Storms River - South Africa

18th October 2014

Late evening of the 18th October we finally boarded the extremely delayed bus. On board we met a couple of people and were told that the bus was so delayed due to a wheel coming off whilst they were going along, (so we had a bit more sympathy at that point).

Later that evening we arrived in storms river at Dijembe Backpackers Lodge. Like the wild spirit lodge we had just left, 
Dijembe was very much a unique little character and had a brilliant backpacker atmosphere. On arriving we were greeted by a young lad on a white horse who pointed us towards the bar for our welcome shots. After shots and dumping our stuff in the dorm we watched the resident goat Baz (who thinks shes a dog) playing around with one of the owners small brown dogs. Later we settled around the camp fire with drinks and got to know our new 
roommates better.  

Baz the pet goat

          

Apart from a strange japanese man who snored a lot, the nights sleep wasn't too unreasonable. The room rate included breakfast - an endless supply of make your own pancakes. After booking our bungee jump for 11:00, I set to the pans and made numerous pancakes for us and three friends, just call me the pancake king! Watching other young travellers making their own pancakes was also great morning entertainment - the end result commonly resembling what can only be described as a thick, deep fried frisbee. After breakfast we grabbed a lift to the bungee site from a South African couple who were also planning to do the jump.  

Bloukrans bridge is the worlds highest bridge bungee jump. When we arrived at the site we had our harnesses fitted and then a 30 minute nervous wait whilst looking at the bridge. After being called we made our way down as a group and along the metal walkway running under the bridge to the jump site. The walkway was almost as scary as the jump - only a questionably thick grid of springy 
metal stood between you and your untimely death. Looking down 
into the gorge as you carefully navigated the endless walkway was not exactly good encouragement for what awaited you at the end.

After the safety briefing at the jump platform the team started 
playing dance music to hype everyone up. One by one, jumpers 
were called for their go and the crowd cheered each other on. I took my jump and in resembling a frog, leaped off the edge, typically Lissie was one of the last to go, so had to wait in anticipation for her go. There were no last minute cancellations and the team were effective in not allowing much time for hesitation at the platform. Being the worlds highest bridge jump meant that you had about 5 seconds of free fall - it was both absolutely exhilarating and 
terrifying. We were both so glad we had done it afterwards. After your initial jump you have a wait of about a minute before a guy 
comes down on a rope, connects you to his harness and takes you 
back up.

This was taken after my jump and just before Lissie's!

Lissie's elegant bungee jump and me looking a bit like a frog.

After the jump we grabbed some food in the restaurant overlooking the bridge and waited for our lift back with some friends from the hostel who had also just done the jump. In common South African style the ride back was in the back of a flatbed taking in the views and achieving that maximum windswept look.

Once back at Dijembe we scoffed down some of the massive loaf of beer bread that had been made... It was very tasty. In the evening we had a braai outside and then with some friends made use of the jacuzzi on the first floor balcony. A few drinks later, somebody suggested attempting to break the record for most people in the 
jacuzzi and 15 people later there was little water left in the tub.
                                    

                                          Homemade Dijembe Beer bread...mmmmmm
                           

                                    

The following day we and two friends decided to do a morning trip of horse riding into the local forest. Me, never having ridden a horse before was greeted with a warm welcome when my horse (apparently the most dominant horse there) decided to kick the horse that our friend Richard was riding. This ultimately ended up in both horses 
bucking up in the air with Richard and I trying our best not to end up on the floor. We both managed to control our horses and after 
horse tempers settled we continued the ride. The ride through the 
forest was beautiful. 

Andrew's horse Grace

Being the smallest Lissie was given the mid sized pony to ride - a particularly cheeky one called smeagel. Despite allegedly having very powerful back legs and the capability to outperform some of the larger horses that the others were riding, Smeagel was feeling particularly stubborn and lazy at the start of the ride and so took a bit of encouragement to up his pace.

                   

After returning into the cowboy themed town with saloon style buildings, we returned the horses and had lunch at an American diner opposite.
Richard then left to go and do his bungee jump and we spent the rest of the afternoon chilling out in storms river.

Later that day we all went to a little pizza place in the town, after being told they did the best pizza in the world of course we had to see for ourselves. In fact the pizza was pretty good and a great end to our brilliant time in Storms River.

That evening after some goodbye drinks we left for the Urban city of Port Elizabeth.
Arriving Late we stayed at the Lungile hostel. It was a comfy but fairly basic city hostel but for a short overnight stop it didn't really matter. We played a few games of pool and met two lads doing the 
opposite route to us before going to bed in the large mixed dorm. 
The following morning we were up early, said goodbye to a Heidi who was going elsewhere and we left for Coffee Bay.

The Crags - South Africa

15th October

Late evening (little natural light left) we arrived at the wild spirit lodge in The Crags and although we were not able to see the place in all it's glory we could already tell we had made a wise choice to book 4 nights. After using shared dorms everywhere up until this point we decided to upgrade to a private with ensuite, still very affordable and the decision was very easy after seeing the amazing view we got with it. 

We were given a tour of the beautiful treehouse style open to the elements communal lodge, fire pits and handmade glasses, the social area - a large old log cabin alongside a stunning elevated bar with a large old tree growing through it. As the site was based on an elevated spot at the side of a beautiful forest, the view from both our room and the main lodge was extraordinary.

Not only were the volunteers and fellow travellers really helpful and friendly but the food there was amazing, we ate together on the communal outside decking area overlooking the incredible view of the forest.

We did all the local forest walks, one of which led to a lovely waterfall.  The hostel was home to three pet dogs, two cats and a couple of horses which was really nice. There was a local farm shop just a 5 minute walk from wild spirit lodge, they sold the most delicious cheese and bread. Can't ask for more than that :) 

                                       

Our second day was spent exploring the area and some of the beaches around Plettenburg bay. We discovered a selection of crafty gift shops and a cafe with some amazing bread and yummy cakes.

We made friends with lots of great people from all over the world. (Germany, Brazil, America, South Africa and The Netherlands) On our third day we arranged to visit Robberg Nature reserve with a group of new friends. Robberg marine protected area is a long broad peninsula jutting out from Plettenburg Bay. It plays host to massive groups of Seals, which were amazing to discover along our route, however they do have a potent smell. 

                                 

Apparently Robberg got its name decades ago from the seals who live there, 'Rob' is Afrikaans for Seal. You can also sometimes see Dolphins, Whales and Sharks among the waves off Robberg. 

 

Giant sand dunes stretched along the beach.

We did the long hike around the whole peninsula which took us a good few hours. The views from the reserve are really quite breathtaking. It was lovely to stop and take in the views as we walked. On our way back we decided to stop at the famous cheese man shop to buy a selection of very tasty cheeses, A great day.

                                       

On our last day we started another hike which would take us through an array of different terrine. Through forests, along an empty river bed and down to the beach and lagoon. We set of as a three with a friend we made at the lodge, the route was really fun, navigating the forest with all it's hidden gems, even discovering a vine swing we had to play on.

     

After the descent of the steep hill with very deep steps we finally reached the beach. At this point we met some more of our fellow wild-spirit friends, who we then joined for lunch at a nearby restaurant. Although we were halfway through our hike, due to a knee problem I was suffering with I made the decision to hang out at the beach with the others instead of continuing with Andrew and Annika. Once we were all ready to head back we were picked up in a truck and taken back to the lodge.

On discovering that the Baz bus was going to be a couple of hours later than scheduled we had a tasty dinner and said goodbye to a beautiful place. 

Kynsna - South Africa

14th Oct 2014

In Kynsna we stayed in an attractive looking Victorian house perched up the hill which overlooked the Kynsna lagoon, We booked a dorm which is usually a bit of a lucky dip as to what the standards are like, whether you get any sleep is dependant on snoring Dorm Buddies! This one slept 6 people, we were the last two to check in... Let's just say our fellow travellers were less than tidy/considerate. But hey it's all part of the experience :)

  

On the evening of our arrival we treated ourselves to an Italian dinner at a restaurant down in the harbour area with a stunning view of the sunset and yachts moored in front of us - one of the best Italians and yet cheapest We've ever had. 

The following morning, after recovering from feeling sick due to the over indulgence at the Italian, we headed out to the harbour for Brekkie and to the shops to continue our mission to get Birthday presents for the fast approaching Birthdays of those back home. 

After failing miserably we rented a set of bicycles and rode around the lagoon and up the rather steep hill to the Kynsna heads viewpoint - A hard ride up; a fun ride down! 

The view from the heads was stunning, From the top of the left hand side cliff where the lagoon meets the sea. 

Knysna Heads

After returning to the hostel and lounging around in the sun on the steps up to the lodge with the German couple and a very lovely Dachshund dog we made friends with, we were eventually collected by the baz bus again heading toward our next hostel in the Crags

Wilderness

12th October 2014

After the long journey with Solomon and Carolin in the compact little car and stopping at Mossel Bay, we eventually drove through a pass which opened out onto the beautiful start of the wild coast commencing at Wildnerness and ending in Port Elizabeth.

After checking into Fairy knowe Backpackers and dropping our bags off we had lunch with S & C near the sea front. We said goodbye to the pair and took the twenty minute walk back to our hostel through the nature/national reserve on the boardwalks.
         
That evening we remained at the hostel which was both good and bad. The good being the lovely social area which was a large thatched hut with bar, sofas and pool table. The bad being the rather old and outdated house that contained the beds and bathrooms. Not the worst but could do with a little love to bring back it's charm. 
In the evening we met two nice Dutch lads and some American girls. We had dinner at the hostel which consisted of us all eating steak and veg at the table alongside some of the staff and the owner which was nice. The drinks were really cheap too.

                                   

The following morning we were dropped off with a double kayak where we would navigate the nature reserve lake area and make our way up the river into the jungle where we then abandoned the boat and continued on foot for 45 minutes to a beautiful double waterfall. 

                                  

We had lunch at the waterfall and made our way back to the kayak, playing around climbing vines and taking in the wildlife as we went. After arriving back at the mooring point we carried the oars and walked back to the hostel taking a different route this time. This took us along an old abandoned train track which used to run a steam engine years ago along the wild coast. We had come across this track during our kayak trip too 

        

       

Abandoned train track in wilderness 

    

       

On our return we were then collected by the BazBus where we travelled to Kynsna, bumping into a German couple we had met earlier on our stay who then stayed in the same hostel in Kynsna.