Kings Warden

Tzaneen is a quiet city in the low mountains west of Kruger. It gets hot and humid here, and the Tropic of Capricorn is close.

Sitting in the middle of South Africa, only a few hundred kilometres from the most southerly point in Africa, the correlation with North American Geography is difficult. We are about as far south from the equator as the south tip of the Baja Peninsula is north of it. There just isn't much land in the Southern Hemisphere. Add to this that we are one week from the Southern Summer Solstice, and that means the sun is essentially overhead at this time of year. It may be 30 degrees in the shade, but there ain't no shade.

Ironic, then, that Tig and I are staying at a place hign enough in the hills that there is a fireplace to keep us warm (we didn't need it, after two days in Kruger). Mostly, that is a result of altitude, as we are up around 1300m. 

In the valley below are mango and avacado orchards, with a few banana orchards thrown in for that tropical feel.

The "Kings Warden", where we are stating is an interesting site. A botique hotel surrounded by a few acres of manicured English gardens (or, as manicured as they can be in the tropics), and several dozen acres of Avacado trees. There is even a water feature with a swimming maiden

It is  run by a young (our age?) Belgian couple. The "he" is clearly a very competent chef. The views are great, the food is stellar, and the rooms are fabulous. The gardens are verdent, the weather is placid. We are taking a few days vacation during our vacation.

A great feature of the garden is a huge Bluegum tree that is still standing, 26 years after being struck by lightning. It is a stark contrast to all the tropical greenery.