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Published: December 21st 2008
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We sat on our front terrace for a drink last night and then headed along to the restaurant “tree” for dinner. G trotted down to the wine cellar and settled on the pinotage while I got a bottle of no-alcohol sparkling wine - on the bright side, at least I got my own ice bucket! Dinner was fab - 6 courses so I think we will be rolling home (and G really had 8 when you count his pre-dinner hor d’eurves and chocolates with his coffee). The menu was really nice for both of us, with my main being open lasagne and G choosing to be brave and trying the ostrich - Springbok was on the menu, however as it is getting closer to Christmas, he thought he would get a row if he had another one of santa’s little helpers!
After trotting back to our treehouse, we put on the Christmas dvd and got a few minutes further on - still a way to go yet though!
This morning, after breakfast (I got a super yummy smoothie made for me), we headed along to Tsitsikamma National Park, with the main purpose of trekking along to Storms River Mouth. Tsitsikamma National
Park is about half way between Plettenberg Bay and Port Elizabeth, and stretches for some 68km, extending in to both the Western and Eastern Cape regions of South Africa. The Park was established in 1964, and is regarded as the sight to see on the Garden Route. Indeed, it even has an ‘underwater trail’ for snorkelers and divers along the coast. But we stuck to dry land!
When we arrived, I saw a phone box so decided to give Granny a quick call to say “Happy Birthday”, but first popped into the curio shop to get some change - in here we found stubbie jackets (like the holders from Oz, but with a zip right up to the neck of the bottle), so got one for our collection - this was later used on the beach in the afternoon!
After phoning, we took to walking along the walk and climbing and descending the steps to the Storms River suspension bridge to see the river mouth. Thoughts of the Giant Stairway from last year came flooding back as we walked the kilometre and a half there to arrive at the bridge together with ascending and descending the 472 (we counted them!)
steps - each way! It was worth it however as the views were great.
The suspension bridge is about 80 metres in length, and hovers about 7 metres above Storms River below. It also has a maximum weight capacity of 20 people - and I was a little disturbed on the trip over the bridge as nobody seemed to be paying attention to this! So, I didn’t stop to pose for pictures on the way over as it was swinging from side to side and up and down! Luckily on the way back, we were the only ones on the bridge, so we took some great photos and had a less rocky trip back!
After we arrived back at the car, we got our picnic box which we had ordered from the hotel and sat on the grass overlooking the sea to eat it. It was a lovely box, with our sandwiches individually wrapped like Christmas presents with bamboo around the greaseproof paper, a fruit salad each, juice and water. We laughed as everyone else seemed to be sitting with a packet of crisps and a roll while we had a gourmet box!
After lunch, we headed back towards Plettenberg
Bay and stopped off at Natures Valley, another part of the Tsitsikamma National Park. This part is in total contrast to storms river mouth (which presents the elemental face of the garden route -this is from the book - as it is a craggy shoreline of black rocks pounded by white surf and steeply raking forested cliffs) as natures valley has 20km of long soft white sands - G’s favourite!
We headed down to the beach and plonked our towel down, me being careful not to disperse sand everywhere! The waves here were pretty big and the beach pretty deserted so I loved my time here - G commented that it wasn’t bad for a beach stop! After a while G went for a paddle and I decided to follow suit after zipping my tinnie into my new holder. I was a little too brave however as I ventured a little far in and the waves ended up soaking my shorts! This delighted G no end, as for the journey back, not only did he have me covered in sand, he also had me with wet shorts - clean car no longer!
After arriving back at our treehouse, we relaxed
by our pool, working up an appetite for our 6 courses again!
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