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A remarkable landscape. Volcanic?
3 years agoThanks for posting the shot! Most cyclists avoid doing snakes. Good info! My Herpetology background makes this post special.
3 years agoThanks for giving it a go. I wasn't even going to try and get an ID for it.
3 years agoFamily Mantidae.
I can't get ID down any farther... seems there are about 43 genera in S. Africa alone! And many species in each genus. Who knew there were so many?
https://www.ru.ac.za/media/rhodesuniversity/resources/martin/mantidae.html
Bill, my botanical knowledge is limited to sections of Asphodeloideae so I can only accept your ID.
3 years agoChicory
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicory
Some kind of primrose?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oenothera_biennis
I agree with Leopard Tortoise. They can get very big here but this fella was only bite-sized.
3 years agoCute! Might ge a leopard tortoise?
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/40092-Stigmochelys-pardalis/browse_photos
Ha ha ! I was just saying to our host here at Mount Melsetter that culverts are great places for cycle tourists. Safe, out of the wind and dust, and this one even had a low wall on which to sit. Absolute luxury.
3 years agoThose who can afford good education in South Africa get a world class education and I am grateful my children did. Those reliant on free education in the poorest areas struggle with poor facilities and uncommitted educators. and often do not get the support that is needed from their parents and their communities.
3 years agoVery romantic!
3 years agoI suppose every country has it's issues and history to deal with. My boss at work comes from SA and moved his family out here because of the deterioration of the education system and wanted a future for his children. Enjoying your travels, South Africa is a beautiful country.
3 years agoGreat photos of the changing town-, sky- and landscapes, Jean-Marc! Glad that you guys managed to survive/dodge the thunderstorms. When I was cycling around Pretoria all those years ago, I found myself wondering, "Jeez, whatever will I do if I'm caught in a highveldt thunderstorm?" (It's not as though there were many overpasses offering shelter...) Thankfully, it never happened. You've had some great lodgings, nicely described. Safe journeys, John.
3 years ago
I know very little about geology but I think it is as a result of same the big volcanic action from 180 million years ago that resulted in the koppies spread across the Karoo. The Drakensburg/Maloti mountains are the highest point on the escarpment that stretches in a U-shape from the north-west of South Africa all the way up to its north-eastern corner. There are some really dramatic sections but we are not likely to see the highlights which mostly lie mostly on the eastern side of the Drakensberg on the border of Lesotho and KwaZulu-Natal.
3 years ago