December 3rd

Today we awoke to a very cloudy day. We got about and I finished the blog from yesterday. Breakfast was our leftover sweet and savory pizza from last night; a piece of toast with peanut butter for me, and nutella for Jeff; and a banana each. We checked out of our place – Phoenix Lodging by 0950.

We decided to drive around this beautiful lagoon/estuary area that the city of Knysna almost surrounds. It seems to be a ritzy area. The grand homes all stagger up the hillsides. There are some very nice ones, eclectic ones, and very large ones! During load shedding last light, not many lights went out because almost everyone seems to have a back-up system! Anyway, the lagoon area is so vast because these hills/mountains have a narrow opening at the Indian Ocean, called “the head”. The lagoon is without surf also due to the head. The city has two islands in the lagoon, don't know if they are man-made or natural. We drove around on both – first was Thesen Island, second was Leisure Island. Next we went on a walk that overlooks of the heads – stunning views of the ocean and back at the city.

Now we loaded up up in our car and left town. On the way to the next town, we saw the Garden of Eden on the map! So we had to stop here. It is a part of the national park system here in South Africa, and has some old growth trees. There was an easy boardwalk of just over one mile. So we did it. Some of the trees were labeled: Ironwood, Yellowwood, a Saffron-wood tree, Pomegranate, and huge Blue Gum trees. It was very dappled as some light came through the canopy. Also was misty, but changed to raindrops with any little gust of wind. There were all kinds of frogs croaking due to a little steam through the area, and a few different bird calls. We did actually see a nice red-orange breasted bird (don't know what it is called). Also saw more beetles. Finished we loaded up and onward.

Now we went to Robberg Nature Reserve and the Cape Seal Lighthouse, but after we parked and paid discovered it was a 9.2 kms (almost six miles)round-trip hike! It was nearly one pm, we hadn't eaten lunch yet, and we weren't prepared for that long of a trek. There were two other hikes on the sign/map. We opted for the shortest one – 2 kms (just over one mile). So we did not get to this lighthouse and actually never saw it, but still had great views of the area – the ocean with its shoreline – always spectacular.

From here we went to a fish place for lunch in Plettenberg Bay. We ordered 3 piece Hake fish and chips. It was enormous! The Hake fish filets were 8-9 inches long and so good, no bones. Then the rest of the box was filled or piled with fries – enough for four people! We could not finish the whole box of food, but we gave it a valet effort without overdoing!!!

We arrived at our booked B&B, Villa Villekula. It is an eco-friendly lodge. They are off grid, having their own power supply (no load shedding!) and water supply. Upon arriving, there is a gate and a sign: “Please close the gate!! We have 2 wandering Donkeys”

That was a new one for me!! It made us laugh. We went in, closing the gate. Then I saw the two donkeys! Yeah! Then two dogs greeted us walking to the house, and in the house a cat came for a look at us. It is a menagerie of animals! Then we saw the humans. We were directed to our room. It is very green, rustic (because of the farm/country vibe), and eclectic decorations of a mid 1900's place. It is called the Retro Room . There is a nice sliding door to a patio that overlooks their pond, and we saw free-range chickens. Back inside, our bathroom has album covers decorating one wall and our sink is an old stove and oven! Anyway, we unloaded and decided to go to a convenience store for stuff for light supper. On the way, we digressed. We found a winery still opened, Newstead. We did a tasting. It involved a sparkling Chardonnay, and a sparkling Rose, then a Sauvignon Blanc and a Rose still. It was a new vineyard and their wines were light crisp, but lacking a little. This being said, we did enjoy the Rose still enough that we bought one for dinner. Finished now we did go to the store. We bought some cheese and dried mixed fruit. This was supper.

Then we did our Sunday thing – caught up with family and watched our church service back home.