Knysna

We had no power from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. today in our rooms. Sandy and I went for breakfast at 7:30 a.m. There was coffee available. By 7:50 a.m., the coffee inventory was all used up and the wait until power was restored began. No riots broke out.

The huge bathroom in our little bungalow has a motion sensor activated night light by the toilet. Mind you, it only works when the power is on. Each room is equipped with a rechargeable portable LED light. I always travel with a little flashlight.

The sun is shining brightly today, and there is no rain in the forecast – finally! Our first planned activity was supposed to be an interpretive trip through a protected forest. This area used to be covered in thick forests, home to herds of elephants and leopards. Unfortunately, overharvesting drove the animals away. There is a myth that one lonely, bull elephant still roams the forest.

The heavy rains of the past three days had made the access road a rutted, muddy mess. The road was steep, with a sharp curve and the van doesn’t have 4-wheel drive, so discretion reigned, and we deferred the walk to tomorrow. The warm sun should make conditions better by then.

Our next stop was to be at a beach, but the unpaved road to it was unpassable, so we deferred a beach visit to later. Liz took us to see The Heads where the Indian Ocean enters a bay. The views are fabulous. We took the requisite group shot with the ocean behind us.

Our next stop was Leisure Isle, an island accessible via a manmade causeway. This is a highly sought-after area for holiday homes. The homes all have huge windows facing the water, manicured gardens, and welcoming verandahs. We stopped at Bollard Beach and walked in the sand and got a fabulous shot of us all standing in the Indian Ocean.

Next stop was Thesen Island which is actually 10 islands linked by bridges. Lots more holiday homes here. A couple of us got to see a stingray that a fisherman had caught and was releasing. This area is noted for its seahorses – we saw some in a tank at the little museum. The males give birth to the babies. Good for them!

We had lunch at a restaurant right on the water, noted for its fine seafood. I had a wonderful seafood salad that was very tasty. Sue gave the oysters a high rating.

We did a quick stop at a liquor store and a used bookstore (to stock up Sue’s reading supply) and came back to the guest house. Power is out from 2:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The sun is shining brightly so we are sitting around the pool. The plan is to have a pizza dinner tonight, after our super lunch.Read more