Die Oog, the ears and the nose

On Friday we left Johannesburg for a weekend get-away trip to Die Oog hot spring resort. The traffic going there was hectic, but we made it in piece, one delayed piece but one piece non the less.

I’ve searched a bit on the net but I can’t find any links of value regarding the actual hot spring, but my dad tells me that Die Oog (means the eye) was the first hot spring resort round these parts and the only one that get’s it’s water from where it bubbles up, apparently all the others have to pump theirs out. The resort was started by a company called Rondalia, who apparently used to specialise in car insurance. Not sure if anyone really cares much about the history of the place anymore but I found it very interesting. This will probably be the last time that we ever go there since they are busy transforming it into a retirement village. I can see how the old folk might enjoy having their own hot water pool to relax in surrounded by palm trees and green grass, but I’m not sure how much value they’ll really get from the super tube.

We checked into our two bungalows no 68, and no 69. Me and my brother had a giggle cause the number 69 seems to follow him around. First he played in a band called Sixty-Nine, his membership number at the squash club is 69 and here we are, middle of nowhere staying in no 69.

The whole resort is full of monkeys. Very cute! Some of the people vacationing there can’t read though – every bungalow has a sign inside that CLEARLY states DON”T FEED THE MONKEYS! and yet they still do it. What they don’t seem to realise is that these critters get very aggressive when you do that and eventually they have to be put down when they attack someone for food. It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye…There’s a family of cats also living there and on Friday we saw the cutest kitten, no bigger than my hand have a stare-down with three monkeys. You’ve got to admire that kind of attitude – if he wasn’t so skittish we would have taken him home with us.

Friday night after dinner I headed out for a little scouting trip with my brother and Pieter to go see where the pool was. I decided not to join them for a midnight swim cause my ear had been hurting all day and I didn’t want to get sick on top of that. We had a serious torch with us and must have looked quite official, because on our way back from the pool people kept apologising to us for making a noise. We didn’t admit that we were lost and left them to their illusions about what we were doing wandering through rows and rows of bungalows that all look the same. 😉

By Saturday morning when I got up I really wasn’t feeling very well, but I decided that maybe a soak in the hot pool would make me feel better anyway. It was heavenly, I felt so relaxed after that I almost fell asleep on the lawn. Spending some time in that water was at least half the point of going away for the weekend so I’m not sorry I did it but by Saturday afternoon I was dead to the world with stupid flu and a whopper of an ear infection. Bed is where I spent the rest of my weekend…hey, at least I’m well rested?

Too soon our weekend away was over. *sigh* It’s a beautiful part of the country, I wouldn’t mind spending some more time up there soon. Die Oog is situated in Naboomspruit, or as it’s now been renamed Mookgopong, about an hourand a half’s drive past Nylstroom (now named Modimolle) and Warmbaths (now called Bela Bela). Well worth the travel if you’re looking for some peace and quiet.

I’m still down with flu, didn’t go to work today. I stayed in bed and tried to drown myself in chicken soup, Corenza C and cranberry juice. Besides I look like Rudolph the red nosed reindeer at the moment. You can never have too many tissues is all I’m saying.

Hope you all had a great weekend and that this will be a kick-ass week for you.