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Published: September 26th 2010
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Friday (9/7/10)
We packed up our gear and waited for the Baz Bus to Mossel Bay. The Baz Bus was packed! We eventually arrived to Mossel Bay Backpackers, a lovely beach themed B/P just a block back from the ocean. We dropped our gear off and headed out in search of lunch. Location perhaps obscuring our judgment but the views from Diappo restaurant directly over the beach looked too good to refuse. The food was less impressive but we filled up on some pasta and a burger just the same. We wandered back along the shoreline past a young seal feeding in the shallows and some fisherman with some impressive full thrusting jigging techniques and stopped at the supermarket picking up some wine and oysters for dinner.
Back at the hostel we were tucking some nibbles enjoying the peace and quiet in the lounge with the remaining rooms in our quarter still empty when we were invaded two families and a dog. Bugger! Flu unremitting we called it a night.
Saturday
After a cough broken sleep we were surprised to find we’d slept half the morning. Instead of exploring we checked our emails etc, bought some fresh hot bread and
a couple books and headed back to the warmth of the backpackers to wait the Baz Bus for a detour off the garden route. Fortunately it arrived right on time taking us to George where our shuttle to Backpackers Paradise in Oudtshoorn was waiting. Freezing and teeming down with rain we opted for the ostrich braai at the B/P and an early night.
See Ostriches in Oudtshoorn Sunday-Tuesday
Wednesday
Back along the Garden Route! Despite the predicted rain, it was perfect blue skies, keen to make the most of it we set out to the Heads. Carly not quite researching just how far they were and Jez not quite feeling up to the stroll equivalent to that of walking to Beechworth… it was a LONG walk. Along the surprising dry lagoon, past fishermen searching for worms, past the golf course and resorts we finally arrived at the Head. The Head is beautiful inlet where the lagoon meets the sea. We stopped for drinks at the East Head Café and waited for a taxi. Twenty minutes or more had past and we were still waiting so when we were offered a free lift back to town with two interesting
businessmen from Port Elizabeth we jumped at it. They gave us a short guided tour past the desalinination plant, the new estate, pointed out the good restaurants and kindly dropped us at the ‘best oyster place in town’ the Oyster catcher. Here we feasted on both natural and grilled oyster’s right on the water’s edge.
We regretfully returned to the backpackers once again to await the Baz bus to Plettenberg Bay. Just a thirty minute trip and we checked into Albergo Backpackers right in the centre of town. Grabbed some stuff from the supermarket for dinner and settled in with a movie.
Thursday
We woke to sunny skies, but by the time we had breaky the dark clouds rolled in and with it the RAIN! Happy to kill a few hours over coffee (which turned into lunch) we searched the net for cheap flights to Mozambique, Mauritis anywhere that would be sunny and warm… but to no avail. The rain unrelenting we opted for massages at Plettenberg Bay Hotel. In the process of finding the Spa we got absolutely drenched only to be told on arrival that we’d have to come back in half an hour. Still dripping wet
we snuck back to the main reception and stood by the gas look-alike fire. We returned to the Spa and were escorted to the stream room, this is where things got tricky.…two backpackers clearly out of place. All we managed to hear was special underwear, water if you are thirsty and put the robes on when you are done. We looked at each other perplexed. Do we put the ‘special underwear’ closely resembling surgical underpants on now or for the massage?! Confused we showered in the steam room, drank the water, then put the underwear and robes on! We were then escorted to individual massage rooms for an amazing thirty minute back, neck and shoulder massage followed by a twenty minutes of foot reflexology. It was only when my masseur asked whether I was wearing any underwear and I tried explained that I had the special underwear on and she said ‘ is it wet’ I realised that we were supposed to wear it in the steam room.. and I tried to hold my laughter back. Overall it was a fantastic massage. We headed back to the Albergo’s to try and dry our clothes. We cleaned up the leftovers for
dinner and snuggled up for another movie on the laptop as the rain continued.
Friday
And the sun was back! Enough to dry our still sopping wet jeans and shoes. We checked out of our room and headed down to the lookout rumour had it the whales were in the bay. We could see two groups from the lookout so we wandered down for a closer look. We reached the shore and the boat launching point with a guy from our backpackers for the sea safari’s just as one was set to leave, initially they said we would need to wait and see if they had the numbers/weather/whales for the 2pm trip. Disappointed we were about to leave when they suddenly said they had room for us and they were leaving NOW! We signed up, Carly slightly nervous about boarding a boat without motion sick tablets even though the sea was looking very calm.. her previous record poor. The guy from the backpackers was nervous too as he’d never been on a boat! We fitted up with some lifejackets, listened to the quick predeparture spiel and boarded. We cruised out to the closest whale which turned out was a
group of three or four Southern Right Whales who come to the bay from the antartic to mate and give birth. We watched these giant creatures spellbound. They sprayed, slapped their fins and even gave us a look at their tail. The group then dispersed and we set out in search of some dolphins, we slowed as our guide told us it was our lucky day as a couple hundred dolphins were in front of us (not that we could see them), but with the next wave they appeared jumping and surfing the waves. We battled to try and capture their jumping not sure where they we’re going to appear next. They swam along side the boat; two different species of dolphin the bottlenosed and the ….I forget. We began to make our way back towards shore stopping briefly for another small group of pretty shy whales , whilst our mate provided some burly (and couldn’t work out why Carly wasn’t sick too!). As another whale not too far away began a breaching show flinging himself out of the water creating an almightly splash. We headed over to him for a closer look but by the time we arrived he
was all breached out. Instead coming right up to the edge and under the boat then off to chase some ladies. We made a kamakasi landing back onto the shore. Carly was more than happy to reach dry land with breaky still intact! We wandered back up to the lookout restaurant for lunch of calamari salad and fish 'n chips as we watched some surfers and a couple more whales. We wandered back into town picking up some postcards and browsing the curio markets. Fortunately we headed back to Albergo’s early as the Baz bus arrived early too. Back on the bus for the hour or so drive to Jeffery’s Bay. We made the short walk from the drop off to Hard Rock Backpackers a cool new b/p with pumping rock music, awesome posters with a funky house party feel. We grabbed a few beers and settled in.
The Garden Route a beautiful part of South Africa but if I was to go again one I'd save for summer to make the most of the beautiful beaches and with a hire car to stop as you please.
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