Downsizing

It's been an adventurous day. 

We began the morning with a calming stroll, spotting two mongooses and three dassies alongside some lovely birds. 

After breakfast, we collected our hire car for the 350km ride to George. It has to be the most dangerous road you'd ever want to travel on as a tourist with currently, endless traffic works.

First off was a twenty tonne lorry ploughing downhill towards the back of us as we're stopped at roadwork traffic lights at the back of a queue. He missed the four speed reduction signs, the two traffic light signs and three people waving flags (as they do here at all roadworks.) 

Thankfully, Rich spotted him in the rear view mirror and took avoiding action into the hard shoulder as he swerved the other way at the last minute.  Thankfully nothing was coming the other way.

Second up was the hefty lorry overtaking downhill as cars followed but then chose the last minute to brake and pull off into the roadworks on the right. Not much room there then.

Blind overtaking, third.

And a little unnerving when you've been told not to stop for anyone, even police cars - a police car semi-roadblock with possible policeman with a potential gun waving people (including us) to stop. We slowed. We kept driving. We looked. He waved us through. Phew!

And now we've arrived at Downsizing. Have you seen the film? We've arrived in a golf village - we're not golfers and we could be anywhere in the world. Mistake!

On top of that, the wildfires that have been raging in the beautiful mountains behind have decimated the forest (and taken lives.) They have flared back up again in places and we could see the smoke as we drove up the valley. So what would have been a beautiful place to visit pre-fires and a fascinating, if shocking, sight to see is not on the cards either.

We've changed our hotel for tomorrow night.

So, like this Cape white eye, a fleeting visit is all we'll be doing here.   But we have had a pleasant stroll and enjoyed some bird watching.