Trip from Midlands - via Greytown

I had to drive up to Mooi River yesterday, to collect my daughter from the private boarding school she is in! I drove up via the N3 freeway - by far the fastest way via Durban and Pietermaritzburg, to the Midlands! On the way back though Christine drove, since she has her Learners License. I drove via the freeway last time and Christine was lucky that I started with grey hair, as the traffic was heavy enough to give me grey hairs! You try giving the sterring wheel of your baby ((Landrover) to your baby (literal) and see if you are calm and relaxed! When I was learning to drive - 3 and a half decades ago - my Dad refused to let me drive the family BMW Mom had to buy a beater for us kids to learn to drive - called Fred. Not only did we learn to drive Fred, we learned that every so often, the no 2 cylinder oiled up the spark plug and the motor ran really badly! We learned to pul over when the running was bad, let the motor cool dow,then take the plug out and put in a clean one. That always allowed Fred to run smoothly again - until the plug carbonned up! The scenery on the road from Mooi River, via Greytown to the coast at Stanger,, is truly a wonder. On the Freeway, you dont go through many towns (from Durban, you go on one freeway through Pietermaritzburg to Mooi River , getting glimpses only of the Drakensberge! The road via Greytown is much quieter, slower and more potholed, but the no traffic is way better than the freeway - especially when you have trusted your baby to your baby!

This is the thriving(?) metropolis of Greytown - the main road - note the stream of cars and bakkies! It is a typical tiny town, barely more than a very busy village!

In the distance (towards the East) is the Indian Ocean.

In Greytown are many sited like this - hawkers who set up "shop" under an umbrella or a beach shade cloth and they trade in anything from clothes to food to traditional medicines.

Nearer Stanger are many settlements where the hills are dotted with homes.

Dtives away from the beaten track often give one sights that are not what you see from the freeway! It is often worth going out of the usual way, just to see the wonders that have been created for Man to enjoy! This country is so much more than you can see from the freeways.

Before I collected Christine from school. I went into the Landrover Clothing Factory shop in Mooi River. There are outlets in Durban for Landrover Clothing, but there they kind of load the price! I bought 2 Tshirts that will go well with my Camoflaged Jeans pants. I am starting to look like I belong behind the wheel of a serious off roader - not that I often get to use the 4 wheel drive, but it is there for occasions where I need it ("need" is such a relative word!) I LOVE owning - not one but 2 - off-the-beaten-track vehicles! Do I NEED them - sure not, but I can see exactly why in Sandton, 4x4s are so popular!