Skip to main content

Cullinan Diamond Mine and Frogs Trail












Cullinan Diamond Mine - in Cullinan, South Africa
Where the small and greater star of Africa was produced and also the only producer of blue diamonds (worlds most precious diamond). Love how this stone symbolizes hope because of when it was found. The mine had just switched hands after the original owner thought they had mined all there was to 
be found and a week after the new miners went down the shaft they discovered this rare beauty!
They believe they will be able to continue mining for at least another 80years! This mine is the worlds #1 producer of diamonds!


The lovely couple with the collapsing volcano  where they have many kilometers of tunnels dug for the discovery of many more shiny stones!

The Miss and Mr. 
Was really nice to be able to meet Marianna's boyfriend and well - he's a super sweet guy - excited for these two as they seek the Lord for whatever lies ahead!
So thankful for them as they took us all over the country side to see as much as we possibly could for the short period of time we spent with them! 


We hiked to the top of one of the mountains surrounding Pretoria - what a view! This is how to maximize on sights seen:) 
It was such a lovely day - warm, arguably hot, but I LOVED the heat and sun!
On the Saturday before we left for Swaziland Marianna organized a 7.5km hike and Braai
We tried to beat the heat by starting at 7:30am, but it still got up to 40° by 10am without a cloud in the sky. Needless to say - we all got nicely browned! 
Thankfully there was a waterhole along the way - that we all pretty much made use of! Wasn't too high of a jump, but at least now I can say I've jumped into unknown waters somewhere in the middle of South Africa!
Was a lovely day and was so nice to spend this time with old and new friends a like!
Crossing the border between South Africa and Swaziland (I'm told it's much the same in all countries of Africa) was definitely experience!
To give you just a brief idea - basically you get accounted for as you enter this "secure area" and park your car and jump out as fast as you can, It's like a race to the booth. Thankfully the lines weren't too long and we made it through in record time even though we had a minor with us!
You need to get your passport stamped to leave South Africa - then go to another building to get your passport stamped to ENTER Swaziland! Then as you're leaving the "secured area" you need to re-give your count and give stamped receipt!
The drive into Swaziland was breathtaking and much more what I was expecting when I first pictured in my head this trip!
Many more beautifully breathtaking pictures to come!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

I Am Your Shield

This is a song that has been a great encouragement to me and so I wanted to share it with all of you, hoping that it will minister to you and encourage you on... even during the dark times! May He give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of those secret places!  I Am Your Shield Rachel Wissman My child are you discouraged  By the sorrows of the day Does it seem like life is crumbing The skies have turned to grey Don’t forget I gave you promises to guide you every hour In the moment of your heartbreak Let me show you my great power   And I will be your shield When the battle rages on And I will be your light when the way ahead is dark I will be your strong tower And guide you every hour Just place your life completely in my hand I know it won’t be easy I never said it would But my grace will always be there My plans for you are good Remember that your weaknesses are perfect in my sight Only when you yield them to ...

Lewiston, NY

Had been way to long since I had visited my friends in Lewiston and with a few days off I had to take the time!  They are all growing up so fast, in a way I feel as though I've missed a big chunk of their lives, however I can't be everywhere I'd like all the time - learning to enjoy the moments we do get!  The handsome little man  We ventured on a get-away to Toronto for a few days- stayed in a lovely hotel and had lots of fun together!  Then visited the Peoples Church on Sunday - was really neat to see Charles Price face-to-face and hear him speak. Not quite what I was expecting in the church building, but neat experience!  Walking along the lakeshore with some beauts!  Montana's serves the best stake for a nice price! Love these girls and love who they are becoming! It's always a treat to spend some time alone with them! Love you all!  And yes!! Finally got to meet the two newest additions to the Heikoop Fami...

Baptiste Lake- 2013

Once again this summer we were blessed to be able to spend a week up on Baptiste Lake. Chris was able to come up for the first part of the week and Mark the end - so thankful that both special guys were able to be a part of it this summer:)  Didn't get a lot of good pictures this summer, but here you can see the two cottages we stayed in!  The beautiful lake  At the locks we learned "Everyone wants everything for free" - hey Aaron:)  When we got there we realized we didn't know the code for the cottage and the rental place was already closed down for the night or so we though - it wasn't technically a break in  - we just had to go through the window  Generally every summer we find our way to Eagles Nest - always such a lovely spot to lookout!  Making my mark in the wood:)  The love-birds  Have some interesting poses You can kind of see the look-out from this picture - the scenery up there is beaut...