Pretoria to Durban on the N3

Our last day in Pretoria began in its usual delicious way, with breakfast!!! Fanie once again out did himself with bangers and eggs with a beautifully mild rye bread. So mild in fact that it was difficult to tell it was a light rye. We hugged Elmarie goodbye as she went off to work. Next we showered and prepared our stuff to leave.

At about 9 the 3 of us piled into the car. Fanie is a game hunter and guide here in South Africa, and had met Jock through the course of business. Jock manages a very large tannery. Now before we all get up in arms… many of these hides are obtained through animal management and farming… just like we raise animals for needs in the US, many of these animals are raised for the same reason…. But some are trophies…. Just like at home with deer (just about the only thing left to hunt). It was interesting to note the equipment and the process that is used and to tell you I didn’t smell a thing!!! Not chemicals, not wet animal, or decay. Maybe a little damp…. But nothing bad. There were so many different kinds of hides and one really interesting one…, a fish skin not scales, but a skin from the Nile I think. I would have bought one, but I didn’t think to ask and the one they showed me was a purse, and I didn’t really like the purse. It was soft and very very supple. I have included a few pictures from inside the tannery. A picture of a mangle , that rolls out most of the water after the processing, a large pile of Springbok skins and a zebra being finished. Some of those skins have fur that is soft as butter and others like the Wildebeest are pretty rough.

An hour or so later, we hit the road for Durban. As we passed through Johannesburg I snapped a skyline shot… Not the best and from somewhere on the Toll road… Outside of Johannesburg the suburbs and industrial areas started to give way to flatlands and farming. I have included several photos and where in the US they remind me of. The Badlands-

Nebraska- an Ostrich in the field, not cows

Salinas Valley-

As usual there are more pictures on http://www.flickr.com/photos/27231432@N02/

I don’t know what the weekend has in store for me. I think we are spending time in town, and visiting the harbor and local interests.

More Later!