Arriving at Tsitsikamma National Park

After breakfast, we cleared away and were on the road again by 9.30am. By now, it was raining and very foggy, so we couldn’t see much of our surroundings while we drove. I know we passed a few miles of citrus groves, and lots of coal mines. It’s terrible to see that South Africa is so dependent on this polluting fossil fuel. Ironically, further along the road, we did see a number of wind turbines, the first we have seen in South Africa. Unfortunately, there are not nearly enough to make a significant difference.

We also drove through Motherwell, a very poor shanty town. Places like this have no running water or electricity. Nor do they have basic refuse collection, so there are piles of rubbish left at the side of the road. It’s sad to see people living like this 30 years after democracy came to South Africa.

We stopped in Jeffrey’s Bay for lunch at a soulless shopping mall. I’m missing the local experience on this trip. On previous overlanding journeys, we have stopped in small towns and villages and sampled the street food and local markets. Despite its name, I think Intrepid is less intrepid than Dragoman! It’s a small criticism, though. Overall, the trip has been very good.

The weather hadn’t improved by the time we reached Tsitsikamma National Park, our destination for the next two nights. We should have been in tents, but there was an option to upgrade to a forest cabin with a heater and private bathroom. For £60 for two nights, it was an offer we couldn’t refuse! Timo chose to upgrade, too. Kristina decided to stay in a tent.

The campsite is right by the sea. The crew all say it is their favourite site on this trip. I can see that it would be lovely in the summer, but it’s a bit bleak here at the moment!

Once we’d parked up, we went to check out our cabin. It was lovely and cosy. We switched the heating on, and I did my trip notes while we were listening to podcasts. Unfortunately, the Solis doesn’t work here, but that’s a small inconvenience. We felt guilty about Kristina, so at about 4.30, we walked up to the restaurant where we found her checking her emails using the free wi-fi that’s only available there. We did the same and stayed with her until it was time to walk back for dinner.

Dinner tonight was a delicious cheese, tomato, basil, and mushroom pasta with salad. It was blowing a gale and raining, so we put the chairs in the laundry room! It’s a first for us – eating surrounded by washing machines! Just as we finished eating, the power went off. It was down to the weather rather than load-shedding. We stayed and chatted for a while before going back to our cabin. The power didn’t come back on, so we listened to podcasts by candlelight before bed.Read more