A Sibling Sunday Outing: Hennops Hiking

So last Sunday my sibling and I decided we would like to go for a hike. We looked in our hiking trail book and found one on the road to Hartebeespoot, called The Hennops Hiking Trail. It is about 30km from our house and if we didn't take a wrong turn up a dirt road that required some serious 4x4 skills, we would have been there sooner. It costs you R50 to get in and has an amazing picnic and braai area along the river as well as a swimming pool.

We parked our rather suburban car (everyone else had 4x4's) in the picnic area and headed back down along the river. There are two trails, the CrocodileMountain (11km) and the Zebra (6.2km). We went with the Zebra. Thought we would start off slowly.

 Within five minutes we had to cross a river via the cart pictured below. It was super fun and scary. Zipping over a river with nothing but a chain keeping you from falling off. Luckily there were some happy hikers to help us across. Technically you can pull yourself across, but think that would be scary and quite a rigmarole.

The first part of the hike takes you up the mountain and you get to see some pretty picturesque views. We decided to start hiking at 10, so we got to experience the sun in all of its glory. After reaching the top, on the way down you cross paths with some of the 4x4's who are doing the 4x4 trail.

Best moment by far was when my sibling and I reached two landrovers that had come to a stand still at a pool of water. They could either go around the water or drive through it. The men were super keen to drive through the water, one such gentleman even waded into the water to check the depth. The women not so much. One shouted "I'm not going through there, who do you think is going to clean the Land Rover when we get home?"

We also spotted some mammals, like zebra, gnu and a jackal. The walk back is awesome as it takes you over the veld and you can see for miles. You also get to use that cart bridge contraption again.

Remember to take plenty of water as there are no water stops on the way, hike during the cooler hours of the day and always wear sunscreen.

Next time we plan on doing on the 11km hike as it has a swing bridge and caves!

Pandamonium

Charming Panda

 Check out this awesome Thomas Sabo Cheeky Panda Pendant. I would have one on my cellphone, and wear one at all times on my wrist. You can buy one here.  Hmm...how about making a panda pendant charm bracelet. One big happy panda family or cupboard of pandas. Yup, the collective noun for pandas is a cupboard. You've been schooled. 

Big in Japan: Panda Dog

Ever wanted a pet panda but couldn't have one for fear of bamboo costs or being mauled? Well fear no more. Introducing.... PANDA DOG. So you have two options when it comes to chosing your ideal panda dog. Option #1: You dye your pooch's fur so that it looks like a panda, as is hilariously illustrated in the above picture. Option #2: You can actually BUY a panda dog. It is a special breed of dog and you can see what it looks like here. It is only available in Japan and China though.

Sexual Harassment Panda

This has got to be one of my favourite fictional mascots of all time, the Sexual Harassment Panda. Go South Park and remember kids "Article 36, Section 19: One panda may not make sexual comments about another panda's appearance."

Bless You: The Sneezing Baby Panda

This is so cute! I love how the mom chews. It's funny everytime. 

Panda Sushi

Don't  you think pandas are so cute that you just want to eat them up? Well now you can. Nom, nom, nom.

Sad Panda = Emo Panda

Don't be a sad panda! Pandas: original emo kids.

Eats, Shoots & Leaves

A panda walks into a restaurant, sits down and orders a sandwich. After he finishes eating the sandwich, the panda pulls out a gun and shoots the waiter, and then stands up to go. "Hey!" shouts the manager. "Where are you going? You just shot my waiter and you didn't pay for your sandwich!"

The panda yells back at the manager, "Hey man, I am a PANDA! Look it up!"

The manager opens his dictionary and sees the following definition for panda: "A tree-dwelling marsupial of Asian origin, characterised by distinct black and white colouring. Eats shoots and leaves."

*this joke has been cracking me up for days :)

Come to your senses

Eat Me

It's that time of year again. You know the time where they bring out the Easter Eggs on the first day of March. My friend and I bought a small box of these tasty treats, but now there is only one left. Everyone is too polite to claim the last one. 

Look at This

Internet Memes: how cool are we? A while ago my friend and I had to look up what a meme was. We know now. We are smart like that. Check out these funny internet memes on Funny or Die.

Ear Candy

Listen to this adorable kid's story read by Samuel L Jackson. If you have ever taught kids or have kids, you know that nap times are not fun. This story encompasses that frustration. 

Sniff This

Who can resist the pleasant aroma of turpentine as it assaults your nostrils? Oh you only get that when you paint? Not any more you don't. Thanks to the wonderful folks at Demeter you can now smell like terps everyday. Head on over to their website to check out an array of weird perfumes. Some of my personal favourites would have to be Wet Garden, Dirt and Gin & Tonic. Also great gift ideas!

Feel Good

Feel good by appreciating epically awesome things like: Seeing dogs sitting in the driver's seat of a parked car. Jumping on dry leaves. Chewing gum. I could go on but I wont. Appreciate more awesomeness by going to 1000 Awesome Things.