Knysna (5-11)

Monday I traveled on to Knysna, a two-hour bus ride. Before leaving, I managed to squeeze in a massage. The spa had been closed late Saturday afternoon and Sunday; so I knew I was taking a chance that they’d have an opening when I arrived Monday morning and I was lucky. It was a good way to start the day. Cost: 300 rand/$21.

In Knysna, my guesthouse was across from the lagoon, which is one thing Knysna is noted for. My room opened to the common balcony; so I had a nice view of the lagoon from inside and outside. 

After relaxing for a few hours, I decided to walk to town—about 2 km—for dinner. The first restaurant I came to is on the waterside, and I caught the sunset as I arrived, my first in South Africa. 

Dinner was ostrich fillet. The woman I was sitting next to when I had the ostrich burger in Stellenbosch had told me I should have a fillet, too, and promised that I would like it. She was correct; it was delicious. I can’t really describe the taste, but the texture is like steak. It came with pineapple, spinach, zucchini, carrots, and sweet potato spring rolls, which made it all the better.

Tuesday I took a tour to the Featherbed Nature Reserve, which is on the end of an island in the lagoon. We were told that the lagoon is really a river estuary, but local people like to call it a lagoon.  The story about the name Featherbed is that once a man slept on the sandy beach and said it was like sleeping on a featherbed. 

When crossing the lagoon, we had beautiful views toward the Krysna Heads, two bluffs on the sides of the river where it meets the Indian Ocean. I didn’t realize that’s what the Heads were until later when we were standing at the top of a bluff and I asked if we looking at the Krysna Heads. 

We were looking across the river at one head and standing on the other.

The tour included about a hundred people in three tour groups plus a few of us on our own, but we were divided into two groups when we arrived on the island. Then we were conveyed to the top in two long 4X4 vehicles that had sections hitched together like a train. Occasionally we had a view of the lagoon and the opposite Head and ocean when the vegetation cleared briefly. 

From the top, we walked down 2.2 km back to the restaurant and pier. The trail descended through the forest where I enjoyed the trees 

and plants, some of which had flowers. 

There were two side trails to beautiful views. The first looked down on the Head and the Indian Ocean. 

The second went to two caves through which we could view the ocean. 

One sign pointed out a bucha plant from which the tea I had sampled in Stellenbosch is made. It was a lovely walk and a lovely day to be doing it.

At the restaurant there was a buffet lunch which was included in the tour if you paid for it. Although it was pricey, I figured I might as well eat because otherwise I’d be waiting while others ate. It was a first class buffet. My favorite dishes were the ostrich mince pie and a lentil dish. There were also beef, chicken, and fish along with squash, potatoes, and salad. Dessert was also included: ice cream with dark chocolate sauce laced with liquor, Malva pudding (British-style pudding, which is more like a sponge cake), and another delicious item. Since it was after 2:00 when we reached the restaurant, that was my main meal of the day. It was a good one.

All in all, the outing was fantastic, and I was glad the guesthouse manager had suggested it.

Wednesday I was leaving on the 2:15 bus. I thought about hiring a taxi to go to the overview for the West Head, the one we were standing on, so I could view it. And I thought about asking the man to call a boat company to see if they had anything going out. But I wasn’t really enthused about either and I was feeling a bit lethargic. So I hung out in the guesthouse till check out time (10:00) and then went for a walk the other direction—away from town—along the lagoon. By that time the day was pleasant, and I enjoyed walking along the water. When I came to a road with a sign to The Point, I decided to go there, thinking there might be a café where I could sit and have some tea, but there were only guesthouses. However, as I was looking at the view outside one guesthouse, the manager came and invited me to sit on the deck and then gave me tea. The view across the lagoon was lovely and peaceful. 

And I saw several sacred ibis in the grass. (I did have to ask what it was.) I was familiar with the ibis from Egyptian mythology but didn’t realize they also came to southern Africa; so it was fun to see one. It was a lovely interlude to the morning.

As I was walking, I decided to return to the restaurant where I’d had the ostrich fillet to have their calamari for lunch and to enjoy sitting along the waterfront. Since it’s near the bus stop, it was also a convenient place to hang out until time to leave Knysna. I had the calamari steak with oyster sauce which came with rice and a nice salad. The calamari was about half an inch thick; I didn’t know calamari came so thick. It was a delectable treat for my last day on the coast.

Mossel Bay (5-8)

Friday afternoon I took a van/bus to Mossel Bay. Unfortunately, there was an accident on the road it took to Stellenbosch; so it was an hour and a half late. The trip took almost 4.5 hours; so I didn’t reach the guesthouse until 9:00. The first part of the ride went through more vineyards with mountains countryside. Then it went over some mountains, and then it was dark. I’d arranged with the guesthouse to be picked up but when I arrived at the drop off place, no one was there to meet me. That was a little disconcerting while I figured out what to do. Then a man approached me and identified himself as my driver. He had waited for 1.5 hours and then had to make another pick up and had just returned. It was really good to see him. The hotel receptionist was very glad to see me when I arrived, as was the woman in the morning. All had been concerned.

Saturday was a little cool and very windy with a little rain thrown in. A good day to visit the Bartholomew Diaz Museum. Mossel Bay was one of his last stops along the south African coast. 

The museum has a replica of his boat that actually made the trip from Portugal to Mossel Bay as part of the 500-year celebration of his trip. It took only three months rather than the six months that Diaz’s voyage had taken. Reading about it was a good reminder of the part Portugal played in early explorations and colonization. 

Another building has a shell museum that is also a small aquarium. The shell collection contains shells from all over the world and has many kinds I was not familiar with. 

One of the famous sites is the post office tree, which is a milkwood tree. Men would write letters and hang them and put them in a shoe that was hung in the tree. When the next ship came through, the men would take the letters back to Portugal.

After finishing at the museum, I found the tourist information center across the street. As in Stellenbosch, they have a nice map of the town. The woman was very helpful, which I had also experienced in Stellenbosch, and showed me how to walk back to the hotel (The woman at the desk had arranged a ride to the museum.) as well as recommending a few places to stop along the way. Mossel Bay has a number of 19^th century stone buildings that I enjoyed.

Back at the hotel, I relaxed in my room and then decided to take a short walk. The wind was fierce but not cold, and I enjoyed watching the fierce waves. Afterwards I came to a restaurant and decided to eat there. I chose the linefish: gurnard, a fish I was not familiar with but which was tasty. I learned that linefish is the fish they keep, throwing all others back and that it changes, sometimes weekly. The restaurant is advertised for its fine dining and is not the kind of restaurant I frequent, but I enjoyed the meal and the experience there.

Sunday morning the sky was blue and the sun was shining; however, the wind was still blowing but not as much as on Saturday. I had made an appointment to have a tour of the Point of Human Origins. This is a group of thirteen caves, the importance of which was discovered in 1997 and which have been excavated since 2000. Their location is in a cliff under a golf course. When the golf course and community were being approved, an archaeological survey was required, and the importance of the caves was realized as a result. The starting point of the tour to the open cave is at the golf course club house and the stairs descend down the cliff on which the golf course is located. It’s an interesting relationship. The golf course is required to protect the caves, and the caves are protected by the security of the gated community. In addition, without the building of the golf course and community, the archaeological importance would not have been discovered and they would not have learned all that they have learned through the excavation, which is conducted by Arizona State University.

It is believed that these caves contain the earliest evidence of modern human behavior, which includes composite tools, using ochre, and eating seafood. The caves contain the earliest evidence for stone blades that would have been used with spears. It has been determined that the relics date back 35,000 to 162,000 years. Many of these are lying on the ground outside the caves. 

The guides keep a collection of good examples to show visitors. It was awesome to see these outside a museum case and to hold a few. 

He also showed me a piece of ochre, which I hadn’t seen before, and demonstrated how it was/is used for cave paintings as well as covering the skin. 

We went into one cave on ground level and a higher one that has stairs leading to it. 

The cave walls have stone tools and shells embedded in them. The layers of relics from over the years are one to three meters deep. The floors are covered with layers of sandbags to protect them between excavations.

At the time, the sea was 50 to 100 km farther out and there were grasslands outside the caves. The guide explained that the caves were in use for about 100,000 years and were later sealed shut for about 50,000 years by sand that was blown in. He pointed out fossilized sand dunes in the cave as well as on the cliff.

This was a fascinating and awesome experience. In addition to the cave experience, the coast was beautiful.

In the afternoon, I walked along the coast and up the cliff near the hotel. Since it was such a beautiful day, the views were spectacular. 

The top of the cliff was a good place to sit quietly and enjoy the sound and sight of the sea.

Dinner: fresh fish—hake, which is common here and in Namibia—and mussels. Instead of choosing fries or salad, it was possible to have half of each, which was perfect. More places should offer that option.

Stellenbosch (5-6)

Tuesday I took a train to Stellenbosch. This was a local train and was not the most comfortable, but it was OK and it got me there. After leaving the city behind, we entered the countryside with its fields and mountains.

Station stops were not announced; so I thought it would be challenging to know when to get off. I looked at the board with the stops for all of the lines, figured out which line I was on, and, as we got closer to my stop, tried to keep track of how many stations until Stellenbosch, as sometimes I wasn’t able to see the station’s name. When I got up to look at the sign the third time, the woman across from me noticed, asked which station I wanted, and told me Stellenbosch was the next stop. How nice of her. I really appreciated the assistance. We smiled at each other as I thanked her and left.

When I got off the train, there were no taxis in sight; so I asked a security guard and he pointed me toward town. I ended out walking to the guesthouse, facilitated by a map I picked up at the Tourist Information center and a few other security people, which are abundant in Stellenbosch. When I commented about the lack of taxis at the guesthouse, the woman told me that there are taxis but you have to call them. Lesson learned for the next few legs of the journey.

The guesthouse was another old house on a street on which most of the old homes are now guesthouses, as was the case in Cape Town. It’s a good use for the lovely, old homes. The guesthouse folder had a description of what the rooms originally were. 

My room was the room for the oldest daughter, which I thought was appropriate.

Wednesday I had a slow day in town. I left the guesthouse late and walked around enjoying the beautiful day in this lovely city. Founded in 1679, Stellenbosch is the second oldest city in South Africa, following Cape Town. The central area is lovely with its white buildings. My first stop was Moedergemeente, the Mother Church, a Dutch Reformed Church founded in 1686. The current building was completed in the early 18^th century with extensions added in the 19^th century. 

The stained glass windows are truly awesome.

The village museum has four houses from the 18^th and 19^th centuries. Each house had a woman dressed in period clothing who explained a bit about the house. The oldest was built in 1709 and is the oldest restored building in the country. It is very basic. Of special interest are the herbs hanging from the ceiling to obscure the odors of the house. 

The other three houses were for wealthy families in the late 18^th and mid-19^th centuries. I thought about how they reminded me of houses in the U.S. from that era.

Stellenbosch is known for its architecture; so it was fun to notice the different styles of buildings. Most of the old buildings are now restaurants and guesthouses. 

One street, Dorp Street, is known for the oak trees lining both sides. Since it is now autumn, some of the leaves—Japanese maple and some oaks—have changed color. 

The nearby mountains are visible above the houses.

When looking at things to do in Stellenbosch, I noticed a township tour. When I asked about it, I learned that there is a township outside the city. I hadn’t realized that there are townships outside the major cities. People from the township sell their goods, the same as ones in Cape Town, at stalls along the squares.

After walking around town, I strolled through part of the university’s botanical garden, a lovely and peaceful place to finish the day.

I booked a Vine and Dine tour for Thursday. In the morning I joined the Bites & Sites walking tour. We were a group of older people, the others being a local couple (Danish man and South African woman) and an American travel agent. The leader gave us some interesting bits of history as we walked through a small section of town. One interesting building was a bread shop/coffee shop where the local woman works. She was on the tour to experience it and to see how they can work together better. 

Another was a butchery where we saw pieces of meat hanging to become jerky when they dried. We then stopped at a wine shop to sample a couple wines along with bread sticks and jerky from the shops. 

When we walked past the town hall, our guide pointed out the artwork in front of it. I’d noticed it on Wednesday and thought it a bit odd, but she pointed out that through a camera lens it becomes quite clear that it is an image of Nelson Mandela, the image being formed with the metal, shadows, and a few lines. After understanding that, I was quite fascinated with the interaction between the two.  

Stellenbosch is also known for its sculptures. There are a number of art pieces around town. These are changed each year as artists create pieces for the new theme. At the end of the exhibition, they are sold and many end out being donated to become permanent sculptures. When I was there, the exhibits were in transition; in some places there were signs but no sculpture while some sculptures were still there.

The next “bites” stop was lunch at an old hotel, which was where the travel agent was staying. There we had a sampler lunch, which was delicious. It included fish cake, mince tart, chicken pie, sweet potato mixture, chutney, relish, and rice. 

After lunch, we crossed the street for tea and dessert, another delicious sampling of malva pudding, sago (tapioca) custard, and cheese cake with three teas—rooibos, buchu, and honeybush. It was fun to try two teas I hadn’t heard of as well as the desserts.

After dessert it was time for the Vine-hopper part of my tour. The guide put me in a van which took me to one of the wine estates to join the group there. Stellenbosch is famous for its wines, and there are many old estates where grapes are grown and wine is produced. On these tours, you can get off at an estate, sample their wine for a small price, and then hop back on the van to go to another estate on its route. Since I’m not a big wine drinker, I wanted to do this mostly to see the estates and to enjoy the scenery of the grape fields and mountains. It was a beautiful day; so the scenery was lovely. I also enjoyed some of the wines.

The group I joined at 2:30 had been doing this since 9:00. They were two women from Johannesburg and two from Switzerland. By this time they were great friends. 

The first estate we went to was the one where you can sample wine and chocolate together. Each wine is matched with a specific chocolate, also produced by the estate. I chose the combination with four of each. At the end, we were given a sample of the most expensive wine on their list. It was the one I liked least. I liked a couple of the wines, but I especially enjoyed the chocolates. It was fun reading the descriptions of the wine and chocolate. At the last estate, we could select three wines from their extensive list. Since the others were on their last day of traveling before going to Cape Town to fly home, they were purchasing bottles of wines they liked. I bought a couple bars of chocolate since like it better and it’s small and non-breakable.

Back in town, we all went to dinner together at a pub that the J-burg women had seen that serves burgers. I had an ostrich burger, which was quite tasty. It was a fun way to finish my enjoyable day with good people.

Friday I had half a day before leaving. I decided that it was a good time to shop for Megan’s list of foods I have to try. I had shown it to one of the J-burg women who had a good time telling me about the items. As I had suspected, they were candy and chips. It was useful to know where in the supermarket to look for these treats. I’d seen a couple in Namibia but had never bought them. Since I don’t spend much time in the candy or chips sections, I don’t know if they’re all available in Namibia or not, but I suspect that they are. Buying them was fun as eating them will be.