Did something quite South African this weekend.  I spent the night in a game park.  Despite the abundance of game parks in my country it is only the third time I have been in one.  For the most they are priced for foreigners and the average South African cannot afford it.  It was pretty cool. We were worried we were going to freeze as its the middle of winter here but for R50 ($6.32) per person per night we thought we would chance it.

Our shack was on the banks of the Cowie River.If you go to this website www.riverhotels.co.za/mansfield/index.html and look under accomodation / platforms you can see the view we had.  Very rustic and outdoorsy but fun.  Thankfully the weather was good to us.  I got to see Zebras, lots of buck and wildebeest.  Zebras are very beautiful creatures.  So that was different and fun.

Do you ever visit any of the tourist spots in your area?  Which is your favourite?

It is freezing here.  South Africa is usually blessed with a warm climate even in winter.  It rarely drops below 20degrees Celcius (68 Fahrenheit). In fact the other night I hung my clothes on the line and they were dry by morning.  I still swim in winter - in an outside pool.  Right now is 12 degrees with an icy wind (56km per hour) and rain.  The problem is that because we have such a warm climate and these cold days happen so infrequently we are never prepared for it.  We have no central heating, I only own one jacket (I only need one) nor do we have heaters or fireplaces inside.  I need a nice hot meal.

What is your favourite winter food?