stellenbosch - return visit

{tractor transporting the freshly-picked grapes. i loved the sign behind it!}

Hi everyone! Here are photos of our most recent visit to Stellenbosch, one of South Africa's winelands. It was our second trip to the area and we loved it just as much. So gorgeous! The grapes were being harvested, so it was interesting to see them being picked and transported to barrels to ferment. Enjoy the photos…

{chickens eating bugs in the vineyard}

{historic church in downtown Stellenbosch}

{i liked the clouds in the right corner of this photo}

{entrance to Ernie Els Winery}

{Mat's favorite winery}

{hidden valley winery}

{don't touch the grapes!}

{olives}

{historic general store in downtown Stellenbosch}

{our chic rental car}

{protea, south africa's national flower}

{red grapes on the wine}

{beautifully manicured row of grapevines}

{white grapes}

Love,
Jess & Mat

men at work

Here is one more sign to add to the list of amazing South African road signs. This is "no nonsense" and shows you (again) how scary it can be on the freeway here.

To be honest, I don't know why they use these signs because people rarely read them. We have seen cars run over many an orange cone. Good luck to the road workers!

Love,
Mat & Jess

Where are UHAULing that stuff?

When people move in the U.S., they almost always rent a proper moving trailer, truck or van. In fact, if you are driving on a highway in the U.S., it is unlikely that you WON'T see a moving trailer. Well, after being here for 4 months, we still have not seen a proper moving setup. Instead, ZA'ers move their belongings like this...

Haha!!! Doesn't this look scary?! It doesn't appear that ZA has any laws on transporting items safely. Or maybe the police just don't care. My money is on the latter explanation.

Just wanted to give you a morning laugh. Happy Thursday!

Love,
Jess & Mat

p.s. How is it already September?

road signs

Dad & Annie - this sign is for you!!!! I saw it on the drive from Joburg to Durban. There really were goats crossing the highway.

Be back tomorrow with a post from this weekend.

Love,
Jess & Mat

another unique sign

Hi everyone! I finally snapped a photo of another unique road sign in ZA...

Crazy!

scenes from the highway

We finally got our official company car, a sleek and luxurious silver bullet called a Toyota Corolla. Haha! All joking aside, we are really happy to have it because it has a 2.0, smash-proof windows and a panic button. Here is a photo of our ride…

As I have mentioned several times previously, highways in South Africa can be terrifying.  There is a very high rate of traffic accidents so driving defensively is muy importante. Part of the reason driving is so dangerous is that it seems like no one really knows the official driving laws (not even the police)! So, I thought I’d put together a list of the biggest driving faux pas I’ve seen here is ZA.

Here is my interpretation of the Rules of the Road, as a South African understands them.

A REAL South African driver…

•     Thinks speed limits are a suggestion
•     Never stops to help anyone for any reason. This will result in being mugged or hijacked 
•     Does not use the blinker and thinks braking is to be done late as possible
•     Knows how to swerve abruptly to avoid the many HUGE potholes that could easily swallow a small car such as the Corolla
•     Does not stop at red lights. On average, at least three cars still go through an intersection after the light has turned red
•     Never, ever comes to a complete stop at a stop sign because you will be rear-ended or mugged
•     Flashes high beams to tell you to move the F*&$ over so they can pass you at an outlandish speed, only to slow down as soon as they pass you
•     Does not leave a safe distance between them and the car in front of them because this space will be filled by at least 2 taxis
•     Honks their horn at cars that don't move the instant the light turns green 

While you are busy dodging bad drivers, rogue taxis and pedestrians, you also get to see some amazing road signs and scenery. For your viewing pleasure, here are some photos of scenes on the ZA highway…

{common road signs}

{something is ALWAYS burning here}

{petrol stations are few and far between on the highway and are always situated across from each other} 

{the ever-present hitchhikers who appear out of nowhere}

{do I even need to comment on this one?!}

{they really like to advertise road work!!!}

{one of the thousands of super scary taxi's that rule the road. NEVER ride in one}

{nope, not a micro-machine. this is a south african tow truck. seriously!!!}

{township. these are EVERYWHERE. and, of course, something is burning}

{pull-behind trailers are very popular here}

Until next time...take care and we love you!!!

Love,

Jess & Mat