South Africa: The Garden Route

13.01.2014

• A sleepy morning after a late night call with Kevin. A bit of time for Heather and I to finish packing and say some final goodbyes. A shuttle from BazBus arrives to whisk us away from Cape Town. The shuttle is part of a door-to-door service between Cape Town and Johannesburg mostly extending along the coast. It was a full load today and we spent a good bit of time driving around the city to collect passengers. My sadness was as heavy as my eyelids as the anticipation of leaving this city, this place I have been longer than any other since leaving home, where I made place-based memories with Kevin, where I learned to sail, where I constructed the foundation of a sense of community. At every stop I wished we would simply find a freeway and move on - to rip the proverbial band-aid from my heart and get moving already! Finally, that time came and I sat forward to watch Table Mountain, iced with a thin movement of cloud, disappear from my daily scenery. 
• The bus stopped twice to exchange passengers in other cities before stopping for a lunch break, inconveniently timed just 30 minutes shy of our destination. Heather and I groggily ate some food and then boarded for the final leg of today's road trip. The scenery, it should be said, was nothing less than beautiful the entire distance. Rolling hills and vineyards and mountains and fields. One of our friends in Cape Town described the sight as the classic Microsoft start-up screen with green hills, blue sky, fluffy clouds. 
• We arrived at the stoop of Swellendam Backpackers Adventure Lodge before noon in the quiet and quaint town of Swellendam. After a quick check-in we were guided through what seemed more like a charming, country B&B than a backpacker hostel. Plush beds in a modern-cabin-like room with aluminium wash basins for the sink and shower gave the room a shabby chic feel. The large covered deck with surrounding gardens nestled in the trees where one could sit at long wood tables or wicker chairs by lantern light added to the charm. The spaces, indoor and out, exuded a feeling of serenity and sophisticated, rustic beauty. 
• We were quick to settle in, nesting in bed and reading and resting. With no plans for our first day here we decided to walk into town, a short jaunt from the hostel. The walk reminded me of some cross between Sonoma County, California and Wyckoff, New Jersey, for any of you reading this who might be able to pair those reference points. We stopped into an all bee-and-honey related store and sampled honey made from the pollens of various South African flora. We tried on beekeeper hats and even watched a glass sided box-hive of bees hard at work. A few sweet purchases and a few steps later we were in an art gallery where Heather pined over a large canvas with oil brushed gulls. We toured the short section of road that traveled through a town center and found ourselves wanting to be home. A quick stop at the store for dinner supplies and we were back in the direction of our cozy lodge. 
• Once home we spent a brief time planning our two full days in this town and surrounding area. Satisfied (or bored) with that activity and feeling our tummies grumble we turned to food preparation. Tonight we dined on a delicious meal of pasta, made by our friend and fellow hostel-mate, Carlos, from Zebra Crossing in Cape Town, topped with an assortment of vegetables, butter beans, and a rich basil pesto. We sat on the porch and drank a serving of tea and golden hued sunset which both set the evening to a glow. We ate fresh mango and crisped honeycomb and relished the event of it. We shared an after dinner walk to the river behind our hostel and then up the roads in our neighborhood past beautiful Dutch colonial style homes, gated communities, open fields, and dogs that became a bit too friendly. 
• The sun waved a Goodnight to the rising moon and we ducked back into our lodge to sip another round of tea by lantern light, to read and/or type, to let the jarring transition from Cape Town to the rest of the world pass gently on an evening breeze. 

14.01.2014

• Lazy morning - made breakfast and sat on the deck in the sun - getting warm
• Chatted with the owner of the lodge, Stephanie - booked day tour for tomorrow - bought permit for hiking - got ready and headed out the door
• Hike went up from our neighborhood, through Two Feathers Horse Ranch which Stephanie and her partner own and operate - past horses - up a steep hill - very hot day - arrived at the top of the plateau with a great view of Swellendam - dipped into a ravine where a waterfall was sending a creek down the mountain - red water from the roots of the fynbos plants - shade was welcomed - totally alone on this hike and not expecting to see anyone else in the heat of the day - stripped down completely and swam around in the cold pool of water up to my neck without touching bottom - climbed over rocks up to another, larger waterfall with another wading pool - totally private and laid in the sun - played around on the rocks and rested, enjoying the feeling of freedom that being naked in nature. 
• Dried off and dressed and finished the trail - ran most of the parts where the gravel wasn't too loose for my not-trail-runner shoes - sun was still blazing - found my way back to the main road and home again - rested on the deck eating grapes and rehydrating. 
• Heather came up from the river where she had been swimming with Stephanie and her children - made an early dinner with 100% rye pasta she bought at the store earlier with the rest of our pesto sauce, some veggie sausage, and some fresh and steamed veggies, including some delicious fennel bulbs - ate in the waning sunlight
• decided to run to the store for a few last minute items and had a nice walk to town and back - relaxed the rest of the night, eventually finishing my blog post for Varanasi, India, and reading a bit of my book - we cuddled up on the couch on the deck by the glow of lantern light until it was time to turn in. A relaxing day with a bit of exertion - perfect!

15.01.2014

• Woke up early to get ready, eat a quick breakfast, and await our pickup from SwellenCab - driver Simon and his friend, Liza, would be taking us out on a tour of the region today culminating in a stop which is the whole reason we came to Swellendam. However, our first stop of the day was in a town called ______ to visit the Shipwreck museum 
• Next to _____ to sit at the coast and hike along sand dunes to a cave - gulls - playing in the water - getting too much sun - 
• Next, a stop for lunch at Black Oystercatcher winery - lovely surroundings - we sampled wine while waiting for food to arrive - we settled on glasses of sauvignon blanc to accompnay our meal - great Waldorf salads and a cheese spread that came in a large wooden boat with blue, goat, and peppadew cheeses; mini brioche, raisin rye, and sesame shortbread; fresh fruits including gooseberries and wine grapes; sweet pickled beets, green figs in syrup, and tomato jam; pesto and tomatoes and tomato chutney. AKA: best cheese platter ever crafted.
• We left the winery headed to the primary point of interest. Our trip to Swellendam was the easiest jumping off point for a spot that Heather and I have both been stuck on since coming to South Africa: the southernmost tip of the continent. Cape Agulius sits in the town of ____ with a lighthouse that made for our first stop. The building has actually just closed when we arrived but a little begging got us a quick run to the top for some great vantage point photos. Back on the ground we walked a kilometer out to the small monument which marks the place where the land meets the sea, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian Ocean - the southern point of Africa. We took photos and took in the view and took in the feeling of a distal point of land. Looking out we could only see water but our hearts jumped knowing that the next land mass in a straight line is a heaping continent of ice called Antarctica. 
• We finally said goodbye to Cape Agulius and drove back into the small town of _____ for one final stop at the Hawd Harbour - colorful fishing boats waiting in the water as their captains and crew paddled back to shore after a day working on the sea. Sign about the resident stingrays who inhabit the harbour and who are fed by the fishers with scraps of their catch when they return home - saw the large one, NAME, float by the dock like a huge underwater cloud - took our last photos of the sun and children playing on the water together before loading into our van and heading back to Swellendam. Back at the ranch we thanked our guide and new friends and waved them away into the evening after what was truly a full and beautiful day. 
• The evening was spent as most here: relaxing. Some typing, some reading, some eating, and a bit of prep work for our travel day tomorrow. I got a chance to talk with Christina on Skype for a bit to continue working out plans to meet in Paris (oh, the things that casually come out of my mouth these days). We made sure to have some time on the deck with our beloved lanterns before we burned out and snuffed the flames before turning to bed. 

16.01.014

• Up early with a chance to talk with Kevin on the front porch - went for a short run through the neighborhood, into town, and back
• Made breakfast, sat outside and read, enjoyed our last bit of time here after packing
• Onto BazBus - met Michael from Muchich - beautiful landscapes - moutnains and trees - passed small towns that would have been lovely to stay in - next time..
• Arrived at hostel in Knysna, Island Vibe - checked in and had enough time to get to the store and buy food for the hostel's nightly braai - joined by Naiara who arrived on BazBus with us - from Sao Paulo, Brasil - lots of fun talking about her home town - saudade
• Quiet evening making pasta and cooking veggie sausage - great fire - relaxed and typed in bed for a while before falling asleep

17.01.2014

• Work up early - found Kevin for another chat - went out for a run through town and along the waterfront - got lost and went up a steep hill into a neighborhood - great views but much longer run that I had anticipated 
• Home to clean up - made arrangements for an afternoon tour so relaxed the rest of the morning, running errands - 
• Naiara joined Heather and I for the tour with Orun, a 6'4" blond Afrikaner who told us his hoarse voice was not from illness but from having his windpipe crushed in a game of rugby years ago - he drove us to the Knysna heads - talked about plant life and real estate - funny guy, a little inappropriate and gruff but somehow endearing - great views
• Drove us down to Leisure Island and the little Bollard Beach - found shade - sunned and swam the rest of the day - guys caught seal - very sad - almost done with my book
• Cab ride home - decided to clean up and walk down to the waterfront for dinner at 34 Degrees South - lovely gluten free flatbread pizza with feta, caramelized onion, jalapeno, and sweet potato! Lovely view of the marina and the sunset
• Cab ride home and to bed

18.01.2014

• Heather off for a township tour as part of her research and curriculum development - I tried to find transport for a hiking day but it was super expensive - Orun invited me to join a tour he was leading today - agreed - Naiara joining too - waited for the others who eneded up being no-shows and we left more than 30 minutes late with a slightly pissed off Orun
• First stop was Kranshoek - path down to waterfalls - drinking water and eating plants - hike back up through forests 
• Next stop to Knysna Elephant Park - private park - had some interest but questions to ask also - research seemed to indicate they were a well-run reserve complying with SA's elephant management plan and with only one notation of ethical concern that I could find online - short video - learnined about the history of the Knysna forest elephant which had up to 500 individual elephants more than 100 years ago and now has between 1 and 7 depending on who is counting (they are wild and do not have tracking devices and are rarely seen) - reduced numbers mostly to hunting in the 19th and 20th century for meat and highly valued ivory - walk to boma - two males - drive down to feeding spot for the rest of the small herd - lined up for us to feed them with buckets - insisted that all training is done without violence to the animals - all were raised in parks since being orphaned and would have been expected to die without human intervention - however, being an orphan can come after culling, which is when herd sizes are reduced for game managmenet or because the adults are considered unmanagable - was able to touch the elephants as they continued eating - asked a number of questions that the staff were not always able to answer about affliliations with other parks, conservation associations, or collaboration with the SA governement or national conservation plans - overall it seemed like animals were well cared for and with ample freedom and space to move - will look forward to talking more with my mentor, Tracy, who has a better grip on the plight of elephants from her volunteer work in Thailand
• Back home with enough time to have lunch with Heather, grab snacks, and send a few emails before the BazBus picked us up for a night drive to Port Elizabeth - long ride but enough time to finish Burger's Daughter book and catch up on my reading play-list from Kevin
• Arrived in PE at Hippo - lovely greeting - Heather and Naiara and I in a dorm together - sent some emails and turned in

19.01.2014

• Morning run through the neighborhood - past museums and through the park - home to clean up and have breakfast at the side of the pool while swimming
• Relaxed and got ready - headed out for some sight seeing - joined by Sharon from Netherlands - here to do 7 month internship - walked through town to lighthouse - down to City Hall and then down to the Port - amazing murals under the freeway - 
• a little lost - asked police for direction and then caught a cab to the Boardwalk complex - had lunch and did some shopping - bought 3 new books: Nietzsche, Dostoevsky, and, on the lighter side, The Elephant Whisperer, a book about a man with a reserve in Zululand, South Africa who takes on a traumatized herd of elephants - recommendation from Tracy
• Said goodbye to Sharon - Walked to the beach - sunned for a while - possible shark siting - read 1/4 of the Elephant book - walk up to Boardwalk complex - decided to see Wolf of Wall Street - long but good - impressed with Dicaprio - stopped in hotel to call cab - talked with guy working there for a while - he will give us a tour tomorrow
• cab home - hostel workere had been worried about us - super sweet - emails with Kevin and then to bed

20.01.2014

• chat with Kevin - breakfast - poolside reading - booked spa treatments for tonight - internet and lunch at home
• cab to Boardwalk - sat on beach and read - caught up with friends in cafe
• walk to spa - top rated in SA - steam and sauna and resting
• Dinner at Steer - cab home