4am - damn jet lag!
Ryan and I waiting in bed for the family wake up call of the kettle boiling, dreaming of samosas and rooibos tea. Well perhaps we didn’t get exactly that, but who can turn their nose up to ceylon tea, hot cross buns and toast :)
We headed out early for the tractor. We pulled into a local winkle (shop) in the Koo Valley, where they still practice the old style shopping etiquette of not allowing the patrons to peruse the shelves, but have a counter when the shop-hand will come and collect the items you request. Stocked with Wonder bars, water and clearly a lack of sufficient clothing, as the temperature had dropped about 5 degrees, we pulled up to the tractor farm.
The tractor held 50 adults and children, a contraption that would make a health and safety inspector in Australia have heart palpitations, with an extended seat off the front and back to hold enthusiastic kids. No safety belt and really quite slidy benches for the 1500m we climbed to the top of the mountain. Don’t get me wrong, it was really fun, but there were points where I was thinking that this could tip over and we ‘could actually die!’. But we didn’t die, and we did get to the top. With basket of fruit, Maskadal (similar to sherry) and dried fruit on offer, we took refuge in a little mountain hut, situated at the top of the Langeberg Mountain, that looked over the Koo valley. Absolutely stunning, and much less effort than climbing a mountain by yourself!
Coming down was far more harrowing that going up, but we did have the little tractor that could!, and we made it down in no time at all.
Gail, Iain, Ryan and I travelled on to Viljoensdrift, a nearby wine estate, for a picnic lunch and wine tasting and buys. The picnic concept (and our picnic) was great; you choose from a menu what you want, the options include a range of packaged foods from blue cheese, camembert, tapenades, pestos, biscuits, breads, meats, etc. We also landed buying 12 bottles of really great Cab savs, sav blanc, and something else (but it’s currently 5am and i will wake ryan up if i open the box of wine to check). All for $98! Awesome, of course this luxury might also explain the mild hangover I am currently experiencing ;) The only down side of Viljoensdrift, was when the waiter (now remember it was self service) made off with our change.
We also stopped in at Arabella (another stud farm, come wine estate) along route on the way home, and got 4 bottles of more great wine for R95 = $15. Ryan also took this stunning photo.
Okay, just to recap, so far we’re sat on our lazy asses up a mountain, ate a whole bunch of food, drank a whole bunch of wine, and now we went shopping for dinner ;) Picked up some beorewors (with coriander seed, my favourite, and min of 90% beef, yummo), spatchcock chicken, steak, salad, potatoes, butternut, onion, the biggest bunch of parsley I have ever seen, garlic, and of course some fresh butter (hmmmm). One braai later and our tummies were full and I was ready for bed, this is a bad side effect of waking up at 4am!
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