Zastron

April 16, 2021

We had no disasters with leaking pipes in our bathroom ceiling last night. Many thanks to Arie and his staff at the Lord Fraser Guesthouse for the night's free accommodation. Supper was pizzas, some of which we saved for lunch on the road today.

This was also my last chance to try a beer from Lesotho since we would be traveling away from the border from now on. My son, who brews all his own beer, suggested that the beer might be made from good water but my reply to him was that the water might be better than the beer.

We got away soon after eight o'clock this morning riding southwards into a strong wind and facing a few climbs. We knew we would be in for a tough tough day and so it turned out to be. The wind blew between ten to twenty kilometers an hour, gusting to over forty, straight into our faces for almost the whole ride and made the slightest gradient seem so much steeper.

In the three weeks that have passed since we past through this area, the veld has quickly taken on a more wintery hue. The grass will become even whiter as the overnight frosts set in.

Zastron lies beneath the Aasvogelberg which we could see from a long way off. It seemed that we would never get there but we eventually dragged our exhausted bodies into town some time before four in the afternoon. First business was to get to the shops to stock up before struggling up the steep hill to the same digs we stayed in three weeks ago.

We didn't wait to have a shower before downing our first beer but when I did get to the shower I found this poor little Woodland Dormouse (Graphiurus murinus) stuck in the bath.

We are spending two nights here to recover after today's efforts.

Today's ride: 70 km (43 miles)
Total: 1,535 km (953 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	3
Comment on this entry	Comment	0