Birds

Knysna-Heart Of The Garden Route

First off, I apologize for the long lapse between blogs. I haven’t intentionally been ignoring my followers and hopefully you haven’t forgotten me. Life just became extra busy with fall camping excursions, grandkids, and working on my novel—a fictional account incorporating my sailing journey. I’m praying to complete the final draft in 2023 and begin the publishing process. I’ll keep you updated. Besides all of that, I was preparing for a total knee replacement which was done on Dec. 5th. That meant getting everything ready for Christmas ahead of time. I’m thankful to report all went smoothly. I’m in the midst of the long rehabilitation process and am making good progress with strength and endurance. Gaining range of motion back isn’t quite as much fun, but I persevere daily—because when spring arrives I plan to be back out hiking the trails and cycling scenic byways. Sorry for my rambling, but now on to the continuing and captivating saga of our South Africa adventures.

There’s so much more to South Africa than its magnificent wildlife. We soon discovered it’s a country of contrasts and diverse beauty. Sailing from Richard’s Bay we negotiated the swift SW Agulhas current and quick-changing weather windows, seeking sheltered harbors which are few and far between. After a too-long stop in crime-ridden Durban, we moved on to Port Elizabeth and celebrated Christmas with a few cruising friends.

The next weather window allowed us to make Knysna for Wooden Boat Week. The final day of the festival we participated in a sailing parade aboard our friend’s old wooden schooner, Appledore.

The most challenging portion of the hop between safe harbors was navigating through Knysna’s Heads. Twin sandstone promontories flank a rocky channel where many a vessel has met a watery grave. The trick was to stay in the center, wait for an incoming tide and for breaking waves to settle at the entrance.

Once inside the huge protected lagoon we tied alongside a wall at the marina for easy access to explore Knysna’s charming and vibrant art and cultural community. Art galleries, shops, museums, and fresh seafood restaurants were reminiscent of Southern California’s Laguna Beach—my old stomping ground. Although I’m not a fan, the area is famous for its oysters and holds a festival in early July. We did take in a couple of happy hours at the local yacht club where drinks were cheap, food was free, and the locals high-spirited.

Located within the heart of the scenic Garden Route, Knysna sits amid a varied habitat of sea, rivers, marsh, grassland, and fynbos- a covering of low-lying heather-like shrubs found only on South Africa’s tip. There are also forests such as the enchanting emerald green Knysna Forest where it’s rumored the last indigenous elephant roams. The area is also a haven for over 280 species of birds including the long-tailed Knysna Loerie and elusive Narina Trogan, both adorning bright parrot colors.

Of course, no stopover would be complete without a few tramps along the many varied pathways within the town and surrounding countryside. There are hikes atop the Heads with fantastic panoramas; a steep descent to the beach at Noetzie for castle views; wheelchair-accessible strolls at Garden of Eden; plus elephant walks through the forest, and many more. One of historic interest was the 5.6 km Millwood Mine ramble through an old mining town and the damp, dark abandoned gold mine with flashlights. We discovered old machinery and an abundance of snoozing bats. Unfortunately, no shiny gold nuggets. There’s also a small museum and casual tearoom where we sipped a warm cuppa.

Another day we explored more touristy, but intriguing Cango Cave’s cavernous halls where spectacular limestone formations were enhanced with dramatic lighting. The tour we chose only took an hour and wasn’t too strenuous, bypassing the wet, stomach-sliding “Adventure Tour.”

While in Oudtshoorn, the ostrich capital of the world, be sure to stop at one of several breeding farms where you can get up close to these gigantic feathery birds. Quite entertaining!

Our favorite day trip was aboard the narrow-gauge Choo-Tjoe, a steam train that wound through rolling hills dotted with pines and eucalyptus, along picturesque coastline, through tunnels, and clacking across the Kaaimans River Bridge between Wilderness and George.

In George we lunched in a converted dining car at the station before exploring the extensive Outenique Railway Museum. It housed a full-size locomotive and white train car used by the British royal family in 1947. For train enthusiasts there’s also a running model train display and many artifacts dating back to the 1920s.

Many more excursions were had in this delightful southern portion of SA, but these stories will have to wait for my next excerpt—hopefully sent out lots quicker than this one!

Steam Trains

Steam trains
Huffing puffing
Belching smoke coal & steam
Traveling down the railway track
Timeless

by David Wood

Indian Ocean Crossing—Mauritius

Time is a relentless river. It rages on, respecter of no one. This is the only way to slow time: When I fully enter time’s swift current, enter into the current moment with the weight of all my attention, I slow the torrent by being all here. I only live the full life when I live fully in the moment—Paraphrased from “A Thousand Gifts—Ann Voskamp

Arriving in Mauritius at the end of October brought an unexpected pleasure—the Hindu Diwali Festival. Clay lamps flickered nightly, creating a mystical ambience to the aptly named, Festival of Lights. Dancers and singers entertained for 5 days. Even the Mauritius Police Band got in on the act, performing a mixture of traditional, American pop, and jazz. There was even tap-dancing and a little Sega—indigenous music, singing, and hip-swaying dances, derived from African slave days.

*The sheltered harbor of Port Louis lay within a semi-circle of mountains providing a calm anchorage.*

This capital and main port buzzed with traffic and people like a disturbed bee hive. But on the plus side, there were several charming 18th century French colonial buildings and a huge Central Market offered scrumptious fresh veggies and fruits. You just had to tolerate loud, obnoxious vendors jockeying to sell their wares. Within the chaos women wove through the hordes of shoppers balancing full baskets on their heads. One day of wandering led us past a strolling Indian wedding party. Attractive women dressed in gorgeous vibrant saris smiled shyly while their beautiful children stared inquisitively with humongous dark eyes. Men shook our hands, greeting us in French Creole and a smattering of heavily accented English, treating us like old friends, then passed out small individually-wrapped cakes.

Although nights were pleasantly cool, days were hot and humid. We rented a car with cruising friends to explore the island. A layer of soot had covered our boat since arrival. Along our route we discovered the reason—burning sugarcane fields, preparing for harvest. The leaves and tops would be removed and only the stalk harvested. This island country, encompassed by spectacular coral, teemed with sea life within the reef and was a deep-sea fisherman’s paradise outside. Three rugged mountain ranges exhibited fascinating basalt formations, while a central plateau , crisscrossed by rivers, streams, and waterfalls, held an extinct volcano. There were also several nature parks, including Black River Gorges National Park for varied hikes and birdwatching.

*Echo parakeet-Josh Noseworthy/Wikimedia*

Keep your eyes sharp for Mauritian pink pigeons, kestrels, and especially the rare Echo parakeets. Their vibrant emerald-green can blend into the foliage of the eucalyptus, palms, and pandanus. There’s also Pamplemousses, with world-renowned gardens of indigenous and exotic plants, including giant Victoria Amazonica water lilies and the Talipot palm which only flowers and fruits once in about 60 years…then dies!

Sprawling communities and plantations dotted the landscape with a mix of wealthy and poor, modern and traditional. Textiles were one of the main industries, but sugar, tea, vanilla, and flower plantations also provided jobs and goods for export. At Le Domaine de l’ Ylang Ylang in Vieux Grand Port, canaga trees produced yellow, star-shaped flowers which they distilled into perfumes and essential oils. Ylang ylang’s sweet floral fragrance had hints of custard, bananas, jasmine, neroli, honey, and earthy, and is used to combat depression, anxiety, and high blood pressure, plus stimulate hair growth and repel insects.

We toured this prolific tea plantation, including its museum and factory, to observe the step-by-step process of tea-making. Afterwards we savored tea and biscuits atop a mountain over-looking the plantation and its lovely lake.

Stopping at a few of the many scenic lookouts, we were greeted by hordes of long-tailed macaques. These intelligent monkeys foraged among the trash cans, emitting high-pitched squeals when we didn’t contribute to their next meal. Not a good place for a picnic as they can get a bit aggressive!

We also passed vanilla plantations and anthurium greenhouses that thrived in the tropical climate. This gorgeous plant has bright-red glorified leaves with a yellow spadix. The spike is the actual flower. Who’d guess?

Grand Bassin—A Hindu holy place of pilgrimage. This natural lake, largest in the country, lays within a volcanic crater. Scattered among the paved walkways were elaborate shrines and glowing golden statues.

Last stop of the day was at Chamarel where we followed pathways among the Colored Earths, reminiscent of Arizona’s Painted Desert. The undulating layers of red, yellow,blue, and brown cast a subtle magic over the area. A nearby waterfall emerged amidst the moors and primeval vegetation. As the sun slowly sank, colors of the earth melted into purplish hues. A perfect ending to an amazing day in this little-known country afloat in the middle of the Indian Ocean.