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OudtshoornMar 3, 2008
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Riverdale to Outashoorn
Our first optional stop today was at an Alohe Factory. It also had a cafe that served coffee and muffins and everyone opted to stop. The ladies opted to spend. Our second stop was a planned visit to Mobey Bay and the Dias Museum. It's a marine museum depicting the routes of the early explorers that came around the tip of Africa seeking a trade route to India. We did a couple of unintended side excursions before we found the Museum Parking lot. (He who misses the most turns sees the most of Africa!)
We then did a mountain drive across to the inerior to Outashoorn with a stop at an ostrich farm enroute. Ostrich are farmed like cattle in this part of Africa. They had about 2500 on the farm we visited. They harvest the birds at 14 months of age. Each produces about 140 kilos of steak type meat ande 10 kilos of "biltong" - a dried jerky - from the thighs. The skin and feathers are also valuable products. The house at the farm we visited is known as the "Feather House". It was built in the late 1800's with money made from the obscession of European ladies with ostrich feathers. The feathers were worth their weight in gold - literally. A kilo of ostrich feathers sold for a kilo of gold! It was very hot at the farm - about 110 degrees. We ate lunch outside. The ostrich steak was superb, but would have tasted much better in an air conditioned restaurant. They had one, but apparently served us outside for the "ambience".
When we arrived at Klienpass RV park in Outashoorn it was still very hot. Fortunately we were under trees as the air conditioners simply were no match for the heat, nor was the power. They kept shutting off, and then back on as power recovered. We were lucky to have a very nice pool in the Park which helped everyone get cool. About dark a strong windstorm arrived, followed by rain. It helped break the heat.
