Temple monkeys

Angkor Wat has some beautiful resident monkeys including the cutest baby.  These monkeys, as one would expect of monkeys in a Buddhist temple, are full of love for each other.  They spend their days giving each other beautiful massages.  When it comes to humans however, they are rather unscrupulous, always looking to steal a morsel from bags.  Their favourite item of theft is plastic water bottles which they then drink with gusto.

Oooooh, what heaven to have a monkey massage.  This, by the way, was done as part of post coital bliss.  Mr and Mrs Monkey had just given us a very explicit view of some monkey business !!

Utopia

Chrisel's family has a little bush retreat, just over an hour's drive out from Joburg, near the Magaliesberg Mountains.  It really did live up to its name and I loved my time here.

Highlights of the overnight stay included:

• Stopping off at The Hartbeespoort Dam on the way.
• Buying some delicious cheese from a local farm.
• Stopping at a huge African market and a distillery to get Chrisèl's family a thank you gift.
• Buying delicious berry jam at a quaint little farm stall on the way - maybe the best jam I've ever tasted.
• Feeling immediately relaxed as soon as we arrived. Such a gorgeous, tranquil setting right in the bush veld with the constant sound of birds calling.
• The view from the deck of the house, out onto a far away lake.
• Going for a walk along the river and stopping off to photograph white-fronted bee-eaters on the way back - one of my favourite birds.
• Making a delicious lamb potjie. We did one at The Amphitheatre, but this time I knew what I was doing and it was a considerably more relaxed experience!
• A stunning walk in the reserve next door along a dry river gorge, gazing in awe at some of the reddest and most ancient rocks I've ever seen. It certainly gives Australia's Red Centre a go for its money!

The houses in Utopia - built to meld into the landscape.

A big deck to admire the view out onto the bush.

A walk along the river.

The local white-fronted bee-eaters, the iconic symbol of Utopia.

Making a delicious lamb potjie.

Exploring a river gorge.  Aren't those rocks amazing!

Lots of wind and water sculptured rock formations.

A cute Vervet monkey along the way.

Away with the Fairies at Hogsback

Legend has it that Tolkien, the author of The Hobbit, visited the town of Hogsback as a very young child and its forests and mountainous valleys inspired his future visions of The Misty Mountains, home of Smaug the dragon.  It is a gorgeous place with great hiking but in winter, it's important to come warmly rugged up!

Highlights of our two nights in Hogsback ...

• A fascinating drive to Hogsback from East London with Dan, the owner of Away With The Fairies, the hostel where we stayed.  He regaled us with story after story about the Frontier Wars between the British and Xhosa people that greatly influenced South Africa's history.
• The amazing open air bath at Away with The Fairies, perched on a cliff with extraordinary views across the valley. The bath even comes with hot water straight from the tap if you have the patience to wait for the 2 hours required to heat it up with a real fire.  I lay in the bath for over an hour (without any water!), meditating and filming the shifting light and clouds with my iPhone's time lapse camera.  Extremely peaceful. Except when my phone fell over and nearly fell off the cliff!
• Lazing by the fire in hostel's lounge in the cold evenings, admiring the murals of fairies on the walls, drinking great red wine and munching on the best pizza I think I've ever tasted.  
• Meeting up again with Jarred and Kate (who we'd met at Buckaneers) - a lovely South African couple on their honeymoon.
• A beautiful but chilly hike through the forested valley, oggling at some immense trees and exploring a plethora of waterfalls along the way.  The one waterfall required a steep climb and constant searching for little blue ribbons to find the way. It felt a bit like a treasure hunt! 
• Max, the local border collie, came for the walk and insisted on swimming in the river at every stop, despite the freezing temperatures.  He was a gorgeous, friendly fellow; until we arrived on the road, and then he turned into a psycho demon.  At one stage, he launched himself off a small cliff in order to rush up to a car driving past.  I had visions of telling the hostel their beloved dog was no more!  Thankfully, he survived it.
• Great sighting of Samango Monkeys, a speciality of Hogsback. They are apparently very closely related to Vervet Monkeys but look very different.
• A stunning, early morning walk to The 39 Steps Falls past bushes and trees aflame in berries and autumn colours.

Away with the Fairies, the backpackers where we stayed.

Beautiful wall murals at the hostel.

The view across the valley from the bottom of the garden ...

... and this amazing outside, hot water bath. A bath with the best view in South Africa!

Fairy sculptures around town.

A lovely walk through the forested valley ...

... past enormous and ancient trees ...

... exploring waterfalls along the way, with Max, our very energetic companion.

More beautiful waterfalls.

Sightings of Samango Monkeys, a speciality of Hogsback.

Rameron Pigeon

A lovely early morning walk to the 39 Steps Falls ...

... loving the sublime Autumn colours ...

... and the morning sun coming through the trees.

Playing with time lapse

World of Birds

A fabulous morning taking photos of the birds at The World of Birds.  The highlight undoubtedly was getting to walk amongst the monkeys in the monkey cage. Some of the mums had babies on their backs which made for gorgeous monkey photos.  The last time I visited The Word of Birds was in 2010.  It sure is a great place.

World of Birds - monkeys