Day 7 - Cape Town / Wine Lands

Today we decided to hit the Wine Routes. First stop was Boschendal not far from Stellenbosch. I bought some Whiskey Marmalade and some jewelry for me and SWAMBO. Then we headed off the Franschoek which is the most scenic place I have ever seen in my life. I can live here and drink wine until Gout finally sends me to an even better place. Wow.

Then through the passes and via Grabouw back to Cape Town. PS: You can give Grabouw a miss - nothing to see here.

Next stop was planned for Cape Point. No problem, we'll just drive through Muizenberg and Simons Town and Bob's your aunty. Only problem was that the longest Stop'n Go ever was on this route today and there was only stopping and no going. So after more than an hour in the heat we decided to make a u-turn and head back to our B&B in Bloubergstrand. Went for dinner at an Asian restaurant. I had crispy duck and SWAMBO pigged out on Sushi. Oh, I also had some Long Islands - nice buzz.

Day 6 - Cape Town

So off to Cape Town down the scenic route all along the coastline. This is a really beautiful part of the country. We initially wanted to stay in Gordon's Bay, but decided against it as it was too far from Cape Town. I scoured the web and booked a B&B called Goshen Gate in Blouberg Strand. We spent part of the day at the V&A Waterfront. We took a spin on the big Ferris Wheel and sucked on a draught or two at Mitchell's Brewery.

In our wisdom we then drove up towards the CT Cable Way. Just too busy and we could not find parking never mind get to the queues for the ride. U-turn to Signal Hill. Not so busy and we got some nice pics up there. Only issue was that some nob tried to jam my remote - I'm from Gauteng and wise to that crap sonny.

Day 5 - Kleinmond

We left Knysna not feeling that we have experienced all this lovely place has to offer, but we are travelers and on we have to go.

For the first time the weather was crap but luckily we were on the road the whole time and it did not bother us that much. We arrived in Kleinmond at about 15:00 and immediately went to the first local pub - as this is SOP when traveling. This is where you gather Intel and plan the rest of your trip. At Gringos we met Grootmond at Kleinmond. Martin is not a man of few words, in fact he kept us busy for quite a few Windhoeks. I used this opportunity to find accommodation at the Pine Tree guest house run by Malcolm and Catherine. Lovely old couple.

We went for dinner at a small place called Mandy's. Lovely seafood. There was a tannie called Betty and she served us with a smile. Some wine etc. later I felt obliged to give her a big fat hug when we left.

Day 4 - Knysna

Today we decided to go to Knysna Heads and Birds of Eden sanctuary close to Plettenberg Bay. The view from the heads was spectacular. The weather was perfect and we could not have asked for a better day for this outing.

Below are some of our photos from the heads.

After enjoying the views from the Knysna Heads we drove down the coast the Eden Birds sanctuary. I was a bit apprehensive as I'm nor really a bird man, but I was pleasantly surprised with the pristine facility. I was a fantastic experience. Unfortunately I only had my phone camera so could not do full justice as to just how beautiful it was. Sorry about that. Even so, below are some shots taken at the sanctuary.

After the birding we drove back to Knysna and went for dinner at 34 South. Genius (that is I) left the fridge plugged in on the bakkie and when we got out the battery was flat and I could not get the Ford started. A friendly fellow with a Landcruiser tried to jump start us but my jumper cables were too flimsy for the task. A sweet little girl called Vicki came past and phoned a local chap who came and started us with a proper battery pack. I need to buy one of those as we are soon driving up north to Nam and I don't want to get stuck there. I blame SWAMBO for this episode as she should have reminded me to unplug the fridge - <grin>.

Day 3 - Garden Route / Knysna

Our first stop on the Garden Route was at the Stormsriver bridge. Nice view.

Now off to go and find that big ass tree in the Tsitsikamma forest. Apparently this particular Geelhout boom is about 1000 years old. Beautiful decked pathway (500m) to get to the tree.

We then drove further down the GR and turned in at the Khoisan Village, where they apparently have the highest bridge bungee in the world. Crazy to jump off there. It is VERY high - 216M.

Now off to Knysna. Had a nice oyster lunch at the Oyster Bar on Thesen Island. We decided to take a boat cruise to the Knysna heads. The scenery was awesome. 

I made a booking on booking.com. Took a chance on the first hit and what a lovely place we got. A B&B called Forget Me Not. Our own little house overlooking the bay. Cost was R1,300 for 2 days. Not bad.

Tomorrow we will explore the area and see what we can find. Looking forward to it. I'm keen to go and ride some Elephants.

Day 2 - Jeffreys Bay

Arrived in JBay around luch time. Had lunch on the beach and met a guy called Jacques who organsied a B&B for us to stay at for R350 for the both of us. What a bargain!

The place was very nice and the friendliest owners you can find. Tomorrow we will trek down to Knysna, but we will do some stops along the way on the Garden Route.

Day 1 - Welvanpas Guest Farm

Left Roodepoort at 06:30 this morning. Had a good trip so far. Plenty of roadworks along the way but we made good ground. Sleeping over at Welvanpas guest farm close to Middelburg EC. Karoo wêreld. Looking forward to the rest of the journey.

Our camping fridge is coming in handy. Keeping the beers and Ponchos ice cold.

Tomorrow we will be heading to Jeffreys Bay. Could not go all the way to PE due to the bad weather and roads that are closed.