May 17 - Port Elizabeth to Durban

We woke to lovely sunshine which did a good job of burning off the very heavy dew. But better than that, we had electricity! This area has not had any mandatory blackouts for the past few months, and none are scheduled until June. What a delight to be able to shower and dry my hair in the morning!

The breakfast room at the Tsitsikamma Village Inn is lovely with displays of old clocks and wire bird cages. The breakfast buffet was extensive, and everything was labelled. They even had scones with clotted cream and jam. So tasty!

We had a bit of time to poke around the little village before departing at 10:00 a.m. The village boasts a 60’s style diner with motorcycles and old cars on display.

We had a bit of slack in our schedule, so we made a stop to see the biggest tree in South Africa – Groot Boom. It is accessed by a boardwalk that wends its way through thick forest, lush with trees and vines and small streams. The Big Tree measures 36 meters in height and 8.5 meters in circumference. It is SA Yellowwood and is estimated to be over 1000 years old.

We continued our journey east, with our ultimate destination being Port Elizabeth. The heavily wooded landscape gave way to soft, rolling lands that seemed to support prosperous farms. The land then got flatter and the vegetation got browner. This area is very windy which dries out the bushes and grasses and trees. We saw a big wind turbine farm – privately-owned. I can’t imagine what premium the owners are charging for the electricity that they are generating during these times of low supply and high demand.

We caught another glimpse of the Indian Ocean at Jeffreys Bay – this is prime surfing territory, as long as the surfers don’t mind sharing the waters with great white sharks. Shark spotting is a full-time activity here.

We got to Port Elizabeth around 1:00 p.m. and walked down the long pier to get a good look at the shipping harbour and the lovely beach. We had a late lunch by the ocean. It’s two-meal Wednesday because we have a 6:25 p.m. flight to Durban tonight. After lunch, we walked the other way along the lovely ocean-side promenade and soaked up the sun. We could see the clouds starting to roll in and the temperature starting to drop, so we decided to head to the airport early so that Liz could begin her journey back home in daylight. There is a huge stretch of road construction that will slow her down. She will drive to Knysna tonight and then on to Cape Town tomorrow to return the van before enjoying some much-deserved downtime. We were sad to say good bye to Liz - she added so much to our travels with her wide-ranging knowledge, her excellent driving skills, her organizational abilities and her unfailing good humour. She is a tribute to her profession.

We successfully arrived in Durban around 7:30 p.m. and got to our charming hotel about 8:30 p.m. Behki (Bay-key) who will be our guide for the next leg of the journey picked us up at the airport. Tomorrow, we have no planned activities. It’s a day to relax and catch our breath.Läs mer