Favorite places to visit. (part 1)

Being a proud born and bread South African, I would like to share some of our beauty with the rest of the world.  I was born in the city of Bloemfontein in the Freestate province South Africa, after moving around with my family for a few year we eventually ended up the town of Port Shepstone in the Province of Kwazulu-Zulu Natal, which is roughly 750 kilometers from Bloemfontein.

Being very fortunate I have had the privileged to travel our lovely country and I have seen about 80% of of all the best places to see. I have traveled from the East to the West, from the North to the South, and while traveling I have seen some spectacular sights, from crossing landscapes that take your breath away to  meeting people that put the dance back in your shoes.

My favorite place by far is the vast open veld of the Karoo. This is a area in the Northen-Cape province around the area of the Small town of Upington and stretching all the way south to a town called Oudsthoorn. This is a area declared a semi-desert because of its little rainfall, although some seasons may bring more or less rain. Sheep farming is probably the mos common type of farming done here, as farming is one of the most common sources of income. You will also find some Game farms and some cattle farms at places.

This is probably one of the most quiet landscapes in the country and the nearest city is roughly 4hours drive in any direction and a lot of people still live like they did a long time ago. The Karoo is also mildly known for the native Bushman that used to live of the land in the these parts.  In the evenings the most beautiful sunsets take place and the veld goes noticeably quiet as all the animals take shelter for the night, and swallows travelling from afar takes rest in the few trees stand around the few water holes left. When the it finally gets dark the stars proudly take their place in the sky next to a big bright moon that illuminates the plains with its grey glow.  The brightness of the stars here are not like anything else I have seen in this beautiful country - shining brighter than Rihanna's diamond. 

During the daytime in the summer months temperatures can rise up to the mid 30 degrees Celsius, and in some cases rise into the 40's even. Naps in the afternoon between 13h00 and 15h00 is a habit because it is simply to hot to be outside. In the winter months it is the exact opposite - temperatures rarely rise above 15 degrees Celsius and in the evenings it easily drops to a low  -4 degrees, and have been recorded to drop to -9 degrees.

From a young age I went to go visit relatives in the Karoo, and I have a very special place in my heart for the this place and its people. Growing up around the farm planted the seeds for my decision to study agriculture and one of these days specializing in animal production  or plant productions, after all people will always need food for their homes and families, this is also a wonderful job creation opportunity as their is plenty of vacant employment spaces on farms. 

I strive to make a difference in our economy and believe that my efforts will be worth while, because after all, this is a great country, in my opinion it's one with unlimited potential and I will gladly do my part in reaching that potential. Stay tuned for my next post  in which I will tell you some more about other places in our country just as wonderful.