From the city limits to the desert heat

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We set out toward the Free State on a busy Wednesday morning. As we got ready for our next adventure, it was very clear that the city around us (Johannesburg) was still very much going about it's daily business. 

We were headed for Ficksburg in the Free State, land of the cherries. This small town is located on the foothills of the Imperani Mountain and was founded by General Johan Fick in 1883. 

The journey to Ficksburg was mostly smooth aside from a few roads riddled with potholes we made it there in one piece. The most amazing thing to see during this journey is the changing landscape, leaving a land of high rises and apartment blocks (Gauteng) and heading into the Free State with its gorgeous mountain range and wildlife, even the birds are amazing

The long-tailed male widowbird (Google it) is one of the most magnificent creatures I spotted on this route. It graciously glides through the air with its long beautiful tail swishing along behind it and it moves at a moderate pace, as if to say: "I own this runway b****, you will chill out and weep at my beauty."

We arrive in Ficksburg in the late afternoon and settle into our B&B, then we decide to do some exploring. The town is tiny and all of the stores are really weird. They have a couple of big brand stores and the only supermarket in the entire town is a Spar. Aside from that there are some unknown little stores that look like they belong to a forgotten era, selling clothes, electric goods, tyres and bric-a-brac. 

The people we run into are all really friendly, it's the kind of small town where everybody knows your name and probably your shoe size too. We only spend one night here and although short, our time here has left an impression on me.









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