The drive to Simon's Town was gorgeous, passing through lovely little harbour towns along the coast, and stopping off at a lovely harbour-front restaurant for a great seafood lunch.
Simon's Town itself is a nice small town but really I wanted to use it as a launch pad for cycling down to the end of the peninsula, through the Table Mountain National Park and along the Cape of Good Hope all the way to Cape Point, the tip of peninsula itself.
After a bit of messing about with the owner and helper of the place we stayed (the Simon's Town Backpackers), it turned out they didn't have the bikes we booked the day before. Not detered, we had to drive back to a previous town to rent bikes, drive back to Simon's Town and the then head off for the day.
It really was a magnificent day's cycle. First stop was to see the 'jackass' penguins (they bray like a donkey - quite funny really), just outside Simon's Town itself. These cute critters have a colony right on the shore, and anybody can just stroll up to them (of course your not supposed to disturb them, but of course we saw a small group of American idiots doing exactly that!).
We moved on, and the road was great with constant views of the ocean. Passing groups of baboons we entered the National Park itself (and I was a bit miffed that they charged us the same entrance fee as a car!), and travelling along the peninsula through beautiful fynbos countryside (local vegetation type) , we finally arrived at Cape Point. This is quite a developed area really and caters of course to all the tour buses and rental cars. It just seemed far more satisfying to have arrived by bike, riding leisurely all along the coast and over the numerous hills and climbs and thereby having earned our right to now soak up the stunning views of the mountains, ocean and coastline. We loitered about here for a good bit - climbing up to the lighthouse (the strength of the wind up there was amazing), and having a nice relaxed lunch, before what seemed was a much easier cycle back to Simon's Town.
We spent another day just strolling around Simon's Town itself, checked out the lovely small harbour, the local museum, which was cute, an old toy shop/museum and the statue of Just Nuisance (a cute story I thought - http://www.simonstown.com/tourism/nuisance/nuisance.htm). Dinner that night was of course in the best restaurant in town, a french place called Bon Appétit.
Next morning was an early enough start to head up into Cape Town proper - a place that everyone we'd met had told us we'd love - and they weren't wrong.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Friday, February 8, 2008
Wines and all that
On our way to Stellenbosch we passed through another famous wine region called Franschhoek, which is also famous for it's many high-class restaurants (apparently they proudly protect and nurtue their French traditions). I had a peek-a-boo at most of the ones listed as 'famous' and indeed they all looked extremely inviting indeed. Although we were only passing through, we did stop at what looked like one of the fanciest places of all, the Franschhoek Country House & Villas, and I had coffee and cake (I was tempted to go for a swim in their pool, but time was moving on).
Its definitely a place I'd like to spend a few days just eating my head off though - it would be expensive for sure, so that will have to go on the 'extravagant luxury' list I think.
So we continued on to the really famous wine region of Stellenbosch (even I knew that this was a famous wine producing region of South Africa). Its a nice town I suppose, although it's a bit too big and touristy really. Lots of tour buses bussing elderly wine-types about the place, but it does have a few places with genuine character (like the mad old shop Oom Samie se Winkel). We stayed at the Stumble Inn in the centre of the town, from where the very friendly staff (who we kinda hung around with for a bit), organised our obligatory wine tour of the region with Easy Riders.
Apparently, Easy Riders have been running these tours for eons, and I must say they were very, very good. Our guide was excellent and a really nice guy, and the wineries we visited were all very impressive. I learnt a lot on that tour, but of course, just like everyone else, forgot 95% of it by the next day. Still, I'd recommend it as it was a great day out.
The following day I strolled about the town checking out a museum or two, a nice gallery (with a beautiful, but rather disturbing art exhibition), the botanical gardens and a couple of cool bars and cafes. So like I said, its a nice town, but I think I'd rather veg-out in the smaller and quieter Franschhoek if I had a choice.
So from Stellenbosch we headed South towards the Cape Peninsula and the naval town of Simon's Town.
Its definitely a place I'd like to spend a few days just eating my head off though - it would be expensive for sure, so that will have to go on the 'extravagant luxury' list I think.
So we continued on to the really famous wine region of Stellenbosch (even I knew that this was a famous wine producing region of South Africa). Its a nice town I suppose, although it's a bit too big and touristy really. Lots of tour buses bussing elderly wine-types about the place, but it does have a few places with genuine character (like the mad old shop Oom Samie se Winkel). We stayed at the Stumble Inn in the centre of the town, from where the very friendly staff (who we kinda hung around with for a bit), organised our obligatory wine tour of the region with Easy Riders.
Apparently, Easy Riders have been running these tours for eons, and I must say they were very, very good. Our guide was excellent and a really nice guy, and the wineries we visited were all very impressive. I learnt a lot on that tour, but of course, just like everyone else, forgot 95% of it by the next day. Still, I'd recommend it as it was a great day out.
The following day I strolled about the town checking out a museum or two, a nice gallery (with a beautiful, but rather disturbing art exhibition), the botanical gardens and a couple of cool bars and cafes. So like I said, its a nice town, but I think I'd rather veg-out in the smaller and quieter Franschhoek if I had a choice.
So from Stellenbosch we headed South towards the Cape Peninsula and the naval town of Simon's Town.
Hermanus and the Whales
Hermanus is most famous for its seasonal whale watching, and boy did we time our arrival there well (which is say of course that we didn't plan our arrival at all, which is always the best way).
But it's also got some gorgeous vineyards nearby, a great coastly walk, is a good jumping off point for shark cage-diving and has some great restaurants. So once we got settled at the Hermanus Backpackers, we ended up staying for quite a few days (and like most places on this trip so far, I could have stayed a lot longer - sigh!).
Although we had no trouble getting a room at the backpackers, the shark cage-diving was heavily booked. We booked a slot for a couple of days forward anyway (after checking around the town, as there were many places offering different options).
In the meantime we just strolled down to the town itself, from where its possible to just stand on the shore and watch the whales. Apparently Hermanus is one of the best places in the world to watch whales from a shore, and I'm not surprised. They come in larger and larger numbers every year (since whaling was stopped there numbers have been steadily, if slowly, increasing), as their routes pass by here after calving in the southern ocean. Within minutes we spot them frolicking about with their calves. Mostly you just get to see flippers stinking up and their heads bobbing slightly above water. A bit less often you'll see the whole tale rise up out of the water and slide back in again. But the most spectacular, and the rarest sight is a full breach, where the whole head and some of the body come flying straight up into the air and crash back into the water in a huge explosion. We only got to see that a couple of times, but each time I was totally mesmerized by it - such an amazing creature. A couple of times a whale would come incredibly close to the shore (maybe 50m), and you'd get a great get up-close look at them just swimming along.
Anyway, the whales became a very familiar sight, and even when sitting in the fancy-dancy Cubana restaurant for lunch one day, I could look out the window at any stage and within seconds spot a whale's flippers in the distance. I've no idea if we were just lucky or if it's like this every season.
So bored of whales, the next day we drove through the very nearby wine region. If I'd realised how close it was to the town I would have cycled, as the scenery was absolutely fantastic, and anyone with half a brain appreciates scenery like that far better from a saddle than from a noisy steel box on wheels.
We stopped for wine tasting at a few neighbouring wineries all of which were very nice. Now, I'm no wine snob, in fact I know next to nothing about the stuff, but one of the wineries we stumbled into had quite simply the most stunning view of the entire trip so far. I think a lot of the wineries in South Africa (maybe around the world, I don't know), have an associated restaurant so that after tasting some wines you can have a delectable bite to eat and enjoy a fine wine made from grapes grown right in front of you. So seeing the view from the restaurant at the Newton Johnson Estate, Heaven, I instantly decided that I was staying for lunch. It really does have a amazing view, totally unspoilt by any obviously man-made protuberances - it just had nearly everything, mountains, forests, rivers, vineyards, the sea - just amazing. The food was lovely too of course!
We also had a tasting at La Vierge, which was lovely, but a bit poncy really, and the view was nowhere near as good as from Heaven. As we drove back and forth from the vineyards we passed what seemed a lovely homely restaurant out in the sticks a wee bit - Moggs. It was closed when we stopped by the first time, but we promised to return, which we did a couple of days later. And it was indeed very homely and rustic. Worth a stop if passing through and Heaven's closed I reckon.
The evening before our shark cage-diving adventure we were told it was cancelled due to the bad weather. This was a pity, as we'd planned on moving on the next day. Instead, and being the nature of this trip anyway, I decided to stay another day and book the diving for the following day instead. But unfortunately, that got cancelled too, and really the weather forecast wasn't great for the next few days either. So that particular adventure will have to wait until the next time - no big deal really, as I subsequently met a guy who was quite disappointed by the whole thing. All the photos and promos look amazing of course, but it seems you have to be lucky to experience anything like them. This guy says he saw a shark in the water, but not up close and the water was very murky, so he didn't get to seeing any kind of gnashing teeth or sharks jumping clear out of the water or anything. Still, it'll stay on the list.
So I was kinda reluctant to leave Hermanus I have to say, I liked it a lot, but it was time to move on. Not that we moved very far mind you, only as far as Stellenbosch.
But it's also got some gorgeous vineyards nearby, a great coastly walk, is a good jumping off point for shark cage-diving and has some great restaurants. So once we got settled at the Hermanus Backpackers, we ended up staying for quite a few days (and like most places on this trip so far, I could have stayed a lot longer - sigh!).
Although we had no trouble getting a room at the backpackers, the shark cage-diving was heavily booked. We booked a slot for a couple of days forward anyway (after checking around the town, as there were many places offering different options).
In the meantime we just strolled down to the town itself, from where its possible to just stand on the shore and watch the whales. Apparently Hermanus is one of the best places in the world to watch whales from a shore, and I'm not surprised. They come in larger and larger numbers every year (since whaling was stopped there numbers have been steadily, if slowly, increasing), as their routes pass by here after calving in the southern ocean. Within minutes we spot them frolicking about with their calves. Mostly you just get to see flippers stinking up and their heads bobbing slightly above water. A bit less often you'll see the whole tale rise up out of the water and slide back in again. But the most spectacular, and the rarest sight is a full breach, where the whole head and some of the body come flying straight up into the air and crash back into the water in a huge explosion. We only got to see that a couple of times, but each time I was totally mesmerized by it - such an amazing creature. A couple of times a whale would come incredibly close to the shore (maybe 50m), and you'd get a great get up-close look at them just swimming along.
Anyway, the whales became a very familiar sight, and even when sitting in the fancy-dancy Cubana restaurant for lunch one day, I could look out the window at any stage and within seconds spot a whale's flippers in the distance. I've no idea if we were just lucky or if it's like this every season.
So bored of whales, the next day we drove through the very nearby wine region. If I'd realised how close it was to the town I would have cycled, as the scenery was absolutely fantastic, and anyone with half a brain appreciates scenery like that far better from a saddle than from a noisy steel box on wheels.
We stopped for wine tasting at a few neighbouring wineries all of which were very nice. Now, I'm no wine snob, in fact I know next to nothing about the stuff, but one of the wineries we stumbled into had quite simply the most stunning view of the entire trip so far. I think a lot of the wineries in South Africa (maybe around the world, I don't know), have an associated restaurant so that after tasting some wines you can have a delectable bite to eat and enjoy a fine wine made from grapes grown right in front of you. So seeing the view from the restaurant at the Newton Johnson Estate, Heaven, I instantly decided that I was staying for lunch. It really does have a amazing view, totally unspoilt by any obviously man-made protuberances - it just had nearly everything, mountains, forests, rivers, vineyards, the sea - just amazing. The food was lovely too of course!
We also had a tasting at La Vierge, which was lovely, but a bit poncy really, and the view was nowhere near as good as from Heaven. As we drove back and forth from the vineyards we passed what seemed a lovely homely restaurant out in the sticks a wee bit - Moggs. It was closed when we stopped by the first time, but we promised to return, which we did a couple of days later. And it was indeed very homely and rustic. Worth a stop if passing through and Heaven's closed I reckon.
The evening before our shark cage-diving adventure we were told it was cancelled due to the bad weather. This was a pity, as we'd planned on moving on the next day. Instead, and being the nature of this trip anyway, I decided to stay another day and book the diving for the following day instead. But unfortunately, that got cancelled too, and really the weather forecast wasn't great for the next few days either. So that particular adventure will have to wait until the next time - no big deal really, as I subsequently met a guy who was quite disappointed by the whole thing. All the photos and promos look amazing of course, but it seems you have to be lucky to experience anything like them. This guy says he saw a shark in the water, but not up close and the water was very murky, so he didn't get to seeing any kind of gnashing teeth or sharks jumping clear out of the water or anything. Still, it'll stay on the list.
So I was kinda reluctant to leave Hermanus I have to say, I liked it a lot, but it was time to move on. Not that we moved very far mind you, only as far as Stellenbosch.
Oudtshoorn
Oudtshoorn is another small town, this time inland away from the coast. But it's not mountains that draw you away from the sea, but ostriches. This town used to be the world capital for ostrich farming - maybe it still is, but these days the industry is in serious decline. Apparently just two years ago the town lost the contract to supply the Rio festival with ostrich feathers, the Chinese having captured that market with cheaper synthetic feathers. Also, the worlds fashion houses no longer covet real ostrich feathers, so apparently many of the farms in the region are in danger. There is a market for the meat of course, but because it's so lean (a good thing from a health point of view), it means the meat doesn't have much flavour of it's own, and so is always served with a sauce or two.
I learned all this from the cool guy (whose name I can't remember), that ran the Backpackers Paradise place we stayed in. Yet again a lovely, clean, airy place with lovely rooms and a brilliant pool. We had a couple of nice relaxed evenings at the bar with the owner and other backpackers, and he even gave me a CD when we left (a chilled out Dorfmeister CD that became the soundtrack for the rest of our South African journey).
The place also rented out bikes, and so we decided to do an organised trip where they drive you to the top of a nearby mountain and you cycle all the way back to the backpackers. Of course I consider getting a lift up a mountain as downright cheating, which it is of course, but on this occasion I relented. The weather wasn't great unfortunately, but it was still a good ride, and the rain kept off for the most part. Coming back into the town we stopped off at a well-known tea garden place and had some tea and cake, while I went for a swim in their big pool (the weather having cleared up by then). After dropping Sarah back at the backpackers, I took off again on the bike and did some off-roading at the northern end of the town (and climbed most of the way up a huge concrete reservoir in what seemed like very high winds).
So of course we also had to do the obligatory ostrich farm tour, but it was actually really interesting and the highlight of course was getting to ride an actual ostrich. But we were shown around quite a lot, standing on eggs (they're very strong), seeing incubation chambers, explaining why the feathers make such good dusters (anti-static properties), etc.
But when it came to riding an ostrich, I was quite lucky. On our tour of about 15 people, only 4 were allowed to ride an ostrich and the choice started at the opposite end of the line to me. By the time the wavier sheet came to Sarah only two other people had requested a ride, meaning Sarah and me were the last two - phew! I would have been seriously peeved if I hadn't gotten a go.
So, the first person up was a middle aged woman who got the most almightyful fright when her ostrich took off (the handlers cover the bird's head with a sock, you climb on, they take the sock off, and off the ostrich goes with the handlers running either side of it). Anyway the poor 'auld dear was literally terrified, whilst I was nearly in tears laughing at her - I just couldn't help it, her face was an absolute picture. And besides it didn't look in the slightest bit dangerous or scary, I really don't know why she reacted the way she did. The next person up was far more relaxed, and it was obvious he really enjoyed his little jaunt. Next was Sarah, and although she was a little nervous she had no problem at all, and again really enjoyed it. So I was really looking forward to my turn and up I got. It was absolutely brilliant I have to say, one of the fun-ist things I've ever done, but way, way too short. I think I was close to the weight limit (75kg I think), for the poor birds so the handlers cut my ride quite short. I'm sure many animal lovers might think riding an ostrich is unfair to the bird, and to be honest I kinda agree (and some the poor critters have bald patches where people seem to have pulled the feathers out when holding on too tight), but our guide claimed it did them no harm and that they didn't seem to mind - so I don't know really, but it certainly was great fun.
The other major attraction is the Cango Caves, a huge cave complex not too far from the town. We arrived there early in the morning and had the choice of the 'Adventure Tour' or the 'Standard Tour' - yeah, right. So off we went, and it certainly is an impressive complex, as is the whole visitor centre itself I have to say. Of course our guide repeatedly hypes up the 'danger' and 'difficulty' of the tour we're on, but when it comes down to it it's the little 10 year old and his little sister who lead the way. But in fact the most difficult part is actually really easy for kiddies, as it involves having to wiggle your way up a natural chimney-type rock formation, and their small size made it easy for them. It was good though, getting to clamber along narrow tunnels and stuff - I'd definitely recommend it. And apparently earlier in the year a tour group was held up for 10 hours after some fat idiot American woman got stuck in one of the tunnels - funny (and sad!) but true, and our guide was still having a good laugh at it (BBC news story is here).
Oudtshoorn also has some lovely restaurants and Jemima's came highly recommended, and we had a great meal here on our last night. Next it was back to the coast, and after a quick look-see, a spot of lunch and a swim (for me anyway) in Mossel's bay it was onwards to Hermanus, famous for it's whale watching opportunities.
I learned all this from the cool guy (whose name I can't remember), that ran the Backpackers Paradise place we stayed in. Yet again a lovely, clean, airy place with lovely rooms and a brilliant pool. We had a couple of nice relaxed evenings at the bar with the owner and other backpackers, and he even gave me a CD when we left (a chilled out Dorfmeister CD that became the soundtrack for the rest of our South African journey).
The place also rented out bikes, and so we decided to do an organised trip where they drive you to the top of a nearby mountain and you cycle all the way back to the backpackers. Of course I consider getting a lift up a mountain as downright cheating, which it is of course, but on this occasion I relented. The weather wasn't great unfortunately, but it was still a good ride, and the rain kept off for the most part. Coming back into the town we stopped off at a well-known tea garden place and had some tea and cake, while I went for a swim in their big pool (the weather having cleared up by then). After dropping Sarah back at the backpackers, I took off again on the bike and did some off-roading at the northern end of the town (and climbed most of the way up a huge concrete reservoir in what seemed like very high winds).
So of course we also had to do the obligatory ostrich farm tour, but it was actually really interesting and the highlight of course was getting to ride an actual ostrich. But we were shown around quite a lot, standing on eggs (they're very strong), seeing incubation chambers, explaining why the feathers make such good dusters (anti-static properties), etc.
But when it came to riding an ostrich, I was quite lucky. On our tour of about 15 people, only 4 were allowed to ride an ostrich and the choice started at the opposite end of the line to me. By the time the wavier sheet came to Sarah only two other people had requested a ride, meaning Sarah and me were the last two - phew! I would have been seriously peeved if I hadn't gotten a go.
So, the first person up was a middle aged woman who got the most almightyful fright when her ostrich took off (the handlers cover the bird's head with a sock, you climb on, they take the sock off, and off the ostrich goes with the handlers running either side of it). Anyway the poor 'auld dear was literally terrified, whilst I was nearly in tears laughing at her - I just couldn't help it, her face was an absolute picture. And besides it didn't look in the slightest bit dangerous or scary, I really don't know why she reacted the way she did. The next person up was far more relaxed, and it was obvious he really enjoyed his little jaunt. Next was Sarah, and although she was a little nervous she had no problem at all, and again really enjoyed it. So I was really looking forward to my turn and up I got. It was absolutely brilliant I have to say, one of the fun-ist things I've ever done, but way, way too short. I think I was close to the weight limit (75kg I think), for the poor birds so the handlers cut my ride quite short. I'm sure many animal lovers might think riding an ostrich is unfair to the bird, and to be honest I kinda agree (and some the poor critters have bald patches where people seem to have pulled the feathers out when holding on too tight), but our guide claimed it did them no harm and that they didn't seem to mind - so I don't know really, but it certainly was great fun.
The other major attraction is the Cango Caves, a huge cave complex not too far from the town. We arrived there early in the morning and had the choice of the 'Adventure Tour' or the 'Standard Tour' - yeah, right. So off we went, and it certainly is an impressive complex, as is the whole visitor centre itself I have to say. Of course our guide repeatedly hypes up the 'danger' and 'difficulty' of the tour we're on, but when it comes down to it it's the little 10 year old and his little sister who lead the way. But in fact the most difficult part is actually really easy for kiddies, as it involves having to wiggle your way up a natural chimney-type rock formation, and their small size made it easy for them. It was good though, getting to clamber along narrow tunnels and stuff - I'd definitely recommend it. And apparently earlier in the year a tour group was held up for 10 hours after some fat idiot American woman got stuck in one of the tunnels - funny (and sad!) but true, and our guide was still having a good laugh at it (BBC news story is here).
Oudtshoorn also has some lovely restaurants and Jemima's came highly recommended, and we had a great meal here on our last night. Next it was back to the coast, and after a quick look-see, a spot of lunch and a swim (for me anyway) in Mossel's bay it was onwards to Hermanus, famous for it's whale watching opportunities.
Knysna
Having had such a great experience at the Island Vibe backpackers in Jefferys Bay, we decided to stay at it's sister place in Knysna. It was a lovely place alright, but set in the centre of the large town, so it didn't have anything like the feel of the J-Bay place. We had a great room as the place was really quite quiet and it had only recently been completed, so everything was lovely and new, including the tiny but very refreshing pool.
Knysna again is a lovely town and we had a great day cruising around on bicycles. We stopped off for lunch at the town's famous oyster restaurant where they farm and process their own oysters. We had a very interesting personalised (i.e. just me and Sarah), short tour of the oyster business there, even meeting the current oyster-shucking world champion and seeing how the whole process works. Naturally at the end of the tour we get to sample some oysters with our lunch, which was great.
We also cycled out to the Mitchell Brewery and got another personalised tour there too, as they were just closing for the day but Sarah managed to persuade the guide to whizz us around real quick. Then it was back for a quick shower and out to watch the rugby world cup final, with South Africa playing England. We'd heard and seen cars with flags and horns blowing all day, but actually the atmosphere, given the enormity of the occasion, seemed a tad muted to me. We'd asked around for the best place to watch it, and everyone said the same place (which I can't remember the name of now!).
We'd kinda made friends with the guy who worked at the backpackers (it was very quite!), so he came along with us and another girl we'd met. The bar was pretty packed, but only as packed as any popular pub in central Dublin on a normal Saturday night. We arrived not long before the kick-off and got a good spot near the bar and with a good view of a telly. We never had to queue at the bar or anything. I guess it might have been because Kynsna isn't that big (although it isn't particularly small either), or maybe it's like the Aussie culture of eating and drinking at home with mates during big sporting events. But regardless, there was still a good atmosphere in the place and a couple of extremely drunk people to keep it entertaining (including the girl who worked at the travel agent myself and Sarah had been to the day before, who was completely off her head but keep asking me not to tell her boss she had knocked off work early that day). There were also quite a few English supporters brave enough to wear the English jersey, so they made the atmosphere more lively by cheering for the obvious underdogs.
Anyway South Africa won easily enough in the end and the town was quite lively afterwards I suppose. Our newfound local friend took us down the road to the most popular nightclub in town, which was a bit of a laugh, but again didn't seem all that busy really.
The next day we went extreme mountan biking, getting the bikes from Outeniqua Biking Trails
in Harkerville. This was definitely the best day mountain biking I've ever done. Of course I decided to take the 'Red' route, which was the most technical and boy was it serious off-roading. Lots of steep and very narrow single track trails through the forest, which was completely brilliant. Sarah had a spot of bother or two at the start (so obviously Negator made her inevitable appearance), but soon her confidence was up and she was fine and even began to enjoy herself. The route took us past more spectacular scenery as we passed out from the forests and travelled along the coast. We stopped at the fantastic spot for lunch, saying 'Hello!' to the only other people we met that day - two German lads also on bikes.
So that was pretty much Kynsna, a lovely spot for a couple of days if your not rushing headlong along the Garden Route. Next stop was Oudtshoorn.
Knysna again is a lovely town and we had a great day cruising around on bicycles. We stopped off for lunch at the town's famous oyster restaurant where they farm and process their own oysters. We had a very interesting personalised (i.e. just me and Sarah), short tour of the oyster business there, even meeting the current oyster-shucking world champion and seeing how the whole process works. Naturally at the end of the tour we get to sample some oysters with our lunch, which was great.
We also cycled out to the Mitchell Brewery and got another personalised tour there too, as they were just closing for the day but Sarah managed to persuade the guide to whizz us around real quick. Then it was back for a quick shower and out to watch the rugby world cup final, with South Africa playing England. We'd heard and seen cars with flags and horns blowing all day, but actually the atmosphere, given the enormity of the occasion, seemed a tad muted to me. We'd asked around for the best place to watch it, and everyone said the same place (which I can't remember the name of now!).
We'd kinda made friends with the guy who worked at the backpackers (it was very quite!), so he came along with us and another girl we'd met. The bar was pretty packed, but only as packed as any popular pub in central Dublin on a normal Saturday night. We arrived not long before the kick-off and got a good spot near the bar and with a good view of a telly. We never had to queue at the bar or anything. I guess it might have been because Kynsna isn't that big (although it isn't particularly small either), or maybe it's like the Aussie culture of eating and drinking at home with mates during big sporting events. But regardless, there was still a good atmosphere in the place and a couple of extremely drunk people to keep it entertaining (including the girl who worked at the travel agent myself and Sarah had been to the day before, who was completely off her head but keep asking me not to tell her boss she had knocked off work early that day). There were also quite a few English supporters brave enough to wear the English jersey, so they made the atmosphere more lively by cheering for the obvious underdogs.
Anyway South Africa won easily enough in the end and the town was quite lively afterwards I suppose. Our newfound local friend took us down the road to the most popular nightclub in town, which was a bit of a laugh, but again didn't seem all that busy really.
The next day we went extreme mountan biking, getting the bikes from Outeniqua Biking Trails
in Harkerville. This was definitely the best day mountain biking I've ever done. Of course I decided to take the 'Red' route, which was the most technical and boy was it serious off-roading. Lots of steep and very narrow single track trails through the forest, which was completely brilliant. Sarah had a spot of bother or two at the start (so obviously Negator made her inevitable appearance), but soon her confidence was up and she was fine and even began to enjoy herself. The route took us past more spectacular scenery as we passed out from the forests and travelled along the coast. We stopped at the fantastic spot for lunch, saying 'Hello!' to the only other people we met that day - two German lads also on bikes.
So that was pretty much Kynsna, a lovely spot for a couple of days if your not rushing headlong along the Garden Route. Next stop was Oudtshoorn.
J-Bay and Plett
Ah Jeffreys Bay - another idyllic beach spot, famous for its surfing. The world championships had been held there two months before we arrived, and the town itself is littered with factory outlets for all the top surf brands, Billabong, RipCurl, Quicksilver, etc.
We stayed at the Island Vibe backpackers, another well-known place, and again, deservedly so. It's set at the far end of the town atop a big huge sand dune looking back along the expansive sweep of the beach. We had a cool little chalet right at the edge of the dune, and so we were the closest spot to the crashing waves. Just outside were fantastic viewpoints where I'd watch sunsets or spot dolphins surfing the breakers. One afternoon we strolled down the dune to the beach and I went swimming and snorkeling while Sarah joined in the games the backpackers had organised (volleyball and silly races and the like).
But it was the bar that was the real highlight of Island Vibe. Yet again the backpackers place was known locally as the best place to hang out. As usual the whole place had the funky, laid-back beach resort feel to it, all wood finishes and big comfy sofas, with the main focus of attention always centred on the bar.
We met loads of people here and ended up staying five days I think. But the people who stood out by far the most were a gang of four Irish lads - two from Kerry and two from Cork. They were on a three week holiday together, and being South Africa they weren't your usual college students on a cheap bender to Spain or somewhere. They were all in their mid- to late-twenties and had successful careers - they even rented a BMW for their holiday (something one of them later regretted a little, as it wasn't any better than a normal, cheaper car) . But collectively they were the funniest guys I've ever met anywhere. Without being in any way pushy, loud or obnoxious, each night at the bar they just totally took over. In fact, the guys themselves were actually all rather quite and very humble, all just really down-to-earth sound lads, but collectively they bounced off each other beautifully.
For example, one night they won a big pool competition that had involved loads of people, locals and backpackers from all over the world. But there was absolutely no triumphalism by the lads - instead they simply took their winnings and quietly went up to the bar and bought shots for everyone that had played in the competition. The reaction from the other players was really quite something to witness - many of them simply couldn't understand what the Irish lads were doing, literally could not understand. The looks on there faces was priceless as it very slowly dawned on these people that the lads were simply there to have a bit of craic and were never interested in winning any money. I'll never forget the transformation on the face of an Israeli guy that went from anger, to irritated frustration, to confusion, to suspicion, to slow acceptance, to reluctant gratitude and finally when he realised everyone else was getting a shot too, to outright delight and backslapping camaraderie - priceless.
On our second night there a gang of five Irish girls arrived, and so of course all of us Irish became one big group. It might sound all very corny and a bit sad, all the Irish hanging around together, but it wasn't like that at all. We were all mingling with all the other backpackers and lots of the local lads who worked there, and apart from one of the girls and one of the boys, all the Irish were single, so there was a fair bit of chemistry going on. But I honestly think it's fair to say that given they were all Irish, they were genuinely more interested in just having a laugh than anything else.
Another night I heard literally the funniest story I've ever heard in my life. It was quite a long and detailed story (as all the best Irish-told stories are of course), and involved all four of the Irish lads interjecting along the way, but told in the main by Nailler. It was the tale of a surprise birthday present from three of the lads to the fourth, but involved an inflatable swimming pool being installed in his second-floor bedroom and all the attendant logistics problems that involved, followed by all the increasingly ridiculous and life-threatening shenanigans that followed. Again though it was the collective input from all four lads, and the natural storytelling talent of Nailler that brought tears repeatedly to my eyes during the retelling. I can honestly say that even the inimitable Frankie Dunne would have had nothing on these boys, but he would truly have loved been there for the telling.
Anyway, we all got on so well together that we ended up travelling a bit further with the whole Irish gang (as the girls had also rented their own car). We passed through Storms River and stayed to watch the lads do a famous bungie jump from one of the highest bridges in the world before meeting up again in Plettenburg Bay.
Plett, as its also known, is quite an upmarket town with lots of shiny shops and fancy restaurants, so we didn't hang around too long really (we stayed at Nothando Backpackers, not cheap, but lovely and friendly). I did do probably the best hike of the whole trip so far though - hiking around the Robberg pennisula. It was a truly spectacular hike along cliffs, down to beaches, across a tiny sandy isthmus and back along more cliffs and caves. Negator hadn't fancied it for some reason (I can't remember why), so she just dropped me off and picked me up again at the end of the day. Definitely something I'd love to do again - you can actually book an overnight stay at the very tip of the pennisula in a very rustic, isolated shack, which I reckon would have been brilliant. You'd have to bring everything for your stay, water food, firewood etc., so it's a genuine 'get away from it all' kinda place.
The other thing the Irish crowd wanted to do in Plett was a skydive. So we joined them at the drop zone and ended up spending the whole day there with them (the operation was very small, and they only had a single small plane that could take two tandem jumpers at a time, so turnaround time was slow). I tried to get a jump on my own but they were very strict about me needing to have my license, which I'd left at home by mistake. But Sarah was kinda contemplating doing a jump, so we stuck around - and no, I never cajoled or pushed her into doing it if she didn't want to. But after she'd seen a few of the girls and the lads do their jumps, and of course their elated, ecstatic reactions when they got down, she finally decided to give it a go.
I got to go up in the plane with Sarah, but only as a passenger as I wasn't allowed to jump (and there was no way I was going to forked out for a tandem and then be stuck strapped to someone else). The plane ride up was spectacular and we flew right over the Robberg hike I'd done the day before. Sarah's tandem master guy was brilliant and did his best to try and calm Sarah down. She was pretty much OK until the door opened and it was time to go - but as her video is testament, she really loved the whole experience. I've been telling her for seven years that she should try it (I think everyone should, as I think everyone truly wants to), but in the end it took a bunch of crazy paddies to finally convince her, and of course she'll never regret it now.
By the way, each and every one of the Irish guys who tried both the mad bungie and the skydive said they thought the skydive was miles and miles better than the bungie - no comparison in fact. Something I've heard from every other person I know who has done both, myself included. So if you think you want to try one of them (and of course, I really know that you want to try both!), then definitely go for the skydive.
Anyway, that night in Plett was needless to say rather a hyper night - everyone was on a bit of a high from their skydives. I suppose it culminated really with a couple of Irish boys reenacting the final scene from 'Dirty Dancing' - not a very pretty sight, but a damn funny one. We ended up that night back at the backpackers place we were all staying at - after nearly ending up at the beach with a weirdo local guy who'd latched onto us, but one of the skydive instructors warned to stay clear of him. I ended up chatting to that instructor for a lot of the night, as he was a really interesting guy who basically just travelled the world being a tandem master - cool I suppose, but he seemed a bit sad and lost to me.
From Plett we also did a tree-top zip-line thing. It looks kinda cool, where you climb a big tree, clip onto a high tension wire strung over to another tree and then zip down the wire. Then do the same thing to another tree, then another. It was actually quite boring really, although the setting in the forest was beautiful. So after that we rented bikes for the remaining half day and cycled back through the forest (renting the bikes from the Tube 'n Axe), which was nice but not great (I think it was a managed forest, as opposed to a natural, virgin forest).
So, it was from Plett that we bid farewell to all the Irish gang - they all had only short holidays and so had to move on quickly toward Cape Town. For me and Sarah it was just back to business as usual and a leisurely drive along the coast to the next lovely wee town - Knysna. It had been a hectic week-and-a-bit spent together, and to be honest it was kinda a relief to get back to just the two of us again.
Lastly though, I thought it was poignant of Nailler to say later on a FaceBook entry that he'd had the best holiday of his entire life in South Africa. He said he'd never been interested in the idea of taking serious time off to travel the world properly (even saying he that couldn't understand how ANYONE could), but that after this short three week trip he was now utterly convinced that that was exactly what he was going to do. The poignancy for me though comes from him telling me during the trip that back home he had been a really very quite guy who never went out much at all. He'd met one of the other lads (Rory, the guy who owned the pub), and they'd become friends and so came on holiday together. It was clear to me that he'd discovered something of his real, true nature whilst travelling in South Africa, and that he'd realised it was probably due to the nature of proper travelling itself (i.e. nothing really planned, nothing booked in advance, just bopping from one place to the next, and having little or no expectations and the sheer freedom that all brings), that had brought that nature out.
I really do hope he follows through on the travelling thing, before the 'machine' gets it's insidious teeth into him again and he settles back into normalcy (i.e. getting a mortgage, getting married, having kids, etc. when it then becomes 'impossible' to travel anywhere except packages trips to Benidorm or wherever - and anyway, no its not impossible I reckon, it just becomes more awkward, while still remaining every bit as important a thing to do).
We stayed at the Island Vibe backpackers, another well-known place, and again, deservedly so. It's set at the far end of the town atop a big huge sand dune looking back along the expansive sweep of the beach. We had a cool little chalet right at the edge of the dune, and so we were the closest spot to the crashing waves. Just outside were fantastic viewpoints where I'd watch sunsets or spot dolphins surfing the breakers. One afternoon we strolled down the dune to the beach and I went swimming and snorkeling while Sarah joined in the games the backpackers had organised (volleyball and silly races and the like).
But it was the bar that was the real highlight of Island Vibe. Yet again the backpackers place was known locally as the best place to hang out. As usual the whole place had the funky, laid-back beach resort feel to it, all wood finishes and big comfy sofas, with the main focus of attention always centred on the bar.
We met loads of people here and ended up staying five days I think. But the people who stood out by far the most were a gang of four Irish lads - two from Kerry and two from Cork. They were on a three week holiday together, and being South Africa they weren't your usual college students on a cheap bender to Spain or somewhere. They were all in their mid- to late-twenties and had successful careers - they even rented a BMW for their holiday (something one of them later regretted a little, as it wasn't any better than a normal, cheaper car) . But collectively they were the funniest guys I've ever met anywhere. Without being in any way pushy, loud or obnoxious, each night at the bar they just totally took over. In fact, the guys themselves were actually all rather quite and very humble, all just really down-to-earth sound lads, but collectively they bounced off each other beautifully.
For example, one night they won a big pool competition that had involved loads of people, locals and backpackers from all over the world. But there was absolutely no triumphalism by the lads - instead they simply took their winnings and quietly went up to the bar and bought shots for everyone that had played in the competition. The reaction from the other players was really quite something to witness - many of them simply couldn't understand what the Irish lads were doing, literally could not understand. The looks on there faces was priceless as it very slowly dawned on these people that the lads were simply there to have a bit of craic and were never interested in winning any money. I'll never forget the transformation on the face of an Israeli guy that went from anger, to irritated frustration, to confusion, to suspicion, to slow acceptance, to reluctant gratitude and finally when he realised everyone else was getting a shot too, to outright delight and backslapping camaraderie - priceless.
On our second night there a gang of five Irish girls arrived, and so of course all of us Irish became one big group. It might sound all very corny and a bit sad, all the Irish hanging around together, but it wasn't like that at all. We were all mingling with all the other backpackers and lots of the local lads who worked there, and apart from one of the girls and one of the boys, all the Irish were single, so there was a fair bit of chemistry going on. But I honestly think it's fair to say that given they were all Irish, they were genuinely more interested in just having a laugh than anything else.
Another night I heard literally the funniest story I've ever heard in my life. It was quite a long and detailed story (as all the best Irish-told stories are of course), and involved all four of the Irish lads interjecting along the way, but told in the main by Nailler. It was the tale of a surprise birthday present from three of the lads to the fourth, but involved an inflatable swimming pool being installed in his second-floor bedroom and all the attendant logistics problems that involved, followed by all the increasingly ridiculous and life-threatening shenanigans that followed. Again though it was the collective input from all four lads, and the natural storytelling talent of Nailler that brought tears repeatedly to my eyes during the retelling. I can honestly say that even the inimitable Frankie Dunne would have had nothing on these boys, but he would truly have loved been there for the telling.
Anyway, we all got on so well together that we ended up travelling a bit further with the whole Irish gang (as the girls had also rented their own car). We passed through Storms River and stayed to watch the lads do a famous bungie jump from one of the highest bridges in the world before meeting up again in Plettenburg Bay.
Plett, as its also known, is quite an upmarket town with lots of shiny shops and fancy restaurants, so we didn't hang around too long really (we stayed at Nothando Backpackers, not cheap, but lovely and friendly). I did do probably the best hike of the whole trip so far though - hiking around the Robberg pennisula. It was a truly spectacular hike along cliffs, down to beaches, across a tiny sandy isthmus and back along more cliffs and caves. Negator hadn't fancied it for some reason (I can't remember why), so she just dropped me off and picked me up again at the end of the day. Definitely something I'd love to do again - you can actually book an overnight stay at the very tip of the pennisula in a very rustic, isolated shack, which I reckon would have been brilliant. You'd have to bring everything for your stay, water food, firewood etc., so it's a genuine 'get away from it all' kinda place.
The other thing the Irish crowd wanted to do in Plett was a skydive. So we joined them at the drop zone and ended up spending the whole day there with them (the operation was very small, and they only had a single small plane that could take two tandem jumpers at a time, so turnaround time was slow). I tried to get a jump on my own but they were very strict about me needing to have my license, which I'd left at home by mistake. But Sarah was kinda contemplating doing a jump, so we stuck around - and no, I never cajoled or pushed her into doing it if she didn't want to. But after she'd seen a few of the girls and the lads do their jumps, and of course their elated, ecstatic reactions when they got down, she finally decided to give it a go.
I got to go up in the plane with Sarah, but only as a passenger as I wasn't allowed to jump (and there was no way I was going to forked out for a tandem and then be stuck strapped to someone else). The plane ride up was spectacular and we flew right over the Robberg hike I'd done the day before. Sarah's tandem master guy was brilliant and did his best to try and calm Sarah down. She was pretty much OK until the door opened and it was time to go - but as her video is testament, she really loved the whole experience. I've been telling her for seven years that she should try it (I think everyone should, as I think everyone truly wants to), but in the end it took a bunch of crazy paddies to finally convince her, and of course she'll never regret it now.
By the way, each and every one of the Irish guys who tried both the mad bungie and the skydive said they thought the skydive was miles and miles better than the bungie - no comparison in fact. Something I've heard from every other person I know who has done both, myself included. So if you think you want to try one of them (and of course, I really know that you want to try both!), then definitely go for the skydive.
Anyway, that night in Plett was needless to say rather a hyper night - everyone was on a bit of a high from their skydives. I suppose it culminated really with a couple of Irish boys reenacting the final scene from 'Dirty Dancing' - not a very pretty sight, but a damn funny one. We ended up that night back at the backpackers place we were all staying at - after nearly ending up at the beach with a weirdo local guy who'd latched onto us, but one of the skydive instructors warned to stay clear of him. I ended up chatting to that instructor for a lot of the night, as he was a really interesting guy who basically just travelled the world being a tandem master - cool I suppose, but he seemed a bit sad and lost to me.
From Plett we also did a tree-top zip-line thing. It looks kinda cool, where you climb a big tree, clip onto a high tension wire strung over to another tree and then zip down the wire. Then do the same thing to another tree, then another. It was actually quite boring really, although the setting in the forest was beautiful. So after that we rented bikes for the remaining half day and cycled back through the forest (renting the bikes from the Tube 'n Axe), which was nice but not great (I think it was a managed forest, as opposed to a natural, virgin forest).
So, it was from Plett that we bid farewell to all the Irish gang - they all had only short holidays and so had to move on quickly toward Cape Town. For me and Sarah it was just back to business as usual and a leisurely drive along the coast to the next lovely wee town - Knysna. It had been a hectic week-and-a-bit spent together, and to be honest it was kinda a relief to get back to just the two of us again.
Lastly though, I thought it was poignant of Nailler to say later on a FaceBook entry that he'd had the best holiday of his entire life in South Africa. He said he'd never been interested in the idea of taking serious time off to travel the world properly (even saying he that couldn't understand how ANYONE could), but that after this short three week trip he was now utterly convinced that that was exactly what he was going to do. The poignancy for me though comes from him telling me during the trip that back home he had been a really very quite guy who never went out much at all. He'd met one of the other lads (Rory, the guy who owned the pub), and they'd become friends and so came on holiday together. It was clear to me that he'd discovered something of his real, true nature whilst travelling in South Africa, and that he'd realised it was probably due to the nature of proper travelling itself (i.e. nothing really planned, nothing booked in advance, just bopping from one place to the next, and having little or no expectations and the sheer freedom that all brings), that had brought that nature out.
I really do hope he follows through on the travelling thing, before the 'machine' gets it's insidious teeth into him again and he settles back into normalcy (i.e. getting a mortgage, getting married, having kids, etc. when it then becomes 'impossible' to travel anywhere except packages trips to Benidorm or wherever - and anyway, no its not impossible I reckon, it just becomes more awkward, while still remaining every bit as important a thing to do).
Port Elizabeth and Elephants and Bettles
The city of Port Elizabeth marks the end of the Garden Route from Cape Town, or obviously for us the start of the Garden Route.
It's actually quite a big town, but easy enough to see most of the things on offer in a few days. We stayed for 3 nights at the Lungile Backpackers, getting a lovely ensuite room. It was easy walking distance to most of the attractions, including the beach, the oceanarium (very old and quite run down, but good dolphin and penguin shows), the Boardwalk entertainment complex (all very new and swish and shiny and boring really, but at least I finally got to try bunny-chow) and a number of great restaurants (the best was the Indian just at the end of the road).
We strolled around the city centre one day, visiting a lovingly restored Victorian house (although the curator wasn't currently too fond of Irish people, as the locals were having a lot of trouble with an Irish property developer who wanted to destroy a number of historic buildings in the town, after apparently illegally gaining ownership of them in the first place - basically just another greedy bugger by the sounds of it).
Port Elizabeth is also the perfect jumping off point for visiting the Addo Elephant Game Reserve, famous for having over 400 elephants. Yet again this was a fantastic safari, although it actually took a good bit of driving around before we spotted our first pachyderms. Once we did find them of course, we spent the rest of the end encountering them all over the place. The park certainly lived up to its reputation while we were there, and we got extremely close and personal with a few groups throughout the day.
At one point poor Sarah was getting very nervous as we were literally surrounded by a family of huge elephants. I, however, thought it was brilliant to be so close to these peaceful, graceful, almost soundless animals. It was funny too, because in the car immediately in front of us I could hear exactly the same conversation going on between that couple, i.e. the woman freaking out and the man constantly trying to claim her down and reassuring her that everything was OK. Naturally everything was perfectly OK and we must have spent close to an hour just watching these majestic wonders casually eating and interacting and crossing the road right in front of us - brilliant.
Addo is also well known for its prolific dung bettles that collect the elephant dung in perfect spheres to lay their eggs in it. At first I thought the road signs informing us that dung bettles have right of way was just a kinda joke meant to mean that ALL wildlife naturally has right of way. But it soon became clear that the signs were being far more literal, as there were millions of the wee beasties everywhere. We came across only a few though that were actually pushing along balls of dung, but it was utterly fascinating to me to watch them right up close. The balls are so huge, relative to the size of the bettle, that they really have to struggle to push them along.
So that was basically Port Elizabeth, and from there it was on to the famous surfing spot of Jefferys Bay (or J-Bay if your, like, cool and stuff).
It's actually quite a big town, but easy enough to see most of the things on offer in a few days. We stayed for 3 nights at the Lungile Backpackers, getting a lovely ensuite room. It was easy walking distance to most of the attractions, including the beach, the oceanarium (very old and quite run down, but good dolphin and penguin shows), the Boardwalk entertainment complex (all very new and swish and shiny and boring really, but at least I finally got to try bunny-chow) and a number of great restaurants (the best was the Indian just at the end of the road).
We strolled around the city centre one day, visiting a lovingly restored Victorian house (although the curator wasn't currently too fond of Irish people, as the locals were having a lot of trouble with an Irish property developer who wanted to destroy a number of historic buildings in the town, after apparently illegally gaining ownership of them in the first place - basically just another greedy bugger by the sounds of it).
Port Elizabeth is also the perfect jumping off point for visiting the Addo Elephant Game Reserve, famous for having over 400 elephants. Yet again this was a fantastic safari, although it actually took a good bit of driving around before we spotted our first pachyderms. Once we did find them of course, we spent the rest of the end encountering them all over the place. The park certainly lived up to its reputation while we were there, and we got extremely close and personal with a few groups throughout the day.
At one point poor Sarah was getting very nervous as we were literally surrounded by a family of huge elephants. I, however, thought it was brilliant to be so close to these peaceful, graceful, almost soundless animals. It was funny too, because in the car immediately in front of us I could hear exactly the same conversation going on between that couple, i.e. the woman freaking out and the man constantly trying to claim her down and reassuring her that everything was OK. Naturally everything was perfectly OK and we must have spent close to an hour just watching these majestic wonders casually eating and interacting and crossing the road right in front of us - brilliant.
Addo is also well known for its prolific dung bettles that collect the elephant dung in perfect spheres to lay their eggs in it. At first I thought the road signs informing us that dung bettles have right of way was just a kinda joke meant to mean that ALL wildlife naturally has right of way. But it soon became clear that the signs were being far more literal, as there were millions of the wee beasties everywhere. We came across only a few though that were actually pushing along balls of dung, but it was utterly fascinating to me to watch them right up close. The balls are so huge, relative to the size of the bettle, that they really have to struggle to push them along.
So that was basically Port Elizabeth, and from there it was on to the famous surfing spot of Jefferys Bay (or J-Bay if your, like, cool and stuff).
Hogsback
Hogsback is famous for apparently providing Tolkien with his inspiration for writing the Hobbit. It really is a very quaint town, set deep in the mountain forests. We stayed at a great place called 'Away with the Fairies' in a very quaint little cottage. Our first night we had to share the cottage (it had two bedrooms), but the second night we had it all to ourselves.
The weather had actually turned quite bad at this stage, which was a pity, but at least it gave me an excuse to stay in and watch the rugby. The evening we arrived we were just in time for the England game and the place actually had a great atmosphere as the owner was a very friendly English guy, who naturally enough was draped in a huge English flag. They also had a really big projector screen for all the matches and we bumped into a game-ranger guy we'd met back in Bomvu Paradise, as it turned out he worked not far from Hogsback. It was all very cosy I have to say, with comfy sofas and everything.
The following day we went for a huge hike through the forests, past a very impressive 'Big Tree', and stopping for lunch at one of the numerous waterfalls. The best thing about the hike was the almost total lack of people so it was all wonderfully peaceful - and I suppose it's not hard to see how Tolkien could have been inspired by the place. As we got back to the town it just started to rain, and I took refuge in a lovely wee bar to watch the rugby while Sarah braved the rain to get back to our homely cottage (it had a lovely fireplace and everything).
That night though I gave myself a right crack on the head by simply walking into the bedroom. The whole town kinda goes a little bit overboard on the whole Hobbit thing, and our cottage, cozy and all as it was, actually had very low ceilings and door frames. Even though I ducked my head, I didn't duck far enough and whacked the very top of my head. After 10 minutes running icy cool water over the gash the bleeding final stopped, and it wasn't as bad as I'd first thought. Sarah got a good laugh though, as I literally fell straight back onto my arse and had quite a comical stunned look on my face when it happened.
I think it was still drizzling when we left Hogsback, which was a pity as we'd never gotten to really appreciate the mountain views. But on our way out we did stop at the 39 steps waterfall and the arboretum (a garden of trees from around the world, including mighty redwoods - which I've always wanted to see, thereby marking another thing-to-do off my list of worldly sights).
Next stop was the city of Port Elizabeth.
The weather had actually turned quite bad at this stage, which was a pity, but at least it gave me an excuse to stay in and watch the rugby. The evening we arrived we were just in time for the England game and the place actually had a great atmosphere as the owner was a very friendly English guy, who naturally enough was draped in a huge English flag. They also had a really big projector screen for all the matches and we bumped into a game-ranger guy we'd met back in Bomvu Paradise, as it turned out he worked not far from Hogsback. It was all very cosy I have to say, with comfy sofas and everything.
The following day we went for a huge hike through the forests, past a very impressive 'Big Tree', and stopping for lunch at one of the numerous waterfalls. The best thing about the hike was the almost total lack of people so it was all wonderfully peaceful - and I suppose it's not hard to see how Tolkien could have been inspired by the place. As we got back to the town it just started to rain, and I took refuge in a lovely wee bar to watch the rugby while Sarah braved the rain to get back to our homely cottage (it had a lovely fireplace and everything).
That night though I gave myself a right crack on the head by simply walking into the bedroom. The whole town kinda goes a little bit overboard on the whole Hobbit thing, and our cottage, cozy and all as it was, actually had very low ceilings and door frames. Even though I ducked my head, I didn't duck far enough and whacked the very top of my head. After 10 minutes running icy cool water over the gash the bleeding final stopped, and it wasn't as bad as I'd first thought. Sarah got a good laugh though, as I literally fell straight back onto my arse and had quite a comical stunned look on my face when it happened.
I think it was still drizzling when we left Hogsback, which was a pity as we'd never gotten to really appreciate the mountain views. But on our way out we did stop at the 39 steps waterfall and the arboretum (a garden of trees from around the world, including mighty redwoods - which I've always wanted to see, thereby marking another thing-to-do off my list of worldly sights).
Next stop was the city of Port Elizabeth.
Chintsa
Next stop along the Wild Coast was Chintsa, yet another gorgeous beach stop. We stayed at the notorious Buccaneers, and although they were very busy (we had to change room after the first night), it actually seemed to have quite a tame atmosphere. The backpacker place itself is set on a huge dune that overlooks a nice lagoon, beyond which is a fabulously long, unspoilt beach. It was actually a great walk down to the lagoon and along a narrow sandy path to the beach proper.
We just spent a couple of days here, with me talking huge walks up and down the beach, and swimming in the backpacker's pool. We took out a free canoe on the morning we were leaving and paddled around the lagoon, which was great for exploring and trying to catch glimpses of the bird life.
I think it was here that also had a lovely reservoir that was a brilliant spot for some tranquil contemplation, followed by a bracing walk up and around the hill.
From Chinsta we drove through East London. I was thinking it might be worth spending a day or two here, as the Rugby World Cup had started and I thought a biggish town might have a good atmosphere to watch some of the games. But after driving around the town for a bit we decided to keep moving on as the town seemed a bit rundown. So after stocking up on groceries it was on to Hogsback, leaving the beaches for the mountains instead.
We just spent a couple of days here, with me talking huge walks up and down the beach, and swimming in the backpacker's pool. We took out a free canoe on the morning we were leaving and paddled around the lagoon, which was great for exploring and trying to catch glimpses of the bird life.
I think it was here that also had a lovely reservoir that was a brilliant spot for some tranquil contemplation, followed by a bracing walk up and around the hill.
From Chinsta we drove through East London. I was thinking it might be worth spending a day or two here, as the Rugby World Cup had started and I thought a biggish town might have a good atmosphere to watch some of the games. But after driving around the town for a bit we decided to keep moving on as the town seemed a bit rundown. So after stocking up on groceries it was on to Hogsback, leaving the beaches for the mountains instead.
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