20th May Southern tip of Africa.

Slept well considering our noisy spot, woke to the mist swirling around us and the eerie lights of the BP sign shining through the front window, cocks crowing merrily, music to the ear of a future farmer, but what is in the food they eat that they have to start their crowing so early, I will be teaching mine that a lie-in in the morning is not a bad thing. Out the camper and into the clean loo for a wash before too many N2 drivers start popping in and polluting the place.

my flat tyre overnight stop

our little animal park

getting my tyres fixed in Swellandam

My spare tyre went down over night, not a good sign.

Was told about a workshop behind the garage that would open at 8am if I wanted to wait for the guy, I did, we walked around, bought some food for the animals and fed the very hungry and greedy goats, shaking their horns at everyone to keep the food for themselves, the rabbits popped out for a look see then quickly went back into their burrows, smart animals.

8 came and went and nary a sole pitched so I pumped the tyre as high as I could and we took off for Swellendam about 10km down the road, not an easy drive in the mist with huge trucks coming at you from the other way and everyone behind me intent on overtaking no matter what, I wonder what they do with the 5 minutes they save on their journey by putting there lives on the line.

We spent time driving around looking for a place that fixes tyres and were finally directed to Danie at Supa Quick, he fixed both tyres for me in a jiffy, apparently just valve leaks, and then I had to take some photos with his coloured workers, all fascinated by the snake pictures, still cost me 57 ronts but cheap at the price, last night I thought I was going to need a new tyre, this morning looking at my flat spare I definately thought I was looking at needing a new tyre, so good news to be back on the road again relatively cheaply.

Headed back to where I came from because the map showed a split in the N2 going into Swellandam and I needed to take the other fork, well that was nonsense, it simply took me back to where I had come from, a wasted 9 km plus I had to turn around and head 9km back to Swellandam and then just follow the road around to the N2 continuation and head for Cape Town and take the turnoff down to Bredasdorp, in the mist and drissle I could have done without the extra 20km round trip.

But it was a straight road through flat farm land, on and off with the mist but mostly lifting, 58km into Bredasdorp, a farming town through and through, we stopped for a stretch of the legs and hit the road again, another 28km odd and we came into Struisbaai, I always thought this was a little fishing town, maybe it once was but those days are gone, took us awhile to find the beach, but we did, we are getting used to wending our way down to the beach even though towns fail to sign post the way for hapless tourists, lovely bay, clear water and white sand, no one on it except us, had a nice walk, some lunch and a cup of coffee, played ball and then stopped in at the campsite to enquire about a spot for the night, very large and flat, right on the beach, no-one there baring one old couple, could have taken easily 60 caravans, would not take me becasue of the dogs, even though I said we are off to the Lighthouse and will probably only be back tonight, sleep over and gone in the morning, nope, so saved myself the R120 fee.

walking on struisbaai

great holiday destination with pearly white beaches

finally reached the southern most point of Africa

Took the road down to the lighthouse at Cape Agulhas, which we could see in the haze from the beach at Struisbaai, a 7km journey and wall to wall houses, mansions, shuttered, clearly holiday homes, no sign of retirement homes or over 55's, I would think this is the perfect retirement spot but apparently not, a lovely drive along a wild coast, the sandy beaches soon changed to rocky ones as we got closer to Agulhas.

We came round the bend into the bay and headed for the lighthouse, I always knew it as a little red and white painted lighthouse on a windy, empty beach, under leaden skies, take your pictures at the sign and it's a case of been there, done that, got the t-shirt and off you go again, been to the Southern most tip of Africa, well I could not be more wrong, what a stunning place, awesome in it's topography, stunning in it's majestic coast line, heavily protected by having dedicated paths, rock strewn to avoid erosion, about a kilometre of wooden boardwalk to walk on down to the actual point, the lighthouse is undergoing repairs or extensions, not sure which, so was unable to get close or climb it, although I'm not sure if that is an option, the whole vibe is awe inspiring, quite breathtaking.

We took the camper down to the 150m mark and walked the rest of the way, I didn't think Larni was up to the 850m walk from where the wooden walkway starts, we trecked through the fynbos along the 150m route, with crashing waves and rocks on the left and the looming bulk of the lighthouse on the right, it was great to see that the mansions stopped on the other side of the lighthouse and the sand road leading to the point is empty and used only for fisherman and tourists as clearly no-one lives at the end of it as the traffic is sparse, I know there was a plan to put a road through to Gans Bay from here but hopefully that idea has been shelved because it will destroy the peace and beauty of this place.

battling in the heat

The sign at the point is clear about where the oceans meet, and so to all of you who I have had arguments with as to where the two oceans meet, yes, they meet here and not at Cape Point in Cape Town, it is a romantic notion to have them meeting at the point but clearly geography would rather have them meet where the currents come together and swirl from two different directions so the meeting point is a practical one and not designed for a romantic novel.

So finally I get to see Agulhas, been on my to do list for a long time, I am super impressed with how the local management board has dealt with this spot, (certainly not SANParks!!) it is clean, well laid out and easy to navigate, also wide open and for the use of everyone, I can tell you that it is quite busy for a Monday in Winter so I would hate to be here during a holiday time, you will battle to get a picture of just you and nature and the noise level will rival the sea crashing furiously on the rocks.

refurbishment of the lighthouse

lots of walkways

the last stretch to walk

Something about this place is stunning, the length of the coast and the bay all rock strewn may have something to do with it as there are few places with any sand that can be called a beach, the crashing waves are loud, not your normal gentle sound, making hearing someone difficult, it's like the sea is determined to have it's say, as if 250 shipwrecks in the area are not say enough, thanks for that info Lorraine, but it's difficult to pinpoint a reason for this feeling of majestic supremacy, no other beach has had that affect on me, the lighthouse is a beacon flashing every 4 seconds and seems to send a message not only to ships at sea but to all who come here, we are nothing but visitors in time and our mark is of no consequence only this rocky outcrop is eternal.

I have taken about 110 pictures, everywhere I look the scenery just begs for a picture taking opportunity, we went back to the parking area and then walked along the boardwalk for as long as we could, then doubled around and around clambering over the rocks so Lani could stand still and watch us but not have to follow, we came across two tortoises that boggled the minds of Peps and Jos, both wanting to know where he went everytime he hid his head, but neitehr of them tried to harm the little fellows, Lani was also fascinated but in a motherly fashion.

I am awed by this place and do not want to leave, we drove around to the otherside of the bay and took one of the many sand roads down to the dunes with parking space, braai area and chairs to sit on, very well organised, we chose one that hid us a little bit but still left us exposed to the wind and the view and the majesty of the crashing waves, and this is where we are parking for the night, no complaints about the dogs from the birds or the rocks. We spent a pleasant afternoon enjoying the waves, exploring the rocks, splashing in the clear pools and wading in the shallows, could walk a long way down one coast and then the other clambering over the rocks, not sure if the tides in or out or if it comes in or out at all with all these rocks quite high up on the beach.

I have a dream, one that has consumed me for as long as I can remember, to build a permaculture paradise out of nothing, benefitting a community of Bushman or an offshoot of theirs as closely related as possible, a farm that will turn us into a self reliant unit not dependent on the universal monetary system , where the children can be taught the value of self sufficiency without wasting 12 years of their lives being institutionalised, where we can grow all our own food, deal with our own waste, support our own services, provide our own goods and entertain ourselves without the use of technology, I know it's just a dream, it requires a plot of land, a wind turbine, solar power, water catchment structures, wood for housing, seeds, time, effort, blood, sweat and tears and like minded people, I don't have the means to make this happen, but it will happen, I know this because sitting here on this bench and watching these waves come crashing in like clockwork, the way they have been doing for millenia, I know that if you cannot get your shit together here, you ain't never ganna get it together, and I have my shit together.

our sleeping spot in Agulhas

Night.