Destination: Mt Qua Qua, Condord Falls. Off we drove in convoy along windy single lane roads, past massive houses scattered up along the mountains. All of the houses are painted with bright colors so they are easily spotted. The local people are friendly and eager to tell you a story or give you some history of their island.
We parked the vehicles along the narrow road, gathered up all of our picnic bags and off we set, into what immediately felt like the jungle, the rain forest, the mountains. Everything is green at this time of the year, tropical rains feed the island vegetation which is thick with fruit trees, wild flowers, moss and various other beautiful plants and trees.
The walk up to the flat rocky picnic area is easy but slippery in certain parts along the path. It is shady and protected even when it rains. We soon found the ideal picnic spot and off loaded all of our bags and the resident barbeque. We set off on a hike up the side of Mt Qua Qua to the Concord Falls. The hike is slippery because of all the rain and there are a couple of river crossings which are knee deep (for me anyway). The river is crystal clear so that made the crossings pretty easy for all of us. The entire hike required concentration and balancing skills to ensure we didn't fall.
The mosquito's were shameless and zoned in on us from the first river crossing. Millions of them all along the way. The secret to shaking them off it to keep on moving, don't stop just keep on walking :-)
After around 30 minutes of walking, climbing, jumping, wading, laughing and admiring, we looked up and there she was, the Concord Falls. The falls were gushing with fresh rain water and the rock pool at the bottom was oh so inviting. A swim in the crystal clear and chilly pool was great reward.
Back down we walked, to the picnic site and everyone eagerly starting preparing food. We had a delicious spread for lunch:
- Tuna - cooked on the braai
- Chicken pieces
- Cous Cous with garlic and sundried tomatoes
- Pumpkin - cooked in the coals
- Corn (mielies)
- Rock bread
- Garlic bread
- Freshly picked mangoes
We made our way down to the parking area, spent some time chatting to the locals and finally left for 'home.
This spice island is such a fantastic destination, especially for families. Everyone and everything is ideal for children and this makes it so enjoyable... each and every single day.
Until next time..
Blu
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