There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills. These hills are grass-covered and rolling, and they are lovely beyond any singing of it. The road climbs seven miles into them, to Carisbroke; and from there, if there is no mist, you look down on one of the fairest valleys of Africa. About you there is grass and bracken and you may hear the forlorn crying of the titihoya, one of the birds of the veld. Below you is the valley of the Imzimkolo, on its journey from the Drakensberg to the sea; and beyond and behind the river, great hill after great hill; and beyond them, the mountains of Ingeli and East Griqualand.
Besides the incredible music and awesome views, there will also be hot air balloon rides, horse riding, swimming in the dam and river, and lots of people who make us normally laid back South Africans look like hummingbirds on speed and a terminal caffeine overdose. In short, it's an awesome place to kick back, unwind, and remember that the world is a pretty cool place to be alive in.
Dates
Dates are a type of fruit found mainly in... Nevermind. The dates for the nodermeet are as follows:
24th March - 28th of March
That's Easter weekend, so don't miss it, or you'll feel like a wally. Joes3029 will be arriving early on the 25th, and Princess Therion will be arriving early on the 24th. While there's plenty of space for camping, the best spots tend to go fast, so get there as early as you can. Joes3029 can be contacted on +27 82 6777 021 for directions if necessary. Princess Therion, being, well, a princess, will not be camping with the hoi polloi, but will be staying at a B&B, but joes3029 is as common as muck and doesn't mind saving camping space if necessary.
How to get there:
The farm on which the festival is held is just outside Underberg, which is about two hours from Pietermaritzburg, through Boston and Bulwer. From Johannesburg, you can take the N3 down to Durban, and turn off at Mooi River towards Balgowan, which follows on to Underberg. Splashy Fen is well sign-posted from the Underberg CBD (such as it is). If any noders need lifts then email john.hea(If-you-spam-me-you-agree-to-pay-$100-per-email)thcote@gmail.com (just remove the brackets and everything between them for the address) for help.
What to take:
A complete list can be found on the www.splashyfen.co.za website, but a simple list is as follows:
Tent
Camping equipment
Warm clothes - this may be hard for you non-South Africans to comprehend, but South Africa can get very cold, and single-digit temperatures are not uncommon at night.
A ticket - these are R250 at Game and other stores around the country, and R320 at the gate. Try and get yours early.
Food - you can also buy food at the festival.
Alcohol - While you can buy beer at the festival, it's fairly expensive, and the Underberg liquor store hikes it's prices by about 50% over the festival period, so bring your own if you can.
Medication - legal and illegal. Be careful, there will be roadblocks along the way.
Money - There's a lot of junk for sale, but there's some pretty cool stuff too.
A sense of humour.
Your fellow campers are very laid back, and will more than likely share their campfire if you bring food or alcohol, but bear in mind that nobody likes a leech. The emphasis is on sharing.
What to do:
There is always something going on at the festival, and you'll be spoilt for choice. Princess Therion and joes3029 (I like referring to myself in the third person) will be organising a project to node as many bands as possible, to represent the cream of South African music on E2. Since the purpose of the nodermeet is to meet new people and find out more about them, activities will probably be decided on once we've found out more about each other. However, horse riding, balloon rides, hiking, swimming, shopping, scenic drives, fine dining and great music are all on the list as non-E2 related activities. Planned E2 related activities may or may not include a puppy touching, Live Nude Lesbians and maybe, just maybe, monkeys and soy. Yum...
Who will be there:
Princess Therion
joes3029
Possible arrivals:
Apologies from:
StrawberryFrog who is in London.
e7h3r who is in Liverpool.
Timeshredder, who has promised to send an action figure in his place.
Cool Beans, Andrew Aguecheek, siouxsie and themanwho, who all, for financial, geographical or mental health reasons, have made excuses. We will toast them in their absence.