South Africa

Wednesday 6th January 2016 – Woke at 7am and walked down to the harbour hoping to buy surplus fish from the returning boats but no-one had caught anything. We drove to Cape Agulhas and took pictures of the plaque marking the most southerly point in Africa. This is also where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian Ocean and the opportunity to swim from one ocean to the other was too good to pass up. Alysa looked on in bemusement. On our way back to the car we spotted a brief movement in the foliage and found a wonderfully camouflaged black and white lizard, the name of which we are still trying to find out.

We dine at the Sea Shack, a characterful array of marquees and picnic benches set into the sand on the beachfront. The weather has turned cool and blowy and we are soon huddled together in our Tshirts and shorts as we share our fish and chips, feeling like teenagers at the seaside. Later we scan the waters of the harbour in the hope of spotting one of the elusive stingrays. When we return a couple from Exeter have moved into the downstairs room in the house and we are soon swapping stories at the bar.

Thursday 7th January 2016 – We wake to find it is raining. After Alysa has said goodbye to Poppy we hop into our Ford Figo and drive toward Witsand. The inclement weather seems to have invigorated the wildlife and we soon spot a Cape Fox hunting for eggs in a field of nesting birds and a couple of ostriches grazing among a herd of cows. Arriving at Witsand by way of a gravel road we check out Barry’s Holiday Accommodation and meet 3 genial German kite surfers who are spending a relaxing day drinking beer and playing pool while the weather clears. We drive on through heavy rain to Riversdale where we find a lovely room at the Sleeping Beauty Guesthouse, a grand old house where nothing seems to be under a hundred years old. Proscribing Alysa apples for the duration of our stay we switch on the TV and patch together an eclectic evenings entertainment from the four available channels. At bedtime we discover a long-legged centipede hanging out under the wash basin.

Friday 8th January 2016 – Despite half expecting to be woken by the sensation of a centipede wandering over my naked torso I awake refreshed. With no sign of our many legged friend we carefully dress and drive to our next destination, Mossel Bay. We enquire about rooms at the Santos Express Train Lodge, a genuine train situated on the beach that now functions as a guesthouse, each train compartment a small room with a sea view but they are fully booked so we settle for a dorm room at Mossel Bay Backpackers. Later we sunbathe on Santos Beach for a couple of hours before asking about cage diving with sharks at White Shark Africa. Unfortunately the sharks have been scared away by a pod of killer whales who have been hunting them in the bay for the past few weeks. It seems even Great White Sharks have their worries! We dine at the seafront; traditional lamb pot served on a tin plate. We spend a fun evening watching some very good live music and playing a quiz machine at an Irish pub.