Natures Way Farm Stall

South Africa has some impressive farm stalls.  Some sell nothing more than fresh produce while others are for all intensive purposes a restaurant or curio shop along a high way or back road somewhere.  Its the ones in between that really interests me.  Those who sell something fresh, some curios and also serve a killer meal, even if its nothing more than roosterkoek with jam and cheese.  And coffee.  Lets not forget coffee.  I discovered a farm stall like this on the road between the Crags and Natures Valley on the Garden Route on a recent Sho't Left to the area.

Natures Way Farm Stall isn't a curio selling shop but rather one that focuses on fresh and home made goods.  We were in the area for four days and every morning they had the freshest home made breads and cakes, fresh milk on tap straight from the dairy on the farm the farm stall is located on, jams, dried fruit and a range of dairy products.  They also serve meals, cakes and... coffee on the stoep.

The farm stall sells a range of cheeses made either on the farm or in the area, most made from their own milk.  The problem with a farm stall like this is that my wallet can't handle everything my eyes want.  I wouldn't mind having access to fresh milk on tap every day.

Koningstrand

Koningstrand is een van Port Elizabeth se bekendste en mees gewilde strande en strek van die hawemuur tot by die McArthur swembadkompleks.  Die naam kom vanaf die Britse koninklike besoek van 1947 toe die koninklike trein langs die strand getrek is en 'n deel van die strand blykbaar omhein is vir die ekslusiewe gebruik van die koninklike familie.  Die prinsesse het op die strand gaan perdry terwyl die koning ook daar gaan swem het.  Plaaslik is begin om na die strand te verwys as die koning se strand en vandag is dit bekend as Koningstrand.

Fishing line disposal

Arriving at the beach in Natures Valley on a recent visit I immediately spotted something a bit unusual.  A piece of down pipe attached to a pole with a sign on it.  On closer inspection I found out that it's been placed there, and all around the beach in Nature's Valley, for people to place fishing line they pick up from the beach in.  Fishing line is a huge threat to wildlife, specially birds and small mammals.  They often also contain hooks which can cause a lot of pain when stepped in.  I wish more towns would implement something like this for the good of the environment plus it's a very cheap thing to do.  dispo

A calf was born - an unforgettable experience

I remember when I was about 8 or 9 I got to see a cow give birth on a farm I went to with my grand parents.  Its something I never forgot and I always wondered if my KidZ, being city kids, would ever get the opportunity to see it happen.  During our Sho't Left Easter weekend at the Crags we visited the Natures Way Farm Stall across the road from the campsite a couple of times.  Natures Way is situated on a commercial dairy farm and they kept the pregnant fairies in a camp next to the farm stall. The day we got there two cows have just given birth and we were hoping that one of the other three would calf before we left.  Drama Princess went to check every day but it didn't look like we were going to have any luck.

That was till the last afternoon when the one cow started to show signs of wanting to pop her calf out and we (along with a number of other curious people) kept a vigil next to the camp.  By 5pm the farmer arrived to have a look and he decided that he may have to give a hand.  The farm foreman and another guy arrived and after a while stepped in.  The process started with the foreman doing something I wouldn't do, grabbing the calf's two legs and tying them together.  From there it was like a tug-of-war with the two pulling while the farmer held the tail out their way and kept the cow calm.  After what felt like ages the calf arrived. "Its a boy!" But he wasn't moving... The onlookers got quiet... One lady wiped away tears...  The farmer came over slowly... The Damselfly carefully asked if the calf was alive... "Yes he's fine. Big strong bull calf," the farmer answered. *loud sign of relieve and an applause*

A couple of minutes later he started to lift his head while his mother was licking him. I probably would have taken a couple of minutes as well if somebody just yanked me from my mother by my arms. 

I think of all the experiences from this weekend this is the one that will stay with the KidZ for the longest.  Something most city kids never get to see.  The birth of a calf, an unforgettable experience. 

Sho't Left to the Crags and Natures Valley

Tourism in South Africa isn't just for international visitors but also for locals.  Yes there are places that most locals would never be able to afford to visit, but there are more places that are affordable to visit and even more things that you can do that actually doesn't cost you anything.  South African Tourism encourages locals to travel through their Sho't Left campaign.  "Sho't Left" is derived from everyday South African "taxi lingo" where a commuter wanting a ride to a destination close by will say, "Sho't left, driva!" - meaning, I want to jump off just around the corner.  So a Sho't Left excursion or holiday would be seen as a short affordable holiday not too far from home.

Over the Easter long weekend we decided to take do a four night camping holiday - our Easter Sho't Left - at the Tsitsikamma Sunrise Caravan Park between the Crags and Natures Valley.  Except for the R320 per night for the camp site the experiences we had cost us nothing except for the petrol to get down into Natures Valley.  We Geocached, climbed the Point (also the last bit of the renown Otter Trail) east of Natures Valley, hiked to the Salt River Mouth west of the village and spend lots of time in the Groot River Lagoon.  Across the road from the camp site is Natures Way Farm Stall, situated on a commercial dairy farm.  We got to see how they milked the cows every afternoon (at no cost), the kids got some hands on experience with the milking process, feed the calves and on the last evening actually got to see a calf being born.  Priceless experiences that didn't have my wallet heaving.

 

As soon as I get a chance to edit pictures, upload them and write something I will post about all of these wonderful experiences we had at Natures Valley.

 

This Sho't Left holiday was done at our own cost and no part of it was sponsored.

Groenvlei jetty

The lakes district between Knysna and Wilderness on the Garden Route is made up of a series of lakes, most of them visible from the N2 itself.  Out of all those lakes, Groenvlei - just east of Sedgefield - is the only one that is a fresh water lake and without an inlet or an outlet.  The lake is maintained by rainwater and springs alone.  There are very strict restrictions on boating on Groenvlei with only electric motors, and no outboard motors, allowed.  The lake contains largemouth bass and is one of only a few lakes in the country that has them occur there naturally.

Discovering secret spots in the Tsitsikamma

Geocaching is the ideal activity for people who love to travel and discover new places.  Yes I know I've said it before and I will say so again many times in the future.  On a visit to the Tsitsikamma I went in search of a cache called Elands Delight (GCX2QF) and even though it was raining (yes we geocache come rain or shine) I was very keen to find it.  The coordinates took me onto the old road a couple of kilometers east of Storms River Bridge and down a steep set of cement steps into the Elands River gorge. WOW! What a beautiful spot.  I really have a very soft spot in my heart for the Tsitsikamma and discovering a place like this was very special.

At the bottom of the gorge is a weir damming up the black forest water of the Elands River into a swimming where I'm sure the local kids hang out on warm days.  Looking up to the left (top picture) is the old bridge and to the right (above) is the N2 bridge.  I really would have liked to spend some more time but by now I was soaked and didn't want to get my camera too wet.  In the words of the Terminator... "I'll be back".