On to Tsi Tsa Falls Lodge, March 31

So there was a reason for all that R&R...the work was 
yet to come!  Back to Cape Town from Diemersfontein
and fly to Durban...rent two vans with trailers...and drive
for what seemed forever...then this happened:

It was dark, a
windy, mountain
road, driving on
the wrong (I say
wrong cause it
just plain feels 
wrong to drive
on the left) side
of the road, fog
so thick it was
like, yes, pea
soup...And, well,
passing on 
hairpin turns in
the fog on a windy
mountain road is
not always a good choice ...thank goodness no one was hurt and the other driver was very cool. But....that meant finding a town (we're talking rural S.A. here, not Cape Town), finding a police station, filing a report (in a police station full of drunks) and all this in...AFRICA!  Not a place you want to spend time in a police station.  On top of it, we had been driving for hours and hours and hours, every one had to pee (or other things) and we were starving beyond belief...and still had 4+ hours to drive...and rural Africa isn't known for their luxurious toilets....if they have any at all.  One thing they did have though, was a KFC on every (and I mean every) corner...go figure! BUT...without TOILETS! We didn't eat because the people at the lodge where we would be staying were expecting us and had made dinner already...kept it warm for hours! So that meant, yup, more starving til we got there at midnight!! But...it was all worth it because we walked into this:

The place just
glowed, flooded
with candle light...
they didn't have electricity,
but on this night, the warm glow embraced
us like a warm 
blanket and the smell of delicious food made us, well, delirious....

THIS is what was
awaiting us!!! And
a lovely glass of
wine...but I was 
too far gone and
was only able to
stomach some
bread...from the
largest wheel of
bread I'd ever
seen!

This is only half!
Wow, just what 
I needed...

You can't get the
feel of the "glow"
because I stupidly
used a flash...
but it was lovely.

Everyone relaxed and nourished
themselves...the next morning
it was off to build a school at
6am!

Here is Huxley (short
for Huxtable) who 
soon became our
fast friend!  We were
so happy to be here...
it really felt like coming
home!

At the end of the table is Andrian, the owner of this amazing establishment...with his wife, Angela, and adorable baby girl Nika, of course. They were adventure guides and happened upon this amazing property while floating the river behind their
house and coming to a waterfall and thinking...this is the most perfect place on earth...then they walked to the house, knocked and asked if it was for sale and guess what...IT WAS! Perfect price, perfect place and the rest is history...they still do amazing adventure trips and have a small store on the property where they sell basics (you know, like beer, etc) and outdoor adventure supplies.

Abbi, Amanda and Katie, finally getting some
sustenance...

I think Wally and Seth are sleep-eating...see the fireplace in the back...that is where they cooked this wonderful African stew called Potjiekos, cooked with meat and lots of veggies and spices in a three-legged pot on an open fire. 

Diana (my roomie), Janet (my other roomie), Jimi,  and Irishman John...

The next morning at...yup...4 am, we woke to this... Cock-A-Doodle-Do and it didn't stop until, well, we left the house... He would soon become my biggest nemesis...

Don't try to hide, mister, we see
you!

Then when we walked
into the kitchen, we
saw this...this is Billy,
I kid you not, the goat...
He thinks he is a dog.
Sleeps with the dogs,
acts like a dog...he
is also a little stinker.
Loves to sneak into the
house and steal your
food.  Once I had
to literally ride him
out, straddling him
and grabbing his 
horns to pull him
outside!

This is Billy's perch outside the kitchen window. And he sleeps curled up on a rug by the door.

The front of the lodge (they call it the back, but it seems like it should be the front)

One of the out-buildings where the single guys stayed in bunks.  See the stove on the side of the building?  All you environmentalists would love this...they collect all (and I do mean ALL) of their water from rain water (have giant green barrels attached to every surface that could collect water). The water then funnels into the pipes, through the fire in the stove and then into the shower, or wherever they need it.  That means they have to get up and make a number of fires every morning and keep they going all day to have hot water.  They have several stoves/fireplaces.

This building is where they have their small store. It is right next to the house.

This is the Rondavel where the kids stayed.  It's awesome!  Really, just about everyone has one.  Even the poorest homes have one, though they may be made of mud and straw.

Here is another external fireplace which heats the water for another bathroom.  The water tank is on the roof and comes down through pipe on left. Very cool.

View from the house .

The chickens/roosters had the run of the place.  They also thought they were dogs, I believe.

Here they sit and enjoy the amazing view!

More chickens.  Never did ask if we were eating them for supper...didn't think I could handle eating the "pets".

Another view of the house with the green water storage container on right.

The beautiful orange tree in the yard.  There were TONS of oranges on it and we were never in shortage of oranges or juice...or any food for that matter! We definitely ate well on this trip!

View from the house. Gorgeous!

John and Diana grabbing breakfast and coffee/tea before we head out!  We're all a bit tired after yesterday's fiasco and late night....but on to the REAL reason we are here...to build a school!

Another gorgeous view...

The garden where much of our food came from...

Huxley...

Better view of house...really has lots of rooms, even though it doesn't seem that big....see the other green water container?  It's for the kitchen.  Even the "used" water from the kitchen sink doesn't go to waste...it drains into a tub outside and is used for watering, etc.

Rise and shine!! A good breakfast is a MUST when you put in the hours of work we do...

Andrian (left) and Tom making coffee...