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Published: January 25th 2021
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A gorgeous morning presented itself as we sat down on the verandah of the estate bungalow and ate our farmers breakfast. The garden was full with jacaranda trees and many other flowers and plants suitable in this climate. If you add a bit of water anything seems to grow perfectly, giving the gardens a oasis like appeal.
We drove about 20km on R328 to the Cango Ostrich farm. We always wanted to know more about these animals and how they differ from their Australian cousins the Emu. Struthio is a family of birds the ostriches belong to. This diverse group of flightless birds also includes the emus, rheas, and kiwis. There are two living species of ostrich, the common ostrich and the Somali ostrich. They are large flightless birds originating in sub-Saharan Africa who lay the largest eggs of any living land animal. With the ability to run at 70 km/h, they are the fastest birds on land. It is farmed worldwide, particularly for its feathers, meat and leather, as they are used as decoration and feather dusters. Its skin is also used for leather products. The ostrich can adapt to very arid environment making it easy to keep. Today
ostriches are only found natively in the wild in Africa, where they occur in a range of open arid and semi-arid habitats such as savannas and the Sahel, both north and south of the equatorial forest zone. We were told at the farm that wild ostriches came to southern Africa in search of food from the Sahel area. Their eggs are like little rugby balls and reach a weight of 15kg. They can withstand a weight of up to 100kg. Of course we had to try it out and stood on them. One ostrich egg if prepared as a scramble egg represents the equivalent of 24 chicken eggs. Whilst ostrich meat is very low in cholesterol, its eggs are much much higher than the ones from chicken. A female can lay up to 40 eggs. However if you do not remove the eggs she will stop laying after 10 to 15 eggs. Natural birth control. Females and males share the responsibility of brooding and looking after the eggs. Ostriches are shy and peaceful animals. If challenged or if their eggs are threatened, they can inflict mortal wounds with their sharp nails on their toes, of which they have two per
leg. The famous white feather can be found under the wing of a male only. The farm we visited discontinued the practice of ostrich riding attractions with visitors due to animal wellbeing concerns. However we were treated to a ostrich neck massage. Take a bucket of food, stand with your back to the fence and place the bucket at your upper chest. The animals are so focused on the food they will stick their necks into the bucket hitting your neck over and over again. It works quite unique .... We also found out what the main differences are between Emu and Ostrich. It is size. A fully grown Emu is about 1,6 meters tall, Ostriches can be as tall as 2,5 meters when fully grown. Adult Emus weigh between 50 and 60kg on average, Ostriches will weigh anything between 120 and 160 kg. And Ostrich males stay with the female after mating, the Aussi Emu takes off, to find a new lover. On the way out Nenad spotted in the farm shop handbags made out of ostrich leather. The perfect moment to make up for that failed present from the yesterday !!!
The excitement rose s we started
to drive the gravel road up Swartberg Pass. The pass was built between 1881 and 1888 using convict labor. The dry-stone retaining walls, supporting some of its hairpin bends, are still in place and over 130 years old. The pass runs between Oudtshoorn in the south and Prince Albert in the north. The pass is not tarred and is quite treacherous after rain. Its views over the Little Karoo to the south and the Great Karoo to the north are simply spectacular. The pass is especially known for the unusual geology at the Northern side. Seven-hundred meter high quartzite cliffs can be seen, and these are often tilted through 90 degrees or more. Arguably the most famous of all these cliff faces is the spectacular 'Wall of Fire'. It is another UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has a mystical image in the bike riders community. With its 25km length it will keep you busy stopping on numerous occasions enjoying the views and making pictures.
We drove the dusty sharp serpentines admiring nature's beauty. A remote section, called 'The Hell' which we initially wanted to reach was too far; too tough this road for a SUV, a Landrover would be
needed. With a heavy heart we had to abandon. The Hell is one of the most hidden away valleys in SA. Passing sandstone and iron rock formations, gorges and winding dirt road the reward is a valley that contains fresh water sources where plant and bird life explodes. We were really sorry for this miss!!! We were compensated however by the beauty of the rest of the pass road and a bite in the charming town of Prince Albert. Taking a different, less dusty road back to Oudtshoorn, through the Prince Albert valley, we encountered olive plantations, vineyards, and many fruits and vegetables fields. The valley indeed had a very Dalmatian appeal (without the sea of course). Today we completed our off road sections and found our car needed a wash. Done by hand by black workers, who drenched their clothes trying to do a good job, for a good tip of course. Tipping is widespread and important for the workers salary, not only in restaurants, where you are expected to tip 20% ! For dinner that evening we had to try ostrich meat, but did not like it.
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