May/June 2020, Issue No. 10, Vol 1 FAGALA VOET NEWS WANDER WHERE THE WIFI IS WEAK I'm so excited, I just can't hide it... I'm about to hike, hike, hike and I know I like it We are soooo excited, hiking will commence soon... Hiking will commence on level 3 We are so excited to finally start hiking again. We missed a hiking shoe funeral by a hair as they thought I died. With the President's speech on 24 May 2020, we are so happy to say get those hiking shoes on, grab that bag, don't forget the mask, fill the car, petrol and diesel is extra cheap and get in your car and go hike, hike, hike. You should go hike so much, you should start forgetting passwords. We are open and ready for your bookings, we miss your thousands of questions and small talk. FOLLOW US ON We cannot wait for those phone calls, whatsapps and sms's. The owners has FACEBOOK informed me that the trails have been cut clean, markings have been updated and all accommodation is disinfected and all precautions has been taken. To keep updated on what trails are open, Their is however a bit of confusion around what is allowed and what is not, so we follow our Facebook have taken a few points from an article posted in the Getaway as well as points page. from the President's speech. PROTOCOLS OF TOURISM T H E D O ' S A N D D O N ' T S Please Read!! The info supplied below has been taken from sources: Getaway Online Magazine South African Government Website – The risk of transmission as a result of travelling between provinces. Clearing The Air Only people visiting accommodation establishments in Confusion says... private vehicles or car hire vehicles may cross provincial borders and to travel from home to and from an As the country is slowly making its way out of accommodation establishment, proof of booking must be lockdown, the tourism industry is preparing to carried. reopen. Going on vacation, hopping aboard a flight and staying at a hotel will look quite – A designated COVID-19 Health and Safety Officer. different in the future, however. The guideline Each operating business and/or premises will designate a includes a pledge that all CEO’s, general COVID-19 Health and Safety Officer. In a small business this managers, or owners of businesses that open for will be the owner or manager, while in medium businesses operation during the COVID-19 will have to it will be an additional role taken on by a manager, and undersign. large businesses should consider appointing a dedicated officer. The safety protocols address the following: For the ful guideline here, please follow link: https://theplanner.guru/wp- Persons at higher risk content/uploads/2020/05/COVID-19-Protocols-for-Tourism- Persons above 65 years of age may be asked not Industry-Operations-Revised-190520202.pdf travel to visit hotels, lodges and B&Bs, while persons between the ages of 60 and 65 years and https://www.gov.za/speeches/president-cyril-ramaphosa- persons with underlying health issues are developments-south-africa%E2%80%99s-risk-adjusted- recommended not to do travel either. strategy-manage-spread TAKING BOOKINGS FOR We are excited to announce that we are now taking bookings for MOORDENAARS KAROO / BUFFELSRIVIER ROETE “Spend time in the wilderness – places where landscape and sky overwhelm you – and you start to change. In the city you’re caught in a rat race and you’re fighting to maintain ego. But in the wilderness you can lose your sense of self. You start realising that you are just a tiny cog in an enormously complex system. Your perspective changes and you identify less with your little ego and your little drama. That’s the inner journey. But of course your literal journey brings other kinds of discovery. Spend enough time in the wilderness and, in addition to the landscape and scenery, you might find old artifacts, or come across caves covered in paintings. You might find that, even though you have no knowledge of what it’s all about, you have a strong emotional reaction to the wide open spaces we call wilderness.” – Craig Foster (My heart stands in the hill, 2005) On this trail you only carry your day pack with light lunch and drinks. All other Spend time in the Wilderness necessities and camping equipment are Spend time in the wilderness – places where landscape and sky transported daily to the next overnight overwhelm you – and you start to change. In the city you are caught stop. Breakfast, lunch, and delicious in a rat race and you are fighting to maintain ego. But in the dinners are guaranteed around a cozy campfire, star gazing with the intense wilderness, you can lose your sense of self. You start realising that silence of the Karoo. you are just a tiny cog in an enormously complex system. The Days Hike for 6 days in the Karoo’s own canyon, the Buffelsrivier, and be enchanted by the fauna and flora, geology, and history of the epic Day 1: river where it flows through distant farms in the Moordenaarskaroo. 12.6km The Moordenaarskaroo roughly lies between Laingsburg, Merwevill and Sutherland and forms part of a natural ‘kom’ which is the Day 2: 16km Buffelsrivier collection point is. On 25 January 1981, the Buffelsrivier causes one of South Africa’s biggest natural disasters Day 3: in history, the Laingsburg Flood, a direct result of heavy rains in the 17km Moordenaarskaroo. Day 4: 15.2km The hike begins 700m above sea level near Laingsburg and ends on 1712m above sea level on top of the Komsberg, South of Day 5: Sutherland, where the Buffelsrivier originate. You hike an average 21.4km of 16km per day in mostly riverbeds, and/or the veldt, with a total distant of 94km. Day 6: 12km Day 7: Everybody leaves back to Lainsburg. MOORDENAARSKAROO/BUFFELSRIVIER TRAIL PAGE 04 servings: 12 | calories: 163 | cooking time: 0 min | weight: 37 gr C A T E G O R Y : D A I R Y - F R E E , H I G H - E N E R G Y , Corn flake S N A C K S , V E G A N , V E G E T A R I A N C H O I C E N U T R I T I O N I N F O : C A L O R I E S : 1 6 3 , P R O T E I N : 1 . 9 G , energy bars C A R B S : 2 2 . 5 G , F A T : 8 . 1 G , S U G A R S : 1 4 . 5 G , S O D I U M : 5 7 M G Y O U ' L L N E E D : 1 C U P P I T T E D D R I E D D A T E S 3 C U P S C O R N F L A K E C E R E A L , S L I G H T L Y C R U S H E D 1 / 2 C U P S H E L L E D S U N F L O W E R S E E D S , U N S A L T E D 1 / 4 C U P C A N O L A O I L 1 B A R D A R K C H O C O L A T E ( 7 0 % C A C A O ) ( A B O U T 1 0 0 G ) , B R O K E N I N T O C H U N K S at home: Line a 25 x 20 cm (8 x 10 inch) baking dish with parchment paper. Pulse dates in a food processor until you get a sticky paste. Transfer date paste to a large bowl. Add corn flakes, sunflower seeds, and canola oil; stir until well combined. Press corn flake mixture into prepared baking dish. Melt chocolate and pour over, spreading evenly. Cool to room temperature; then refrigerate about 2 hours, or until firm. Remove slab from baking dish, cut into 12 bars. Wrap each bar in waxed paper or aluminum foil. Store bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one month, until you are ready to put them in a your backpack. backpacking fitness 3 Exercises to Prevent Back and Shoulder Pain Those familiar aches that arise from hauling a heavy pack can force you into bad posture and take all the fun out of hiking. Fight load fatigue by strengthening the muscles that surround your spine, hips, and shoulders. Info credit: backpacker.com Torso Rotations Kettle potato chip bells Tic-toc Engage your core in multiple This exercise trains you to Develop your postural muscles, planes to simulate moving over breathe properly while which help resist the backward uneven terrain.Reps: 10 per side activating your load-carrying pull of a weighted pack.Reps: muscles.Reps: 8 to 10 per side Sets: 3. 1. Grab a pair of 20 Sets: 3. 1. Lie on your kettlebells, starting with a Sets: 1 to 31. Sit on a firm bench stomach, resting your head in a comfortable weight and building or plyo box (your knees should comfortable position. Reach up as you get stronger to a make right angles). Grab a behind you and touch the backs combined amount that's slightly dumbbell that feels of your hands together (or as heavier than your overnight pack.