Plettenburg Bay
April 23, 2006
We left Cape Town later then we had planned. Traffic was bad so we had slow going. We went east via the coast and ended up in Swellingdam.
We spent the night at a great little B&B that was just like grandma’s house. We got a late start the next morning as the folks who ran the B&B talked and talked and before we knew it, it was much later then we wanted it to be. We drove straight on to Mossel Bay where we enjoyed fresh oysters on the half shell.
Eventually we arrived at Moonshine on Whiskey Creek; our self-catering cottage for the next four nights. The cabins are beautiful. They are all hand crafted and individually designed by Albert, the German fella that runs the place. All the water is run off caught in big cisterns. Drinking water is treated and everything else is straight from the sky.
The playground was created by his hands as well. The seesaw is beautiful. It’s one piece of wood, an alien species that needs to be removed. He has also built really cool wooden toys and a natural swimming pool. His garden is watered with the grey water from his sinks and washing machine. There are monkeys in the trees and a really steep trail running down to Whiskey Creek. It is beyond amazing.
We rested the first day. The next day we hiked out to the end of Robberg Point. This is a promontory that extends out into Plettenburg Bay. It was an especially challenging hike for my mother. She was a champ. She required some assistance through the steepest parts, but completed the loop without complaint. We even hiked down to the beach and dipped our feet in the Indian Ocean. There was a tremendous downpour in the afternoon. Fortunately we were inside a market at the time. Of course this meant that we spent more money than we had planned on, but oh well…
This little piece of the world is certainly beautiful. It is more developed than the north coast, but also more lush and green. We took a steam train ride yesterday that traveled about 70 km along the coast and through the country side. We saw the back side of many places; some of them subtle and quiet and others squalid and packed together. The entire length of the trip we were waved at and greeted with awe by spectators.
It is much like America, this far off place called South Africa. Perhaps it is more similar than we would like to admit. I for one would like to believe that we are enlightened and certainly not racist; but I know this to be untrue. Grim reality is always easier to see and therefore judge in others then in ourselves.
MJR
We left Cape Town later then we had planned. Traffic was bad so we had slow going. We went east via the coast and ended up in Swellingdam.
We spent the night at a great little B&B that was just like grandma’s house. We got a late start the next morning as the folks who ran the B&B talked and talked and before we knew it, it was much later then we wanted it to be. We drove straight on to Mossel Bay where we enjoyed fresh oysters on the half shell.
Eventually we arrived at Moonshine on Whiskey Creek; our self-catering cottage for the next four nights. The cabins are beautiful. They are all hand crafted and individually designed by Albert, the German fella that runs the place. All the water is run off caught in big cisterns. Drinking water is treated and everything else is straight from the sky.
The playground was created by his hands as well. The seesaw is beautiful. It’s one piece of wood, an alien species that needs to be removed. He has also built really cool wooden toys and a natural swimming pool. His garden is watered with the grey water from his sinks and washing machine. There are monkeys in the trees and a really steep trail running down to Whiskey Creek. It is beyond amazing.
We rested the first day. The next day we hiked out to the end of Robberg Point. This is a promontory that extends out into Plettenburg Bay. It was an especially challenging hike for my mother. She was a champ. She required some assistance through the steepest parts, but completed the loop without complaint. We even hiked down to the beach and dipped our feet in the Indian Ocean. There was a tremendous downpour in the afternoon. Fortunately we were inside a market at the time. Of course this meant that we spent more money than we had planned on, but oh well…
This little piece of the world is certainly beautiful. It is more developed than the north coast, but also more lush and green. We took a steam train ride yesterday that traveled about 70 km along the coast and through the country side. We saw the back side of many places; some of them subtle and quiet and others squalid and packed together. The entire length of the trip we were waved at and greeted with awe by spectators.
It is much like America, this far off place called South Africa. Perhaps it is more similar than we would like to admit. I for one would like to believe that we are enlightened and certainly not racist; but I know this to be untrue. Grim reality is always easier to see and therefore judge in others then in ourselves.
MJR
posted by Bronx to Timbuktu at 9:15 AM
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