 |
| Erin's South Africa Journals - 11-11-02 to 11-12-02 Today we went into Plett with Chris & Denise to explore and do a little grocery shopping. We parked near the center and wandered through some cute stores, checked out a few shops looking for coffee filters (no coffee machine at the condo?!), and stopped for a snack. We also checked into a self-styled tourist office, and the local guy there advised us on a good restaurant for dinner. We didn’t plan to go out, as we were then going to grocery shop so we could cook. That saves a ton of money! By the time we were done shopping for groceries, we had been in town for almost 4 hours! We made our way back to the condo, but when talking about dinner, I convinced everyone that we’d be better off eating at the restaurant the guy had recommended, as we were saving so much on free accommodations and needed to celebrate being out on vacation! So we went to the Rod & Reel, which sounds dodgy by was actually a very nice place with stunning views and reasonable prices. The food was very good, too, and we were all pleased with the dinner. I love being right! Then we went home and relaxed around a friendly game of Shanghai Rummy (we’d stopped to buy cards just for this purpose!). Denise isn’t fond of the game, but she did well and it made us all tired. We went to bed with dreams of Monkeyland for tomorrow! The next morning we got up and showered in an orderly fashion (our bathroom only had a tub, so we all took turns in the master bath’s shower). Then we headed along the highway past Plett a little ways toward Monkeyland, but kept our eyes peeled in search of a fabric shop Denise had heard about by a fellow traveller on the plane ride from Amsterdam. They use real leaves as patterns, and apparently it’s gorgeous stuff. Well sure enough, it was great! We spent a while admiring all the different patterns, and much to the disgust of the men, bought several items. Hey, you have to buy these things when you find them!!! Besides, most of it was gifts for other people…I justify. After that, we went on to the more important item on today’s agenda: Monkeyland! This is a relatively small game reserve, and they only have monkeys. But they have several species, including some apes and lemurs as well as the more traditional monkeys. The tour was pretty short, but lots of fun. You walk through some forested paths with the guide, and he gives some info on the different species you see as you go. We had fun with some white-handed gibbons, one of whom stole my hat right off my head but quickly threw it down so I could retrieve it. We learned about how smart some species are, as they’re being used in military hospitals as aides, and also being trained as assistants for disabled people. Cool! We all enjoyed this visit, but it was so hot out that we were relieved to get back in our car and pump up the a/c! We drove from there to the Storms River mouth, where the edge of the Tsitsikamma Forest begins and some great hikes start. We planned to have a picnic lunch and then do a short hike up to a waterfall, but the sun was beating us all up and I was burning due to the malaria meds we were still taking, so we agreed to sit on the beach to eat, then go back to the condo and take the afternoon off. We stopped at the liquor store on the way home for some cold frosty beverages, then enjoyed them out on the balcony and watched the waves in comfort. Chris and Denise cooked dinner, and Glenn and I cleaned up. I cajolled Denise into one more game of Shanghai Rummy before bed! |
| We had beautiful ocean views and sunsets from the condo in Plettenberg Bay |
 |
| One species we saw in Monkeyland was the white-handed gibbon. This one stole my hat right off my head! |