The Naked Barista… 29 August 2016
So my website was down for three months while I was trying to transfer to South African hosts. We had so many challenges with this shift, but I am so happy to be back on my site and writing. Crazy to see how much we have done in just three months. I love my life…
We are on the road again…for a thirteen hour drive and thinking of sleeping in Koster. Jaco, B’s cousin said that he could easily arrange sleeping space for our six workmen travelling with us, in Koster. This will make it easier for us and Rustenburg is less than an hour from Koster.
We left Sedgefield this beautiful Monday morning around 6 o’ clock.
We have not been home much this year and I would like to take this opportunity to mention that our house is listed on Airbnb and always available for short term rentals. We even rent out per room per night with full use of the house and we can be contacted on my cell no 0825706304
So this is our home that we build ourselves and created over the years. At some point we wanted to sell to buy a piece of land, but now we are happy to keep our home and just work harder for the purchase of the land.
Therefore…onwards to Rustenburg….
Coming out of the Outeniqua pass we witness a most splendorous sun appearing on the horizon.
We are driving through Meiringspoort with the colours of the rising sun glinting sun specs all over the majestic wrinkled mountain range. Blissful beauty surrounds us. Nature is wondrous.
We had an amazing weekend arriving home on Friday from working in Port Elizabeth.
I use the word amazing, because we also had so much sadness throughout this same glorious weekend…
…this is life and acceptance thereof is key. We had to say goodbye to our dog Max, a beautiful border collie, as he was already 16 years old going on to 17.
On Friday night we were invited to the Wild Farm for a party with three of our best local DJ’s playing. Although we were tired, we wanted to see some of our friends, Hanno and the owners, Theo and Riaan and decided to go. I also had the honour to view some of Ingrid’s stunning new paintings. Wow! What an artist!
The Wild Farm venue, music and company was so good, that we only went home around three o’clock on Saturday morning.
After sleeping a few hours, we had to go to George for business and we decided to go by motorbike as we missed riding on our motorbike and this would be the only occasion to get a quick ride.
It is so exhilarating to sit at the back of the motorcycle holding on to B. That feeling of freedom on the open road…only a motorbike rider would understand what I am raving about.
To make this particular ride even better, was that I wore my brand new leather waistcoat and jacket for the first time. Gratitude to our friend Andre who send us a Gumtree ad with this BMW leather suit which was advertised in Port Elizabeth. Superblessed that we travel so much, as it was still available when we were in PE.
Although we were plagued by sadness about Max, motorbike riding definitely helps as you get to breathe fresh air all the way through Wilderness. Deep breathing definitely helps with any challenge.
Later on Saturday afternoon, some friends arrived and we had a full house that evening. We obviously had a braai, but as we have some vegetarian friends, I made a pasta vegetable bake that went well enough with all the braaied meat.
Sunday we were blessed to watch one of our favourite local bands, Rooted Souls at the talent exchange market in Wilderness hills. I am always astounded by our local musicians. We have the best for sure!
The venue was at Asanti, the magical farm situated in Wilderness hills of our talented friends Landi and Janus. Such a peaceful and happy place and every time we are there, the same handsome horse always comes to greet me and makes me feel superblessed. Got to love it!
I have been looking for the right sunhat for about two years now and found the most attractive one at the talent exchange. We have also been a part of the talent exchange for a long time, but this was the first actual market I went to. I love how this mode of exchange works so well to cut out the ‘money’ factor. Check it out on the hyperlink.
Afterwards we went to our favourite restaurant in Wilderness, Cocomos with friends, Tim and Lena and Heydenrich. We had a good lunch and said goodbye to Tim and Lena who went home to their farm around the mountain near Knoll.
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Last night we slept in Koster at the Klub Kranskuil Resort. The setting is truly beautiful amidst mountains and streams, but I have to say that the little things inside which help makes your stay more comfortable, could use a little help.
I cooked an easy meal of pasta and sauce…
We had a bath, because this was the only means of getting clean, but if I had the choice, a shower would have been better here, as the bath is definitely in need of some cosmetic repair. Luckily, we were very tired after twelve hours of driving, so we slept very well.
Next morning on the road from Koster to Rustenburg, we listened to Rian van Heerden on Jakaranda radio. We love listening to him and we are sorry to hear that he is leaving Jakaranda. B says he studied at university years ago at the same time as Rian. Always interesting how life turns out.
While listening to the Jacaranda, I once again researched for accommodation and narrowed it down to a couple of places. I liked the idea of having our living space as close to the worksite as can be, so that B can come for lunch daily and maybe a quick nap. He has been working very hard and I can see that he is tired.
So, while B was busy with site establishment, I took our vehicle and went to scout for accommodation which I found immediately. I can definitely recommend “Ons Dorpshuis” and the self catering unit that we have is three minutes drive from the site. We are blessed with a majestic tree in front of our porch under which I do my leg exercises. Inside our room, there is just the right size for me to even do yoga…perfect!
Last weekend, on Sunday morning, while we were still at home – after we had breakfast – I pulled some Goddess cards for my friends, Inge and Lena, from a pack that I was given by my friend Joe as he thought that this was the pack that my Princess friend would have wanted me to have.
He was absolutely right, as this is how connected we all are. Princess Dana still wanted to gift me a pack and I do believe that after her passing, she had Joe give it to me, because of our connection. This pack feels powerful to me as I also pulled a card for myself. It was about autonomy which has to do with your third chakra. I am busy reading a very good book, Eastern body, Western Mind by Anodea Judith and when I opened it at the last place of reading, it was all about Autonomy. Is it not awesome how we can be in such flow? My son, Juan was the one to introduce me to this book…so much connectedness.
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Today is the 2nd of September, a very special date for us, as it is our granddaughter Alexia’s birthday. She is two years old today. Sad to say that this is also the second year that we are not with her on her birthdate, but I am blessed as I will see her in about a week’s time.
Rustenburg means ‘town of rest’ in Afrikaans.
The city is situated at the foot of the Magaliesberg mountain range in North West Province of South Africa and was established long before either Pretoria or Johannesburg.
The famous Paul Kruger was born here.
Nowadays, due to it’s rich history, the town is a tourism hot-spot, with areas of interest to entice all types of travellers.
Rustenburg is one of the oldest towns in the North West province. Officially founded in 1851 by Boers who had trekked into the area a decade earlier.
Rustenburg makes for a great base from which to explore areas of interest throughout the region. Rustenburg is also known as the ‘Platinum City’ because of the platinum mining around the area.
By far the best-known attractions in Rustenburg are the nature reserves that are all within striking distance of the town.
For those more culturally minded, there are some magnificent churches to be seen, including the Anglican Church (1871) and the Dutch Reformed Church (1898 -1903).
There are a multitude of sites with cultural and historical significance in and around Rustenburg. This is no surprise, given the many different communities in the area, such as the indigenous Bafokeng, Bakgatla and Tswana people, whose totemic tribal traditions are of much interest.
There is also the German community of Kroondal that traces its origins back to 1857.
Pilanesberg National Park is one of the most accessible South African game reserves. It is the fourth largest in the country and is set high in the Pilanesberg mountain range, traversing the floor of an ancient, long-extinct volcano.
Pilanesberg features all the major mammal species including the Big Five – lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo. There is also the Kgaswane Mountain Reserve, which is famous for its breeding herd of sable antelope. Small numbers of predators, including caracal, aardwolf, black-backed jackal and leopard also occur. More than 320 species of birdlife have been recorded including a breeding colony of cape vultures.
The Hartbeespoort dam is another nearby attraction offering plenty of activities near Rustenburg as well as providing irrigation for the entire region. A favoured site for watersports, the dam has many resorts, boat clubs and picnic sites scattered along its banks.
It is Saturday the 3rd of September and we are going to check out Hartbeespoortdam today after B has come back from working. Comments to follow…
Far from peaceful as its name would suggest, Rustenburg is the throbbing centre of the North West province. Easily accessible and filled with entertainment, Rustenburg is located on major highway routes and offers a wide range of activities for the visitor.
We were superblessed to meet up with one of our favourite friends from Mosselbay right here in Rustenburg last night. He was here on business. We have not seen David in such a long time and it felt great to meet up with him. We ate dinner at Panarottis, Waterfall Mall where we received very good service, before David had to leave for he was driving back to Johannesburg.
So, it is Monday the 5th of September and we had a superblessed weekend. As I already mentioned, we went to Hartbeespoort on Saturday after B came home from working on site. He had a quick nap before we set off on our road trip. Enroute to Harties, we went past the little mining town named Mooinooi and I wondered who the ‘mooi nooi’ (pretty girl)was after whom the town was named. I am still searching for this answer… maybe a reader could shed some light?
We commented on the fact that we have been in this area around Magaliesburg, coming and going more than a few times this year.
We passed a beautiful gholf course on our left which is situated in Mooinooi. On the right side of us were lands lined with full blossoming Orange trees…so many that we could not see the end of it.
We stopped before the Hartbeespoort crossing into the town/resort as there were a pile up of waiting cars. Luckily B remembered that the last time he went pass many years ago, there were a shop ‘Tan Malie se Winkel’ and a sign showed that he was right. We found a traditional South African Shop built in a typical country trading post style abundant with history. I had the most awesome ginger beer and I do believe I felt a buzz afterward and the colours of the roadside flowers were definitely much brighter…
Onwards we drove over the dam crossing and through a stone tunnel marvellously created. Stunning views all round, but I have to add that this beautiful tourist attraction could do with some cleaning up campaign. We were amazed at how filthy the streets were lined with garbage…
We drove onwards to our destination where we were meeting up with our friends, Camel and Anetta.
The Windmill Restaurant was our meeting point thinking that we could have dinner there, but we were surprised to find that they closed at five.
B and I explored and found the fresh produce at the Jasmine farm stall very impressive. It is on the same property and when I did some research last week before we went to Harties, I thought that I might be able to find a new supplier of Jasmine essential oil for my Alexia perfume.
What we did find were the biggest store of fresh produce and everything else. We did some shopping while we waited for our friends – which wasn’t to long, as Camel is a very fast driver with his red Subaru.
As soon as they arrived, we had to show them the shop as well. As Anetta loves good, fresh food and loves to shop, I know that she will be visiting them again soon.
We felt a bit at a loss for where to eat and B consulted Tripadvisor as he usually does and promptly booked us the last table at the no 1 restaurant for that area.
Onwards we went and we joked with Camel because we would limit his speeding as he had to follow us.
The Silver Orange Bistro were a fragrant oasis and we were very pleased to be there. We had a table reserved on the patio and I do believe we were superblessed to have the best table. The fragrance of sweet smelling flowers surrounded us and the delightful views of the garden and water fountain were an absolute treat. The fact that we arrived just as the sun were setting were an added bonus…my favourite part of the day.
Anetta and I went to explore and found another huge orange grove with trees in full bloom. It felt blissfully peaceful.
With an entrance like this to dinner, it could only be an awesome experience and we were not disappointed.
As the sun set with birdsong… a frog choir close by began their serenade to the best fine dining and service we have had in a long time.
The food were delectable and we savoured every dish.
Top Billing came to mind as every dish was created to perfection – an art piece.
Fine dining down…check…
The next day we had an off work day and we decided to have a Sunday Funday at Moksha festival.
It was an awesome day and we arrived early to dance to the beats of Dj Kalahari Kris…never disappointing.
We had lovely day spend with beautiful friends.
The next day the tower was completed…Rustenburg done and dusted and we were off to Pretoria…
Superblessed indeed!