through the Klein Karoo and extends as far as Port Elizabeth. Ronnies Sex Shop is a roadside tavern serving ice cold beer and light meals (a blessing in the hot Karoo, especially in the summer). The "sex" part of the name was added by some of Ronnies friends as a joke, he left it there and it has just helped to make the place even more famous. Almost every tourist bus stops there for refreshments - he's doing a roaring trade and really is in the middle of nowhere. Huisrivier Pass.jpg Huisrivier pass, another pass along the way, this one is unique in that it is sort of upside down, instead of going over the top of a mountain, this one decends down to the river at the bottom and then back up the next mountain. Pool 1.jpg Pool 2.jpg The (very) cold pool and Hot spring pool (temp about 38 deg C). Peacock1.jpg Sprongbok 1.jpg Morning visitors in the resort. Sunrise 2.jpg View of the resort at sunrise from the mountain. Cango 2.jpg Cango 3.jpg Flowstone and dripstone formations inside Cango Caves. Highgate 1.jpg Highgate 3.jpg Steffi and Liam doing stress test on Ostritch Eggs (good for 120Kg on their side and 210Kg on their ends) Steffi trying an Ostritch for comfort. Highgate 4.jpg Ostritch racing. Wildlife Ranch 2.jpg Highly endangered Cape Vulture. Wildlife Ranch 3.jpg Nile Crocodile. Wildlife Ranch 4.jpg Maribu Stork. Wildlife Ranch 5.jpg Lion enjoying meal of donkey meat. Wildlife Ranch 6.jpg Bengall Tiger (Not endemic to Africa, but part of a worldwide gene pool project). Wildlife Ranch 7.jpg Cheetah (Great progess is being made in gene pool diversification with captive breeding). Wildlife Ranch 8.jpg Me with Steffi and her newest best friend. Museum 1.jpg Kakebeenwa (Jaw Bone Wagon - after the shape of the sides) Used by our ancestors to trek (move) into the interior in the 1700's to escape British domination. Usually drawn by a team of 10 to 14 oxen. sunset 1.jpg Sunset in Africa. Last edited by Alan_c; Sat 11 July 2009 at 09:45..
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#142
Sat 11 July 2009, 10:12
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Nice holiday Alan!
(The readers must realise that this is the middle of our winter, and our 3 week school holiday is about to end)
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#143
Sat 11 July 2009, 10:13
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Mooi fotos Alan.
Eich! Nou verlang ek na die Kaap.
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#144
Sat 11 July 2009, 10:18
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Alan,
Thanks for sharing your vacation with us.
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#145
Sat 11 July 2009, 10:27
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Did you visit Rose of the Karoo for a meal? If not, you had better go back!
Other places I like in that area are Ebenharts (fine craftmanship), and of course the 3 wine cellars making better port wines than the Portuguese - so they want us to change the name!
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#146
Sat 11 July 2009, 10:57
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Didn't make it into The Rose (next time) but did look into Ebenharts and of course we visited the cellars, almost had to leave some of our clothes behind to make place for the boxes of Port, Jeripigo and Muskadel.
Mmmmm Lekker!
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#147
Mon 13 July 2009, 02:33
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I am currently reading Diamonds, Gold and War by Martin Meredith and enjoying it immensely. Learning a lot about our country's history that wasn't taught very well at school. Can recommend it to anyone that wants to understand the politics of this region.
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#148
Mon 13 July 2009, 04:03
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Thanks for the info Gerald...ordered.. I have a good collection of history books but it is always refreshing to read another from a unknown writer. (to me anyway)
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#149
Mon 13 July 2009, 09:16
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South Africa is a really beautiful place. Thanks for taking the time to post pictures for us. One day I'm going to visit. I might be in a wheelchair by then but I'll get there one day.
I visited all the links. Did you try Ostrich steaks at the ranch? If so, were they good?
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#150
Mon 13 July 2009, 09:52
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Yes, very good, more tastey than beef with a hint of gameyness (meat is darker than beef) The price for the steak at the Ostrich ranch is less than half of what the restuarants in the town of Oudtshoorn itself charge?
The Cango wildlife ranch also does crocodile steaks - wanted to try them but ran out of time. Doug - I sent you a mail to your personal address, did you not get it? Last edited by Alan_c; Mon 13 July 2009 at 09:54..
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