Day 42 - Makkedaat Caves/Baviaanskloof

'Dassiebak Cave' at 'Makkedaat', which we were advised is the 'Honeymoon Suite' @ R900.00 for the night plus R60 for two bags of wood, makes for an awesome first honeymoon night🤔!!!

Waking up in our ‘rustic-architectured' cave dwelling, inspired by more than two hundred year's of Bushmen residents (no doubt) along with the ingenuity of as many 'pallet-style' lodgings throughout the country to the entry of the 'Dassibak Cave', is all one actually needs.

Designed and equipped with an outside porch, a completely enclosed and secured front facade of wooden planks. An extension to the cave roof of plastic and rusted corrugated iron. Pretty much an open-plan arrangement inside, all except the open air/outside shower, basin and thankfully, toilet! All beautifully clean and thought through. There must be all of six or more cave-dwellings in the working farm valley, none in sight of each other.

It must also be said, that a new 'Rustic' has arrived! Rudimentary plumbing and electrical installations and repair jobs. Plumbing is easily repaired with electrical insulation tape and electrical issues with plumbing tape, hessian is an optional extra! Duct Tape' and 'Cable Ties' have obviously not been discovered here in Baviaanskloof. 'Bloudraad' has, in extensive use, makes for a regular 'boer-maak-'n-plan' job.

The only electrical supply is generated by a Solar Panel connected to LED light strips and globes! One can just see the delight on a previous inhabitant's face? Not to mention the water borne sewage arrangement or even a roll of Duct Tape. Even Tanie Henriettes old 'Oom' must be amazed!!!

The early morning sunshine and clear blue skies were also a welcome site. The night in the cave was so dark, no moon and a billion star's shining brightly. Surprisingly warm inside the cave and only spoilt by a nasty thirst at 01:15, and we hadn't thought to bring drinking water up from the car 39 steps, way down at the car below. Armed with a Cellphone torchlight (again imagine our little 'Cavemen Predecessor's'), I had visions of a renegade Leopard in the kloof, I shnuck down to the car to retrieve water and I also found two Coke's. Again my little predecessors! That thirst, I am sure emanates from the previous days Bollie Birthday 'Mexican Soup', well laced with garlic and a 'gizzilian' onions!!! Delicious!!!😋

We left at 10:00 toward the Willowmore => Uniondale 'T-Junction' heading to George/Oudtshoorn. So, good to be back on a tarred surface and after yesterday's meandering from nowhere to beyond, it was quite a relaxing drive to George. However, the last twenty kilometers out of the Baviaanskloof canyon is also just as mindblowing, but the tar surface still very welcome.

Old Army memories and a certain nostalgia came flooding back, as we passed the 'Kamanasi Dam' turn off. 30 years before at Infantry School in Oudtshoorn, we completed a 5 Day maneuver called 'Section Leading', which entailed sleeping in our own self-dug trenches in the rain and exercising patrols all day, also in the rain. At night no sleep just hacking and chipping away at solid rock, as we dug these f☆¿king trenches.... all night!!!

How different the terrain between the Baviaanskloof and driving up and into the Outiniqua Pass between Oudtshoorn and George. Totally different rock formations and dense green bush, with endless forestry and hectares of Hops, all for a great cause😃🍻

A quick trip into George to collect the caravan from Ghislain and Bollies house, a Cuppa with Ghislain and off to meet up with Koos Meyer and Monique in Mosselbay. Super to see them again, since December and to spend some time with them, until Friday morning. Went out to dinner along the beachfront in Mosselbay, to be back early for Koos to meet some work deadline's at 07:15.

So lekker meeting up with Koos and Monique again, and so many thanks for accommodating us for a while.

Love, Peace and Light
M&K

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