We had planned our trip and arrival in Herolds Bay to coincide with the date of Joe van Biljon’s farewell. He had just taken early retirement due to health reasons and a few caring Comair staff (mainly Suzanne and Estie) had arranged a surprise farewell party/braai to take place at the picnic site.
It was pouring with rain when we arrived at the local caravan site in the late afternoon. Being in Ufudu, however, that is never a problem; handbrake up, have kitchen and bathroom on board! The weather cleared sufficiently for the party the next day and a good time was had by all. The die-hards even ended up going to Duttons Cove after the braai!
We had breakfast with friends Frans and Joey in George the next morning and then went shopping before heading out. I needed some longs due to the unexpected and wide-spread cold and rain!
We managed to find a suitable camping spot after arriving at Nature’s Valley rather late that evening. It was a challenge reading the site map, finding our way among the trees and ensuring it was level; all in darkness…
We had an arrangement to meet up with Mathew Beresford-Carter and his wife Samantha the next day. Roger and Mathew are old SAAF friends and Mathew now flies fire-bombing choppers. They live in Knysna. We spent a pleasant Sunday afternoon with them, catching up over a meal at the local Nature’s Valley Restaurant.
It was still overcast and raining on-and-off on Monday. On the upside: the rain is very needed and at least it is cool. As always, it was a leisurely drive with frequent stops to explore the points of interest along the way.
We checked in at the Pine Lodge Resort in Port Elizabeth for the night and planned to view the much advertised Super Moon from the adjacent Cape Recife Nature Reserve. Alas, it was not to be; the cloud never lifted and the moon was not able to show itself. It was a pleasant evening though and we enjoyed the long walk on the beach.
Our aim was to spend the following night in Addo National Park but they were full! It was a surprise and disappointment; we thought it was ‘off season’ and would therefore not be a problem. As a compromise we decided to drive through on a day visitor’s pass and, as always, we were not disappointed.
And there, much to our surprise, right next to the road, a caracal. In broad daylight!
We were the only campers at the Pearson’s Resort in Colchester that night. After watching a magnificent sunset and an already waning super moon we decided to prepare the artichokes we were given in Barrydale. It was delicious!
We got to Port Alfred just before lunch after spending some time at the Oakly Farm Stall having coffee and enjoying some home-made eats. They have a wonderful selection of furniture and other items made from old oak vats and we contemplated buying an easel, but eventually decided against it; it was just too big to transport home inside Ufudu.
