With Bridgerton steaming up my TV and the latest version of Emma having me lust after empire-waisted attire, I felt it imperative to recreate a little regency in my life.
Who better to turn to than the OG, Jane Austen?
I am a late bloomer when it comes to romance novels. The books I enjoy usually contain a magical McGuffin or a Spaceship’s ion drive malfunctioning mid-flight but a few years ago I turned to the romance side.
I was reading Sense and Sensibility late at night when a name I recognised popped up. The words “finest old Constantia wine” were printed on the page.
I knew South Africa has a Groot (big) Constantia wine estate and a Klein (small) Constantia wine estate but did we have an old one?
I snapped a picture of my kindle so that I could investigate the matter in the morning.
I did a little research over some tea and rusks and found out that the oldest wine farm in South Africa, known as Constantia (1685) was split into the aforementioned Groot and Klein estates in 1712.
So when Mrs Jennings talks about old wine, she is not kidding.
However, what had me almost choking on my rusk was the discovery that you can still taste a recreation of the same vintage at Klein Constantia estate today.
You can sip a piece of living history when you taste the Vin de Constance.
Napoleon imported litres of this sweet wine, a character created by Charles Dickens enjoyed a glass with a homemade biscuit and Christian Grey paired it with sugar-crusted walnut chiffon candied figs, Sabayon, and Maple Ice Cream.
A bottle of Vin de Constance is pretty expensive but a tasting is right up my budget. I grabbed a few friends and booked an appointment with some old Muscat de Frontignan grapes.
The tasting was so much fun and the wine itself was truly remarkable. I can really recommend grabbing the smart ladies and gents in your life, getting a little dressed up, and having a lovely regency themed outing to the estate.
Details:
Photos are taken by Roland Teichert, please link this blog if you use any.
As I scrolled through social media, instead of getting to the pile of dishes in my sink, a tweet a friend reposted caught my eye. It proposed an American style summer camp for adults, where you read, reminisce, and eat smores.
The first thing I thought was, “but we do that already, don’t we?” I scrolled down and looked at pictures of my cousin’s birthday party.
I scrolled back up. Ok, we rarely read the same book but everything else can be ticked off the list.
Morning coffee order.
I start harassing my friends and family months in advance to come camping with me.
Adult friendships are tricky because the parents can only go during school holidays, the runners have races booked, the gamers have launch dates to observe, and there is always one dude who needs to borrow a tent from his brother who lives two hours away.
Breakfast banana bread with Nutella and fried bananas.
We always eat too big a breakfast and then everyone chills in their tent or cabin with a good book.
After a few hours the French toast wears off and we all come sit by the fire to drink good red wine and discuss what we were reading.
By the end of the night, we substitute Marie or Tennis biscuits for graham crackers and eat smores until the fire burns out.
Most of my friends enjoy reading fantasy books so to make my trip fit the tweet all I would need to do is ask my friend who loves reading but hates camping to suggest a new book for the rest of us to get into.
So instead of telling you how to run your adult summer camp, allow me to suggest where you should host it.
Let’s start off rugged, move on to rustic, and end up in a hot tub.
1. Piece of Heaven Campsite
If your friends own tents, I recommend getting the gang together for a few nights at Piece of Heaven Campsite.
Your tidy little bathroom
This beautiful Porterville campsite sits on the Berg River so nothing stops your book club from reading while fishing, reading while lying on an inflatable unicorn, or reading while watching the sunset turn pink.
I’m sure we were discussing books…
You have the campsite and ablutions to yourself and the owner is extremely helpful.
I would be remiss if I did not warn you though that some rowers might glide by early in the morning, waking up every hadeda in South Africa.
Just be open to being woken up by what feels like hundreds of trees screaming at you.
If you are interested use the following information to book your spot.
Do some of your friends like cabins with four walls while others prefer theirs with three? Well, have I got a spot for you weirdos!
Protea Farm has a variety of cottages to choose from, but my personal favourite is Populierbos. This campsite has a small cottage built over a river, an open-sided cottage, and your own forest perfect for pitching a few tents.
Here you can read in the open-air bath, or by your personal waterfall, or with your feet in the little river.
Your book club could discuss how dreamy Mr Darcy is by the fire pit or debate The Silmarillion before the series drops later this year.
Nothing says you can’t go with only your partner and read a Bridgerton instead 😉
Now I know you are already sold, but let me say one more line. All you can eat potjiekos!
The farm does a buffet every Saturday where you can sit under towering trees and eat as much award-winning potjiekos as you like.
Here is their website if you are interested: Protea Farm
3. AfriCamps at Kam’Bati
Are your friends fabulous? Do you prefer glamping and Gin o’clock over a dusty tent?
Then grab your books and head on over to AfriCamps at Kam’Bati in Swellendam.
Gin and tonics baby!You can also hang by the pool
Here your marshmallows can be roasted outside or inside and your hot tub is already warm by the time you arrive.
The 13 permanent tents have enough space for five people, come with everything you could possibly need, and look really cute on Insta. They even have a little book exchange if you forgot yours at home.
The weather at the moment is anything but frightful. Autumn is slowly sneaking up on South Africa. Woolworths has replaced all of their shorts with sweaters and we are finally done with fiery hot February.
Light breezes are weaving through cooler evenings and somewhere in my soul a hobbit is shouting, “I want to see mountains again, mountains Gandalf!”
If your soul houses a similarly adventure-hungry hobbit, may I be so bold as to suggest 3 fantastic hikes, just waiting for your footfalls?
3. Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve
Near Franschhoek
King Proteas at Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve
Let’s start off slow. Our goal is nothing more than to survive some gradual elevation to a beautiful breakfast view.
I went to the trouble of making rainbow bagels, so I was absolutely going to show them off.
The Uitkyk trail at Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve is a very doable 10-kilometre hike overlooking the Franschhoek Valley.
I’m not going to lie to you, there is some mountain climbing involved at the start.
Every time I vow that I’ll never do this hike again on my way up. However, by the time I make it back to the car via the smooth downhill stroll of the second half, I’ve already decided to come back.
I’ve hiked here in summer, burning a perfect heart between my shoulder blades because I was distractedly chatting while applying sunscreen.
I’ve hiked here in winter, as crisp snow crunched under my boots in one of the few places in South Africa where this is possible.
Visiting these French affiliated mountains at any time of year is amazing, but there is something special about sipping your coffee at Uitkyk over the autumn months.
Day permits are R70 per person and children under 12 years enter for free when accompanied by a paying adult.
The entrance gate opens at 9am but if you want to get in a little earlier book at Webtickets and just prove you have paid on the way out.
If you are a little unfit, just go as far as Breakfast Rock. You will still be surrounded by beautiful nature without overexerting yourself.
There are no shops so bring along a big bottle of water and if you are like me, some lekker leftover pizza.
2. Oudebosch to Harold Porter Trail
Near Betty’s Bay
This hike offers the perfect excuse to ask out that handsome dude you always see in activewear, or to hang out with your buddies that have been meaning to tell you all about their trip to Thailand, or even a great way to punish your younger sibling for always kicking your ass at computer games.
I asked my quirky colleagues to join me.
See the thing is, this is a point to point hike that requires two cars.
You and your friend/crush/unfit sibling will both drive to Harold Porter Botanical Gardens and then one of you will leave your car at the scenic, safe parking lot.
Then you’ll give your hiking buddy a lift to Kogelberg Nature Reserve (Oudebosch) where you will both walk a truly gorgeous 7-kilometre trail back to their car.
The shop is at the end of your hike so take plenty of water and snacks along from the start.
This hike has everything: waterfalls, amber pools, ancient forests, fragrant flowers, and some spectacular sea views.
Every time I’ve hiked in this area, a fresh sea breeze has kept me comfortable as I walked past interesting rock formations and fynbos in full bloom.
You can get your permit for this hike by: booking online, phoning CapeNature at +27 (0)87 087 8250, or making an enquiry via email at reservation.alert@capenature.co.za.
So next time you have to choose between an adventure near the sea or in the mountains, why not go on this hike and get the best of both.
There is also some very popular accommodation at the Kogelberg side.
1. Jonkershoek Nature Reserve
Near Stellenbosch
Ah Jonkershoek, the place I love and hate, in equal measure, the most in all the world.
Somewhere I have run, sobbing in the rain, cursing my inability to read trail signs correctly. Yet also the place my husband and I would like our ashes scattered one day because nowhere else is as beautiful.
I’ve hiked, walked, and run almost every trail this mountain range can throw at me and while I have been cranky, tired, and on occasion miserable, I have never been bored.
I have seen these mountains from every angle and yet every photo I take looks different.
The road leading up to Jonkershoek is already quite magical. Restaurants along the way are called things like Postcards because every view from your table could be printed as one.
The road leading to Jonkershoek
On weekends you can grab a great cup of coffee from Balance Coffee Roastery right at the gate leading into the reserve.
I agree with their slogan, “your adventure deserves a good coffee.” Jonkershoek gate where you can pay to enter.
I would love to suggest a route for you to take but there are just so many good ones.
You can do everything from the very flat 11km Circle Route to the breathtaking 17 km Panorama Hiking circuit. Most people drive into the reserve and do the out-and-back trail to the waterfall which is about 10km.
My Mom who is somewhere in her 60s walks here once a week. It’s easy to see why the waterfall trail is so popular
There are easy routes with names like Canary and Valley and then there are more challenging ones named Armageddon and Neverending Story, which for the record does feel like it never bloody ends.
The top of Neverending Story
All the routes are well marked. Just make sure you actually look up from the road while running in a rainstorm. Running an extra 2 kilometres while your friends are already sipping on their cappuccinos feels bad man!
Every Monday evening you can also join a great big group of social runners and walkers.
The group is split into the fast group (very fast trail runners), the medium group (semi-fast trail runners), the cheese and wine group (very casual joggers), and the red hot chilly steppers (the walkers). All the groups split up and exercise for an hour and then meet up again at the gate.
We start at 6 and anyone is welcome. Just remember that you need to pay R50 per adult to enter or buy a year pass.
The medium group in actionDuring the summer we take a dip to cool off.It’s also a very popular mountain biking spot.
So why not be a little brave, grab a hat, and try out one of these memorable hiking trails during the best season of the year.
Details:
Photos are taken by Roland Teichert, please link this blog if you use any.
Birds, blossoms, and Battlestar Galactica are all
over the West Coast right now, well maybe not the last one. If you are looking
to track down some wildflowers and strawberry chickens, or flamingos if you
prefer to get scientific, August and September is a good time to hit the road.
Roland and I headed to the West Coast National Park early in the season with the hope of fighting the conditions instead of the crowds. We were rewarded with some early blossoms and mostly clear roads.
Canola blossoms on the way to the parkWest Coast National Park
Just one couple had to deal with my road justice when
they decided to walk into a field of flowers when there are thousands of signs
asking people not to exit their vehicles.
Roland, who does not like conflict, immediately stopped
the car to ‘peruse a map’ when I asked him to drive closer to the offenders so
I could have a little word with them. After insisting, he reluctantly put the
map away and raced past the people so I could at least throw a very speedy reprimand
their way. Our little blue car was given quite the stink eye but at least they
got out of the flowers we were all there to see.
View of Langebaan from West Coast National ParkYou can stay on a houseboat in the park
The park has fantastic braai spots
At Geelbek restaurant you can grab a good cup of coffee while you watch weaver birds build their nests and flamingos dot the horizon. The park is gorgeous and the Postberg section, where all the buck and best wild flowers hide, is only open in August and September.
Eland grabbing a snack
At Veldrift we spotted more flowers
After a day well spent, we headed for the Port Owen Marina resort. I am usually a cottage or campsite girl but when a special for the hotel popped up I grabbed a room.
You get tiny complementary rusks
The hotel had a very nostalgic family holiday feel with the paddle-boats and mini-golf so I leaned into that vibe by making myself a ton of roosterkoek and more than one beer shandy.
I very quickly learned that I do a bad job steering a paddle boat
tastes like the eighties
Ignore the slightly burnt one
However, the real draw of the resort is the awesome braai view and the fact that you can buy amazing, fresh fish around the corner.
Snoek time
The next morning, not as early as planned thanks to the bed being too nice and warm, we drove to Rocherpan nature reserve to have our breakfast while we watched lots of water birds have theirs. The small fluffy flamingos insisted on spending time on the opposite side of the bird hide and a special shout out to all the kingfishers that moved too fast for us to photograph.
Young lesser flamingosOystercatchers having a meeting
After a wonderfully peaceful morning, we hiked back to the car and since we had not seen another soul around, Roland took the liberty of squeezing my butt just as a bike rider rode past. I spent the rest of the hike laughing at his flamingo pink face.
These strawberry chickens were hanging out in VeldriftYoung floof
I know Namaqualand is the more impressive and
popular flower watching destination but I can wholeheartedly recommend driving
up the west coast to go see some pops of white, orange, and yellow. Just don’t
walk all over them or you might get a stern word from a blue blur racing past
you.
I have had the same wine-tasting experience hundreds of
times. Someone walks up to me, pours me a glass of red and tells me I will
taste some plum, then they wander off. I usually taste the plum and then carry
on explaining to Roland why I would never go to Jurassic Park if it were a real
place no matter how many times he tries to convince me.
Slayley was different. I was already prepared for the usual wine-and-walk-away, while Roland formulated his arguments vis-à-vis, dinosaurs are awesome. However, instead of the usual, we were treated to the most informative tasting we have ever had.
Mr Hunting dove into a passionate explanation of why the farm prefers old world wine making techniques, explained how wine pairing goes far beyond white wine with fish, and used almost every glass in the cellar to show us the subtle differences in color of the older and newer wines.
Roland and I were warned about how we could ruin a fifty year old red, not that we often come across this problem. However, in case you are rich: don’t decant it for too long and have the wine be exposed to too much oxygen. Chug it is what I learned, although Roland insists that there was another message in there somewhere.
It is pretty interesting being educated on the differences of French and American oak barrels, all while enjoying notes of passion fruit and pineapple.
We had a lovely lunch at the farm and enjoyed the view of
the vineyard but what sticks in my mind the most is the interesting tasting
that is bound to inspire even the most casual wine taster to learn more about
our wines.
It would not be a day out however if I did not embarrass
myself just a little so after our tasting, as per usual, I left a tip at the
register for whoever helped us that day and mentioned to the cashier that they
have a real gem in Mr Hunting.
Your tasting fee is waved if you buy some wine.
On the way to the car I asked Roland why he had such a funny smile on his face, only to have him explain that Mr Hunting owns the wine estate and that I was very cute for leaving him a tip.
As I stood at the southernmost point of Africa, breathing in
air straight from Antarctica, I thought about continents, planets, and the universe,
but mostly I thought about how nice a hot chocolate would be round about now.
Agulhas National Park is the perfect way to spend a winter weekend. There have been few braais where I have not whipped out my phone to show anybody who even mentions that they are planning a weekend away some photos of the area.
The road leading into the park is a little rough on the spine but makes up for it with wonderful sea views and if you are lucky, a bird of prey catching some dinner.
The cottages are relatively new and feel super cosy against a cold breeze. We were lucky though and had a crisp, wind free winter evening. This meant that a fire was lit, meat was seasoned, and I got to work making ‘my’ famous potato salad, whose recipe I ‘borrowed’ from one of my mom’s friends years ago.
In the evening you can sip warm beverages by the fireplace
and in the morning you can watch the little pheasants chasing each other around
the deck.
The shipwrecked Meisho Maru makes for some gorgeous photos and
the lighthouse and its accompanying museum are both interesting and scary if
you are not the greatest fan of tiny ladders.
Walking along the pristine beach, watching all the water birds is really relaxing until you spot the world’s cutest staffy and get into trouble with his owners for trying to straight up steal him.
I guess what I am saying is if cuddles by the fire, clear starry nights, pink sunsets, and views of an almost unending ocean is your thing, you might like this national park and all it has to offer.
What is better than exploring one abandoned mining town,
exploring another one! Especially since this one is more famous and more
accessible.
I woke up in the middle of the desert after a pretty
peaceful sleep, all jackal sounds considered. Sadly the resident ghost knew
exactly how best to annoy me and had broken the geyser the night before. My shower
was…brisk. At least I felt extra fresh as we once again set out to see the
desert.
The sand slowly claiming back the road.
Our first stop was Pomona, an abandoned mine where diamonds used to be so plentiful that they could be picked up from the ground with your bare hands. I asked my dad-in-law what I should do if I found one, and he said to just throw it away. It was so unlikely now that if I did declare it to the mine they would just assume I stole it. I am nothing if not a rebel though and when I found a really pretty rock for my sister’s fish tank I sneaked it home. Come at me De Beers!
Pomona mining building
Next on the list was Luderitz. This time we went for something a little less haunted and booked a beautiful B&B overlooking the ocean. The owners were very friendly and the lack of noisy jackals meant I gave it a full five stars.
Even my breakfast was smiling the next morning.
After a few beers, I am in the company of German in-laws after all, we went to investigate Kolmanskop.
Back in the day, this diamond town was the place to be. Oh, you’re a little hot, no worries they had an ice factory, oh your shopping is a little heavy, why not jump on the first tram in Africa. They had a theater, a casino, and you could even get yourself checked out under the first x-ray-station in the southern hemisphere.
Old-timey ice tray
Today though there is less caviar and champagne and more sand and photographers living their best lives. You need a permit to enter but this is easily procured at the gate and interesting tours about the town are available in English, Afrikaans, and German.
After shaking some of the sand out of our hair we went to check out the Felsenkirche, or Rock Church. It is a gorgeous Evangelical Lutheran church with beautiful stained glass windows.
Church from a distance
My mom-in-law told the kind caretaker that she was a little sad that we were not around on a Sunday to hear the bells and without missing a beat he ran up a little ladder and rang them just for her, probably confusing the whole town in the process.
Luderitz is well worth a visit and makes for an exciting start if you plan to drive further up into Namibia.
Luderitz has lovely architectureThe house on the hill is supposed to be haunted
As we drove home we watched the wild horses of Aus run alongside the car, scratching our final itch for adventure, and giving us one more beautiful sight as most of us started snoozing in the backseat.
Namib desert horsesStopped for a quick lunch at the desert horse inn.Biltong salad Sunset as we arrived back at Oranjemund.
Details:
Photos – Roland Teichert. Please link this blog if you use any of them.
If someone offers you the chance to stay in an abandoned mining town surrounded by jackals, you take that chance! My father-in-law had been kind enough to organize us a permit to go deep into diamond country to explore a part of the Namibian desert that few people ever get to see.
Unfortunately due to an unexpected engagement, the trip to the trip started rather chaotically. The plan was to get to my in-laws’ house in Oranjemund, a small mining town on the border between South Africa and Namibia, nice and early. However, as Robert Burns likes to remind us, the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.
Am I even an Afrikaans girl if I do not make hard boiled eggs, frikadelle, and chicken drumsticks for padkos.
Awry in this case meant racing in our formal clothes to a shut border post and sleeping in the car until they let us in the next morning.
The Orange river separating us from our destination.
I learned many lessons that night. One, the desert is colder
than you think at night and your husband will “accidentally” hog most of your
little red blanket. Two, your husband will “accidentally” park the car so the
full moon shines directly in your face and not his. Three, nothing feels better
than arriving at your destination only to find that your mom-in-law has already
run you a bubble bath and your dad-in-law has made fresh coffee.
The diamond company would rather you not take any of the shiny rocks home.
The desert has a deadline and so after a quick scrub and grub, me and the rest of the family jumped into the big white bakkie and headed for the gate.
Fort Reef
As we hit the absolutely deserted road leading into the sperrgebiet, I felt like I had the coastal desert all to myself. We stopped often to play on the dunes creeping over the road or to give my sister and brother-in-law, who were riding in the back with no air-conditioning, a chance to stretch their legs. Hey, it is their own fault for being born later than Roland and me.
Only people who work for the mine and a few tour guides can get permits for this protected area.
The Sperrgebiet has a diverse range of flora and fauna, due to little human intervention in the area for 100 years. Forty percent of the landscape is desert, thirty percent is grassland, and twenty-eight percent is rocky.
After some unreal scenery we arrived at an abandoned German
mining town. My dad parked in front of the least shabby looking ghost house and
explained that this would be our accommodation. As someone who has nerves of
cotton candy, I knew I was in for a rough night.
The pink house where we stayed the night.The house came with a table that looked like it was straight out of “The cabin in the woods”!A pretty isolated spot!The abandoned German mining village.
I would not be keen to do the sweeping
However, before settling in we went to have sun-downers at Bogenfels, an impressive rock arch that slowly changed colour as we sipped some beer and marula soft drinks.
Off to find a horcrux!
The best thing about marrying into a German/Namibian family is that they know their food and are willing to share. My mom made thousands of tasty sides and my dad braaied enough delicious meat to attract every jackal in the desert. It is quite an experience trying to fall asleep as a pack of jackals make sure you did not accidentally drop a lamb chop somewhere close to the house.
“Any chops up for grabs?”
Flashing a smile in the hopes of getting a snack
The next day we left the pink house behind and headed back
into the desert, but more on that next time.
A dune has gradually creeped across the road.
Details:
My dad-in-law was able to acquire a permit to this protected area because he works for the mining company but there are guided tours that can obtain similar permits. You are not allowed to enter this area without a permit.
Photos – Roland Teichert (If you use any of these photos please link and credit this blog).
I knew space would be cold, but I did not realize that viewing it would be equally freezing. I had never looked through a telescope before and here I was staring at the rings around Saturn, the great red storm on Jupiter, and the craters of the moon. High five for living in the southern hemisphere because this meant that I could see Proxima Centauri, the closest star to our sun, with my own eyes.
It all started with an unchecked item on my dad’s bucket-list that involved visiting the coldest place in South Africa and then listening to him complain about how cold it is the entire trip. At his request we hit the road in the middle of winter to go see some stars.
On our way to Sutherland
You have to grab some breakfast along the way.
We booked a lovely little Airbnb on a farm just outside of Sutherland. It had a nice walking trail, comfy beds, and most importantly an indoor fire for braaing boerewors and warming frozen fingers and toes.
As the temperature dipped below freezing we figured now would be the perfect time to go stand outside in an open field for a few hours. As you arrive at Sterland Stargazing you are handed a warm drink and told to grab a seat so you can watch a short presentation. The guide running the show knows his stars and it was good to learn a little bit about what we would be looking at soon.
The real magic happens when the telescope slowly turns to the night sky. Small groups huddled around each telescope as we all took turns looking at the celestial objects that our guide pointed out. Since my mind does not have a stargazing script I had no idea what to expect. Some white dots maybe. Boy was I blown away when I could clearly see the anticyclonic storm churning away on the surface of Jupiter. It was just plain exciting getting to see the stars and planets so clearly.
Maybe grab a cup of hot chocolate before setting out
Remember to dress warmly if you are going in winter (I am
talking hats and gloves people!) and that a full moon and clouds might affect
your viewing experience. We were lucky but I have heard that the guide still
tries his best to make it an awesome night out even if the sky does not play
along.
Roland warming his toes and sipping some sherry after the stargazing
The next day we decided to add a little salt to our trip. We booked a tour to see SALT, The Southern African Large Telescope. We were actually lucky to make the trip as our neighbor, who also drives a diesel car, could not start his engine the next morning thanks to some frozen fuel. My dad’s car may have been just modern enough to save us from the same fate.
The ground was pretty frosty
The fresh, icy air almost takes your breath away as you step
out onto the alien landscape dotted with telescopes. I felt so proud that South
Africa is part of all this space exploration and loved the tour. Our guide was
interesting, very funny, and nobody managed to stump him with their questions.
As we stepped into the observation box to view the large telescope he jokingly asked
us to grab hold of something as we were about to shoot up very fast. I was the
only dummy that grabbed hold of some pipes in a panic as the little room stayed
on the ground.
A model of SALTThe real thingInside SALT
It was a very interesting adventure and as it turns out my
dad ended up ticking an item off of my bucket-list that I did not even know was
there.
Details:
Photos – Roland Teichert (please link this blog if you use any of them).
“They are called cria, not alpaca-puppies”, the guide said
with a smile as she let me brush the new-born’s soft fur. Who knew that twenty
minutes from my apartment the world’s cutest alpaca were just waiting for me to
come cuddle them?
This little one was just 6 days old
I could kill for a cup of coffee somewhere new and so on an absolute
whim I headed over to the Alpaca Loom near Paarl.
You can spot Table Mountain in the distance
I love a small menu. All I need from a coffee shop is a few tasty items, a good cup of coffee, and the knowledge that they do not have to keep a lot of different ingredients fresh because of their thousand item menu. The Alpaca Loom Coffee Shop nails the brief.
The coffee was great, my croissant with homemade strawberry
jam and cheese was delicious, and I would tell you if the pepper streak pie was
any good but my husband ate it so fast that I did not get a bite.
The
coffee shop deck conveniently overlooks a play area for kids and a fenced in
area where you can feed a few of the alpaca and llamas. It also offers the perfect
view of the surprise on people’s faces when they learn that alpaca and llamas
like to spit, sometimes right in your face
Alpaca give you super soft nibbles
The look the llama gave us when he realized we had food
After coffee I joined the barn tour. The tour was genuinely
interesting and our guide very knowledgeable. I learned that you can tell an
alpaca mom is pregnant when she spits on her baby-daddy and now I know the
scientific name for alpaca-puppies. The guide made sure everyone got a chance
to hug a tame alpaca and I made sure to give every animal that would let me
some scritches.
Got head scratches
Also got head scratches
The farm is extremely well run, the alpaca can bounce around
nice big grassy pens or chill in the warm barn, and most importantly you can
tell the animals are loved. The farm also offers walking tours with their
floofy flock and you can buy beautiful hand crafted items at the shop.
So if you are craving a cup of coffee, why not drink it
while giggling as another unsuspecting person learns just how much alpaca like
to spit.
A Moderate Amount of Nature 