Last Few Days of Holiday

A bridge in Tsitsikamma

Sorry I haven’t been very diligent about updating this blog, but internet has been very hard to come by—especially on a college student budget. I promise I’ll be better about it once I’m settled in Bloemfontein!

Knysna

On Sunday, we flew to Port Elizabeth from Durban. It was a very small and short flight, so it wasn’t bad at all. We were greeted there by our tour guide, Mark, who we really enjoy. He is very good about suggesting places that locals go but that are safe for tourists, and he tells very entertaining stories to pass the long car rides. Then, we drove about 4 hours to Knysna, a small town on the second largest estuary in South Africa, the Knysna Lagoon. On the way, we stopped by a bridge that overlook a huge ravine and was built by an engineer who never even saw the site in South Africa.  We also stopped at Tsitsikamma to see “Big Tree”, a yellowwood that is over 800 years old. Knysna was so gorgeous! It reminded me a lot of Greece. Although I’ve never been there, Margo confirmed my intuition. We explored the shops on the waterfront, then returned to our adorable hotel where we built a fire (Well, I should say our fellow traveler Denise built a fire for us. Margo and I were pretty unsuccessful to say the least), and shared some wine.

 

Monday, we went to Featherbed Nature Reserve on Knysna lagoon. The weather was divine! We took a ferry across the lagoon, and a tractor took us to the top of the reserve.  We enjoyed a gorgeous view of the lagoon and the ocean from the top! Then, we hiked down and enjoyed all of the beautiful cliffs, waves, and shorelines. At the bottom, we had a delicious seafood buffet, then headed back into town to do a bit of shopping. It was nice to be able to walk around and explore the town. We went to dinner at a seafood place on the waterfront that our guide suggested, called JJ’s. It was delightful, and we tried the typical South African shot, called the springbok, and we were able to decorate a label for the bottle of wine we drank and place it in wine racks on the ceiling as a memento. Very fun. The waiter even showed us a bottle that a group of students had made just a few weeks ago from Charlotte. Small world.

Me riding the ostrich! 

Tuesday, we drove from Knysna to Oudtshoorn. The drive itself showed how diverse South Africa is. We started by the estuary, drove past beaches, and ended up in the semiarid desert. We stopped at a few viewpoints along the way and saw zebra and springbok. Then, we made our way to the Cango caves, where we toured some of the earliest caves. After that, we went to an ostrich farm, where we tried ostrich steak. It was delicious, since it is even leaner than salmon! Then, we toured the ostrich farm, learning all about the history of the ostrich feather industry and the current meat and leather industry. Finally, Margo and I rode an ostrich. It was honestly the most terrifying experience of my life because the animals were not trained to carry humans, but I’m glad I did it!

Margo and I at Cape Town's version of Rainbow Row!

The Country Pumpkin: A stop along Route 62--the equivalent of the USA's Route 66

Today, we drove a long while to get to Cape Town. Along the way, we stopped at Mark's favorite place for lemon meringue pie. Little did we know he was going to make us have shots of a South African equivalent of moonshine called white lightning at 10am. I can say I won't be doing that again. Later, we stopped at Rooiberg Winery for a wine tasting. All of the wine here is delicious, and at the winery, it is only 4 dollars a bottle! Hopefully I'll be able to bring some home. Cape Town was very overcast, so I’m excited to see what the city looks like in good weather. Tomorrow, we are going to see penguins, seals, and Table Mountain—weather permitting, so I can’t wait!