Onward to the Free State

OK I'm behind with these posts....but here goes.

Catch up:

We left Addo Elephant Park without seeing an Aardvark but, hey, we can live with that; there are plently more opportunities ahead, after all.

From there we moved to Gariep Dam Nature reserve ... right next to the largest dam in South Africa...impressive stuff as you might expect. There wasn't much to do on the journey.....a long plod over dry golden arid plains but we tuned into SAFM to hear the live (almost one hour) sentencing statement from the judge on the Pretorius trial. Intetesting stuff. In fact we've been listening to this station a great deal and it gives a fascinating insight into South African politics and issues. Ministers feature regularly to answer questions..as they do on TV...and there is a sense of a government trying to balance terribly difficult decisions while having a dialogue with the public. Not quite like the pitched battles on the Today programme back home where respect and serious discussion went out of the window long ago. (My view).

But I digress...

From Gariep we had another long drive to Ladybrand across similar terrain but made a stop at Bloemfontein, the capital of the Free State and also the judicial capital of South Africa. Its here, in the Manguang Township, that the ANC was born and, perhaps, the road to ending apartheid began. The City centre is now a modern place although the Township is still there. We had a great lunch at the Loch Logan Waterfront.
We spent quite a while viewing the National Women's Memorial and the Anglo-Boer War Museum. Fascinating and moving..the museum's interior just as it was when set up. Worth a google.

Gariep Dam

That's Lesotho out there:

Emergency work to wire up 14 campers so we can charge our mobile phones...

Back on the road..before reaching camp we headed into Ladybrand itself to pick up some shopping and nose around...a working town proud to be 'Living the rainbow in Ladybrand'. We really liked it.
Camp fine...although a bloody great big black pig roaming about worried me slightly..... Sue actually talked to it... I mean.. really...

Big Black Pig

Today (and not before time you may say)

Up early, Sue takes the first stint as the scenery improves after the first 30km or so. We stop at a Ficksburg, famous for its cherries and take a coffee and omlette at the Imperani Guest House as featured in Lonely Planet...and deservedly so. We love this largely black successful town: a good stop...

Ficksburg

...Not so sure about our stop at the highly recommended Clarens though, as we pull up behind the line of Bobo Campers. 'A Jewel in the Free State' [lonely planet]. Depends on what kind of jewelry you like I guess. There is certainly a lot of stuff for tourists to buy.

But the really impressive thing here is the terrain, formed from wind-eroded sandstone. We pass the highest peaks in the Free State on the way to our site, set in the Golden Gate National Park, so named from the evening glow of the setting sun on the multi-shaded sandstone cliffs. Magic.