The Road to Knysna

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It was hard tearing ourselves away from the De Wet's this morning.  Not only does Gert make terrificcoffee (attributed to his wonderful commercial  machine that he got at auction) but this morning he baked us a loaf of sourdough bread that was to die for! We had a terrific breakfast before we had get ready and pack the car.  Eventually, it was time to say goodbye -- lots of hugging -- and we were back on the road.

The drive to Knysna was not very long from where we were so we had to stretch it out some.  We stopped at Victoria Bay which was absolutely magnificent. Great surfing beach and the I loved the little houses and apartments that lined the walk along the water.  We took our time and just hung out there for a while. 

The next stop was Wilderness and quite honestly we really didn't see what there was about the place. It is along side of the highway with no real views.  There are some shops and restaurants but we weren't in the mood for any of them. 

We were getting closer to Knysna and we still had time to kill.  On a lark, I called the man who owns the Go Self-Drive agency we hired for a lot of this trip.  He wrote to me a few days ago and wanted to get together in Knysna for coffee while we were there.  Since we had time to kill, I called to see if he was free.  Yes, he would meet us a Nautical South restaurant at Brenton on Sea a few km before Knysna.  OMG, another stunning ride up and down the coast.  With a huge lake on one side and the ocean on the other.

We sat and talked with Elmore over a good cup of cappuccino. Lots to talk about from traveling to politics.  Also got caught up on some of the logistics of what we can expect in the way of getting visas going into Zambia and Zimbabwe when we visit Victoria Falls.  It was really wonderful meeting him.  His agency is a family run business that we are very happy that we chose.

We said our goodbye and Geoff and I headed down to the sea to take in the view before heading out again.  Oh boy, yet another jaw dropping coastline -- this one with a parking lot and benches.  We chose a bench out on the cliffs and sat and ate our lunch.  Geoff made sandwiches from yesterdays leftover dinner with Gert's sourdough - very yummy. Plus, we could not have a for a better spot to enjoy lunch.

Finally it was time to get to Knysna.  Actually we are staying on Thesen Island with another  ATC member.  I phoned Trevor when we were about 15 minutes out and he met us at the security gate. This place is harder to get into than a naval base.  Geoff had to hand over all his ID plus fingerprints so that we can come and go without being checked all the time.  After that procedure was done, we followed Trevor to his home.

This house is lovely and our accommodations are really 5-star.  Yes, Gert you were right.  We are right on a canal with our own entrance leading down to the dock.  We have access to a canoe and a tandem kayak.  The room is fully equipped with mini-fridge, coffee supplies, tv, even a small safe as if we were in a hotel.  They have really thought of everything.  Don't get any ideas, you won't find any of this in our house!  Well maybe kayaks.

The sad news is that Trevor's wife, Sandy has just passed away last month.  That is truly heartbreaking.  I will not go into detail, but it was unexpected.  I really feel bad for him and yet he still has invited us into his home.  Maybe it helps not to be so alone - I don't know.  We chatted for a while and learned that he is a retired pilot that flew for South African Airways for many years. The water was beckoning and Geoff and I quickly changed and jumped into the canal for a swim.  Wonderfully refreshing. 

Took our time, I called my brother -  talked to him for quite a while and then it was time to get ready for dinner.  When we came out of our room, Trevor  had some company over.  A couple from England - we talked with them for a bit and off we went to dinner.

Back now from a lovely dinner in the harbor in Kynsna.  This town is a bit more touristy than our last two places.  Although the island we are on is extremely quiet.  We'll do more exploring tomorrow.  There is a threat of rain tomorrow!

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Next time... Kynsna