Beautiful Buffalo Bay

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Having trouble uploading photos here, so will attach them soon I hope. UPDATE photos uploaded.

I had planned on spending 2 nights at the Buffalo Bay backpackers, but in the end it became 4 - its such a beautiful spot, a beachhouse, right on the beach with the waves of the Indian Ocean everywhere around.

Its been an essentially very lazy few days, aside from the first day. The weather wasn't great so myself and another couple of backpackers, Dietrich and Helene, went for a walk in the nearby Knysna forests. And we got lost. I had been told by a local the night before that light planes have crashed in these forests and never been found - a thought which kept occuring to me during the 6th hour of our supposedly 2.5 hour walk...
We're not sure what happened, other than the trail signs we were following disappeared at a rather crucial point - a crossroads with 5 possible options.
It was when we climbed over a gate saying "no entry - trespassers prosecuted" - where we'd just been we knew we were in trouble. It was 5.30 and not very long before it would start to get dark...
I phoned the hostel but we couldn't tell them where we were so we were still a bit stuck. We'd literally not seen anybody all day, apart from one vehicle driving past us about 2 hours in. So it was a great relief and hugely lucky when a man on his daily bike ride came past! He spoke to Johann at the backpackers, and walked with us until he came to pick us up. I was not looking forward to a night in the forest, but I suppose I did want some adventures!

Aside from that, the days here have been spent reading, walking on the beach, partaking in the odd braai (although not too many, I'm eating on a budget), and meeting a whole variety of folk. On Friday night a boys' rowing team arrived, to take part in a regatta in the Knysna lagoon. On Sunday, 8 or 9 hairy tatooed bikers from a 50K radius came for their weekly braai. Had a nice chat with Pat, whose son lives in Gloucester Road.

The wind can really get up here, which makes for some fantastic crashing waves. When the waves die down, you really feel the South African sun - I'm having to be careful with my delicate English skin.

Next stop is Plettenburg Bay, I'm told not that exciting, but I plan to regroup, do some laundry, and a bit of hiking, then I think probably Storms River, location of the world's highest bungy jump (again, something I won't be trying), and some more beautiful Garden Route scenery.

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Photos

Buffalo Bay Backpackers
At sunset. And without using the "sunset" setting on my camera too.

Buffalo Bay
My footprints on a deserted beach.

Buffalo Bay
Me on a deserted beach.

Walking in the Knysna forests
My walking buddies, Dietrich and Helene. We thought this was the half-way point. It wasn't.

Knysna forests
Walking to safety with our hero on a bicycle.

Buffalo Bay backpackers
The back garden.

Backpackers
Another view of the back garden