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Published: December 23rd 2008
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*We'd been staying at the 'Karoo Soul' in Oudtshoorn for 3 nights, little story, the first night there had been a wedding and the house was full as some of the wedding guests were staying there. About one in the morning a couple staying at the other end of the building started making theatrical bedroom noises, a really over the top voice over for a porno movie coming from the female, it was embarrassing, i'm sure everyone else in the building was thinking the same. Anyway on our final nights stay we got talking to an odd ball character who was a regular at this guest house and he told us there had been some talk among the other guests and that they had all assumed that the noise was coming from our bedroom, this would explain why the next day in the kitchen everyone one stared into their cornflakes when I was making me and Lynn a cup of tea. oh dear,
Same guy also asked us to share his evening meal with him as he was cooking that night, chinese he said. We had already eaten so declined, later on I saw him boiling up the freeze dried South
African equivalent of a pot noodle.
We are now in Storms River village in the Tsitsikamma national park, 80kms of mountains, beach and forest, The first afternoon here we took a drive to Storms river mouth which we'd heard was something most people went to see. The South African summer holidays have just begun and I was disappointed as the place was mobbed when we got there. The South Africans hioliday a lot like the Brits did in the 1970's, little cities of holiday chalets and caravans. It was overbearing on the beach so to escape we started a hike to a water fall but in the rush to get away from holidaymakers hell on the beach we made a few mistakes like not reading the map to find out how many kms the water fall was away, and not stocking up on enough water. After an hour or so of walking in the steaming mid afternoon heat a passer by coming the other way told me we were only just about half the way there. Lynn didn't feel great, she was bright red so we abandoned the water fall idea and headed back, but then we took the
wrong track and ended up miles from the car. I learnt a couple of things, not to underestimate just how hot the afternoon can get, and that we need to get in better shape and soon as we want to do a trek in Borneo in February where the heat and humidity will probably be greater than this.
Made a start yesterday doing a 22km moutain bike ride through forest to an over view of the storms river where it meets the sea, although again we were beggered after half way and had to push the bikes up some of the hilly bits on the way back. But it was worth it. The forests here and fynbos 'coastal bush' are protected areas, the indigenous forests are ancient, the author J.R.R Tolkien of the 'Lord of the rings' came from this part of the world and I think from the subject matter of his stories he must have been inspired by the forest here.
Natures Valley,
I was here once before on a trip to South Africa in 1998 with Nick W and I've been banging on about how great it was ever since to Lynn, boring her to
natures valley
a place worthy of its name death probably. So it was good to get her here at last. Natures valley is a valley where a river fills a fresh water sand bottomed lagoon that empties into the ocean. Better places might exist but I'd like to see them, the combination of the lagoon the mountains and the forest that come right down to the sea give it the edge over anywhere I've been. Dramatic seas, the variation of the costal forest and the plants and wildlife therein set it apart.
There were lion and elephant roming as far South as here in Africa at one point. Storms river village started out as a game shooting outpost in 1841, back in the days when the fashion of the day dictated that it was the duty of every red bloodied European to annilhilate as many four legged beasts as possible. Now they are re introducing some of the vanquished animal inhabitants back here in parks for tourist entertainment, theres monkey land, a wolf sanctuary, and an elephant park. These places are all fenced in so for me these are zoo's. Its better to go see them in the vast national parks of places like Tanzania where the
animals are and always were.
Another touristy thing I saw here is what's advertised on a motorway sign the 'Khoisan village', I doubted very much that the Khoisan people would build themselves a village only 20 metres away from a motorway. I was curious about this so I took the turn off and took a look, as far as I could tell it was a concrete building selling arts and crafts. But, enough tourists must love this type of thing or they wouldn't be there in the first place.
Other places worth a mention are the 'Stinkhoutkloof nature walk' and the town of 'Humansdorf', not because I went to either but because the names are so ridiculous. Also a boring ex body builder that forced himself into our conversation in a bar, he gave me his business card it read.......Rene Posthumus....... which surely means 'Rene After-death ??
I had wondered how much South Africa might have changed since I was here 10 years ago, but depressingly theres not been much social change. I've never been anywhere elsewhere where the gap between the extremely rich and the extremely poor is so glaringly obvious. How they are going to
solve this I've got no Idea.
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Chloe
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I'm sooooooo jealous of you both!!!! Natures Valley looks fantastic...beats Manchester any day! Well, hopefully we'll be joining you somewhere fantastic next year and can see it all for ourselves!!!! Lots of Love, Chloe and Dave