On Friday night, Eliza, Catherine, and I went to Northcliff Hill after work to watch the sun set. Thankfully we got there just in time! The sun is setting pretty early now that it's almost winter. It was a really great view and we got to see some beautiful houses in the area as well.
 |
| Sunset at Northcliff Hill |
 |
| Water tower on the hill |
On Saturday I went to the Kromdraai Gold Mine in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. It was actually just on a family's property. When they bought the property about twenty years ago, the people they bought it from told them about the mine, but they didn't know anything about it. Gavin, the owner, has been finding out information over the last twenty years, gathering maps, articles, and artifacts. It has resulted in a nice little museum and a wonderful tour.
When I arrived Saturday morning, there were a few guys just sitting in the field which served as a parking lot, drinking by their cars. I got out of my car very confused. I had seen many signs for the gold mine there but I was a little worried as I got out of my car. I headed towards the building and it was clear that the mine tours start there but I was still a little concerned about what I was getting myself into. I looked around the office that also served as a little museum and waited. Just as I was about to give up, Gavin came down. He explained that his son's 20th birthday was the day before and there were still a couple guys finishing up the party (which explained the guys drinking by their cars). Gavin was an extremely nice man and very welcoming. Since I was the only one there, I got a personal tour. The mine was very interesting, especially seeing the tiny spaces the men worked in with no shoes, no shirts, no helmet, and just a candle to light the way. It was also really cool to look down a "winze" and see the different levels of the mine. The third level underground was actually flooded from an underground lake that is connected to the same underground lake in the Sterkfontein Caves (see my post about the Cradle of Humankind). I find that lake so interesting, I guess because they have no idea how big it is. Anyway, I learned a lot and it was great to have my own tour without worrying about anyone else's schedule.
 |
| Entrance to the mine |
 |
| Mine shaft |
No comments:
Post a Comment