Balele Lodge and Wakkerstroom
7 to 9 March 2008
by Pam Harvey
Friday, 7 March 2008
It is after eleven o’clock and I am sitting here in the lounge of our chalet at Balele Mountain Lodge my stomach is tied in knots. If I am feeling like this, what do Carol and Linda feel like, are they lost somewhere out there in the darkness? I spoke to them at about nine-thirty and they were on the dirt road between Wakkerstroom and Balele, probably only about four km from Balele. Since then nothing. No answer to my calls as they must be out of signal range. Oh dear. Ten o’clock Brian and Kevin set off to look for them.
Instead of just sitting here worrying I decided to write my diary.
 The journey – Nearly everyone had found the journey to be longer than expected. Information supplied indicated three hours from Johannesburg, but the road works had caused long delays. The last twenty-seven kilometers was on dirt and, although not a particularly bad road, it couldn’t be rushed, especially in the dark.
Balele – The chalets are very comfortable and well equipped. Those that arrived in daylight were impressed with the surrounding scenery.
Everyone has gone to bed and I am sat by the open door leading to the patio listening for the sound of vehicles. There must be thousands of frogs close by, but of course Balele has a number of trout dams.
Thank goodness. Eleven thirty and there are two sets of headlights making their way towards Balele. Without anything to eat Linda and Carol just wanted to go to bed. They were rather traumatized but they are safe and no doubt will laugh about their experience tomorrow.
Saturday, 8 March 2008
Over a glass of sherry last night it was decided how everyone would spend their day. The majority voted to hike up the mountain to the beacon. Brian and I wanted to explore Wakkerstroom and its surrounding wetlands. Ostensibly to do some bird watching, as Wakkerstroom is world famous for its bird life. Pat, Carol and Linda decided to join us.
 Our drive was very relaxing and our bird sightings were rather frugal, but who cares we were having such an enjoyable time. What was so amazing was the scenery, as we hadn’t expected such beauty. The whole way into town we kept saying “Look at the wonderful view!” especially the fields of cosmos, which appeared as a purple carpet.
We stopped to admire the stone church before calling in at the Info center, which was a delight as it was part of a shop selling homemade goodies. Next door was a bakery and the delicious smell of freshly baked bread wafted out of the door, which made us feel hungry even though we’d had breakfast. Two doors away was a gift shop and we treated ourselves to some trinkets, including a stuffed toy mouse that Linda couldn’t resist. Still a kid at heart!
 Armed with lots of info, maps, and brochures we set off to do some bird watching. We first went to the Amersfort Bridge where there was a boardwalk to a hide. The view from the bridge across the wetland reserve was very pretty. The boardwalk wasn’t suitable for the wheelchair, so Brian carried me. There wasn’t much to see so we set off again on one of the birding routes. (I think Brian was relieved to cut the walk short, as I am not the waif he married, but of course the plaster cast weighs a ton!)
Then we saw a sign for the Ou Stasie Pub and decided to have coffee first. We stayed there quite a long time because Carol, Linda and Brian wanted to “play” on the old maintenance trolley that was once used to inspect the railway. They pedaled backwards and forwards along the railway line in front of the Ou Stasie.
NOW we were going birding and we took one of the recommended routes around Zaaihoek Dam. The dirt road hugged the shoreline and we had spectacular views across the dam. We saw two Lanner Falcons and Mountain Chats. However, what fascinated us was the number of Swifts and Swallows congregating on the telephone wires in readiness for their migration. We nattered and laughed so much that I think most of the time we forgot to look for birds!
 We found a track that went to the edge of the water and we stopped there for our picnic lunch before returning to Balele. We hadn’t visited the hides at the S.A. Bird Life Project Centre, but we can do that tomorrow. What the heck we’d had a perfectly lovely time.
There was a downpour late in the afternoon, but it stopped in time for us to braai. We spent a very pleasant evening under the stars, it was however very cold and we wrapped blankets around us. Brian provided music and lots of stories were told. We retired at about nine-thirty and we promised ourselves that we would go birding tomorrow.
Sunday, 9 March 2008
A thick mist enveloped Balele, but had cleared by the time everyone was ready to walk to the bird hide. The group circled the three dams below Balele, crossed the dam wall and returned to the chalets. Everyone packed and after lots of goodbyes we departed only to meet up again in one of the coffee houses or gift shops in Wakkerstroom. A good time was had by all. We were pleased to see Bald Ibis on our drive into town, but we still didn’t make it to the bird hides. We will at our next visit!
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