Frogs in the Shower and the Braai That Went Up in Smoke

We had the best sleep in our luxury upgraded room, but we woke up way too early. We didn’t close the curtains, and with all that light flooding in, you’d have to be dead to sleep late! But forget the early start; the real news is that Izabel discovered a family of frogs living in the shower! The shower floor is quite cool, with a big stone you stand on and loose pebbles all around it. I guess if I were a frog, I’d want to live there too.

Cool Shower Floor

A Day of Mandatory Lounging

Since the weather was being grumpy and overcast, we decided a hike into the mountain wasn’t the best idea. So, we committed to maximum lounging. We ate, we drank, we read, and we even watched some birds (we certainly didn’t know what we were looking at). It was a really uneventful day—just as it should be. By the afternoon, the clouds finally started clearing up, and we were rewarded with an actual sunset.

The Grey Feathered Bird
First sunset in days

The Braai That Couldn’t Catch Fire

The one thing I was looking forward to on this trip was a proper braai (BBQ) every night, but it is quickly turning into a disaster. Nights one and two were rained out, and then night three went up in smoke!

They gave us these Boabab fruit peels to use as a fire starter. I followed the instructions perfectly: light the paraffin starter, pile on the Boabab peels, wait for it to catch, and then stack the wood. The result? A massive heap of smoking wood and peels. I’d blow and blow until the house almost fell down, the flames would rise for about 45 seconds, and then die again. After rinsing and repeating this cycle, I just gave up and got the frying pan out. I’m done with the fire attempts; I’ve already decided I’m not going through that fiasco again on night four!

Not a braai fire

Hitting the Trail (and the Trees)

Our second day on the farm started with clear skies, which was a huge relief. After breakfast, we decided to check out the hiking trail. It was already quite warm, but we had to be careful because the ground was still wet and pretty slippery. We chose the shorter, easier trail that goes around the base of the mountain. It was beautiful and totally worth the effort. We even had to do some “bundu bashing” where trees had fallen after the recent heavy rains, but that just made it more fun. We definitely plan to do the longer one next time.

Izabel die Stapper
The Bearded Tree

By the late afternoon, the clouds started rolling in again, but thankfully, the rain stayed away. After last night’s fire failure, I was back in the kitchen making dinner.

As for the frog family, I tried removing them, thinking maybe they were trapped, but as I was lying on the bed reading, I heard a noise and found two of them had returned. So, I just decided to let them be. Tomorrow, we are heading to Ellisras (Lephalale), which will be our longest day of the trip, so a good night’s sleep is definitely on the cards.