A Weekend at Susie's

I would like to start off this post by saying that Susie, my ceramics professor, is, without a doubt, one of the most generous, kind-hearted souls I have ever met, and I don't think that any of us can thank her enough for this weekend.

For a few weeks now, Susie has offered a few of us to come stay at her farm for a weekend. This weekend, Catherine, Emily D, and I finally managed to go. Fortunately for us, it was the PERFECT weekend (weather-wise) for a trip to her farm.

Susie lives in small town that is located right beneath the Drakensberg mountains. Fittingly enough, the town is called Underberg. It's a very small farmer's town and there is nothing much to it besides your basic essentials. Susie's farm is situated more on the outskirts of the town.

Arriving to her farm, I instantly knew that I would love being there. Pictures, like for most African landscapes, will never be able to do the landscapes's beauty justice (Lots of photos to share, but it is hard to choose just a few)

Indigenous South African Cow

Calf

Part of Susie's property

Wandering

Me, Susie, Emily and Catherine

The name of Susie's Farm

The view from her back porch

Morning mist

We spent Friday evening eating good food around the cozy fire.

The next morning we woke up early to take a tour up Sani Pass. Sani Pass is notorious for being a very dangerous road that takes extreme skill and a 4x4 to drive up. One could also hike Sani Pass, but I personally would not feel comfortable due to drivers not being able to see clearly around each switchback.
The path stretches in between the border controls for South Africa and Lesotho.

A sign warning against the use of non 4x4s

South African Sani Pass Border

In Lesotho, at the top of Sani Pass

Emily, Catherine and I 

The twists and turns of Sani Pass

A group struggling to get their bikes to the top

At the top of the mountain, our driver took us further into Lesotho to explore a temporarily abandoned shepherd's home.

Afterwards, we went to a small cluster of homes near the summit of Sani Pass. There, our driver explained to us that certain flags outside certain homes meant that the resident is selling a certain produce. A white flag means beer and bread while a green flag means vegetables and so on.  He took us to a home that had a white flag and he let us try some Lesotho bread. 

We also got to try on a traditional Lesotho hat.

Afterwards, we stopped to have lunch at "The Highest Pub in Africa".

The view from the balcony

Inside watching the Springbok's rugby game. 

Going back down Sani Pass did not go as smoothly as going up did, but we arrived back at Susie's farm around 4. She prepared a lovely dinner and we spent the evening playing euchre and Matt's game.

The next morning I woke early and had the most relaxing and wonderful Sunday morning I have had in a long time. I got to finish my book and start two new ones while drinking tea and sitting with a lovely mountain view front of me. 

The chair I sat in all morning while reading

All in all, this past weekend has easily been one of my favorites. I cannot wait to come back to Susie's farm in January, for she has invited my mom, Scott, and I to stay here while we make another trip up Sani Pass. 

Until next time,

El

P.S. Anna Banana, can you spot the hidden Mickey? Love and miss you.