This road trip, like most road trip was a spontaneous decision. It all started with a status update from a friend saying that she “sbwl” a road trip and two of us responded to her. A few hours after responding to her, we were already discussing logistics and where the road would lead to. What seemed like a joke, quickly turned into something that was really happening.
Haarties or Mpumalanga shot’left
The argument was whether we go to a place that’s two hours away or six hours away. I suggested two hours away because it was a short trip but as the Universe would have it, the accommodation that was two hours away was fully booked. The accommodation we liked anyway. We agreed to go on the trip one month in advance but we only booked a week before the agreed date. As the procrastinator would say; “I work well under pressure”. “Work well under pressure” almost cost us a great trip. Thankfully we found a beautiful gem in White River Estate; it had a pool, we were surrounded by nature and it had more than enough rooms.
FriYay
My day started at a spa, took the morning off for myself. But after the beautiful spa treatment, the rest of the day was horrible for me. I left home with mild period pains and by the time we got to MP, the pains were next level. I dozed off a couple of times on the way and I woke up to beautiful views of the mountains and greenery. The two humans in the front seat; Tsholo and Phet, were deep in conversation and there was Neo-Soul playing in the background. That moment was exactly what I imagined the road trip would be like, besides the pains, I was in a peaceful state.
The First Supper
When we got to the house, it was dark city. Load shedding was a few hours in. The hosts were running around getting the generator on again but we told them to relax because we were on our way out again to get food. Our rooms were beautiful, even better than what we saw on the pictures on Air BnB. We fought about who’s getting which room but quickly got over it because either way both rooms had amazing views and a balcony. Only one room had a bath though, you would think the girls would choose that room…
Anyhoo… The first supper was at Picasso, a Mexican restaurant with all things Mexican. Teqilla, taco’s, Corona on special. We didn’t stay long because I was dying to be in bed. My two sweethearts got me a blanket and and empathized with how much I was craving gin and tonic. I could not stomach anything so we got out of there as soon as they were done.
While I was in bed recovering, the other two went to the swimming pool and popped the first bottle without me. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out for the night.
SaturYay
I woke to a beautiful view of the golf estate and a human being [Tsholo] singing. And best of all, the pains were gone. I went to the patio by the swimming pool; in my pyjama’s with my yoga mat and a journal to meditate and say my gratitude for the brand new day and my health. After that, I was loud and ready to catch up from last night’s fun times. I woke everyone up and told them to get into their swimwear. Phet ignored us, but eventually came to join us, champagne time!!
What’s For Breakfast?
This question was asked for almost four hours; in between pool time, spending time with the hosts and watching people play golf, time flew by and it was time for lunch. We drove out with the intention of getting breakfast, at 1pm. Before we decided on where to sit, we came across an art gallery called White River Gallery. They were showcasing three artists under the theme Say Africa. Discovering this gallery was a beautiful surprise. The owner told us about the young artists journey’s and how she discovered them. Myself and Tsholo reminisced on how we used to paint and need to get back to it.
Food time, finally! We settled in at Magnolia restaurant. I was catching up so I ordered a gin and tonic first before I realized I was actually hungry. I didn’t eat the previous night so I practically catching up that as well. I became that annoying friend who ate Phet’s food because he ordered first. Poor guy gave up telling us to leave his food and ordered another plate of food. By the time my pizza arrived, I was full so supper was sorted for me. After brunch, we went for a short drive around and back home.
Back Home
By the time we got back home, it was raining but it’s never too cold to chill in nature. I chilled by the patio, while Tsholo took a 2 hour bath and Phet took a nap. After that we popped the a bottle of bubbles and it was my turn to soak in bubbles. While I was in the bath, the lights went off. Eskom did it’s thing again but we were ready. Candles, lights, speakers and more bottles. We chilled with the hosts in the kitchen for a bit then we hosted our own little party. When the lights came back, we kept the lights off and continued with our little party. One minute we were having a conversation with the stars in view, next minute I was offered a glass and the next minute I dozed off and woke up at 2am.
The Last Morning
Again, I woke up to Tsholo singing… Then I went outside to meditate and took a walk around the estate. Loves, White River Estate is such a beautiful complex. All the houses are beautiful and have their own personalities. All the houses had SUV’s and for a moment I was glad we took the bigger car to this trip. After the walk, we were out of there by 11am for breakfast before we hit the road.
The Drive Back
As with any trip; we all echoed the same sentiments, we wished the stay was longer but we were grateful we made this happen. I personally got more than I bargained for; a weekend away with two of my closest friends at a beautiful house. With lots of bubbly. Our drive back home after breakfast was lots of amapiano, laughter and planning the next trip.
Check out my Instagram for stories of our trip.
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