Pizzas, pies and paradise

Guess what we woke up to on Friday morning? Another flat tyre! Our luck could only improve as we headed towards the Garden Route, and tar roads. After replacing the flat tyre with the spare, we went to the labyrinth and arboretum. A mist had snuck in over night, providing an eerie ambiance in the wooded hills of Hogsback.

The misty Labyrinth

The HUGE Californian Redwood trees

We set off for Grahamstown at midmorning, and were excited to see some (un)familiar faces from Mel’s varsity days. Before we got too close though, there was the small matter of tending to the flat tyre, and we stopped in Alice to ease Ross’s mind about driving without a spare. This only took about 45 minutes and cost WAY less than we had anticipated… score!

Once we got to Grahamstown, we drove onto the Rhodes campus and checked out all of the new residences. There have been many changes since Mel was there – the little, intimate varsity is growing! Next we stopped in at The Rat and Parrot for arguably the most delicious pizzas in the world. One to share would just not suffice, so we ordered one each. (Luckily) they tasted as amazing as we remembered, and soon we were both gulping them down like Fantastic Mr Fox. This didn’t last long, however, and by the time we left we still had a whole pizza left between us.

We spent the night at Lausanne’s house, and were both very impressed by the progress that she has made on it. We had a yummy fish braai and attempted to look at the moon through a telescope. Unfortunately we had all had a little too much wine, and couldn’t really figure our how to focus the telescope correctly.

The best pizza in the world!!!

Mel and Lausanne

Ross collecting water from the spring

The next morning we said our goodbyes, collected some water from the spring and got back on the road towards Knysna. We were driving along, Mel reminiscing about her varsity days, when we saw a sign that we hadn’t for years – Nanaga Farm Stall. For those of you who are not (recent) past or current Rhodes students, Nanaga sell pies that are to die for. (But they aren’t as good as The Rat pizza!) So in we went and bought our dinner.

In P.E. we stopped for some tea at Mel’s cousins’, Kevin and Pam. The rest of the trip to Knysna was (thankfully) very straightforward and uneventful. We stopped off at Storms River Bridge and Bloukrans (to see the bungy jumpers – those people need their heads read!), then we continued through to Plett. The sun was out, not a breath of wind was felt and the sea was a vibrant blue. It was honestly one of the most perfect scenes that we have ever witnessed.

3. 2. 1. BUNGY!!!! 

Enjoying an ice-cream at Plett

We dragged ourselves away and continued to Knysna. We checked in and immediately went to view the famous Knysna Heads. They didn’t disappoint. What a view! (And what larney houses!) We went for a dip at Leasure Isle and then headed back to the backpackers to crash after a long day.

Today we woke up early and headed to The Waterfront to see some of the fancy yachts, and dream about one day owning one. Then we went to Noetzie, to walk down the 130 stairs and to see the castles on the beach. We had a welcome swim in the cool ocean, and then made the steep walk back up to the car. We took an easy drive to Leasure Isle for a look around during low tide. As we drove into the parking area, we were greeted by two adorable entrepreneurs who were selling fresh lemon juice and biscuits. We just couldn’t resist, so we bought a glass each.

A beautiful day in Knysna

One of the castles at Noetzie

Cute little entrepeneurs 

After lunch, we explored Thesen Island and planned where we are going to have dinner tonight, while on ‘Operation Eat an Oyster’. These two birdies are getting a taste of the sea life, and are dining with the seagulls tonight.