On Friday afternoon we headed for Fouriesburg to meet up with family for our long weekend break away.

Geography lesson: Fouriesburg is a small town near the Maluti Mountains in the Free State Province of South Africa. It is 10km from the Caledonspoort Border Control on the Lesotho Border and 35km from the picturesque town of Clarens.

On our way there we had the spectacular view of clouds with silver linings and this absolutely beautiful sunset. It doesn't get any prettier than this.

Because of the distance between Fouriesburg and Lesotho we made reservations at Fouriesburg Country Inn. Although it is always a pleasant stay with delicious homey food, they have traded their once soft and fluffy pillows with maxi bricks. The accommodation cost: R385p/p including breakfast. The only suggestion I would make when travelling there is to take your own pillow, it is much needed.

Day 2 - Fouriesburg to Calendonspoort Border Control, Mafika Lisiu pass and Katse dam

On Saturday morning we were at Caledonspoort Border Control at 9:30 and it was a scorching 24°C. I have to high five myself (and hug my husband) because I got my first stamp in my new passport. It was also our last chance to make use of a hygiene, sort of no germ free, white toilet until we reached the Katse dam visitor centre. This is a tip. If you have travelled there before you know the drill, but for all of you who haven't been deprived of such luxury, use it or squat.

The distance from the post to Katse dam was 155km and be aware that you travel in km and not in time. It's not because the road is bad, because it is not. It just takes time and you have to drive while using gears. Well, when I say gears I mean first and second gear. Before you can even dream to put the car in third gear, you have reached the next turn in the road and it is time to slow down again and this carries on throughout the entire trip. The tar roads have degree of damage to them. The roads give way on the sides and when it is tar road painting season there is some laziness that goes into the process as you can see on the picture and yes, you have guessed it. It is easier to paint everything in that hole and even gravel than what it is fixing the road. Nonetheless the road condition is on par with South Africa.

Lesotho has to be one of my favourite places to drive through. There are so many hills and valleys and the next is more beautiful than the last. Not to mention that this place is like the holy grail of water supply. There is water pouring out of the mountains creating streams and mini cascading waterfalls down the hills. We even had some of the water and tastes better than bottled water, not that it surprised me.

I have seen something this past weekend that I have seen in my entire life, a white donkey. It looks like a horse but with less pizazz! We have also managed to see a rare species of walking bush donkey. It looked really strange from a far but made sense the closer we got.

After driving up Mafika Lisiu pass which reaches an altitude of 3090m, we drove to the view point. What a view. It is both breath taking and cold. Be sure to take a jacket even in summer. Mafika Lisiu pass can be found between Pitseng and Lejone, it is characterised by its sleep climbs and descends and hairpin bends.


I have to admit. When I first heard that we were going to drive to a dam the odds were not in Katse's favour, but the more the drove alongside it, I realised that this isn't any dam. It is 1993m above sea level, making it Africa's highest dam and it also the second biggest dam in Africa. Katse dam is situated in one of the most scenic regions of the Maluti Mountains of Lesotho.

Eventually you arrive at the dam wall and there is this impressive block of concrete holding back 1 950m³ of water and then some.

We decided to spend the night at Katse lodge and these people know a thing or two about hospitality. We were greeted with glasses of juice and warm smiles. The accommodation per night is R695 including breakfast and dinner and dinner is a four course meal. Impressive. The best thing was when we got to our rooms the beds were already heated against the cold that was to arrive with darkness. It was hot outside but we enjoyd the warmth of the bed. Please don't ask me why. I don't know ...

We went outside to enjoy the view of the dam and it is spectacular and I had my first taste of Maluti lager and it is good. The bar is a bit overprized. R110 for 2 grapetizers and 2 lagers, but it was worth every sip, especially after spending 5 hours in the car. The day turned into night and it was the third day.

Day 3

When you open your bedroom curtain the next morning please make sure you have your sunglasses on. The glare almost blinds you, but it is such a pretty sight. The sky was blue and all the clouds of the day before vanished.

What is even more perfect is that you can enjoy your morning coffee on the deck and overlook Katse dam. There is a silence. Not the awkward kind but the one that you can actually listen to and it gets drenched into your soul and you feel at peace. 

We had to take the same route back unfortunately but the view changes completely. At one point we were at an altitude of 3010m and we found a handful of ice beside the road and the temperature was 14°C. Quite the opposite of the previous day. In Lesotho you should always be prepared because temperature changes from scorching hot to ice cold. It became clear to us that it had rained the night before, water was pouring out of the rock faces creating cascading waterfalls.

This place is crazy, crazy beautiful. It is worth every cent you spend on travel cost, accommodation and the time you spend in your car driving. If you haven't been here before ... what are you waiting for?

Logo design board

The next step in creating my digital design company was the logo design.  After the long weekend (whoop whoop - we are going to Lesotho!) I will start designing my brand board and I want to be sure of the fonts I will be using. I have to admit by creating 14+ logos I have had a complete mind shift about typography and what I want to use. Not only did I change my initial design but (in my humble opinion) I started with better designs. It may not be perfect just yet but it is better.

 

I tend to rush with everything I do so for me to take it one step at a time is a miracle and one hell of an accomplishment. By changing the way I would have usually done this type of thing, I give myself time to process my choices and the pro's and cons. I don't bombard myself with decisions which in turn overwhelms me and then I either give up or do something else.

My first few favourite designs were numbers 1, 2 and 4 but after thinking out of the box and changing the conventional type-the-whole-word-out-type-of-scenario I now very much like the look of number 8, 10 (going to change the font), 12, 13 and 14. The designs up to number 7 looks amateurish but the last couple I like, its simple but striking.  

 

There are countless fonts to download (for free) so choose something that fits the design. I downloaded so many fonts and then some to create this board. If you think there's something wrong with the combination you choose, there probably is. But that is why there are typography experts (excluding myself on this one) to advise which types to combine. Reading up on what they suggested helped me a great deal.

 

I can now work on the designs I like with the fonts I like and I am one step closer to compiling my brand board. Loving my decision right now to take it step by step ... I enjoy it more!

 

 

The start of something big

To start a business or design company in my case, requires a lot of time, deep thinking and patience. Well that's my experience anyway!

What should the outcome be? What do I want to sell, buy or distribute? What colour scheme should I go with? There are numerous questions that need answering and it can be overwhelming.

I decided to go back to the beginning. The very beginning, because it is fairly impossible to start thinking of company branding and doing a business plan without getting the initial step right! The seed cannot grow if the conditions don't allow for it or if certain factors are missing.

During the first week at college, they suggested we start with a mood board before we start designing a project. A mood board is a collage of images, text, samples or whatever you want to use in the project, it acts as inspiration. You get an immediate feel for the project when looking at the board. You know what you want to achieve.

I designed my mood board today, all digital and I feel better after spending half my day on it. The seed is planted. I know what I want to achieve. After this step the seed can grow and will hopefully be a beautiful Baobab one day.

But for now, I have patience.

Salute!

Today is a sad day.

It started with my car's clutch cable that snapped right before it was my time to turn at the Rivonia offramp. Oh the joys of sitting in traffic everyday!

I own the car since 2006 and since then I have had no problems. It has never left me beside the road due to any fault whether it was because of human or technical error but today was the day.

I had to wave it off as the tow truck drove away and I have to admit I am sad, tearful even. I have used the car while moving, driving to and from work, it even clocked 100 000km's last week.

My little blue, I am proud to say that I drove you and thanks for never letting me down, I salute you!

Weekend in Mpumalanga

We had the privilege to attend our best friend's wedding this past weekend in Ermelo, Mpumalanga. What a fairy tale wedding shared with good friends, tasty food and wonderful scenery!

Staying true to our love of travel, we did a 400km loop to the small town of Dullstroom yesterday. Our pantry was low on coffee and chocolate and was in need of serious stocking up. Like I said in my about page, it is both Marius and my favourite.

 Happy Monday!

Love travel

To travel sets me free from the every day routine. It breaks a boring habit. It creates the feeling that I live a life of adventure and I love it!

 

Whether it is going to the ocean and hearing the waves break or the slightly mouldy smell of a forest. My body gets transported to another place. A place away from work and every day life and stress and traffic jams!

 

I close my eyes and breathe in and suddenly I am calm.

 

To travel does something to my soul. It makes me happy. Money can't buy you happiness but it can buy petrol or a ticket to anywhere which is kind of the same thing.

 

 Where have you travelled to lately and what does travel do to your soul?