Rock your Daisy

Us three girls in the car (before we got lost)

I was very excited to go to RTD (Rocking the Daisies) music festival, especially to see Alt-J!  I took a half day at work and went to pick up the other two chicks that was car pooling with me.  I printed out a map from Google maps, as I wanted to save my phone battery so I could find my other friends once I got there.  Worst mistake ever!  Basically we arrived in Darling and went to the Spar to buy ice and after that everything went pear shaped.  We drove away from the Spar and wasn't sure where to go, so we followed these hot dudes in a Landrover (must be their daddy's car), as it looked like they were going to Daisies.  At a point they turned around and so did we.  A little bit later they turned around again and we followed suit.  We stopped next to each other, winded down the windows and said those train tracks over there must be the first train tracks that you are supposed to cross (according to the RTD directions) so we must be on the right track.  Little did we know that it was the right train tracks but at the wrong place and we were going in the opposite direction.  We ended up in Moreesburg. Long story short, it took us 3 hours to get to RTD instead of the estimated 1 hour and 10 minutes.  We were the lowest of low at one stage and thought that we would never get there!  I finally let my iphone maps direct us to Cloof Wine Estate and we were over the moon to see the incredibly long queue that confirmed that we at last found the spot!

Camping Area

When we arrived we let Nia go on the tractor that gives you a lift to the front gate and Jax and I carried the rest of the luggage.  Once inside we made ourselves comfortable and packed everything out.  We got some friends of ours to pitch our tents in advance so we were lucky not to have to deal with tent admin when we got there.  The camping area was super cramped though and looked like a squatter camp.  There was no space to walk between the tents and not enough space to put your camping chairs and table out to make a little 'kuier' area you know.  So next year my future boyfriend will have to pay for us to stay in the VIP camping or I will just have to save.  I hope it is the former. Haha!

Some of our FamFest members

I found some friends at the Main stage and we hung out watching bands.  We checked out the other stages and I watched Gangs of Ballet and Jack Parow.  We also watched some acts at the Electronic stage.  I was looking for my friend Angie, as she was meant to sleep with me in my tent, but man oh man it's hard to find someone when you are looking for them.  There is no cell phone reception and there's so many people and so many places that they could be.  The funny thing is that you keep bumping into acquaintances (even more than once!), but never into your friends or the people that you are looking for.

Jax making us Breakkie pitas

On Saturday morning we put all our food together.  Cooked the bacon and eggs.  Jax made us breakfast pitas.  We dressed warm, as the weather turned and it was very cold.

Jax's face painting master piece

Jacqui does amazing face painting.  For kiddies parties and events and even for grown ups too!  Check out her Facebook page here.

Sarah's taped up boots

Sarah and I ready for our Saturday missions

You can see the Mainstay bar from here

We walked around and explored.  There was quite a few acts I wanted to see, so I tried to see most of them, which I actually achieved.  The Mainstay Bar was super packed and we couldn't even get in there to watch Goldfish, so we left that.  The rugby was on at five, so I went on my own mission and watched Gateway Drugs and Touchwood by myself.  I made friends quickly though.  It's very easy to make friends when you are alone.

Some guys get pushed around in wheelbarrows

A happy girl Wendy I met on my solo mission 

View from Electronic stage

Stilt Walkers at the Electronic stage

The bridge that we walked over a million times - connects the camp site to the stages

Chilling at the Main stage

Electronic stage

Found Julia and Sandy

Main stage from a distance

Main stage

At 19:00 we arranged to meet at the camp site again to restock on drinks and to gear up for the super coldness that awaited us for the rest of the night.  I was very happy to meet up with my FestFam (Festival Family) again.  At big festivals like these, you soon form a little family.  You end up doing everything together.  Like if one person have to go to the loo, everyone goes. One person needs to get something to eat, then everyone goes.  Or you have to promise the person that needs to break away from the FestFam to get a drink that you will stay right in that spot and not move an inch.  If you don't do this, then there might be a chance that you will loose your group.  It is actually quite a lot of fun doing everything as a group.

My friend Gray announced that he had the biggest surprise in my tent for me when I arrived at the camp site.  I was super excited and secretly hoped it was a hot guy, but I didn't expect what was waiting for me in the tent.  It was the long lost friend of mine...Angie!  I was so stoked to have finally found her after looking for her for 26 hours.  I didn't let her leave my sight again for the rest of the night.

Some of the FestFam members

We got back to the Main stage and then huddled up together in the centre quite a bit towards the front.  Then we waited for Alt-J.  Wow they were amazing.  Some of my friends have never heard of them before and were blown away.  The Hives was up next and they were such entertainers and really worked the crowd.  Then Skunk Anazie rocked the stage.  Skin was totes incredible.

Main stage

Main stage

Main stage

The next day we woke up and I started packing up all my stuff and took it to my car so it was done and out of the way.  Then we went for a walk around.  The weather was much better and you could even loose the cardigan which was nice.  We ate breakfast.  I had a smoothie from the Pick n Pay stand which was delicious.  They handed out some free fruits to everyone in the queue as a condolence for being so patient, which I thought was very kind.  Then I had a second breakfast which was a falafel pita.  Later on I had a Magnum ice cream.  Well I might as well pig out, as I don't go to festivals often!

Largest Potato Stick in SA, yummo and covered in msg :(

The infrastructure was really phenomenal.  Loved these hands with the halo in the middle of them.  There was another hand close to the bridge that cross over to the stages which was pointing in the direction of the stages with a laser beam pointing out of the finger.  Sick!

Sunday chilling at the Main stage

Me and my buddy Gray

Here's the only video that I took at the Electronic stage.  There's a stall where you can pay to get your phone charged, but the queues were too long, so it wasn't worth it.

So what I have learnt from my Daisies experience was to not trust hot guys who drives around in their dads Landrover, pack warm clothes (and then pack even more warm clothes), use your iphone maps to direct you to Cloof Wine Estate and get a boyfriend before the next RTD to pay for VIP camping.