When most people think of Africa, they think this:
or this:
I took both of these pictures throughout my time on the Garden Route, but I’d like prove that Africa is not just the stereotypes of poverty and wilderness that many Americans think of when they here the word “Africa”. I’d been to Cape Town before, but many tourists upon arriving are surprised by how European and cosmopolitan the city is. However, given how much like a western city Cape Town is, it is also surprising to see the amount of poverty that Cape Town faces.
This past weekend was one of many sides of Africa that I will see while here, and it was wonderful. Its not what many of you picture when you think Africa, and I think its a good thing to know all the different experiences that South Africa has to offer.
Excuse my travel writing on these next few posts. If I ever come back to the Garden Route, or if anyone reading this blog ever finds themselves along the Garden Route, I want these posts to be sort of a guide for as to what to do.
(from the website http://www.gotoknysna.com/)
After breakfast with my host parents on Saturday morning we set off on the 4.5 hour drive to Mossel Bay (or Mossel Baai if you’re speaking Afrikaans), our first stop along the Garden Route. I’ll definitely have a post about the drive on the way there later, because the scenery along the N2, or the highway that takes you all along the Garden Route, is unbelievable.The town is set along the bay, and is both an industrial city and a tourist hotspot. The economy largely depends on tourism, but because it is the middle of winter here in South Africa, the town was a ghost town. It was great for us because we got discount rates at the hotels and could walk right into a popular restaurant on the water and had no trouble getting a table. The winter weather here is like our early fall in Boston. I don’t know why more South Africans don’t take advantage of the lower rates during the winter because we experienced perfect weather.
Upon arriving in Mossel Bay, we checked into our incredible hotel (http://www.africanoceans.co.za/) and made some coffee with the French press provided in our hotel room.
This hotel was absolutely flawless. We stayed in a suite that had a living room, kitchen, and full bathroom with two sinks, a shower, and a bathtub, overlooking the ocean, and including a 3 course breakfast all for a great price because it is off season.
If any of you happen to ever be along the Garden Route, hit this place up. It’s also incredibly romantic…we were the only people in the hotel who weren’t a couple. I’m pretty sure it’s a popular honeymoon destination and its obvious why.
We then went to the Post Office Tree, the oldest post office in South Africa.
In 1500s, Portuguese sailors left letters in a boot tied to the tree, and as ships docked in Mossel Bay they would pick up and leave letters in the tree. It is still a fully functioning post office today. My mom loved the story. Imagine leaving letters for another person in a boot tied to a tree. The post office tree was part of a complex of museums that had just closed before we arrived, including the Bartholomew Dias Museum, dedicated to the Portuguese explorer.
We then went for a walk along the coast that led to a hike along the cliffs. The views from that walk were indescribable, so I’ll let the pictures do the talking.
My mom in front of a cave looking out on the ocean on St Blaize trail.
Along the walk we met some of these guys. They’re called dassies and my Mom says they look like large rats, but they’re everywhere so you have to get used to them.
At the end of our walk we came to the Kingfisher Restaurant, where we had made reservations earlier. It looked out onto the Indian Ocean, and we could see the massive waves crashing on the beach from our table by the window. It was an incredibly romantic setting, just as everything on this trip has been, and was very dimly lit. The main source of light was the single white candle for light in the middle of each table. We asked the waitress for recommendations, and she suggested the sole and the kabeljou (or kob). I ordered the kob and could not have been happier. It was served on the bone and in the light butter and herb sauce that had been carefully dripped across the top, it tasted like already buttered lobster yet still had the texture of a light white fish. The best fish I’ve ever had, undoubtedly.
The next morning we woke to our yummy breakfast overlooking the ocean again. Heaven forbid we eat a meal out of sight of a body of water on this trip.
I can’t say enough great things about the hotel we stayed at. The staff was small, and the concierge helped cook and bring out breakfast, but we still had about 6 or 7 options of what to order.
I had eggs benedict, my usual brunch choice. I’ve tried to recreate hollandaise sauce at home and have only once succeeded, so it’s my go to when we’re eating breakfast out.
The only drawbacks of our stay at African Oceans Manor were the internet quality (poor to nonexistent) and the fact that the lock on our door broke, locking us into the hotel room. Otherwise, it was perfect.
After breakfast we went for a long walk on the beach and relaxed on the beach chairs overlooking the ocean.
Mid morning we took off for our next stop along the Garden Route: Knysna.
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