Roadtripping

The thing about always being busy is that I know how to relax but I also always know there will be tasks to return to when the relaxation ends. I haven’t quite grasped that there is nothing lurking on the other side of the my relaxation. I mean, there are things to do (find an apartment, move to a new state, etc) but everything is on hold for the next 5 weeks. I have 5 weeks to utterly relax—what?! I don’t even know what to do with that! I randomly have moments of panic: I should be somewhere, doing something! But then I have to catch and calm myself. Just breathe. Estelle is much the same way so together we are working on just ‘being.’ This leisurely week has been good for us. We are learning to do nothing!

On Monday we set out from Strand in slightly rainy weather, but soon outdrove the storm. On the way to Estelle’s family’s beach house in Grootbraak the landscape was consistently vast and beautiful, an indication of the week to come. In between numerous and varied car conversations, we stopped to see aloe shops (did you know aloe can be used for just about any skin related problem?), ostrich, and bungee jumping (the bridge ended up being closed—darn it!).









Tuesday morning we drove to George and Knysna to see the scenery. The lakes and forests were beautiful, but the ocean was my personal favourite. Then it was a backtrack to Mosselbaai. I now know quite a bit about the history of Mossel Bay, thanks to an afternoon exploring the Dias Museum Complex. In 1488, Bartholomew Dias was exploring the coast of Africa and sailed past the southern tip without realizing it; after correcting his mistake he ended up at a cove where he found fresh water. This cove was later named Mosselbaai by the Dutch. Today the museum includes a full-size replica of his ship, the fountain of water, a maritime museum and an ethno-botanical garden. Also of note is the old Post Office Tree; as early as 1500, sailors left letters buried near the tree. I needed to send some postcards anyway and this was the first post office I found (it is still in use!) so some of my family will be getting thank-yous for graduation gifts from the tree!






After the museum, Estelle and I went to the lighthouse on the point to see the waves. HUGE waves! The foam from the constant huge waves was so dense that the ocean looked white and frothy. It would be a great surfing place if not for the strong tide and big rocks. Even without surfers to watch, the ocean was so fun that we ended up eating (fish and chips) at a place with an ocean view. Then we went back to the point to watch the ocean at night. Beautiful.



Wednesday found us on the way to Outshoorn. We stopped along the way to see Estelle’s aunt and uncle on their vast farm; they were very nice and I got to practice my Afrikaans listening skills. :) In Outshoorn, we went first to an ostrich farm. Outshoorn is ostrich central so it was required. Ostrich riding was also required. Then it was on to Cango Caves. I particularly enjoyed the tour because our guide was extremely knowledgeable and shared not only about the cave, but how the cave has been changed as a result of tourism. It was sobering to realize just how many crystals and stalagtites have been broken off for souvineers. The evening ended at a VERY fancy restaurant. I opted for the Karoo 4 platter—kudu, ostrich, springbok, and crocodile. Kudu didn’t live up to my memory, making juicy ostrich the favourite of the day!\









Today was more touristy-stuff in Outshoorn as we continued our shortlist of the things people usually do in Outshoorn’s tourism summer. The Cango Wildlife Ranch was much more intriguing than I expected. I’m usually not a fan of zoos, but the enclosures were large and spacious; it also helped to know that the animals rotate between the ranch and the breeding center across the road with its vast spaces. To see the large cats, we walked on wooden bridges over the enclosures; the lack of fences really allowed us to interact with the animals. Also, since we were the only ones around for much of the time we could just stand and watch quietly for as long as we wanted; cheetahs, lions, white tigers, and pumas streched, groomed each other, sprawled on the ground, sneezed (cheetah sneezing=adorable), played with each other, yawned and slept while we gazed on.



After the ranch, we also got up close and personal with another type of animal: the camel. A place down the road had camel rides. Not particularly uncomfortable, but I can’t imagine going on a long trek by camel. After our rides, Estelle and I wandered around the property, seeing the animals and enjoying the warm weather. Outshoorn is semi-desert so it gets very cold at night but warms up during the daytime. Sitting in the sun to eat bobotie (traditional Cape dish with curried minced meat) was a nice end to the day and time in Outshoorn.



From the sounds of it, the next day and a half is driving and eating! Wineries and cheese shops are along the way, as is the port capital of South Africa (port wine) and a place famous for dried fruit. Nom nom nom.