Overnighting in Mossell Bay

On the way drive back to Cape Town from Addo Elephant Park, we overnighted in Mossel Bay.

 

Highlights included:

• Park House Lodge, the beautiful backpackers, where we stayed.   It is an old sandstone Georgian House, built in the 1850's, with high ceilings and two baths (much to Chrisèl's delight).
• A nice evening walk along the water's front, checking out all the restaurants.
• A huge braai (5 different types of meat!) at the hostel for only R90 and chatting to the very friendly host and two lovely German ladies who raved about the Jungle Monkey in Port St Johns, inspiring us decide to go there on our Baz trip.
• Drinking wine and sitting by the fire by candle light. Load shedding has its benefits!
• Meditating in the branches of a beautiful tree early in the morning in the Botanical Garden next to the hostel.

Park House Lodge, the old Georgian house where we stayed.

Eating our braai and drinking wine by candle light due to Load Shedding.

The tree that I climbed up into to do my morning meditation.

Exploring the Addo Elephant Park

Addo Elephant National Park is the second largest wildlife reserve in South Africa after The Kruger National Park and is home to over 600 elephants. Mum and Mike have been there several times and have raved about it, so it was exciting to get to visit it.  It certainly didn't disappoint.

Priceless moments

• Being inspired by lots of fascinating facts from Chrisèl who did a wildlife guiding course in The Eastern Cape just a few months before.
• A wonderful sighting of a herd of elephant arriving and frolicking in a water hole, including the cutest youngsters.
• An extremely close encounter with a female elephant and her calf as they ambled right past our car while parked at a dam.
• Getting extremely excited when Chrisèl suddenly said "Leopard ... !"  Then a second later, she broke the spell by saying  "... tortoise."  It wasn't a leopard at all.  Just a leopard tortoise!  I then discovered from Chrisèl that there is such a thing as the Little Five: the elephant shrew,  buffalo weaver, leopard tortoise, ant lion and rhino beetle. What a great concept. You don't just have to be excited about big animals.
• Watching two male tsessebes have a bit of a fight.
• Sighting of the endangered Addo flightless dung beetle along the road.
• Lots of sightings of Eland in large groups.  And cute warthogs eating on their knees.
• Discovering that the park shop sold granadilla lollies.  Ice-cream sticks don't come better!
• Staying at The Orange Elephant Backpackers and buying loads of fresh ingredients from a local shop and making an enormous salad to have with our babotie. 

Less happy moments

• Walking out barefoot onto the lawn at the backpackers at dusk to do my meditation, then discovering on the way back that is was land-mined with multiple thorns and getting stabbed in both feet several times.  So weird that it didn't get me once on my way onto the lawn!
• Discovering the local restaurant had Diemersfontein Chocolate Pinotage on its menu which we really wanted to try after hearing about it from Antony. Then being told they didn't stock it. Ah, the disappointment!! 
• A ravenous but very stealthy mosquito accosting us the one night.

Pale Chanting Goshawk

Weaver

Black-headed Heron

Fiscal Shrike

Egyptian Geese

Fighting Tsessebe

Elephants, the reason the park is most famous...

... with beautiful babies too.

I love the symmetry of this one ...

... and this one too.

Zebra, always so beautiful.

Mum's favourite, the warthog.  So ugly, they're beautiful.

We loved the way they went onto their knees like this.

Me with my own personal wildlife guide!

A walk to the waterfall at Storms River National Park

The Storms River National Park is one of my absolute favourite places in the whole world. There is something about its rugged coastline, pounding waves and thickets of evergreen forest that speaks directly to my soul.  I could visit a thousand times and not grow bored.  Chrisèl feels the same way, so needless to say this was our first stop after coming off the Tsitsikama Hiking Trail.  

We did a gorgeous walk along the first section of the Otter Trail, following little yellow footprints along the coast, to a beautiful pool and waterfall.  I've been to this place several times in the past, but never with the sun shining as it was, so it was an absolute delight to jump into the invigoratingly icy pool and swim under the waterfall, letting the strong pressure of it massage our shoulders and backs.  One of those priceless moments of aliveness that makes life worthwhile.

Then we walked back (getting tricked up a steep flight of countless steps that required backtracking when we realised we were on a path to nowhere) and then walked along the boardwalk to the Storms River suspension bridge.  As usual, the dassies were out and gave us a good showing.

We then finished the day with a delicious meal (succulent pork ribs and Malva pudding for me) at the Storms River Park restaurant, enjoying the stunning views from the outside deck.

Then to Tsitiskama Backpackers for the night.  Great to get back into the South African backpacking scene - I'd forgotten just how great South African backpacking hostels are.

Chrisèl at the start of the walk (also the official starting point of the famous Otter Trail.)

Following the coastal path ...

... past rugged rocks and lovely tidal pools ...

... and rocks festooned in bright orange lichen.

The destination of our walk: a stunning waterfall and rock pool right on the sea's edge.

My first leap after my numb feet episode. 

On the way back, the mist descended. Beautiful.

Our next stop was The Storms River Suspension Bridge, another place I love.

The dassies were out as usual and remarkably brazen.  Here's one on the picnic table!

Finally, we had a lovely meal at the Storms River restaurant.  How is that for a view!