We knew that there was a fair chance of seeing dolphins from Dune Guest Lodge and Gary (the owner) had mentioned that they often came by in the morning and afternoon. So we were on Dolphin Watch before, during and after breakfast.
http://www.thedune.co.za/ We were in the Ocean Room.
We woke really early - about 6.30am and so got up and went for a walk along the beach. The sun rises over the mountains here so we caught it just touching the waves as we headed back to our room. Back in the room, we thought we saw a dolphin jump, but Gary said if it was a solitary animal then it was most likely to have been a shark. Gary is 6'7" and was brought up in Switzerland where he played pro basketball. As is the nature of Swiss people, he has a very serious manner about him but is a really nice guy who likes to help us plan our time. He has given us some ideas for today.
We both still have this stomach bug. Today is Roy's day for feeling ill. We drove to Knysna and parked up - it is quite a big place. We decided against any big trips here (there is a boat trip/walk you can do) as Roy is feeling pretty awful by now. So we decided to have a gentle stroll around Knysna, and then drive up to Knysna Heads which are the "entry point" for the sea, into the Knysna Lagoon. The lagoon is smooth but the area around the heads is really choppy and apparently dangerous. So we drive to a view point and take in the scenery.
I haven't mentioned Car Guards yet. These are guys (occasionally girls, too) who stand over parking spaces on the roadside and signal to you where there is a free space. Then while you're away, they "look after" your car for you. For this, you're expected to tip. We were dishing out R10 or R20 to these people and later found out the usual tip is R3-R7! The funny bit is when you get back to your car and (I guess to justify the tip) they stand guiding you out of your very easy to get out of car space! Well it used to amuse me, anyway. My guess is that few of them can actually drive.
Anyway, I was going to make the point that the Car Guards have now also found niches in the various "viewing points" and stand there while you get out of your car for, oooh a whole 5 minutes and look at the view. These guys I begrudge tipping! Car Guards can make a day out driving around pretty expensive, actually... especially when you tip at R20 a time!
So - having left Knysna, we drove around the Seven Passes Road (seven small mountain passes) through Barrington to see the Big Tree. This is an Outeniqua yellow wood tree, at a place called Woodville and is over 33 metres high, that's 100+ feet. It is 800 years old and has a circumference of over 12 metres. (Note: you can tell Roy was in charge of the journal today - so many facts!).
Seven Pass road starts off like being in the English country side. And then all of a sudden you're above a big forest canopy. We got out of the car here to have a look and all we could hear was the buzzing of a a million insects coming up from the trees. We ended up at a view point called the Map of Africa. Looking down, the river bends around forested land causing it to be shaped exactly like..... a map of Africa! We then walked over to the paragliding "run off" slope where we had amazing views of the beach and ocean all the way from Wilderness to Knysna.
After a quick lunch in Wilderness, we finally got back to the Dunes where we planned to spend the rest of the (hot) day chilling out by the pool. I'd arranged for Mum to phone me at the guest house and just as we got back to our room to take the call, Roy spotted a pod of about 50-60 dolphins heading our way... they swim in really close to the shore line and we could see them quite clearly. So, unfortunately we had to tell Mum to call back later, after we'd watched them! It was so cool - they were "surfing" in on the big waves. Mum called back and about 5 minutes later the dolphins all came back the other way!
Gary told us that if we'd been back an hour earlier, we'd have seen the first whale of the season making its way along the ocean. He promised to let us know if he saw it again.....
We took a walk along the beach before having an early shower. There is load shedding here tonight, from 6-8pm (basically this means a power cut) and so we needed to be ready before the lights all went out. After the power went, we sat and watched the light fade while drinking a half bottle of Graham Beck Champagne. The sky was incredible while the lights were out - the stars here are amazing but seemed even more so with no street lighting etc.
So tonight we'd booked dinner at a restaurant called Serendipity. We were greeted on arrival by Joseph who offered us aperitifs - I had chilled white port with a twist of lemon peel. It was excellent. Roy had "ratafia" - a chardonnay based brandy. The food was exceptional. Absolutely amazing, and it cost us just £25 each for the food, a bottle of wine, coffee and aperitifs. The restaurant is small and run by Liselle and her husband Rudolf.
While you're sipping your aperitif, Rudolf comes through to the lounge and explains the menu - there are two choices for each course. He goes in to huge detail about where the ingredients are sourced, exactly how they're cooked and so on - in fact, he sells them all so well it is difficult to choose!
Eventually we ate:
An amuse bouche - I am sad to say I can't remember what it was! But it was good!
Starter - Ostrich bobotie spring roll with peach chutney and peppadew sauce.
Soup - Carrot and Cumin
Sorbet - campari and orange ice lolly!
Main - Jan: Peking duck confit, mash, sweet potato and white potato crisps, carrots, spiced red cabbage. Roy: Karoo beef (Wow!), jus, samp and beans (African corn and beans - popular side dish), ratatouille.
Dessert - Jan: Rooibos (a type of smokey tea) pannacotta, rooibos ice cream, cape date and brandy cake, pecans and brandy spiced sauce, dried fruit compote and a brandy snap! Roy: Peppermint crisp (chocolate and mint parfait type of thing). I can't remember what his came with as I was too busy eating mine!
Coffees.
A South African couple we met there insisted on giving us a glass of champagne from a bottle they'd bought. We also shared a bottle of First Sightings Shiraz.
All in all it was a wonderful evening, and Liselle's food matched (and maybe even outdid) the quality of food we had in Franschhoek. Serendipity is also a guest house, run by Liselle's mum, and I'd love to stay there one day.........
Gary from the Dunes was in there with his wife. As we left we said goodnight and Roy joked to him "I thought I'd left you on whale watch!". In typical Swiss style, he did not laugh!
http://www.serendipitywilderness.co.za/chef.htm
