Adventures with the Grammies!

 On Sept 20, after what seemed like MONTHS of anticipation, my Mom finally landed in SA for a 2 month visit. She brought her friend Karetha, so we got a bonus grammy! We were right in the middle of school holidays so we wasted no time setting off on adventures!

Lucky for us they were both up for it. Check out my 71 year old mom. Coolest Grandma on the PLANET!!

We stayed in our favorite spot on the garden route:

 And then headed into the wilder parts of Africa!

 On our way out to the Bavaiaanskloof we had to rescue a huge tortoise from the road!

 And the grammies fit right in with our family habits of good food and fun fitness. They were super competitive with each other and it really took them to new levels. We did a strength training workout on M, W, and F. When they came they could plank for about 7-9 seconds. By the time they left they could hold a perfect plank for 55 seconds. And they both lost fat and gained muscle. I am SO proud of them!

 Of course we had to take them on many animal adventures. We did a new safari called Scotia Safaris and saw Lions! It was awesome!

We had a blast with our driver...

 They helped me throw the best Paleo Halloween Party Ever:

And we sent them off to Elephant back Safaris for a few days.

 They got to ride, feed them and watch them play in this new mud-hole they've made.

 They had a blast!

 We had some incredible food while they were here.

 And met all kinds of people.

 Their visit ended much too quickly and left us all wondering where the 2 months went! We can't wait to have them back...

Adventures in the Baviaanskloof part 2!

After our amazing farmhouse breakfast Yanni asked us if we wanted to see some baby animals. Of course we said "yes!" and jumped into the back of his truck.

These baby ostrich were only a few days old. They were TINY!!! From the size of their eggs, I expected baby ostrich to be a lot bigger.

Then we saw a pair of lambs that were minutes old. This one still has the cord attached!

We said  good-bye to the cave people and ventured on down the road to the Speekhout Treehouse. Se had to drive home so we didn't get to stay in the treehouse but the owners let us check it out. We get to stay a night here in January.

Bathroom in the trees!

The main living area of the treehouse:

Some of the beds and an outdoor dining room. Seriously awesome place!

Then we headed home. We decided to drive through the bush on a long route through the wildest part of the Baviaanskloof. At one point we hit a sign that said Willomore was 101KM back the way we came: 2 hour drive. The next town moving forward was 99km: 4.5 hour drive. WHAT!?! Well my friends it took us 3 hours. Because we are outstanding. But let me tell you that was some ROUGH terrain. We drove along ruts and through rivers and if we had gotten a flat tire I think we would have had to eat a kid. There was tons of wildlife and we saw monkeys and baboons:

In September we drove back into the B-Kloof with my Mom and her friend Karetha:

And the G-Spot had puppies!

This guy. He killed a bok and made his own Whisky dispenser. I think Blue Ridge Distilling needs one of these STAT!

Then we drove into the back country once again:

We found this HUGE tortoise in the middle of the road!

And Mom and K loved the scenery!

That night we stayed at the Cedar Guesthouse out in the middle of NOWHERE. It's totally off the grid so we got to eat dinner by candlelight.

Beautiful scenery:

The next day was windy and COLD so the girls stayed back at the house but Teddy and I went on a long hike up a canyon. We saw some pretty cool stuff!

Meanwhile back at the ranch the girls were taking photos and mugging for the camera!

Swimming pool? Really? I've seen bathtubs bigger than this!

Then there was this guy: He followed us all around the property. Sat outside the door during meals and just generally adopted us. He was very proud and loved to strut his stuff and lead the way up the various pathways. I need a chicken...

After 2 very peaceful nights away from civilization we headed back home. But first we had to get past this crew!

The road from Willomore was paved (finally) but it was ONE LANE!!! I have never seen this before. You had to keep your eagle eyes open and pull the left side of the car onto the gravel if you saw another car heading your way. Kind of epic to say the least.

We stopped for lunch at a little picnic table by the side of the road. It seemed like a nice enough spot. Then Sasha read that tiny sign you can see on the other side of the road:

After we read that we all finished up lunch REALLLLY quick. In fact I think we set a new record for eating and re-packing a vehicle. Lesson learned: In Africa, read ALL surrounding signs before stopping to picnic!

Adventures in the Baviaanskloof: Part 1

 After our Garden Route adventure we headed up a crazy dirt road and stopped for lunch at Angie's G-Spot (it's hard for men to find). They were roasting a piglet when we got there. Guess that's what you gotta do when you keep putting off that monthly grocery store trip.

 We had a beautiful day to wait for our food and hang out with their extensive menagerie.

 I want TUNA!

The open kitchen at Angie's is pretty unique and has a great view of the river.

 Curry and rice. Pretty darn good presentation for the middle of the boondocks!

 We said good-bye to Ana, Mark and the Gang and headed into the Baviaanskloof (Baboon Canyon). The scenery was amazing!

 Awesome rock-formations...

 ...and old-school working farms.

 Our home that night was a super-cool place called the "Makkedat Grot" or Makkedat Caves. They have taken all these rock grottos and built over the front of them to make cozy and eclectic accommodation! I'm going to put on my Geology hat for a second and tell you that these "caves" are not caves at all, but Geologic anticlines - a place where strata have been bent like a downward fold. The center layers have fallen out of these folds making a cavity underneath. Pretty darn convenient for living in!

 Climbing to the second level:

 Kids room!

 Master bedroom:

 The downstairs was a big open space with a dining table, full working kitchen, and 2 more big sleeping platforms. Upstairs there are 3 double bedrooms.

 All in this house can sleep 10 comfortably in beds!

 Welcome sign heading up to the braai area.

 Coolest Whirligig thing EVER in the yard!

 We had an amazing farmhouse dinner cooked for us at the reception area (kudu pie!!) and I forgot to take pics! The next morning we drove up the road to check out some of the other caves. This one is smaller but has a second grotto way above where teens or other smelly people can sleep.

 Sleep chamber high up the cliff:

 We climbed up to check it out. You wouldn't want to be sleeping up here if you have a tiny bladder in the middle of the night unless you can pee off the side!

 More cool rock folds!

 After checking out some of the other caves we headed to breakfast but there were some obstacles on the road that did NOT want to let us pass!

 Our table was set for us. The temp was just perfect for eating outside on a very early spring morning.

 Fresh squeezed juice!

 Now THAT'S a farmhouse breakfast! All components were from the local farms. When you live an hour from the nearest paved road you all have to work together and the residents in the B-Kloof are a great example of community. Even the bread came from a farm down the road!

To be continued.....