So it's off to the Western Cape for some civilisation, good food and amazingly beautiful scenery! The Garden Route is a gorgeous 300km or so drive which winds its way in and out of towns from Plettenburg to Mossel Bay.
After flying into Port Elizabeth, first stop for us was Jeffrey's Bay. Quaint little place with crystal clear water and beautiful beaches. It's not hard to see why this place is such a surfer's paradise. While the swell wasn't exactly "going off", there was still enough for two gnarly dudes to get washed up on the rocks.
After lunch in J Bay, it was off to Knysna (pronounced ny-znah) where we were hanging out for a few days. We could easily have made it a few weeks, as it was the most stunningly beautiful place, the weather was perfect, and the food and coffee were outstanding!
Knysna has a massive lagoon which leads directly to the sea through two sandstone cliffs known as the Heads. The British Royal Navy once proclaimed it as the most dangerous harbour entrance in the world - the waves in this photo look deceptively small.
Our idyllic accommodation was called The Two Angels, and situated right on the beach of the lagoon near the Eastern Head. Like many South Africans we have met, the owner also has a business on the side - this one dealt in reproduction and original french antiques, which was evident in the beautiful style and furnishings around the place.
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| The view of Knysna Lagoon (and Angel #1) from our balcony |
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| Every verandah should have its own chandelier. |
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| Angel #2 |
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| As the weather was so good, it was perfect for a family paddle out on the lagoon... |
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| ...which, as usual, degenerated into a water fight! |
South Africa has such a massive, mobile and cheap labour force, it's a place where you can easily live the high life. While our place was adorned with exquisite furnishings and luxuries such as coffee machines in each room, the maid who came in to make our beds, the gardener who cleaned our braiis, and the boy who washed down our surfskis, probably came in every day from the outskirts of town, where not a chandelier was in sight...
Around Knysna, we found a few lovely spots to explore...
...and not surprisingly, were even tempted into coffee and cake on more than one occasion - wouldn't you be?
Further afield, a small village called Brenton-on-Sea had its very own set of 'gnarly dudes', with literally hundreds of dolphins out having a good time! Here's just a few of them:
...first stop on the Garden Route was spectacular! So much more to see, but with only so much time on the itinerary, we left the Two Angels behind (with a big tip for the ones who made our stay so luxurious) and soldiered onwards to the call from the vineyards of Franschhoek.
