Trafalgar

Trafalgar is a lovely, laid-back coastal town with a beautiful beach boasting Blue Flag status. Port O’ Call campsite has direct access to the beach and we found walking along this beach really worthwhile; and you get a good workout at the same time.

The Mpenjati Nature reserve and Marine reserve is adjacent to the town and a visit was most rewarding. We spotted a number of water birds while walking along the Mpenjati river estuary.

Part of the reserve was previously used by the Parks Board but the place is currently terribly neglected. It must have been a beautiful homestead before it was expropriated.

As usual the camp-life did not disappoint. We spotted a Blue Duiker on our first night and the next day a young Water Monitor came very close to our campsite while we were having lunch. He was only about 30 cm long and we could not decide whether he was inquisitive, catching some warmth from the sun, or trying to catch crickets.

On Sunday Roger was a bit off-colour thanks to a tummy bug so we both got out of bed on Monday morning feeling rather tired and listless. Then, to top it all, we got the most distressing news: Stanley, our gardener of 20+ years at our complex in Rosebank, was shot and killed during the early hours of Sunday morning. How absolutely awful and pointless it seems. We will not be there to pay our last respects but may he rest in peace. He will be missed!

We left Port O’ Call at about 11h00 after a most enjoyable stay. Our first stop was at the Mac Banana complex. What an interesting place! Besides the food and wine Mac Emporium, the Mac Restaurant and the indigenous butterflies at Mac Butterfly, they offer all sorts of adventures and even petting of farm animals for the kids! (www.macbanana.co.za, www.macbutterflies.co.za) We had a sumptuous lunch of savoury pancakes and then paid a visit to the butterfly centre before we went shopping in the Emporium. Just as well be had lunch first because if one shops there on an empty tummy you would end up spending a lot more than you intended!

During lunch we were entertained by a wasp/fly that came to share Roger’s rooibos tea (he takes sugar, I don’t). After taking umpteen pictures and even 2 video’s I am sure the staff were convinced that we were not well… He was just so cute. It looked as if he had white socks on his two front feet which he used like feelers. And he was extremely meticulous in cleaning his feet and face every so often.

At the butterfly centre a guide gave us an overview of the life cycle of butterflies before taking us into the dome. One of the interesting things we learnt was about the pupae. If they are beautiful they are normally poisonous to their predators; if not, they are camouflaged in order to be inconspicuous.

We continued our trip to the Old Pont Caravan Park just outside Port Edward where we have a level grassy campsite with a great view of the Mtamvuna River. We were no sooner set up when the rain came down but somehow we did not mind because it gave us a good excuse to just relax and sit it out.

After an exploratory drive into Port Edward, where we watched the waves breaking at Splash Rock and bought fuel for Splash, we met up for a beer with Flynn. Flynn is yet another pilot friend of Steve’s. He runs the Water World at the Wild Coast Casino and has kindly offered a hanger when we fly Buzz down the Wild Coast. On our way back to camp we saw a family of Cane Rats in the road; a mother and 8 young ones. A rare sighting indeed!

We will be in Port Edward for the next 3 days, waiting for a parcel to be sent from Johannesburg. What parcel you say? Well, we were so busy enjoying ourselves that we forgot all about the real world and then suddenly realised that Ufudu’s license expired on the 28^th of Feb! Francois to the rescue; he will be getting the new one for us and sending it counter-to-counter with Speed Services, so we are going nowhere until it arrives…