Monday, July 7th, The Cavern, Drakensberg, South Africa

Greetings!

Today was one of those infrequent days when no group activity is planned.  Except for meals, we’re on our own at the Resort.  Speaking of meals, the fare includes some local game, and lamb, beef, and fish.  Fruit and vegetables are plentiful, and I’m looking forward to the pineapples I see ripening in the fields around us.

Pat and I decided to two-hour hike on a Nature Trail leading out of the Resort, up through a dense forest, to a waterfall just past a protea garden. 

The views there of the basalt mountain escarpment covering a layer of sandstone were spectacular. Some of the log stairs were a bit difficult to climb, both up and down, but we took it slowly, and were surprised to finish in less than the time described in the guide.  The unique ferns and trees which have survived in this protected high valley were very special.

It was pretty cold this morning due to a storm which crept up from Cape Town, but it warmed up later and we spent most of the middle of the day on comfy couches in the Library reading and working on our computers in the sunshine. Quinton and I worked together to better prepare him to market his tours (www.africaschild.co.za), and to use a Google Blog and Google+ to organize an effort to develop internet content on South Africa’s important natural resources.

I have come to believe that tour guides are the richest resource a country has.  We tourists depend on them, not only for helping us experience the country, but to see it from a perspective few others have.  Anything I can do to help Quinton inform us is time well spent.  And I admire especially his passion for assisting South Africans to visit the places we tourists see.  I’m interested in helping him develop some ways to allow more self-guided tours with richly-delivered content through smart phones at targeted GPS locations similar to what I’m doing for California’s coast and parks.

To see the rest of the photos we took today, click on Monday, July 7^th, The Caverns, Drakensberg, South Africa.  And check out where we’re going next on our Google Engine Map.