Blogs from Eastern Cape, South Africa, Africa - page 68

Yo dudes - surf's up! We arrive in Jeffery's bay in the middle of the Billabong Pro surf competition. The competition is fierce on the beach as everyone tries to out-cool each other in their designer shades. As you can see I out shined them all to walk away with the coolest backpacker on the beach prize. There were things happening out on the water too ! Supertubes (yes it really is called that) produced perfect waves with amazing tubes. We had to wait some time to see anyone ride in the 'green room', as the surfers were making their way through the early rounds, and it wasn't until Kelly Slater appeared that we saw some really cool moves. Moving on down the coast Knynsa was our next overnight stop. Didn't think much of the backpackers ... read more

Today was another beautiful day crisp, cool, and sunny. Left our backpacker's hostel in the morning and headed to the Knysna Elephant Sanctuary. Here, we learned a lot about the elephants of Knysna and we also got to feed and interact with them. There were 5 of them, three adults and two youngsters. Sally was the matriarch of the herd so all of the elephants followed her. Keisha was the baby of the herd at 2 years of age. and Shaka was the only male of the herd. The other two elephants were Thandi and Nandi. Whenever the elephants rubbed against each other, it sounded like sandpaper, but when they walked, it was completely silent because they have padded feet. It was amazing but sad to hear that the population of elephants dropped from 500 in ... read more

After the pleasant temperatures of Oudtshoorn and the Karoo, winter has set in on the Garden Route. Gardens need water and this one has had plenty in the last few days. Wilderness was effectively a long stretch of unspoiled beach, flanked by multi million rand homes overlooking the ocean. The place was deserted and at one point the population of the hostel totalled 4, including ourselves and Scooter the Jack Russell. Dolphins cruised up and down the beach and our whale sightings are increasing steadily. Knysna, apparently voted SA's fave town, was to be frank a major disappointment and was a wake up call to the world of security (if one was needed). The local cat burgalars had paid a visit to the hostel in the dead of night, outflanked some mean looking spikes and barred ... read more

More rain! Mind you, it is so green & lush here it must rain alot! It's wild here. Monkeys swinging from trees, cows on the beach...The beaches would be lovely if the sun were shining. Unfortunately Amapondo where we stayed isn't really geared up for the wet.The only dry place to hang out was the bar or kitchen. The morning after we arrived there was a break in the weather so we took our chances & walked into town. We had quite a shopping experience here in the shoprite supermarket. Security wouldn't let us take our day pack inside(?)so Deano waited outside whilst I shopped. It was your standard African supermarket, merchandise in awkward spots, someone buffing the floor under your feet whilst everyone hangs around having a chat! So, I pushed my way through, payed ... read more

We arrived in Coffee Bay late Good Friday afternoon to Neils (manager) warm smile & a "welcome drink" @ Coffee Shack. After our 9hr hike a glass of red has never tasted so good!Coffee Bay was booked out thanks to the Easter weekend so thank god we had booked! We signed up for dinner as we had no provisions & it was awsome. Yummy Xsosa bread, veg soup & med pasta. Poor Deano turned green during dinner, had to excuse himself & was sick before retiring for the night. One too many shebeens on the hike! I acually felt amped after our big adventure but also went to bed early out of sympathy. It was a full moon & I could hear the drumming session from Bomvu next door. It sounded awsome & I wished I ... read more