We flew back from Capetown on the 26th and with a super quick turn around in Jhb and a very early start picking up Ann and collecting the bakkie at the farm, we were drinking wine on the balcony of our cottage in Umzumbe by sundowner time! The house we shared with the Thompsons and the Trusslers was a very old fashioned, typical beach cottage in need of rather a lot of maintenance. Once we got over the initial shabbiness, we actually enjoyed our stay. (If you want decent accommodation anywhere on the coast in December, book a year in advance ) The house was a few hundred metres walk to the beach and just a few houses down the road from Carol and Jane's place. We had some lovely beach walks and sea swims. We cooked up a storm, drank loads of wine and caught up on sleep. On New Year's Eve, we had a great progressive dinner between 3 houses; all in all a fun night.
In January we spent a few weeks in Gauteng and a weekend in Dullstroom.
We spent a fabulous four days at Cheetah Ridge in Nambiti Game Reserve near Ladysmith, celebrating Rina's 50th in style. Old friends, new friends, lots of happiness and fun.
If you're looking for a malaria- free, medium priced, big 5 Safari lodge 3 hours drive from Johannesburg or Durban, I recommend Cheetah Ridge. Leopard sightings are very rare and at times on game drives you can see neighbouring farms and settlements, which can detract from the wilderness experience a bit.
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