Tsitsikamma Park

As we left the East Cape yesterday, we passed through the lovely city of Grahamstown and spent a couple of hours at Port Elizabeth on the Indian Ocean. The area was certainly lovely as we were driving. We moved from the gentle rolling hills of the rural Xhosa countryside into a more forested area, with green hills turning into rocky mountains. Tsitskikamma Park, where we stayed overnight, runs along a narrow strip of coastline, with forested mountains crashing to the sea. Even though we arrived at dusk, we could feel the amazing beauty of the place.

Our camp was at the Storm's River Mouth, as it entered the ocean. The river has cut a giant deep gorge through the rocks. There are walking paths along the gorge, and paths down along the ocean, and even a very difficult path to a hidden waterfall. We stayed overnight in rooms they called 'oceanettes,' which we discovered meant little apartments that overlooked the rocks and the ocean. Each one had a little deck or patio, and the view was directly down onto the water. The coastline was particularly rocky in the area, and the waves were large and powerful, so the sound of the surf crashing in was very present with us. A number of people sat up late to watch the moon rise over the ocean, lighting up the mist created by the pounding waves. The sounds of nature were all around us, and looking down the coastline, there were no lights in one direction, and far off in the other direction we could see the gentle lights of a small town on the point. It was peaceful and beautiful, and even without seeing it in daylight, we all loved the park!

This morning, we had free time until noon. Jocelyn, Becky, and Laura went for a run along the paths (and reported seeing a number of small brown gentle animals that seemed like rabbits without ears). Other students walked around the park, which was set up much like a national park campsite in the US, with a shop, and laundry, and restaurant, etc. There were small brown springbok deer walking up close to the oceanettes. And some people spotted dolphins jumping in the ocean right up close to shore! (sadly neither of the professors spotted the dolphins. Oh well.)

Our adrenaline-lovers got up early and headed out for the world's highest bungy jump, which was right near our camp, over the Storm's River. Dylan jumped first, and Angie, Kati, and Jameson each took a turn. Diane, Chris, and Andrea went up on the bridge for moral support (and for the great view). The bridge itself was enough of an adrenaline rush, as it had a mesh floor and even the observers had to wear safety harnesses. Mike stayed along the side in order to shoot photos. All reports say it was AMAZING!

We left Tsistikamma wishing we had more time to spend there. The forests, mountains, and ocean were so beautiful and powerful and peaceful, it was just a lovely place to be. But we had to leave on our journey along to Cape Town. On our way out, along the highway, we spotted a troup of wild baboons, including babies. Apparently, South Africa's only completely unfenced elephants live in the area, although we didn't see them.

We stopped in beautiful Knysna for a break this afternoon, and first took photos from the top of what they call The Heads. Knysna is a town built on a large and beautiful lagoon, with mountains on all sides. The narrow sea passage into the lagoon is protected by The Heads, which jut upwards from the sea. While we were on top of one of them, we were able to take photos out over the sea and into the lagoon back towards the town. The town itself was charming, and most of us stopped along the boardwalk in sweet little outdoor seaside cafes for lunch.

We are now in Oudtshoorn, up in the mountains. We said goodbye to the Indian Ocean at George, and headed up a gorgeous mountain pass. The mountains on either side of our switchback road were worn into gentle rocky rolls covered in green trees, looking much like huge piles of draped green velvet. The sun was starting to be lower in the sky, and the light on the mountains was lovely.

Oudtshoorn is an old victorian town, along the Klein Karoo (which is very desert-like and flat, at a high altitude). The vegetation is mainly grassy and brown, and it looks quite dry. The town itself struck it rich around the turn of the century before the First World War, when its famous ostrich farms supplied much of the world craze for ostrich feathers. We plan to visit an ostrich farm tomorrow before we leave. We also hope to stop at a wild cat sanctuary where they have a leopard breeding program.

We are on our way to Cape Town, and should be there by this time tomorrow night. It's been a wonderful trip so far, with such a mix of cultural, historical, social, and natural-world experiences. We have a truly wonderful group of students with us. And we still have almost another week of learning (and adventuring) left before we head home...