Day 13: Knysna to Tsitsikamma, Sept 9
QOTD:
What's the word?
Sister have you heard
From Johannesburg?
What’s the word: Johannesburg!
Weather: Cool and clear and slightly breezy and clouding up late in the day
Dept of Correction: Ella is Xhosa, and thus Xhosa is the clicking language, not Khosi.
Breakfast almost same-same: we add cappucinos ($2pp) with our Woodstock Bakery toast, cereal and yogurt
Leave around 9am, first stop is pretty close: Tsitsikamma National Park, De Vasselot Section, a spectacular site (by normal standards...by today’s standard it comes in 2nd place).
It’s a short drive today, so we take an R road along the Nature’s Valley (the main roads here start with an N), which somehow is only one way, the reverse direction from us is shut.
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| Why don't we do it in the road? |
Along the way, we get a great shot of the toll road/bridge, where we see they are set up for bungee jumping from the underworks of the bridge. So, we save the toll and can see in the distance someone being winched back up. No volunteers to jump, how unfortunate.
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| No wonder we didn't see any traffic going the other way! |
And, we are only slightly nervous about the road connecting back up with the N since we have a lot of cushion before arriving at the Storms River Section of Tsitsikamma NP.
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| Lumber mill |
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| On the way to where they dorp humans |
No problema: we link back up with the N road just fine, and arrive about noon, pay our $15pp entry fee, and head down to the river’s mouth for lunch at the Cattle Baron Seafood Grill and Bistro.
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| $10 bill |
Chicken burger with peri-peri sauce for THB, salads for DB, M and D, four ice teas, $40 total, to sit with one of the more pretty views around (and, as we are finding out, pretty views are getting to be very very common on this trip).
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| Chain in national parks |
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| Red with plenty of ice cubes...hey, it's lunchtime |
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| Our adjoining chalets |
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| And the not-so-bad view! |
After lunch, we gain access to our adjoining rooms in one chalet (we’re in two room suites, so to speak), change into hiking gear and start off on the Waterfalls hike.
We’ve got a later start than is advised, so we abandon the idea of reaching the waterfall and walk for about a half hour (or, more likely, walk for 15 minutes and gawk at the views for 15 minutes). We see whales, dolphins, rock hyrax, and a deer (blue duiker?) and gorgeous surf and rock formations.
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| Bushbuck? |
After a stop for a snack (from Neighbourgoods Market, of course), we turn back and walk about ½ mile to cross over and back on the suspension bridge across the mouth of Storm River. Quite a thrill. though the bridge is very substantial and does not sway too much as we cross.
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| Really? We see people in wetsuits |
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| Why is the bridge shaking? Why is M holding on with two hands? |
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| Another selfie, the swaying doesn't seem to affect the camera |
Just enough time left to wash up and head back to the Bistro for drinks and dinner.
THB has a gigantic t-bone, D has a huge steak with mussels and cheese stuffed in the middle (true? yes, seems so, as THB confirmed with DB), DB has a burger, and M has a small steak, accompanied by family style butternut squash (which appears to be the national veg of the month) and creamed spinach; two small salads, one small after dinner drink and two bottles of excellent shiraz from the Wellington region. Grand total for four: $160...the Cattle Baron delivers good meat!
And, one last surprise: it’s raining and thus we get a bit wet walking back to the chalet….and, no stars tonight!
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