Winterdodgers Backpackers (Petes Place)

Around 2pm we left the game drive and headed for the a spar supermarket to do the grocery shopping for the next few days. Considering it was a Sunday it was super busy but except for decent meat we got everything that we needed. We’re going to have to go back out to a butchers to get meat at a later date.
Then it was back in the car for another 90 minutes until we got into the town of Sodwana Bay and took a sharp left when the tarmac ended and we drove for 15km on sand tracks across the biggest vegetation sand dunes in the world. It was quite a hairy ride as we slid around the deep ruts with Karen the car beeping at us all the way warning us of no traction, then we dropped down the other side and the vegetation got much thicker just before we drove through a river.
Then it was sand tracks again for another 5km and we found a bottle shop in the middle of nowhere and Pete brought some beers before we finally ended up where we wanted to be.
Petes home.
It was an amazing site and in true Pieter fashion we were greeted by 3 land rovers and the old safari land cruiser he had just bought to do up last year. Once out of the car he showed us around and it’s certainly unique and very rustic but it’s a huge place and suits Petes personality down to the ground.
There is a large open plan living area where guests can congregate and an open plan kitchen. Along the back wall are another four rooms, the first is Petes bedroom, then a bathroom then what will be another guest room but is currently storage and at the end another guest room with 2 single beds. Pete also now has a cat called Milly who he rescued from Kubu Island out in the salt pans late last year. He picked it up in a right state as a kitten with blood all over it’s face and scars on it’s back and he did say, had he been on his own he probably would have put the cat out of it’s misery but the group of people he was with at the time didn’t want to so the cat ended up getting in the car and doing 3 weeks of Safaris across 3 countries until finally ending up back at Petes home which is where he lives and looks very happy.
The grounds and garden are flourishing with food like bananas and avocado, lemongrass and lavender. Aswell as chickens each laying 2 eggs a day.
There are also 2 guest houses outside and Simon who delivered Karin the car from Johannesburg is staying in one and we have the other. It’s a super nice place and a really chilled atmosphere. When we turned up there were another 2 guests there but we think they were bringing Simon alcohol as he’s quite the drunk but they did seem like nice people and said they would be back tomorrow.
After getting settled and having some well needed drinks and fresh pineapple the 4 of us took a hike out across the sand dunes and I found a chameleon which of course Ellie wanted to adopt. Then it was back to the house just before it got dark and we all watched the Geckos chasing the moths up and down the walls while Pete cooked us a lovely spaghetti bolognaise. Then at 8pm we all headed off to our beds for the night.Read more