2011 - August - Hoedspruit - Etikweni

SILENCE IS … BUSH

Hoedspruit, 5 – 9 August 2011

Why do we go away?  To escape the everyday humdrum of washing, cleaning, TV, computer and traffic.  To enjoy the silence and quiet of Mother Nature.  To appreciate all the previous mentioned humdrum when we’re back home again …..

Thursday, 4 August

With Hein’s help, Sammy & Minx were in their cat boxes – ready for their yearly vet visit and then off to their hotel, Katmandu in Muldersdrift.

My day was mayhem after that – late breakfast at Café Rossini, Leaping Frog, Fourways, coffee with friends at Fourways Gym, movie (The Beaver), Berliner butcher, Witkoppen, (I selected a few packets of meat/chicken and asked them to halve the portions and vacuum it.), then Woolworths for a few other grocery items.  Back home to pay our char and then started to pack.

Friday 5 August

The alarm went off at 5, somehow I was already awake.  The coffee machine went off and we had a nice cuppa.  Packing clothes and the last of the kitchen stuff took some time, so we knew we won’t be able to leave at 6.  Showered, packed and left at 6h30.  It was 4 oC outside.

At Woolworths the previous day, I bought mini curry mince vetkoekies, mini chicken meatballs and some sandwiches.  I quickly heated the vetkoekies and meatballs, packed them in a small coolbox, made some more coffee and pour it into travel mugs.  We were on the road.

Although we were in the traffic, it was ok.  Before we went to bed the previous night, Hein had me a bit worried about the weekend.  He looked on Google Earth and saw the house is on the outskirts of Hoedspruit town – it didn’t make sense to me, so I quickly Googled the place again before we left and thought it didn’t look too suspicious …  it always is a bit of a risk when going to a new place.

After an hour, we stopped at a Steers for coffee and chatted to an elderly couple at the next table.  They were on their way from Springs to Middelburg.  There was no water in the restrooms, so we drove on.

Outside Mashishing (Lydenburg) we stopped at Lallie se Plaaskombuis (Lallie’s Farm Kitchen) for coffee.  It wasn’t 12 yet.  Had some lovely strong plunger coffee and a very yummy apple tart with cream & ice-cream.   

Hein had a curry mince jaffle and I took a bit – oh my gosh, it was sooooo divine!  Just like I remember it from school and church fête-days.  Hein said she probably put sugar and butter/marg on the outside, because it’s a little sweet but nicely crisp. 

I’ve also packed us some small packets of biltong and droëwors – and while eating a piece of droëwors, I felt something got stuck in my throat.  I ate a small sandwich, some jelly sweets, some water – nothing helped.  It really was quite irritating.

In Mashishing, quite a few of the main road’s traffic lights weren’t working – instead of fixing it, they just added a ‘stop’ sign.

I must confess ... when I read through my story and saw this name 'Mashishing', I thought I've typed it wrong ...

 

In Hoedspruit, we bought charcoal, fire lighters, yogurts, cold drinks and beer.  Just outside Hoedspruit (on Jhb side) is the Parma Nursery – we have to turn off there.  About 4 km on the gravel road, the sign said ‘Etikweni’ left.  We turned left, but then got a bit puzzled, because we entered some citrus farm.  In front of us there was a fork – no sign of Etikweni – the right-hand side said ‘no admittance’.  Hein took that road.  We drove on and on and on next to orange orchards.

Trying to get a signal to phone the owner, Kelvin, we stopped and a thin silver snake slithered over the road.  The next moment a black worker talked at my open window – I nearly fainted!  He just wanted to know if we’re ok.  Kelvin said we’re still on the right road.

We found the house.  Kelvin wanted to show us the road to the chalet – but I told him there was no space in our car.  He asked me why did we pack so much, cause everything is at the chalet.  I said because there’s a woman.  Yeah, I have learned to laugh at myself.  And I don’t care – I’d rather have no extra space in the car, then having to do without a pair of shoes or tinfoil or whatever. 

Kelvin gave us the keys and explained the road.  ‘When you get to a fork, the road goes to the right, don’t take that road.’  We just laughed, kept left the whole time, battled the rocky road (our poor Golf scraped at some places) and arrived at Etikweni.

Gosh.  What a chalet!  www.etikweni.com – (Kelvin 083 448 1138)  R350/person/night.

The layout is very interesting – the house is rectangular.  It only has 2 bedrooms (with 2 x ¾ beds, cupboards) and 2 bathrooms (toilet, basin & big shower) inside the house, linked with a short passageway.  That’s it.

Outside is a huge patio.  Half of the patio is undercover; the other half is open for a fire and the sun.  8 Comfortable camp chairs beckon you to sit in the sun.

Alongside the outside wall of the house, undercover, is the kitchen.  It’s quite ingenious – sinks, cupboards, toaster, kettle, coffee machine, microwave and fridge/freezer.  No oven or stove, just an electric frying pan.  And then you close it off with a rolling garage door.  There’s also a nice wooden 8-seater dining table with chairs.  But that’s it.  No cushy, comfy chair or couch.  And the sides of the patio are open to the cold and windy elements.  This is definitely just a summer house.  It was 28 oC!

The windows are covered with Velcro and gauze.  Very clever!  Hein offloaded everything, I unpacked.  First all the frozen meat and fridge stuff, then the rest. Pushed the 2 ¾ beds together, washed off my make-up, we both changed into shorts and sat in the sun, toasting.

There was still something in my throat – and when I had a little meatball, it really hurt.  I was getting a bit worried now. 

With my pink sparkly toes in the sun, we read magazines and then Hein dragged some ‘ysterhout’ (iron wood) branches to the centre to make a fire.  The branches were extremely heavy!  Under one of the branches, he found a small tortoise.   

We named it ‘Skillie’.  (Tortoise in afrikaans is skilpad).  It didn’t move, so we thought it may be hibernating.  Hein then put Skillie at the bottom of a tree in a small hole. 

The branches made a lovely big fire.   

For dinner, I’ve left out a small piece of rump and marinated Pork kebabs.  It gets dark early, so we braaied the meat, I microwaved some Woolworths’ Garlic & Parsley potatoes and it was just lovely.  With the dark, the temperature also went down.  

Phinias and a helper arrived just before dark to chop some more wood.  Wrapped in jackets and a blanket (me), Hein and I sat around the lovely fire – enjoying the absolute quiet and bush around us.  A very nifty ‘candelier’ was found in the house – it looks like a lantern, but you stick candles inside.  Will have to find us one.

Some sticky toffee pudding and custard for dessert and then we’re off to bed.  By now, I was quite worried about this scratch in my throat – thought I’ll have to go to the doctor.  I sent up a little prayer and a few minutes thereafter, something slips up my throat onto my tongue.  YES!  The little scratch was indeed a piece of droëwors and sinew – I was so relieved. 

Saturday 6 August

A heavy wind blasted through the trees and woke us early.  Hein went outside to check the ashes, and then we dozed off again.  Just before we got out of bed, it was light by then, I saw a buck through the branches.  Made some coffee and it was Woolworths Kenyan coffee with grapefruit and chocolate undertones (not that you can taste it – Hein freaks out over it – who wants grapefruit and chocolate in your coffee??), but he admitted it was very good.  We made 2 cups for each.

Both of us checked to see if Skillie was still in the tree trunk – he was.   It was overcast and the wind was blowing lightly – where did our summer weather go?  Hein lit the fire in a sheltered spot for our morning braai.  I didn’t have time to make our own wors, but bought some lovely venison sausage at the butcher.  Normally I make a tomato-and-onion relish on the stove, but I made one in the microwave and it came out good. 

While waiting for the wors, Hein suddenly exclaimed that Skillie was gone.  We looked everywhere around, couldn’t see it.  Now, that was completely baffling.  We’re talking about a slow-moving tortoise.  We both saw it this morning; we were outside the whole time, so we didn’t hear another animal – where did it go????  The mystery wasn’t solved – although we looked everywhere the rest of the weekend, Skillie was gone.

After our yummy breakfast, it was still coldish and windy, we sat in bed and read. I tried to ‘Facebook’ but the signal was so slow, I decided it was just as well – nothing like a well-rested weekend without TV and Facebook.  Later on we took a nap.  When we woke up after 11, we had more coffee and nibbled on apples and Viennas.  No lunch as such. 

The shower was lovely, so we showered, dressed in clean clothes and went for a walk.  I had on my sneakers, cause I wasn’t taking a change with flip-flops and slithering things.  

At some point, we saw a giraffe – although Hein managed to take a photo, it was very shy and galloped off.  No other animals were seen, although lots of droppings on the ground.

Back at the chalet, we sat in bed again to read, and then decided to brave the outside – the weather has definitely changed for the worse.  With thick jackets, we read magazines, did crossword puzzle, read a book and heard a herd of buck, but only saw their legs.

Hein couldn’t make a fire, cause the wind was just too much.  In the sheltered braai, Hein started a fire for dinner.  I had some marinated chicken thighs; he had another piece of rump steak.  Just before dark, Phinias & his helper came to chop more wood.  We asked him for more towels and he showed us – they were in a black crate in the spare bedroom.  The only place I didn’t look for towels. 

Just before my chicken was done, I quickly made some ‘braaibroodjies’ (toasted sandwiches with onion, tomato & cheese) to grill on the fire.  Oh gosh, they were good! Curry pasta salad, bbq meat & bbq sandwiches – hmmmmmmm.   I forgot to take a photo. Leftover food was given to Phinias.

The wind was gone for a bit, so we started a small bonfire and huddled up, sat and stare into the flames.  Bliss!  I had some chocolate pieces. (Beacon has some lovely new flavors:  Coconut & Shortbread; Ginger Pieces & Biscuit; Turkish Delight).

Because it gets dark so early (just after 6am), we went to bed early (just after 7pm).  Hein woke up during the night, read his book and then slept on.

 

Sunday 7 August

When I woke up at 4h30, I thought:  yes, no wind!  But it was still overcast and chilly.  Hmmmmm.  Coffee was enjoyed in bed and then Hein made us breakfast in the frying pan.  Bacon, eggs and toast, with some tomato relish and cheese.  Spiced with Habanero sauce.  Yum!!!!!!  Especially with the runny egg yolk – I know my cousins freak out over it, but I just looooveee it! 

Hein was anxious to read his book, it was at an interesting point – so I quickly washed the dishes.  And joined Hein in bed to read my book. 

It was just a lazy day.  Reading, dozing, chatting.

The weather cleared up, so Hein started a bonfire.  The absolute quiet of the bush was just amazing!  Dinner were some more kebabs and chicken thighs.  With corn on the cob microwaved.  Coffee and more chocolates.

Monday 8 August

This morning we woke a bit later.  Looked outside, the sky was open and blue – although it was a bit chilly.  I saw this Hornbill outside our window.   

Coffee was made quickly, then Hein started 2 fires – a bonfire and our breakfast fire.

Not feeling like tomato-onion relish again, I sliced 3 onions thinly and fried them slowly in a mixture of butter & olive oil in the frying pan.  Hmmmmm.   

The venison sausage sizzled on the coals and with the onions & Habanero sauce, breakfast was divine!

Hein finished his book and we spent the whole day staring at the bushes and trees – enjoying Mother Nature.  Late afternoon, Hein scrambled the remaining 2 eggs, 2 Viennas, 2 pieces of bacon and we enjoyed that with cheese on toast. 

Just after 1pm, we went for another walk.  The sun was quite hot and we had our camera ready for the wild … but only managed to see a few shy buck. 

The rest of the afternoon, we sat on the patio – gazed at the trees – saw the moon through the branches.

Although we still had some kebabs and sausage left for dinner, I told Hein I so not want any meat for dinner.   Enough is enough!  Phinias & his helper came to chop some wood for the last time – and Hein stoked the fire.  He 

He started small, then built it up gradually.  After more than 30 minutes, Phinias came back with a crate of chopped wood.  Think it’s quite hard work to chop ‘ysterhout’ (iron wood).   I started to pack the kitchen stuff and half of our clothes.  ‘Dinner’ was sticky toffee pudding with custard.  Delicious!  Yummy Jacobs decaf coffee for Hein – and normal coffee for me.

Tuesday 9 August

Women’s Day – Hein was a bit baffled by this – why a day for women?

After a quick shower, we packed our last stuff and forego coffee – the road was calling.  Slowly we drove back through the bush, saw another Hornbill in a tree, gave the keys to Phinias and were ready for breakfast – and coffee!

The Blyde River is close by, so we thought we’ll go and have a look.  The Blyde River Canyon Lodge popped up on our GPS and we hoped they could give us something to eat.

A lovely lodge in the bush, we walked into the lounge where a fire was blazing away.  Only 1 other family were there and yes, they could certainly serve us.

On the table, small containers with 2 different jams and butter-balls were laid out.  Now this is my kind of place – no foil-wrapped butter and mass-produced jelly jams.

Hein ordered a full breakfast – I just ordered 2 scrambled eggs.  The drop scone I selected from the buffet table was gorgeous!  Sooooo crumbly, I had a bit of trouble eating it, but with the butter and jam – hmmmm.  Lovely cheeses and fresh fruit.  And nice strong coffee!

When we asked about the canyon, we decided it’s something for another time.  And headed off back home.  Via Dullstroom.

Dullstroom was buzzing with people – but we headed off in a side street to the Dullstroom Inn.  We have stayed there previously and it’s a bit off the tourist-map.  Good, hearty fare and a fire that has been going for more than 20 years!

When I ordered a cappuccino, I was told they only serve it with cream.  I didn’t want that.  Settled for just black coffee.  Hein told me I have a real ‘diva face’.  He said I do act a bit rude in times like this – pull my face, don’t look at the waitress ….  Yeah, suppose I must work on that a bit …

I ordered a large plate of chips.  Hein’s eyebrows shot up, because I never order chips.  And I’ve just declined cream on my cappuccino – hey, I’m a woman, I don’t have to make sense.  Ok??  Hein ordered the bangers and mash.

Hein laughed and waved me ‘goodbye’ when the waitress delivered my plate – oh my word!  It was a huge helping!  But it was very very good!  Hein said his gravy was yuck and his food just ok.  He did help me with my chips and yes, we did not finish the whole plate!!! 

After 3pm, we were back home.  Look, it’s nice to go away – but it’s also nice to come back home.  I did some washing, unpacked everything, had a strawberry face mask and then I tackled my emails and Facebook.  Gosh, I just love my computer.

With batteries charged, I made us a fish stew with couscous and we sprawled out on our chair and couch.

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