south africa: knysna and noetzie

The bus ride from plettenberg bay (plett) to knysna (pronounced nizna - long I sound) was short. The towns aren't far from each other, and are sortof rivals on the garden route. They're both small towns, with townships on the edge. They're both full of tourists in the summmer, and have more outdoor or active things to do instead of sights to see. Where they differ is in how they're set up/organized. They don't look at all like each other. Knysna is built around a lagoon. On one side is the town, on the other side is another example of the beauty of nature. They're called 'the heads,' two bits of land that reach toward each other and almost touch.

The lagoon is made of a mixture of fresh water from a river coming into the lagoon on one side, and saltwater of the ocean coming in from between the heads. One of the heads is developed, the other is a nature reserve.

The bus dropped me off in town, at a Toyota shop. How do bus companies decide on these dropoff points?

I passed a cemetery along the way to my guesthouse, I wonder why those fascinate me so much. It had plenty of space, and I could see care was taken of the graves.

It was easy for me to walk to the place at which I'd reserved a room for a couple nights. It was another guesthouse, and my host knew I would be arriving before check in time. My room was nice, and the whole house was nice. My host was full of information and suggestions, which I loved.

After relaxing for far too long, I started walking. My first destination was an island called Leisure Island, which isn't really an island. It's more of a small peninsula. To get there, I walked in the direction of the heads.

In one area of the peninsula is a small reserve. This seemed more like a park than a reserve to me, but maybe there is a reason for the designation.
There were a few plants and trees and flowers with labels. I played around with time delayed photos on my camera when I laid on a branch of a tree to take a photo.

I walked all the way to the end of the peninsula to it's marina. Plenty big for such a small bit of land. I"m guessing anyone who lives here has plenty of money, as those boats aren't cheap, and neither are the houses. Anywho.

As I walked back to the beginning of the peninsula, I could see and feel dark clouds rolling in, and fast.

I walked around the lagoon, almost halfway around to get to the city center of Knysna. By the time I got there, it was raining lightly. Ugh. With the combination of rain and wind I wasn't feeling so good. At least my shoes (jandals) felt fine, there was no rubbing.

I found a developed area, full of shops and restaurants, mostly for tourists. (At least that's how it looked to me.) I walked through the whole thing, taking note of the food available. After finishing with this area, I followed a street back in the direction of the main street I'd watched earlier to get to my guesthouse. Along this street I found a supermarket, and a few more restaurants. Nothing seemed particularly wonderful, or looked awful. I also noticed that there weren't a whole lot of people out on the street.

I walked back to the development on the water, and chose a fast food sea food chain place for dinner. I was in the mood for prawns, so I had queen prawns, and a prawn california roll. Yum.

It took me a while to walk back to my guesthouse, but it was on a sidewalk, and it was easy. When I got back I was able to get some information from my host about where I wanted to go the next day.

The next day I got to have another one of the amazing breakfasts I love. I ate too much, a habit I'm perfectly willing to continue :)

I decided to go to a place a bit out of town, called Noetzie (pronounced nootzie) Beach. To get there I walked through some of the townships on the edge of Knysna, which looked even worse than they would've with the drizzly weather.

There is a HUGE gap between the haves and have nots in this area. Well, that difference exists throughout the entire country. The townships were made of wood or tin shacks, on muddy lanes. The roofs were almost all sheet metal. A few of them had satellite dishes hooked up.

I'm glad my host let me know the location of the road I was looking for, or I would've missed it completely. It was not paved, and the turnoff from the highway was rather muddy. I was not loving the weather, as it was continually drizzly and windy and not warm.

I followed this road all the way to it's end. The end of the road wasn't exactly where I wanted to be, but it was close. There were a few parking spots at the end of the road, not that I needed one. At the far end of the park platz was a path, which in turn led to a couple sets of stairs. The stairs finally took me to where I wanted to be, which was the beach.

I'm not sure how this place has an official name. Noetzie. I could see about 5 buildings/homes on the beach. A couple of them looked like castles.

The beach itself wasn't exactly remarkable, but I had it all to myself, which felt pretty remarkable to me. It wasn't big, but when it's all yours, who cares? The water was crazy, as was the wind, but at least it wasn't drizzling or raining, for the time being. I climbed around the rocks on one side of the beach, and watched the water bash against the rocks. I wanted to go to the other side of the beach and climb those rocks as well, but there was a large stream of water cutting the beach in half, and I didn't think I could make it across without getting soaked. Argh.

Eventually I left, and went back up the hill. Up the stairs, up the road, and back to the highway to Knysna. As I got back to the highway the rain picked up again, I was frustrated to get wet again when I'd just dried off. From my guesthouse to Noetzie beach and back it was about 15km.

Then I walked back into the center of Knysna. I went back to the supermarket I'd visited the day before, and bought more snack food. This time I entered through another side of the building, through another set of outer streets. It wasn't the most comfortable time for me as I had to walk through groups of people who were standing around drinking.

From there I walked to dinner. I ate at the same restaurant as the night before, and I ate the same food. When I'm in the mood for something, I can eat it again and again and again. I bought postcards on the way home that night.

The next morning I started with another wonderful breakfast. I ate later than I should, and started walking later than I should. I walked back to the waterfront, and found a little booth with information for what I wanted. My goal for the day was to take a ferry across the lagoon, and walk a trail in the private reserve on one of the heads.

I got to the booth late enough that I was waaaay past the morning 'tour.' Thankfully, there was an afternoon option. I bought my ticket, and figured out where I needed to be to board, and when.

The timing didn't work out to leave me a whole lot of time to do anything else. I went back to a couple churches I'd seen, though they were closed, and I was only able to see the exteriors. I didn't have time to see a museum that sounded moderately interesting. Argh. If only I'd gotten moving earlier in the day. Clearly I need to come back to South Africa, and visit many of these towns again, with all the things I've missed.

I speed walked back to the cafe that led to a dock at which was the boat I wanted. Boarding was easy and fast, and I made sure to get a seat on the top (open) deck in the front. As we pulled away from the dock, we could all hear information about the city and areas we were seeing as the boat moved along. We learned some history, and learned an estimate of how much some of the homes we could see cost. It was a pleasant ride across the lagoon, with commentary every so often. I bet being on the water feels amazing during warmer times of year. On the other hand, maybe mosquitoes are not so fun?

On the other side of the lagoon we pulled up to a dock and got off the boat. Waiting at the end of a trail were several tractor like vehicles with benches. (I'm sure there is a proper name, but that name escapes me at the moment.) The tractors departed, each with a tour guide speaking on a microphone.

Our guides pointed out various flora as the tractors followed the trail. The guides also told us a bit of the recent history of the land. I was happy it was a private reserve, and I hope it stays that way.

My favourite was a view at the top, which let us see the water in between the heads, as well as along the outer coast for a bit. SO PRETTY.

We got out of the tractors at the top, and got to walk a trail down the mountain and back to the boat. We got to see one area with a natural arch rock, which was lovely. Great natural framing for photos, and getting down there was pretty as well. We got to get really close to crashing waves.

We got to walk along the lagoon as the sun was going down, which was lovely. I was thrilled with the whole thing, and just wish I'd had more time and been allowed to walk through other areas. I think the only way to get to the reserve is on this tour, which limits what I want to do. Oh well.

All of us boarded the boat and we went back across the lagoon to our first dock The sun was going down, so I knew I wouldn't really have any more time to explore the town during this visit. Argh.

I went back to the same restaurant for dinner, as for some reason I still hadn't overdosed on prawns. Since this was the same meal for me for the third night in a row, the waitstaff knew what I wanted as soon as I walked in. My food seemed to arrive on my table a little faster this time, hee hee.

From there I walked back to my guesthouse. This is where I get to talk about how awesome the host was. Even though I wasn't staying this full night, he let me stay in the room until late evening. I had booked a bus that didn't leave until 2300 or even later, so it was wonderful to be able to use the room to take a shower and pack up just before leaving. My host also called a taxi for me, which picked me up on time, and had good driver.

I got to the bus pickup point the recommended 30 minutes ahead of my bus. This was not the same place where I'd been dropped off when I arrived in Knysna. It was similar in that it was outdoors, and I wasn't feeling super warm.

The bus ended up being over an hour late. Which meant I was sitting there for over 90 minutes, never knowing how much longer it would be. I called the bus company to ask where the bus was, and first they tried to say it was on time. I told them I was still waiting, and to please tell me the truth. Finally they did, or at least what they thought at the time. I was annoyed, to say the least.

Eventually the bus came, and I left town.

I do hope to come back to Knysna one day!!

south africa: plettenberg bay

After another quick bus ride (only a couple hours or so? Maybe shorter?) from Jeffrey's Bay, I arrived in a city called Plettenburg Bay. Plett (as it is called by nearly everyone,) is one of the starting cities of the so called 'garden route' of South Africa. It's one of the biggest cities along this route, and is always jam packed with tourists (both domestic and international,) during the summer season.

My bus dropped me off on the edge of town, so I used my phone to figure out how to walk to my accomodation, Upon arrival, I got yet another talking to about having walked, and not having called them for a ride. It was less than an hour walk, and the weather was nice, so I didn't much care.

I checked in and relaxed for a while, then started to leave the home.

I didn't get to walk back into town, they insisted on driving me. I picked a random place, and got dropped off near a supermarket. I walked through the supermarket, then started walking around the town. To get from the supermarket back to the center of town, I had to go up a hill. It was a steep enough hill, but off to one side were views of a beach. Gorgeous, but not the type of beach where one goes to lay out. In fact, I wasn't sure I would be able to get out to this area.

Sometime during this walk I stubbed my toe rather badly, enough to bleed. With all the walking I do you'd think my feet would know what to do, yet I still stub my toe regularly. Argh.

People come to Plett to relax, or to be active, not so much to see sights. One of the few sights in town is a small church. When I arrived I got to see how picturesque it is, I was really happy. I wasn't able to go in the church, but I sat for a few moments on the benches in front, and enjoyed the peaceful feeling. There was a cemetery off to one side of the church, I took a look at a few of the gravestones just because I like that sort of thing.

When I left the church property I realized how close I was to a cafe I'd read about on a travel app. I decided to stop in, and was sooo glad I did. I found two cakes I wanted, so I bought pieces of both. One was red velvet, a very bright red colour. The other was a layer cake in a combination of flavours: cheesecake and carrot cake. I loved both. I also decided I would come back the next day, for more of both :)

From there I walked to an old timber house. I have no idea why timber is in the name, because I didn't see any wood. I saw only stone/rock.

It looked as if someone had started to build a house, then quit. I saw a sign saying it had national designation of some kind, but I have no idea what that means, or how it was earned. I tried taking a couple time delayed photos with me sitting in one of the window frames, but they didn't work out the way I had envisioned. Why hasn't someone invented a machine that translates what my eyes see to the camera?

I followed the roads from the unfinished house down to the beach. It's not a beach where people lay out, as there are big rocks on the beach area. The waves come in regularly, and were really mesmerizing. I could've sat for hours and just watched. Instead, I climbed around on the rocks for a few minutes, making sure I didn't fall off.

I grabbed dinner at a fast food place on the way home. Should I have eaten that chili dog? Nope, but it tasted pretty good :)

The next morning I had another of the breakfasts I loved so much. Eggs cooked to order, with cooked tomatoes and bacon as well. From the cold foods I had cereal, fruit, and yogurt. I overate, because it was good, and I didn't think I'd be eating lunch anytime soon.

Willie insisted on driving me to the place I wanted to visit that day, called Robberg Reserve. It's a peninsula on the edge of town. I wanted to hike, and hike I got to do. There is an entrance fee, but it isn't expensive. I didn't see any parking, but I'm sure there must be some nearby.

There are a number of trails in the area, from short ones to longer ones. I wanted to hike as long as I could, so I tried to find the longest trail. There were great views during my entire hike. It is a peninsula, but there is altitude in a few places, so I was overlooking the water much of the time. Lovely, and I could hear the waves as well as see them.

In one area my nose noticed a rather distinct smell. I looked at the water, and could see a whole lot of seals. Very cute, as some were swimming a bit and some were laying out in the sun.

My hike was somewhere between nine and eleven kilometers, I'm not really sure of the total. I was out there for four hours, which was longer than I expected it would take for that distance. Parts of the hike were really easy, other parts not so much. Toward the end I was down on big rocks and a beach, and got a little lost. Not completely lost, but I wasn't able to find the trail a couple times. Ooops. Fortunately, I was able to scramble around a bit, and figure out where to go. If I'd gotten there a bit earlier in the day I wouldn't have worried at all about being lost.

As I finished the hike, I called Willie, and he came back to pick me up. He drove me back into town, and insisted on waiting around while I went to a few places. I went back to the cafe and got two more pieces of cake, the same I'd eaten the day before. I found a bookstore at which I could buy a heap of postcards. (I bought so many that the clerks wondered about me!) I went to the supermarket to get some snacks and dinner food. I wanted another chili dog, but felt guilty about asking Willie if we could make another stop. I would've been happy to walk home, but he clearly wasn't going to let me do any walking. 

When we got back to the guesthouse, I moved my stuff into a different room. When my reservation had been made, it had been for just one day. I knew immediately upon arrival I wanted more than one night, but to make that happen I had to switch rooms, because of other reservations.
When I saw my new room, I wished I could stay even longer. My new room had a balcony, was larger, and was absolutely awesome.

The next morning I had my last big breakfast at this guesthouse. Yum. Afterward, Willie insisted on driving me to the bus pickup point, and waited with me when the bus was running late.

I'd love to go back to Plettenberg Bay, so I could explore more of the area. It's gorgeous!!

south africa: jeffrey's bay

My bus from Port Elizabeth (P.E.) to Jeffrey's Bay was only a couple hours, arriving at 0800. Basically, that meant I was still really groggy. 

The bus dropped me off nowhere near where I wanted to be. Ugh. The bus dropoff was at a petrol station 3km out of town, on the main garden route highway. I really wish I'd known that ahead of time. I'm fully capable of walking that distance, even with a pack, but I was not mentally ready for it when I hopped off the bus. The weather wasn't great, starting to rain, and windy. 

This is another city with a nickname used by most people, they call it J-bay. 

I used my phone to figure out where to walk, thankfully it wasn't a complicated route. As I walked, I could feel the eyes of the people in the few cars on the road, especially when the rain fell a little harder. 

Jeffrey's Bay is most known as a surf town. The rest of the town doesn't have much happening, or much to see. I came because I was hoping to have a coffee/tea with someone I'd met in Taiwan years ago. Unfortunately that didn't work out. 

Eventually I made it to the accommodation I'd booked for the night. They let me check in early, and I got another talking to for not calling them to pick me up at the petrol station. Oh well. 

I stayed inside for a few hours, warming up, drying off, charging everything, and using wifi. I should've gone outside faster, but the weather was awful, and in the end, I don't think I missed anything. In the end, I walked out and started exploring the town by touring two supermarkets. (They were only about 100 meters apart.) I picked up snacks for the day, and tried to stay warm. 

When I checked in to the hostel I was given a town map. I used that to try to find a reserve in the middle of the town. It wasn't big, but I was hoping to walk a trail or two. 

I never found the entrance to the reserve, argh. There are houses surrounding the reserve, it's not a place you can enter just anywhere. 

On one side I thought I'd found the right place, but when I followed a somewhat visible path I ended up in an area where the path seemed to stop. The trees and bushes were really overgrown, and some of the rubbish made it seem as if people occasionally slept/lived there. I went back out quickly, as I felt a bit trapped and not terribly safe. Argh. 

I ended up walking all the way around the reserve, never finding a proper entrance. Is it because it was winter? Or did I just miss it? 

On the Main Street I walked to an area of town visited by tourists and surfers. I stopped into a surf shop, thinking I might find a bikini I liked, but that didn't happen. The staff looked at me strangely when I came in. Am I really that strange for being out in winter? 

I found a shop with postcards, and bought a few, even though I knew I wasn't going to see any of the beautiful sunsets in the photos. 

From there I walked to the beach. Jeffrey's Bay is on the coast, with plenty of beach area. Long, wide beaches. A great place to watch the waves come in, and I'm sure they are packed with surfers in better weather. 

Since the weather was awful (wind and rain picking up, I was pretty much miserable,) I had the entire beach to myself. I saw more dark clouds rolling in, and the wind was quite strong at times. The only postcard photo I did get to see were the beautiful shells all over the beach. 

I walked up the beach in the direction of my hostel. I figured it would be nicer to be miserable on a beach than on the main road of town. Eventually, I made my way back to the main road, aiming for one of the supermarkets I'd seen earlier in the day. 

Instead of a supermarket I found a fish and chips takeaway shop. Not the healthiest place to get dinner, but I didn't see any restaurants of cafes anywhere near, soooo... 

with my bag of greasy food I walked back to my hostel, arriving just before dark. I'd originally intended to sit on a balcony and listen to waves coming in, but the rain, wind, and chill made that not such an appealing plan. I ate in the kitchen instead, and didn't see another soul. Oh well. 

The next morning I had to get up really early to make the long walk back to the bus pick up point. 

I started walking before dawn, and got to see a nice sunrise. 

I'd like to see this town in all its natural glory, though there isn't much for me to actually do.

south africa: port elizabeth

Port Elizabeth wasn't a place I expected to enjoy very much. I intended to stay there just a night or maaaaybe two, then continue my trip. I ended up staying three nights and had a great time. 

When my bus arrived, I used google maps to tell me how to get to my accommodation. This was another place I used AirBnB, and again it worked out really well. As I got close, I called my host who quickly drove home from work to let me in. (It turned out the bus had gone right by his work, so he knew I would be ringing him soon.) 

He let me in, showed me where everything was located, and we chatted a bit. Then he went back to work and I started watching tv. Maybe not the most travel related thing I could've been doing at that moment, but it was nice. 

Eventually Justin came back. It turned out he has a very stable job, and since all the necessary work was being done, he was able to leave. We chatted about all manner of things, especially politics. 

About an hour later, his wife Daleen came home. I got to chat with her as well. 

An hour after that, Daleen drove me to a beach south of the city.  It wasn't an area I'd planned to visit, since the guidebook didn't mention it much other than to say it was a city beach. 

I'm soooo glad Daleen took me to the beach. I walked along the boardwalk for a whole, also going down to the sand from time to time.   It was super windy, and the wind caught my dress from time to time. When that happened, I felt as though I could be lifted off the ground. Strong wind, and a lot of it.

I saw dunes (with grass) in one area, and a sad looking lifeguard shack in another. I stepped into a surf shop to buy postcards. 

 I ended up being there during sunset, which was one of the best I've ever seen. A.MA.ZING. I don't know what made it so spectacular in my eyes, but I loved it. 

There were clouds, which always make sunsets better. The sky changed through a rainbow of colours, and the water was various shades of blue/green.  A.MA.ZING. 

I called Daleen, she sent Justin to come pick me up. On the way home, we stopped at a supermarket to pick up dinner food. As usual, I wandered through every aisle, because I like doing such things. Justin told me about various cuts of meat, something every South African seems to know. It made it easier for me to pick a steak to buy. 

When we got home Justin started to fire up the braai. I got to have my first ever South African braai, yippee!! It's basically a BBQ, in a different style from the way Americans cook. This braai was actually inside the house! 

Wood is fired, and burned down enough so that it is basically a set of coals. Meat is then set on a grill above the 'coals' and everything comes out tasting divine. 

In general, South African cuisine involves a lot of meat, which works for me. Dinner included steak, cheese grilled (cheese stuffed hot dogs) and pork chops. And a salad, and rice. I live a good life.

We watched a movie on Tv after dinner, though I don't remember what it was. Obviously, nothing memorable. 

The next day was Saturday, which would normally be a day for everyone to get active and be out of the house. Unfortunately, it was the first real rain day of my trip. As a result, I did almost nothing. I sat around a lot, read for a while, watched some tv, and chatted with my hosts. 

I also went with Daleen to a charity shop to find decorations for one of her friends. Daleen is an amateur interior decorator, I like her taste. We also went to the supermarket, where I picked up a mint chocolate ice cream bar. Yummy, but not necessary. 

At one point I looked out the windows leading to the balcony off the living room, and saw a giant rainbow. Awesome. I should mention that Daleen and Justin's house offered a great view of the port of P.E., it was one of the reasons I chose their place to stay. 

Daleen cooked dinner that night. I don't remember what it was, but I do remember it was good. All my meals in this house were great. 

The next morning Daleen cooked breakfast for all three of us. A little while later we all piled into the car, and picked up Daleen's sister. (I think. Maybe it was another relative?)

We started by having drinks at a cafe with a view of the port. Not pretty in the classical sense, but I enjoyed it. 

Then we went for a drive along the so called 'wild coast' which is also south of the city. 

It's gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. 

Several times we stopped so I could get out and take photos, which I loved. I got to see a popular camping area, and since the views of the water were wonderful, I could understand why the area is popular. Justin said it's the kind of place that books out a year in advance during high season.

We stopped at a place that has a Portuguese canon from a ship sunk long ago. It constantly amazes me that Europe is so far away, but has such a huge part of the history and modern life here. 

We also stopped at a lighthouse. We weren't supposed to get close, but Justin talked his way past the guard, using me as an excuse. He told the guard I just wanted to be there for five minutes, to take a couple photos. That's exactly what happened. 

As we came back into town, they asked me where I wanted to go. I mentioned a place listed in the guidebook, and that's where I was dropped off. 

St. George's park is basically in the middle of P.E. (as Port Elizabeth is called by most people in South Africa.) 

I started my solo tour by walking around a monument in the park. The monument was European related, as is most visible history stuff to see in this country. Europeans were/are all about documenting and memorializing their history both visually and in the written word.

Next up was a small greenhouse. There were a few pretty flowers, but nothing I hadn't seen previously. I was more fascinated by the lines between the panes of glass that made for interesting (to me) photos. 

The centerpiece of the part is a cricket stadium. Unfortunately, it wasn't open, so I was only able to wander around the exterior.

I exited the park from a different place than where I entered. This exit had another monument, in the middle of a parking/drive thru area. I walked up the street, following the map I'd created with a travel app. 

My next 'stop' was a statue of a guy and his horse. This one was different from the normal guy on a horse in that the guy was feeding his horse, not riding his horse. 

It's not big, and is at the end of a small strip of a green area. Lounging around the grass were a bunch of people, none of whom looked to be doing anything in particular. 

From there I walked in the general direction of a place called Donkin Reserve. This reserve was more of a city park, rather than a hiking or trekking area. There was a large grassy area, I could see families and couples walking around. I saw a statue of a woman, I saw some modern art pieces, and I saw some tiled mosaics. 

In one corner of the park was a small pyramid. It is a mausoleum/memorial of the woman after whom the city is named, Elizabeth. Her husband (last name Donkin) created the reserve. Obviously, I took photos. 

Next to the pyramid memorial was the information center, in the shape of a lighthouse. Even though that's not a building shoe I'd expect to see in a city park, it somehow fit. Unfortunately, it was closed when I arrived. Argh. 

Eventually I left the reserve on the opposite side from where I'd entered. This 'back side' had paths winding/switchbacking down to the next street, and the paths were lined with decorated cement. Pretty. 

I walked along the street until I got to the end, and started to turn left. Even though I was staying on the sidewalk I looked both ways during this turn, and when I looked up the street I noticed more modern art. Cars (well a half of a car) had been attached to the 'walls' of the street!

Hard to explain without seeing it, so I will let the photo do the talking. 

My next quick look was a library. It wasn't open, but the front was quite glorious. (The sides and back of the building were boring.) I wish I'd been able to go in, but I was too late in my arrival. (Sunset on a Sunday in winter.)

While looking at some of the buildings in that area I realized this was the area in which I'd arrived by bus. In other words, I knew exactly where to go for the rest of my walk home. 

Another fantastic dinner by Daleen that night, I knew I was really going to miss them when I left. The next morning Justin drove me to the bus station in plenty of time to catch a bus leaving at 0600. In other words, it was still dark. 

I loved P.E. and hope I can go back some day.