19 – 23 March 2020: Leewenboschfontein
19th March of the great 2020!! We were lucky enough to come to this camp a few days earlier than initially planned as I was told onMonday that I was not allowed to go in to work and therefore, I was not losing out on any coaching time. So excited and a little nervous, but certainly not at all aware of the full impact of this COVID-19 virus that was about to hit South Africa and the World!
Extremely glad that we made this trip – last camping trip it will be for a while. We were aware of this new flu and there had been a case in Durban, so we limited our stops on route – just a “weird” Wimpy breakfast stop not sure what to touch and what not to touch. We had our own hand sanitizer, so we were fine.
Leewenboschfontein is a fabulous camping site www.leeuwenboschfontein.co.za . It was especially fantastic because on arrival we were only the 2nd site to be occupied and we chose one that was a fair way from where everyone else would gather. We were adamant that was the site for us, however the sprinklers were still on but we went right ahead to position our van – I was soaked by the time we’d manoeuvred into place! And of course then they switched off!
Sion needed to set up the works including the shower & porta potty cubicle so that we could limit our contact – prepared though we were, I carried a full bottle of disinfectant to the ablution block and sprayed everything down just in case! Ablution block is also just about the closest spot to the WiFi signal (buy a voucher from the office) – so you can “frog” watch and whatsapp at the same time.
Taking a walk around, they have a few springbok as well as ducks & geese and that sort. So spent a little time walking and photographing the surrounds which are lovely and peaceful. Great place for kids with the dam and pontoon crossing built especially for them, as well as playground and swimming pools. The reception has a small “shop” and “restaurant” if you need it. There are also chalets in a separate section with their own playground and pool areas.
It was an awesome weekend with our great friends, albeit a little sad as it was also a farewell to Craig & Hayley who were supposed to be moving to the UK at the end of the month – although this virus put a dampener on their plans. Still great to spend time with them all, although we did skip the 4×4 trail and preferred to enjoy the peace and quiet of the area. We also stayed one night extra and enjoyed playing games with Morné & Mieke.
A highlight of our trip was the Leewenboschfontein Observatory!! https://www.facebook.com/LeeuwenboschfonteinObservatory/ We were lucky enough to be there on a weekend that they were open for an astronomy evening!! Absolutely incredible experience getting to look through these gigantic telescopes and what appears to be one little star in the sky is actually a network of millions. We learnt so much and went back the next day to have a look at the sun and check it out again. If you are ever in the area – please support them.
