I didn’t imagine that wading in a hot outdoor pool ( as hot as a bath) could get any better until it started to rain. My entire body was relaxed and warm and rain drops gently hit my face, nose and head and added some much-needed coolness. As welcoming as the water is on a winter’s day in the Karoo, there’s only so long that you can fully submerge your entire body beneath it. You become sleepy, lethargic and begin to overheat, so all it takes is for you to breach half your body and allow the cool breeze to stabilize your body temperature to avoid passing out. And this is precisely why there is no better place to be whilst it’s raining than in hot water. I leaned over the pool’s edge and rested my head on my arms, closed my eyes and enjoyed the rain’s light touch.
But long before the rain came, my brother and I were making breakfast for my parents. We had a lazy, late morning. As soon as we had eaten, the four of us put our walking shoes on and headed towards the hiking path in the mountains behind us. At the foot of the mountain, Calitzdorp Spa’s mountain cottages overlooked a body of water below. Orange blooming aloes lined the path and we chose the easier of the two: Skilpad.
It was a light, lovely walk that took us on curved path around the mountain. Thorny trees, succulents, aloes and green bushed covered the mountainside.
Looking down over the valley, were farmlands and open land for ages. My dad proudly clutched his stick which he used when hiking and my mother somehow spotted many springbok high up on the mountain, they were nearly completely camouflaged whilst grazing amongst the rocks and bushveld. At the end of the path, above the farmhouse, stood a male ostrich pacing up and down along the fence in an effort to protect the female. Across the barbed wire fence, many more brown ostriches stood in contrast against the blue and cloudy sky.
Once down and back at the resort, we read our magazines and sat in the hot sun before going in search of scones and tea in the town. The distance it takes to get from the spa to the main road of Calitzdorp is supposedly the same as going from my house to Cape Town International airport ( about 20 km). I sent an sms and when I looked up, we had reached the other side of the town. We had to double back and turned left to explore more of the town’s treasures such a the Port and wine farms. White roses lined the roads besides the vineyard and pretty, old houses with empty porches passed us by. This small town left me utterly peaceful. |
| The hike begins |
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| Aloes |
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| Calitzdorp Spa |
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| The Karoo clouds I love |
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| Tagged Ostrich |
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| Springbok |
