May 16 - Bungee Jumping and Baboons

Our next stop was at the world’s highest bungee/bungy jump at Bloukrans River Bridge near Plettenberg Bay. The height is a whopping 216 meters/711 feet. We watched a few brave souls drop and scream, bungee up and down and then get winched back up, and then collectively, we said, “No way!” (Cost with video and photos is ~$200 CAD but that wasn’t the main reason for saying, “No way!”)
Because we had been thwarted doing our nature walk yesterday, Liz (the master of adjusting activities around weather conditions), took us to Garden Route National Park - Tsitsikamma Section (pronounced Sit-Si-Comma). On the drive into the park, there is clear evidence of planned reforestation with young pines carefully planted in rows. Forestry is tightly controlled to ensure no more destructive clearcutting. In the park, we got to see the Indian Ocean again, in all its splendour. To get some much-needed exercise, we walked the boardwalk (good physical condition, but wet and a bit slippery) that follows along the coastline. We climbed quite a bit vertically and were rewarded for our efforts with the most spectacular views that we’ve seen so far on this trip. The ocean views are mesmerizing, so we had to tear ourselves away. We considered crossing the mouth of the river on the suspension bridge but opted to just look instead. We were losing the light and the temperature was dropping quickly.

On our way out of the park, we were rewarded with seeing a troop of baboons. The little ones were adorable – jumping up at low-hanging leaves, clambering on their fathers and riding bareback on their mothers. We dutifully kept the van windows closed (well, mostly) – the males can actually open car/van doors when they are in the frenzy of smelling food. Liz can attest to that skill – she’s had her van invaded twice.

From there, we headed to the little village of Stormsrivier where we stayed at a guest house that was originally built in the 1880s as a game hunting camp. It is now a delightful guest house, with unique decór and excellent service. After pre-dinner wine, we had dinner in the dining room there with its roaring fireplace (it’s a bit cool and damp today), with the stuffed heads of different types of antelope and a big zebra gazing down on us and a full-sized stuff leopard guarding the doorway. The food was good, and the conversation was great. Many of us tried Malva Pudding, a popular South African dessert. It consists of a moist gingerbread type cake made with apricot jam, served in a pool of warm custard. Good stuff. I nestled into bed with the heated mattress pad warding off the evening chill. I slept well after a full day .Read more