Saturday, 3 December 2011
Friday, 2 December 2011
2 Dec Knysna to George
We left Knysna ( pronounced Ni s nah ) heading for George a city of 200,000 plus but we had a few stops on our way to see some small town recommended by our fellow campers. The first town was Rheenendal ,about 20 Km from Knysna and this was visited because Carroll read about it in a brochure. It was a Total waste of fuel. But on the way we seen a sign that advertised a coffee and lunch bar at a dairy farm so we dropped in to investigate. As it turns out it is quite a nice breakfast/lunch bar overlooking a Gorge. Incidentally, there are a "Zillion" Gorges in the country and most are advertised as a "must " see, so we did not need another one. However, they had Brewed coffee and we added a Muffin and a Scone and called it breakfast. They also sold cheese so we picked up a slab of that.
Back on the road again, we headed for another quaint town, namely, Sedgefield. this was highly recommended by a lady we met on the Zip Line excursion. As it turns out this town has a well marked driving tour thru the town. The first few blocks had nice but mature homes, probably middle class ; then it took us thru the worst part of town , that appeared to be all Blacks and this area was definitely lower, lower class with most houses being shacks. Why this is on a tour route is beyond me. After we exited this area we were now into the Upper Class of homes and infact one house was built like a castle. From here we were directed to the beach area which of course is the Indian Ocean and this area was cottages and tourist hotels etc. Thinking we had seen the town we left the Beach and followed the next sign up into a new area and we were lead to one of the most beautiful beach we have seen. This beach area was at the mouth of a river just as it met the Indian Ocean and it was difinitely a favour area for the local kids because it was shallow and had miles of sandy beaches. We were told by a lady we met on the Zip Line that this was a top attraction for people who liked the beaches but it was not much for surfers.
Next we headed for George, some 50 KM away but we just had to slow down for all beautiful Ocean senery. Then as we were climbing a mountain area we notice a dozen or so , colourful Parachutes gliding all around the mountain side. They would drop down just about to the ground and then shoot back up high over the mountain. As it turns out there was a"Pull off " right in the area so we stopped and shot a few pics of this show. While we were stopped , Carroll drumed up a conversation with 4 young girls from Norway, one who was a student and was studying in Capetown, the other were visiting. I drummed up a conversation with a couple from England but moved to ZA to retire. Apparently many British retirees do this.
Finally, we reached George around 1 PM so we decide to look for and found the Tourist Information building. The young lady was most helpful and even set us up for a Scenic trolley ride up the mountain tomorrow. She also pointed out other interesting things see and do. She advised us to be at the Information booth tomorrow at 4 PM till late as they were turning on the Christmas light in the park across the street and there would some music.
We then decide to find a " Caravan " park were we could park for the next 2 days. The first one we sought out became a pain in the ass to sign in as the reception area was no where near the Park and I want to see the place that we will be camping in so we left it. We found another beautiful and emaculate park , 1 KM away from the beach. It is actually a resort with condo style chalets. The parking pad is manacured grassed area and we have our own private bathroom across from our MH. The lady owner walked me down to the pad to make sure I was happy with the location and then showed me the bathroom complete a shower. I got to admit, I did " snicker " when she said , this is your private bathroom. When do you get a private bathhroom in a Caravan park.
Ok, now it was time to get some beach time so we headed for the beach about 1 1/2 KM away. It was a very nice area ,which attracted the younger crowd mainly because it was good for Surfering and for the Boggy Board crowd. The beach had about 50 /50 Black and Whites , but they do not intermingle but they don't bother each other either. The Black kids were kicking a Soccer ball around and the white kids were playing with a Ruby ( football ) ball.
After a few hours on the beach we returned to the Caravan park to rest up for supper. We checked with the owner for a good resturaunt for fish and he sent us one that was great. We had the local favour which is also caught locally called KingKlip and it was good.
Back on the road again, we headed for another quaint town, namely, Sedgefield. this was highly recommended by a lady we met on the Zip Line excursion. As it turns out this town has a well marked driving tour thru the town. The first few blocks had nice but mature homes, probably middle class ; then it took us thru the worst part of town , that appeared to be all Blacks and this area was definitely lower, lower class with most houses being shacks. Why this is on a tour route is beyond me. After we exited this area we were now into the Upper Class of homes and infact one house was built like a castle. From here we were directed to the beach area which of course is the Indian Ocean and this area was cottages and tourist hotels etc. Thinking we had seen the town we left the Beach and followed the next sign up into a new area and we were lead to one of the most beautiful beach we have seen. This beach area was at the mouth of a river just as it met the Indian Ocean and it was difinitely a favour area for the local kids because it was shallow and had miles of sandy beaches. We were told by a lady we met on the Zip Line that this was a top attraction for people who liked the beaches but it was not much for surfers.
Next we headed for George, some 50 KM away but we just had to slow down for all beautiful Ocean senery. Then as we were climbing a mountain area we notice a dozen or so , colourful Parachutes gliding all around the mountain side. They would drop down just about to the ground and then shoot back up high over the mountain. As it turns out there was a"Pull off " right in the area so we stopped and shot a few pics of this show. While we were stopped , Carroll drumed up a conversation with 4 young girls from Norway, one who was a student and was studying in Capetown, the other were visiting. I drummed up a conversation with a couple from England but moved to ZA to retire. Apparently many British retirees do this.
Finally, we reached George around 1 PM so we decide to look for and found the Tourist Information building. The young lady was most helpful and even set us up for a Scenic trolley ride up the mountain tomorrow. She also pointed out other interesting things see and do. She advised us to be at the Information booth tomorrow at 4 PM till late as they were turning on the Christmas light in the park across the street and there would some music.
We then decide to find a " Caravan " park were we could park for the next 2 days. The first one we sought out became a pain in the ass to sign in as the reception area was no where near the Park and I want to see the place that we will be camping in so we left it. We found another beautiful and emaculate park , 1 KM away from the beach. It is actually a resort with condo style chalets. The parking pad is manacured grassed area and we have our own private bathroom across from our MH. The lady owner walked me down to the pad to make sure I was happy with the location and then showed me the bathroom complete a shower. I got to admit, I did " snicker " when she said , this is your private bathroom. When do you get a private bathhroom in a Caravan park.
Ok, now it was time to get some beach time so we headed for the beach about 1 1/2 KM away. It was a very nice area ,which attracted the younger crowd mainly because it was good for Surfering and for the Boggy Board crowd. The beach had about 50 /50 Black and Whites , but they do not intermingle but they don't bother each other either. The Black kids were kicking a Soccer ball around and the white kids were playing with a Ruby ( football ) ball.
After a few hours on the beach we returned to the Caravan park to rest up for supper. We checked with the owner for a good resturaunt for fish and he sent us one that was great. We had the local favour which is also caught locally called KingKlip and it was good.
Thursday, 1 December 2011
1 Dec Thursday Plettenberg to Knysna
Today we went to Knysna which is 37 KM from Plettenberg. It was not a long drive day but we had hoped we could drive "out " of the dam rain. We arrived in Kuysna and it was slightly overcast with a drizzle. We were not sure what to do or if we would stay so we did a drive about the town and found the waterfront which had ample parking mainly because it has a gorgerous ( that's probably not the best word to describe it ) "walking only " Shopping Quay about 2 blocks long. It also has an " i " Information booth so we ventured over to see what they had for us. The information here was too provide and or sell tourist with several boat trips around the harbour and area.
The city of Knysna is built on an large estuary and has a narrow entrance which protects it from any storms. It was obviously found by sailors many years ago when then needed a place to mooring during a storm. Inside the estuary they also have 2 small island which have been bridged from the mainland , albeit a small brigde of about 100 feet long. As a result, a housing developement , of the upscale variety, has been built on the Islands. With such a gorgerous view, it is not surprising that the housing developement happened.
Anyway, back to our story. When we checked with the information booth they explained that they had several excursion , all that were part of a boat trip within the Estuary. Incidentally, the tide rises and falls every 6 1/2 hours, which compared to the Pacific in Comox, BC which changes every 12 hours or so. So the one that intersted us was a boat ride across the Estuary, then a ride in 3 wagons towed by a tractor/truck ( for lack of a better word) up a 2.2 KM up a mountian trail and if we wanted , we could hike back down to the boat dock that housed a resturaunt of which the likes we have never seen in all our travels. It is a semi-outdoor resturaunt built amoung the trees but they did not cut any trees down to built it. The decking and the tables are set amoung and around the trees. These trees do not grow straight like a pine or Fir; the tree limbs just twist and turn , up and down and around. The resturaunt would be about the size of a small town hockey arena, as a comparison.
When we arrived back at the resturaunt, after the hike down, they had a buffet dinner which was second to none. It had everything from Kudu ( antelope ) Calamaria, chicken, fish ,beef, salads, and many deserts.
I know you are waiting on the cost of this excursion so here it comes. The 4 hour trip and the meal cost R790 or about 100.00 cdn for the both of us, which we felt was worth the price.
As a side note , while going up the 2.2 KM mountain ride our vehicle quit 1 KM from the drop-off point so we had to hike the last Km. Carroll orginally thought she could hike down but once we got to the top she changed her mind and rode in the wagon. I am glad she chose to ride down because the hiking was really rough and would have been a killer on her knees. Of course it was a piece of cake for a "Trained Killer " like me. By the time I got the the resturaunt it was definitely Miller time. There were also two tour Bus loads of people; one from UK and one from Germany.
After the tour ended and as we walked to the MH we had to walk by some more Hawkers selling table clothes and place Mats. Carroll stopped to as the price and after 10 mins of "Brow Beating "the lady, Carroll walked away with another table cloth. We then moved to the shopping Quay, which was nearby and did some window shopping for an hour or so and then decide to stay in Kynsna for the night and went looking for a camp site. We found one in our camping book and checked it out as it was on the edge of town. It is a nice area, all grass and the cost was R180 but I explained that was a Pensioner so he dropped it to R162.
Since we had a big dinner at 12:30 or 1PM we did not need a big supper so we had a snack in the MH. There are only two of us in the camp site but every camp site has several Chalets or as they call the "self Catering" which means bring your own food. Tomorrwo we will move down towards the Cape.
The city of Knysna is built on an large estuary and has a narrow entrance which protects it from any storms. It was obviously found by sailors many years ago when then needed a place to mooring during a storm. Inside the estuary they also have 2 small island which have been bridged from the mainland , albeit a small brigde of about 100 feet long. As a result, a housing developement , of the upscale variety, has been built on the Islands. With such a gorgerous view, it is not surprising that the housing developement happened.
Anyway, back to our story. When we checked with the information booth they explained that they had several excursion , all that were part of a boat trip within the Estuary. Incidentally, the tide rises and falls every 6 1/2 hours, which compared to the Pacific in Comox, BC which changes every 12 hours or so. So the one that intersted us was a boat ride across the Estuary, then a ride in 3 wagons towed by a tractor/truck ( for lack of a better word) up a 2.2 KM up a mountian trail and if we wanted , we could hike back down to the boat dock that housed a resturaunt of which the likes we have never seen in all our travels. It is a semi-outdoor resturaunt built amoung the trees but they did not cut any trees down to built it. The decking and the tables are set amoung and around the trees. These trees do not grow straight like a pine or Fir; the tree limbs just twist and turn , up and down and around. The resturaunt would be about the size of a small town hockey arena, as a comparison.
When we arrived back at the resturaunt, after the hike down, they had a buffet dinner which was second to none. It had everything from Kudu ( antelope ) Calamaria, chicken, fish ,beef, salads, and many deserts.
I know you are waiting on the cost of this excursion so here it comes. The 4 hour trip and the meal cost R790 or about 100.00 cdn for the both of us, which we felt was worth the price.
As a side note , while going up the 2.2 KM mountain ride our vehicle quit 1 KM from the drop-off point so we had to hike the last Km. Carroll orginally thought she could hike down but once we got to the top she changed her mind and rode in the wagon. I am glad she chose to ride down because the hiking was really rough and would have been a killer on her knees. Of course it was a piece of cake for a "Trained Killer " like me. By the time I got the the resturaunt it was definitely Miller time. There were also two tour Bus loads of people; one from UK and one from Germany.
After the tour ended and as we walked to the MH we had to walk by some more Hawkers selling table clothes and place Mats. Carroll stopped to as the price and after 10 mins of "Brow Beating "the lady, Carroll walked away with another table cloth. We then moved to the shopping Quay, which was nearby and did some window shopping for an hour or so and then decide to stay in Kynsna for the night and went looking for a camp site. We found one in our camping book and checked it out as it was on the edge of town. It is a nice area, all grass and the cost was R180 but I explained that was a Pensioner so he dropped it to R162.
Since we had a big dinner at 12:30 or 1PM we did not need a big supper so we had a snack in the MH. There are only two of us in the camp site but every camp site has several Chalets or as they call the "self Catering" which means bring your own food. Tomorrwo we will move down towards the Cape.
30 Nov Wedesday. Tsitzikamma Park to Plettenberg
Before I give you our travelogue to Pettenberg I must tell you about how friendly the ZA campers are with us. Our neighbours in Tist..... Park gave us a lot of information on where to go and what to see. However, they did much more; the gave us there cell # and insist that we stop for a visit when we pass thru their city and they they gave us a jar of homemade marmalade as a gift. The people we have met in ZA are just great and really make us feel welcome.
Now for the travelogue. We left Tsit... and travel a whole 55 KM to Plettenberg Bay,which is a very vibrate city of (my guess) approxi 10,000. Since the camp ground we selected, with the recommendation of other campers, was 4 Km before the city so we checked in there 1st. ( they would not give me "Pensioners" rates ) It is a very nice camp ground, right on a river which empties into the Indian Ocean about 500 M from the camp ground, so the river actually goes up and down with the Ocean tide.
After selecting a spot, since it was barely 10 % full, we were allowed to select any vacant spot, we decide to tour the city and if possible find an Information Booth to get advice on what to see. No luck there , so we drove around the city and soon found the Waterfront and Beach area. After parking we walk around the beach but it was crowded with University student who are on summer holidays. The summer holidays are from late Nov to the middle of Jan and we have already been told the every beach and camping area will be crowded from now until we leave on 15 Jan. Also the price of camping will double by mid Dec, if not right away.
The parking lots at the beaches usually provided an area for Hawkers to set up and sell their wares to unsuspecting customers, namely Carroll. When Carroll says "she just wants to look" , I immedately get out my wallet because we are definitely buying something and she did not disappoint me.
Since the City Beach was crowded we returned to our camp site, on the river and went for a swim; it was cool but not cold, and then read for a while or fell asleep and enhanced our tan.
After a couple of hour of beach time we decided to get the MH washed ( it was dirty from the rain on the dirt roads in the parks ) while we went grocery shopping. I got the MH Hand Washed and Dried for R80 ( 10.00 ), which i think was a bargin. After grocery shopping , the MH wasn't ready so I grabbed my computer and we went for a coffee at a place called the Mugg and Bean, which is a franchise much like Kelsey's but , more import , they have " free " internet for 1/2. Since my connection at the camp was somewhere between "Bugger all and None" I wanted to at least check our emails which we did. We have taken advantage of the free internet at the Mugg and Bean in Joburg so we knew it would be available here also.
We then got our MH and fuelled up so to be ready to roll in the morning. You either need Petrol or diesel not gasoline. I ask the "filling" station attendant if it was going to rain and he said absolutely , in about 1 hour and it will rain all night. He was right on as it started to rain as soon as I lite the Briggettes. No gas Bar-B-Q's here.
We delayed supper until it quit raining or at least slowed down somewhat. Then I bar-b-q the hamburgers, sauage and the Mushrooms to go along with corn on the cob. Veggies ground all year round here so nothing is out of season. As soon as i finished with the "Barbie' it started to pour again and never stopped all night. Tomorrow we will move south and we hope we have seen the last of the rain.
Now for the travelogue. We left Tsit... and travel a whole 55 KM to Plettenberg Bay,which is a very vibrate city of (my guess) approxi 10,000. Since the camp ground we selected, with the recommendation of other campers, was 4 Km before the city so we checked in there 1st. ( they would not give me "Pensioners" rates ) It is a very nice camp ground, right on a river which empties into the Indian Ocean about 500 M from the camp ground, so the river actually goes up and down with the Ocean tide.
After selecting a spot, since it was barely 10 % full, we were allowed to select any vacant spot, we decide to tour the city and if possible find an Information Booth to get advice on what to see. No luck there , so we drove around the city and soon found the Waterfront and Beach area. After parking we walk around the beach but it was crowded with University student who are on summer holidays. The summer holidays are from late Nov to the middle of Jan and we have already been told the every beach and camping area will be crowded from now until we leave on 15 Jan. Also the price of camping will double by mid Dec, if not right away.
The parking lots at the beaches usually provided an area for Hawkers to set up and sell their wares to unsuspecting customers, namely Carroll. When Carroll says "she just wants to look" , I immedately get out my wallet because we are definitely buying something and she did not disappoint me.
Since the City Beach was crowded we returned to our camp site, on the river and went for a swim; it was cool but not cold, and then read for a while or fell asleep and enhanced our tan.
After a couple of hour of beach time we decided to get the MH washed ( it was dirty from the rain on the dirt roads in the parks ) while we went grocery shopping. I got the MH Hand Washed and Dried for R80 ( 10.00 ), which i think was a bargin. After grocery shopping , the MH wasn't ready so I grabbed my computer and we went for a coffee at a place called the Mugg and Bean, which is a franchise much like Kelsey's but , more import , they have " free " internet for 1/2. Since my connection at the camp was somewhere between "Bugger all and None" I wanted to at least check our emails which we did. We have taken advantage of the free internet at the Mugg and Bean in Joburg so we knew it would be available here also.
We then got our MH and fuelled up so to be ready to roll in the morning. You either need Petrol or diesel not gasoline. I ask the "filling" station attendant if it was going to rain and he said absolutely , in about 1 hour and it will rain all night. He was right on as it started to rain as soon as I lite the Briggettes. No gas Bar-B-Q's here.
We delayed supper until it quit raining or at least slowed down somewhat. Then I bar-b-q the hamburgers, sauage and the Mushrooms to go along with corn on the cob. Veggies ground all year round here so nothing is out of season. As soon as i finished with the "Barbie' it started to pour again and never stopped all night. Tomorrow we will move south and we hope we have seen the last of the rain.
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
29 Nov Tuesday Storms River
Today we started by sitting around the park enjoying the view and the beautiful weather, finally. Carroll, as the typical social butterfly was speaking with the neighbours and they mentioned that they had a 10 AM appointment at Storms River, 4 KM away, to go on a Zip line exsecution. Since we intended to visit Storms River anyway, we decided to check out the Zip Line while we were there. We arr at 11:30 and they had an opening for 2 persons on the 12:00 group. There is only 8 people to a group. So we paid the R900 for two and the next thing we knew , we were in the group. Unbeknown to us until we got the intinal briefing was that lunch and a drink ( non alcohol ) was included. It was quite warm in the forest so on our return to have lunch, my drink was a cold beer as you would expect.
The Zip Line had 10 sections or "runs " and the group leader was fabulous. Althought we have never been on a Zip Line before we felt real safe. Besides the pulleys that carry you there are 2 more safety lines to ensure your safety. For you folks who have never done, get off your rear and do it. If you are travelling to fast on the line they have a safety brake at the landing controlled by the "Catcher" so you will always have a "soft landing ". It was a great experience.
Well, that little experience did "while" away most of the day but our cell ran out of " airtime " so we checked on were we could get another airtime card. Your not going to believe this; of course, at the Liquor store, where else. Not being Cell phone people, we were not sure if we loaded it properly, so the clerk heard us musing about that , so she said this young guy here will check it for you and he did. It was loaded correctly.
I thought we were going back to the camp until carroll spotted a craft shop, which really means a "hawker" who happens to have a small bldg for his junk. Carroll was intersted in a carved Hippo so she " Bow Beat " the guy until she finally go it at a reduced price, but not nec a cheap price. It is made of Mahogana wood and weighs about 20 lbs, so it will cost another 50.00 for overweight on the flight home.
By this time I needed another beer so back to the camp site we go. Since we are still sweaty and hot from the Zip line we jumped into " dam cold " pool to cool off. We top off the day with a supper at the local resturaunt and the evening was cool enought to wear a sweater.
The Zip Line had 10 sections or "runs " and the group leader was fabulous. Althought we have never been on a Zip Line before we felt real safe. Besides the pulleys that carry you there are 2 more safety lines to ensure your safety. For you folks who have never done, get off your rear and do it. If you are travelling to fast on the line they have a safety brake at the landing controlled by the "Catcher" so you will always have a "soft landing ". It was a great experience.
Well, that little experience did "while" away most of the day but our cell ran out of " airtime " so we checked on were we could get another airtime card. Your not going to believe this; of course, at the Liquor store, where else. Not being Cell phone people, we were not sure if we loaded it properly, so the clerk heard us musing about that , so she said this young guy here will check it for you and he did. It was loaded correctly.
I thought we were going back to the camp until carroll spotted a craft shop, which really means a "hawker" who happens to have a small bldg for his junk. Carroll was intersted in a carved Hippo so she " Bow Beat " the guy until she finally go it at a reduced price, but not nec a cheap price. It is made of Mahogana wood and weighs about 20 lbs, so it will cost another 50.00 for overweight on the flight home.
By this time I needed another beer so back to the camp site we go. Since we are still sweaty and hot from the Zip line we jumped into " dam cold " pool to cool off. We top off the day with a supper at the local resturaunt and the evening was cool enought to wear a sweater.
28 Nov Monday Addo Park to Storms River
We left Addo Nat park and traveled 350 Km to Storms River-Tsitsikamma National Park. This is one gorgerous camp site, right on the Indian Ocean within the National Park area. Every camp site has an ocean view.
Now back to the trip. Upon leaving Addo we decided to to take the long route thru the entire park which covered about 30 KM of park road which is mostly gravel, but I must say, very good gravel, actually hard pan. The speed limit in all animal parks is only 40 KMH but you have to go much slower if you intend to spot any animals so this trip probably took us 1 1/2 to 2 hours and you will find out why as this story unfolds. We had hoped to see a few Elephants since there is suppose to be 350 Elephants whom call this park as their home. There are also 9 Lions who are somewhere in the park.
During the first 10 Km we seen the usual "wild " animals such as Zebras, Warthogs, Kudus and even 3 foxes so we pretty well figured that would be it for the day. Then, as we hit the brow of a hill there were 3 or 4 cars stopped which usually means a sighting of something, even a bird or two. Then we seen the reason for the traffic tie-up, which was one huge Elephantstanding across the road , having breakfast from the roadside trees and she was in no hurry to move. Bear in mind, the roads are 16 to 18 ft wide with no shoulders and shrubs and trees right up to the roadway. So there was no way that anyone could get by. As per normal we all started snapping pics and hoped that she would move off the road. Not likely; she stood there eating for about 20 mins. and none of us had the nerve to ask her to move. Finally she move at a slight angle and one small car snug by. Then the Elephant turned and started to walk up the road, but directly in the middle so we could not get past. By this time a few more cars joined the parade and there we were all in single file, inching our way up the road behind the Elephant for about another 15 mins. Finally, she found a path off the road and took it allowing us to motor on our way.
After another 20 mins or so and just as we came over another hill we seen 7 or 8 vehicles blocking the road both ways. We could not see the problem so we got as close as possible and Carroll ask a girl, who was hanging out the window of her car snapping pics, what the holdup was. She said there are 2 male Lions right on the road Suninng themselves with no intention of moving. Now, this got our interest as Lion sightings are rare so we inched closer and started snapping a few pics. Well, maybe we snapped more than a few pics but certainly not more than a hundred. The car in front of us moved fwd which allowed us full view of the Lions. Then a few more cars joined the charades so being our MH blocks out the small cars, I moved ahead to allow others the priviledge of getting some pics. Finally the car in front of me moved on so I coasted fwd so as not to frighten the Lions. Since I have a Diesel I did not want to start it. Once I got directly in front of the Lions I wanted that last perfect shot, out the window of course. Just as i snapped the last pics the one Lion raised it's head as if to stare at me. Well, I don't want to say i was too close but I can tell you that the Lion had bad Breath.
Well, enough of this Elephant and Lion hunting, we had another 350 KM of road to cover so off we go to our next destination.
Our plan was to stop at Oster Bay for the night,; a place we selected from our trusty camping book. In the early afternoon about 30 or 40 KM from our destination we were going thru a small city/town and decided we need groceries so we stopped and did some shopping. Then we decided we were hungry and spotted a Fish and Chip takeout. Since we were close to the ocean we thought the fish would be good and it was. On our way back to the MH we spotted a pie shop so we dropped in and bought 2 pies for supper.
Now we are heading for Oster Bay and the sign says turn right but our GPS says to turn left. so we trusted our GPS for about 4 KM then we did not like the road so we stopped and called the resort. The directions sound kind of convoluted but the 25 KM of gravel road was making me nervous but he assured us it was a good road. After a few KM I realized the resort owner and I had a different definiton of Good so we did an about turn and picked out another camp ground , down the road about 50 KM which was Tsitsikamma National park and as it turns out it was the perfect choice. The park is located 4 KM from the quaint tourist town of Storms River.
We arr at the park and the receptionist ask if we wanted a view lot. Of course Carroll said yes so it cost an extra R50. The clerk gave us 5 choice and said pick one and let me know right away. We drove down to these "breath taking" sites right on the ocean, picked out a site and then drove back to the office and paid for a 2 nd night. We find it hard to believe you can get a 5 star camping spot for 25.00 cdn per night. These RV parks makes ours in Canada look like a dump.
Anyway it is now " Miller Time " for me and our neighbours have already say hello so I'm sure they will be talking to us shortly. MH are rare in ZA so naturally we do command attention.
Now back to the trip. Upon leaving Addo we decided to to take the long route thru the entire park which covered about 30 KM of park road which is mostly gravel, but I must say, very good gravel, actually hard pan. The speed limit in all animal parks is only 40 KMH but you have to go much slower if you intend to spot any animals so this trip probably took us 1 1/2 to 2 hours and you will find out why as this story unfolds. We had hoped to see a few Elephants since there is suppose to be 350 Elephants whom call this park as their home. There are also 9 Lions who are somewhere in the park.
During the first 10 Km we seen the usual "wild " animals such as Zebras, Warthogs, Kudus and even 3 foxes so we pretty well figured that would be it for the day. Then, as we hit the brow of a hill there were 3 or 4 cars stopped which usually means a sighting of something, even a bird or two. Then we seen the reason for the traffic tie-up, which was one huge Elephantstanding across the road , having breakfast from the roadside trees and she was in no hurry to move. Bear in mind, the roads are 16 to 18 ft wide with no shoulders and shrubs and trees right up to the roadway. So there was no way that anyone could get by. As per normal we all started snapping pics and hoped that she would move off the road. Not likely; she stood there eating for about 20 mins. and none of us had the nerve to ask her to move. Finally she move at a slight angle and one small car snug by. Then the Elephant turned and started to walk up the road, but directly in the middle so we could not get past. By this time a few more cars joined the parade and there we were all in single file, inching our way up the road behind the Elephant for about another 15 mins. Finally, she found a path off the road and took it allowing us to motor on our way.
After another 20 mins or so and just as we came over another hill we seen 7 or 8 vehicles blocking the road both ways. We could not see the problem so we got as close as possible and Carroll ask a girl, who was hanging out the window of her car snapping pics, what the holdup was. She said there are 2 male Lions right on the road Suninng themselves with no intention of moving. Now, this got our interest as Lion sightings are rare so we inched closer and started snapping a few pics. Well, maybe we snapped more than a few pics but certainly not more than a hundred. The car in front of us moved fwd which allowed us full view of the Lions. Then a few more cars joined the charades so being our MH blocks out the small cars, I moved ahead to allow others the priviledge of getting some pics. Finally the car in front of me moved on so I coasted fwd so as not to frighten the Lions. Since I have a Diesel I did not want to start it. Once I got directly in front of the Lions I wanted that last perfect shot, out the window of course. Just as i snapped the last pics the one Lion raised it's head as if to stare at me. Well, I don't want to say i was too close but I can tell you that the Lion had bad Breath.
Well, enough of this Elephant and Lion hunting, we had another 350 KM of road to cover so off we go to our next destination.
Our plan was to stop at Oster Bay for the night,; a place we selected from our trusty camping book. In the early afternoon about 30 or 40 KM from our destination we were going thru a small city/town and decided we need groceries so we stopped and did some shopping. Then we decided we were hungry and spotted a Fish and Chip takeout. Since we were close to the ocean we thought the fish would be good and it was. On our way back to the MH we spotted a pie shop so we dropped in and bought 2 pies for supper.
Now we are heading for Oster Bay and the sign says turn right but our GPS says to turn left. so we trusted our GPS for about 4 KM then we did not like the road so we stopped and called the resort. The directions sound kind of convoluted but the 25 KM of gravel road was making me nervous but he assured us it was a good road. After a few KM I realized the resort owner and I had a different definiton of Good so we did an about turn and picked out another camp ground , down the road about 50 KM which was Tsitsikamma National park and as it turns out it was the perfect choice. The park is located 4 KM from the quaint tourist town of Storms River.
We arr at the park and the receptionist ask if we wanted a view lot. Of course Carroll said yes so it cost an extra R50. The clerk gave us 5 choice and said pick one and let me know right away. We drove down to these "breath taking" sites right on the ocean, picked out a site and then drove back to the office and paid for a 2 nd night. We find it hard to believe you can get a 5 star camping spot for 25.00 cdn per night. These RV parks makes ours in Canada look like a dump.
Anyway it is now " Miller Time " for me and our neighbours have already say hello so I'm sure they will be talking to us shortly. MH are rare in ZA so naturally we do command attention.
27 Nov Port Elizabeth to ADDO Elephant NationalPark
Althought the Willows camp site was beantiful, Port Elizabeth ( PE ) was just anothe big city, which we did not need to stay any longer. So we decided to go to Addo Elephant park, which was about 150 KM away and not really in our path but it sounded interesting. When we awoke Sunday the day appeared to be great weather but the guy at the Filling station, where we stopped on the way out of PE said the Weather report was all wrong and with the wind blowing off the Ocean we wuld get rain and lots of it. Before we got out of the city it started to pour rain and with the exception of a few brief interludes it rained all day and most of the night.
Anyway, we motored on the National park , which we called earlier to verify a Camp site and of course the directions. ( Good road maps are not ZA strong point and there are NO mileages marked on the Maps ) . By the time arrived at the national Park ( about 1:30 ) the rain had been reduced to a drizzle so after we got our Camp site, of which there were many we ventured over to see about a Game Drive, (mostly the cost ) and there was one leaving at 5 PM for the cost of 50.00 Cdn per person. Since the vehicles are open sides , they provide rain slickers. We thought , yeh, we are going elephant hunting in the rain , freezing our ass off for 2 hours and paying 100.00 cdn. I know i was born at night, but not last night, so we declined.
Since the rain had abated somewhat, we decided to do a self drive ourself and search out the Wild Animals. We did see an Elephant, Zebras, Kudu ( antelope ) and Warthog, however, we don't really classify them as Wild animals but none the less, they are interesting to see in the wild. after our 2 to 3 hour Self Drive, we returned to camp to listen to it rain most of the evening and during the night.
However, I did have a good signal on my computer SIM card so I decided to complete the Monday to Friday Blogs that were waiting on me to get a signal.
That concludes sunday but stay tuned for Monday. We hit the Mother Lode.
Anyway, we motored on the National park , which we called earlier to verify a Camp site and of course the directions. ( Good road maps are not ZA strong point and there are NO mileages marked on the Maps ) . By the time arrived at the national Park ( about 1:30 ) the rain had been reduced to a drizzle so after we got our Camp site, of which there were many we ventured over to see about a Game Drive, (mostly the cost ) and there was one leaving at 5 PM for the cost of 50.00 Cdn per person. Since the vehicles are open sides , they provide rain slickers. We thought , yeh, we are going elephant hunting in the rain , freezing our ass off for 2 hours and paying 100.00 cdn. I know i was born at night, but not last night, so we declined.
Since the rain had abated somewhat, we decided to do a self drive ourself and search out the Wild Animals. We did see an Elephant, Zebras, Kudu ( antelope ) and Warthog, however, we don't really classify them as Wild animals but none the less, they are interesting to see in the wild. after our 2 to 3 hour Self Drive, we returned to camp to listen to it rain most of the evening and during the night.
However, I did have a good signal on my computer SIM card so I decided to complete the Monday to Friday Blogs that were waiting on me to get a signal.
That concludes sunday but stay tuned for Monday. We hit the Mother Lode.
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