We heard all
kinds of sounds outside early this morning, a bit of a mild morning
with the rain gone and the wind died down, the dogs started growling
in the back of their throuts and the lightening in the distance
started getting more violent, when I heard footsteps circling the
camper I decided it was time to get up and get going, I've learned to
know when the dogs are not happy, still dark but we got ourselves
dressed and washed and ducked out, I was worried about being on the
soft sand and having to go through the little cobbled streets in the
rain, discovered that there is another road that leads straight to
the main road further up so we did not have to wend our way through
the fishing village yesterday but glad we did, it is very quant and
led us to the perfect spot, but this morning we took a different
road.
We left under
heavy skies and light rain and on our way back to Bredasdorp we had a
stunning sunrise pink and purple strips of light coming through the
clouds and mingling with the rain, quite bautiflul, it was behind me
so I didn't get to see the best of it.
Pretty town of Elim
The town in the distance
We took the R43
to Gansbaai, again I forgot to look at the map and 40km later
realised that we were not on the road I expected to be on, the road
to Caledon is the road I thought we were on but glad we took this way
because we arrived in beautiful Elim, a little old typical Cape town
with all the cottages down the main street built close next to each
other, really cute and simple, the end of the town send us on to a
gravel road which was a detour to Baardskeerdersbos. The detour took
us 20km around the pretty farm land, a lot of wine country, the dirt
road was a good one except in parts where it became corrugated and I
could feel every bolt and nut rattle loose in my baby, at 38 she is
too old for this treatment. We cme finally back to the main gravel
road and took the turn to Pearly Beach, drove another 9km before
coming back out to the main R43, crossed over and drove into Pearly
Beach thankfully back to tar roads, 30km of dirt is too long for me.
Pearly Beach
the rare Oystercatcher
We drove down to
the dunes where we stopped for a lovely walk, a coffee break and some
hiking around the beach, the paths and the rocks, all kelp and weeds
and rocks with no beach to talk of, again fancy houses with shutters
and curtains closing the outside world out, we spent a lovely
peaceful hour their searching in vain for the shy oystercatchers who
are rare but breed here, I see there numbers are right down due to
the damage poeple, dogs, cars and vandalism does to their eggs and
breeding grounds.
Hit the road
under still cloudy skies and drove the 20 odd minutes to Gansbaai,
not a pretty place but I stopped in at a computer shop in the main
street on the off chance and asked if they could take the pictures
off my xd card, the one I have been carrying around for weeks becasue
it was corrupted and voila in about 15 seconds he had them up on his
computer, loaded them on to my usb and I formatted the card on my
camera and now not only do I have my 136 pictures that I thought were
lost to me forever, but I aslo have my 128meg XD card which allows me
to take 120 odd pictures before I need to download them , I have not
found a camera shop anywhere selling them as they are so old, plus I
still have Lorraines 16 meg card as a back up, very happy indeed and
will always remember Gansbaai for this bonus, one thing less to do in
Cape Town.
Gans Baai
Was going to
sleep here the night but we hit the beach, found a nice place to park
and walk along a path they have running along the coast, but no beach
to speak of, again only rocks and wide open spaces that leave us
exposed, nowhere for us to hide oursleves comfortably, plus this is
not a cozy town, so we climbed back in the camper and headed out
towards Hernanus via Stanford.
I was last here
with Elisabeth in about 2007 and it was not a great trip, we came
into the CBD during the holiday season, we were rushing ourselves
because I had to take Elisabeth on to Stellenbosch, there were people
everywhere and we had a bad meal on the waterfront, my memory is not
a good one of this place and I was not planning on staying too long
if possible, we drove into town with the lagoon on one side and the
lovely Klein rivier mountain range on the other side, as we came
round the bend I saw a lovely spot with a sign post reading Prawn
Flats, but I could only see a dumpsite and a caravan park with a
CLOSED sign, so that looked like a bust, but the lagoon looks so
peaceful and is full of water birds, ah well, we will have to look
for something else becasue I'm tired of driving and their is not much
more to do before we hit Cape Town and I am not ready to go into Caoe
Town just yet.
As is our style
these days, we stopped at the first beach we could find, a lovely
clean spot with a large parking area, toilets and a green patch with
another autovilla parked comfortably in the corner, looks like it's
been here awhile, has a permanent look to it and a half wolf, half
husky tied to the front on a long lead. We parked, filled our water
bottles, even though there are signs everywhere telling us that this
is a water scarse area and went off for a walk on the beach and along
the lovely paths they have everywhere, my word The Cape knows how to
make things tourist friendly, benches every few metres for the whale
watching public I guess, but the coast is beautiful and the cliffs
have gorgeous little coves with little bits of white beach for
swimming and lots of surfers at weekends I believe.
Kamma Beach
Donovans home
lovely Hermanus coastline
We came back to
the camper and the autovilla had a visitor, a lady talking to the
owner, Donovan, I went up to them and asked if they could recommend a
nice place for me to have a decent lunch at a nice spot where the
dogs coud sit with me and it had to have a view. They directed me to
the Harbour, we got talking, Donovan has been camping on this patch
of grass for 25 years off and on, no idea how he managed to get away
with that, but now apparently his time is up and he has to move, his
heath is bad so he wants to sell his camper, his dog is also 14 years
old and snot o healthy as well, Clare, his friend, is local and comes
down to help him with the dog, Double Up, she asked me about food for
him, we tried hi on some Pro Pac and he loved it so she went off to
see if she could find some for him.
I asked Donovan
about a camping place that might have a shower, and would you believe
it, he directed me to his friend Henk down at the Prawn Flats,
doesn't life work in funny ways. So first I went off to the Harbour,
what a lovely spot overlooking the whole town, had to pay my R5 to
get into the harbour first, had a nice meal at the Harbour Rock
restaurant with the dogs at my feet and enjoyed the absolutely
magnificent view, then we drove all the way to the other end of town,
about 10km, this place has grown, and drove into Prawn flats, found
the little wooden wendy houses, next to the dump site, found Henk, a
young guy, and paid R50 to camp the night. We got to park right on
the edge of the property overlooking the lagoon, I would have to pay
many thousands of rand for this view anywhere else, magnificent, we
have a bathroom which I only share with his mom, so a nice hot shower
is on the cards tonight. We also have a communal kitchen where I am
now sitting, writing and listening to the 5 guys who live here
rattling off about their day in Afrikaans, all friendly. Steve, one
of the guys lived in the Northern Cape and has given me mucho info
about the place, including info on the Mission up there that I have
been searching for, he says it is in a place called Pello, I was told
about it but had no real info on how to find it, at least I now have
a name and basic directions.
I sat for hours
this afternoon just soaking up this place overlooking the lagoon and
over- shadowed by the Babilonstoringberg mountain range, watching the
greater and the lesser flamingoes doing their little dances, lots of
water birds and a pair of fish eagles squaking loudly apparently
because they may have a full grown youngster they are trying to get
rid of and he doesn't want to go, I know the feeling.
eating at the harbour
See en Sand
exploring paradise
Well I lucked
out in this place, it is magnificent, the dogs love it and are
exploring everywhere, tomorrow apparently when we wake up the lagoon
will be full of birds, I am looking forward to watching the sun come
up over the water with the bird activity, so we will sleep well
tonight safe and relaxed and clean and warm.
Night, snuggle
up.
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