1 January 2024, Sabie, 32.26km
Sabie Gypsy Backpackers R310

This is a beautiful part of the world. Green hills densely-treed, either natural or planted pine (York Timbers). Verge flowers ranging in colour from burnt orange through mustard, from deep purple through lilac. Meadow scent on hot air.
From Pilgrim's Rest we climbed for around 8km, the heat and humidity intense despite the relatively early hour. We climbed into wispy cloud, so whimsical it was barely there. As we climbed, the temperature dropped, dropping even more as we crested and descended toward the turnoff to Sabie.
Just shy of the intersection, we chatted to Henry who has been crafting giant toucans and other birds from jacaranda wood and selling them at this spot since 1994. He told Charl not to cycle too far away from me as we must beware of tsotis (thugs). "Black people are killing white people in this country", he said.
We caught a glimpse of the gorge containing the Mac Mac pools and waterfall, but saw neither feature. We did see the Sabie Falls, however, just as we crossed the bridge into town a little over 30km after leaving Pilgrim's.
We saw baboons in the woods and heard thunder rumbling, though the rain held off until after our lunch and after we had checked into the Sabie Gypsy Backpackers, complete with dagga (marijuana) growing beneath our wooden hut raised on stilts.
We have begun to run into people who have seen us on the road, today twice seeing a family we had chatted to in Pilgrim's who had originally seen us in Dullstroom.