Old roads, new experiences

 

The new experiences were mostly new eating experiences. Ruhan had some great meal surprises for us on this trip. Stuff that I have never eaten before, that surprised the heck out of me. But more about the food later.

To stretch the trip a bit and to do things a little differently, we decided to hike to the Murasie at night. 

We started hiking at around 21H00. The first amazing thing was a HUGE flock of birds we encountered on the beach not even a kilometer from the start. They flew up and circled us,eventually landing at the same spot once we passed. In the light of the tjokka boats we saw them passing and it felt like literally millions of birds.

Closer to our destination, we pass this cow skull, perched on a rock. Eerie. . . . . . 

When we got to the Murasie, I craved a cup of coffee and the water was boiling in no time. After that we set up "camp" and only at around 02H00 we finally went to sleep.

The next morning the goal was to get fish. All the dishes Ruhan planned, had fish as the main ingredient. First we tried spearfishing, but the water was freezing cold, so the dive was short and unsuccessful. I did manage to get a few massive "perde-pote", but no fish.

Survival tip of the day:

If you get yourself into a survival situation at the ocean, make sure you have a buddy with you that can properly fish with a rod and reel. 

I was there for moral support of course 😉

The fish just came out, one after the other.

In less than an hour, we had more than enough fish for the day

First on the menu was sashimi with soy sauce and wasabi paste. I ate a lot of fish in my life, but raw fish was just not something I even felt like trying after a bad experience with a rollmob. What a pleasant surprize !!

The rest of the fish were prepared for a curry dish. 

To accompany the curry dish, Ruhan prepared naan flatbread.

First the fish were braai-ed and the curry cooked seperately. Then the two were joined to simmer for a while.

This curry dish with naan bread was something else I tell you !

The next day I did some chores like gathering fire wood, fetching and purifying drinking water, while Ruhan went fishing again. 

I also took a nice "bath" in a rock pool later.

Ruhan had huge success with the fishing again and even got three different species that we could test sashimi style.

We also threw in the "perde-pote" for a sashimi platter of note ! (All food prepared and served on reclaimed wooden planks washed out from sea)

Apart from work and eating, some nice "chillaxing" with good music and scenic senery. 

The meal surprizes were not over yet and for the big one (grand finale), Ruhan prepared Ceviche !

This for me, is probably one of the best ways to prepare fish. (And I never had it before🤦)

It's fresh and light and best described as a fish salad. 

Ruhan added a pot-bread to compliment the meal 🤩🤩

I must also mention that each evening was concluded with fire-grilled marshmellows

 

For some homework, I got myself a nice piece of driftwood. Cut it smaller for easy transportation.

A clue to the idea I have with it:

And so another trip came to an end. One that will long be remembered for the exquisite meals prepared !

Till we hike and fish again !!!

PS: Homework done:

The piece of wood I carried out from Murasie, was crafted into two spoons: a long stem teaspoon for Ruhan and a tablespoon for me.

Hammock Tarp Vlog

 For a long time I want to set up this tarp I have, over my hammock to see if it will work for keeping me dry in rainy weather conditions.

The tarp is on the small side so I was not sure if it would work. It was raining on and off in the morning and I started the set-up when the skies opened up a bit.

There were no cords attached to the tarp yet, so I had to attach paracord to those re-inforced material loops on the outer skirts of the tarp. Struggle and frustration in getting the paracord  through the loops, led to a "useless" but nifty little plan and I decided to put it in a vlog, just for the fun of it. 

 

Unfortunately it did not rain after the set-up was completed, but I'm pretty sure it will keep me dry in the tarp with short rain spells.

I decided to hang out in the tarp for a while, listening to some music

Although very cosy with the sleeping bag, my back was freezing up from a cold wind that was running through beneath me.

I went and fetch the only thing I had that cold give some isolation - my yoga mat.😄 It actually fitted very good, but even better was the isolation it gave from the cold.

Slept for an hour and a half after adding the yoga mat.

50th in the Baviaanskloof

 Celebrating my wife's 50th, with a weekend away to the Baviaanskloof. Rented a chalet for the two of us at Glencoe Self Catering on the farm Bruintjieskraal. Our chalet' name was Ribbok. 

On our way there, we stopped at the famous PADLANGS restaurant for a nice burger and chips.

 

We were very impressed when we finally got to our chalet. The chalet has a nice deck, an indoor fireplace and even a small pool if you need to cool down. The view from the deck is spectacular with lots of bird activity.

Had to take a dip of course - but only a quickie  😰

We went for a hike up a mountain on the Saturday morning. Very steep with loose rocks. Beautiful views !

We also walked around and checked out all the different camping spots at Bruintjieskraal. This cute shower and loo caught the eye.

On our way back, we stopped at the Kouga (Paul Sauer) dam.

Hights not really my thing 🙈🤣