The former first lady of the United States and political activist in her own right, Eleanor Roosevelt, once said that the purpose of life, after all, is to live it… to taste experience to the utmost and to reach out eagerly and without fear for a new and richer experience. My high school bestie, Karen Richards, and I certainly took this advice to heart with our short, but super busy breakaway to the Midlands. We truly tasted the Midlands experience – from the fresh produce at the myriad of padstalletjies and delis to delicious wines and, finally, “tasting” victory by overcoming my debilitating fear of heights when soaring above the incredible Karkloof Forest…
There comes a time when a mother simply must have a holiday to herself… No snotty noses to wipe, no lunches to pack or homework to check… Responsibilities fall away, and she can simply be herself for a while (and by herself if she likes!). Karen and I had been talking wistfully about such an adventure for some time and were super thrilled that our schedules finally synced. So, we headed off for a weekend in the Midlands.
But first things first – the car. The Midlands is about 550km from Jozi and with the ever-increasing fuel price we certainly did not want to waste too much of our holiday fund on fuel. Luckily Toyota South Africa has a hybrid variant in its popular RAV4 range. With a claimed fuel consumption of 4.7 litres/100km, the 2.5 GX-R
