Garden Route Express

An Australian, an Italian and two Brits walk into a bar...

...no, it's not a joke. Just one of the many things that Dan, Rachel, Angelo and I did on our (condensed) tour of the Garden Route this last weekend. And what a fantastic weekend it was! Although we had barely two days, we managed to fit a lot in the 1200-odd kilometers that we covered. Thankfully we had Tyron, one of the drivers recommended by Projects Abroad, who is an absolute champion. The route went something like this: Cape Town - Albertinia - Mossel Bay - Oudtshoorn - Plettenberg Bay - Tsitsikamma - Knysna - Cape Town (yep, that last leg was a stretch).

We set out at 5:30am on Saturday morning, enjoying the now-familiar drive down the N2 and out of Cape Town. Our first port of call, some four hours later, was the Garden Route Game Lodge (in Albertinia). We were the only four people there for the morning game drive, which was pretty cool because we got the open-top Landrover (and guide!) to ourselves. Amongst various South African antelope and bird species, we also spotted a giraffe (born on the day of the 2007 Rugby World Cup final, and named "Vuvuzela"), two lionesses, a cheetah, three rhinos, zebras (including two foals, born only days before), buffalo and the two resident elephants.

 Vuvuzela, the giraffe

Kudu: a species of South African antelope

The bull elephant

The beautiful lionesses

Nothing like riding in an open-top vehicle!

 This little fellow got a few "aaaws" from us

The drive around the reserve itself was good fun; the backdrop of the mountains and the carpet of green, purple, red and yellow foliage provided a wonderful setting in which to view all the animals.

Oh it's a marvellous day for a game drive...

After two-and-a-half hours on the drive we ate lunch at the restaurant situated on the reserve. (It was here that poor Dan learned the outcome of the England-France rugby game.) I was told that the springbok shank I ordered was not the product of any of the animals on the reserve, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Oddly enough, this was not the only animal I would see AND consume that day. But more on that later.

Soaking up the sun, and the views

Springbok shank: the only kind of springbok I can stomach

The drive to Oudtshoorn was one of the most scenic routes that I have taken. It seemed that the landscape was shifting with every turn we made: rocky outcrops gave way to glimpses of the ocean and views of towns we left behind...which soon changed to the sight of rolling hills featuring patchwork farmland (which then became pine plantations). The road would sometimes stretch out ahead of us, straight and flat, like a never-ending invitation into the purple shadow of the mountains; then suddenly we would spiral up a narrow road and emerge, above clouds, to be greeted by a breathtaking view into cavernous valleys created by sunlit hills. Truly spectacular.

 "Quick, Tyron, before that bus runs us over!"

A short stop off at Mossel Bay, en route to Oudtshoorn

Because we were short on time, we did not go to the Ostrich Safari Farm. However, every local farm around Oudtshoorn seemed to house these creatures, so we didn't miss out on anything. Despite my crippling fear of birds, I felt emboldened (possibly by the springbok I had consumed?) to approach the fence perimeter:

We spent Saturday night at a backpackers in Oudtshoorn. It was a really laid-back hostel, reminiscent of an Australian backpackers. We chilled out, waxed lyrical about the day's events and enjoyed a braai of ostrich steak and sausages.

 It's a tough life for some

Gavin: master of the ostrich braai

Ostrich steaks, sausage, jacket potato, homemade bread and Greek salad

Even Lyndon (social justice coordinator at PAHRO), who was nearby at his parent's house, stopped by for a while:

Sunday morning was bright and clear, with weather that reminded me of an Australian summer. Perhaps this contributed to my good vibe about the rugby match. Crammed onto a sofa with the South African owner of the backpackers and countless other Springbok supporters, I screamed myself hoarse as I cheered the Wallabies on to victory (much to the chagrin of everyone around me). Celebrating your team's win in the country of the team they beat is not so fun (even Tyron threatened to throw me out of the car), but I felt that the outcome of the rugby was the cherry on my weekend.

Between Oudtshoorn and Tsitsikamma National Park we passed through a couple of towns and enjoyed views equally as stunning as those on the previous day's drive. Less stunning were the baboons that live in the mountains, but they provided some amusement nonetheless!

Made it, Ma! Top of the world!

Once at Tsitsikamma we deposited the boys at the Bloukrans Bridge, home to the world's highest commercial bungee jump. Although they didn't look nervous, as Angelo explained: "the war is inside". (Note: English is his second language, which often makes for hilarious yet somehow philosophical translations.)

Contemplating their leap of faith

Not feeling so brave (or perhaps not wanting to take the chance that an enraged Springboks fan/employee would cut my rope), I opted for a canopy tour in the forest, along with Rachel. And that is how we spent our afternoon: two hours of sliding from tree to tree in the forest, suspended in the canopy on a zip-line.

Walking over a suspension bridge in the treetops

Take-off!

Yippeeee!

The photos don't do justice to some of the longer (and much faster!) cables. It was such an exhilarating experience, made all the more special due to the fact that some of the platforms were on huge, shady Outeniqua Yellowwood trees (one of them over 600-years-old). Which is probably why, despite the scorching 37-degree-day, we kept relatively cool as we zipped around the forest. Those in favour of eco-tourism will be pleased to read about the engineering behind the concept, here.

I do want to make quick mention of the cute little village in the area, which included (somewhat bizarrely) a 1950s-inspired diner, dedicated to Marilyn Monroe - and apparently home to some sort of Elvis competition!

You could be forgiven for mistaking this for small-town USA

After collecting the boys again, it was pretty much a straight journey back to Cape Town. However, we managed to entertain ourselves with car dancing (a very specialised sport) and playing LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem" virtually on repeat. Because we left late in the afternoon, we were able to witness a beautiful sunset on the road. We eventually got back after 10pm - exhausted, but all in agreement that it had been a perfect weekend.

"...to the next crazy venture beneath the skies"