Soaring in South Africa

FLOYD COWAN CONTINUES HIS STORY OF HIS TRAVELS IN SOUTH AFRICA WHERE HE FOLLOWED THE GARDEN ROUTE TO ADVENTURE.

Jerry was the most cantankerous, unruly, vindictive horse I’ve ever ridden. I wouldn’t want to besmirch his character by saying he was lazy, self-absorbed and self-indulgent, but he was and I will. I’ve ridden obstreperous horses, but never one like him. We would confront each other at the Botlierskop Game Reserve and Villas.

CONVIVIAL FELLOW TRAVELLERS

Fortunately, everyone in our group was most convivial, especially our South African specialist and tour guide Warren Morris Joburg. South African Tourism hosted the trip for 14 travel writers and photographers from South East Asia. Mitali Karmarkar Marketing and Comms Head, South African Tourism provide excellent assistant before, after and during the trip.

The day began early at the beautiful historic Lanzerac Wine Estate where we had a filling and flavorsome buffet breakfast. Warren told us it would be about a two-hour drive to Botlierskop Game Reserve and Villas. We didn’t anticipate the rain and flooded roads.

WELCOME RAIN

The Cape Town area has been in a sustained drought that is the worst in the past 100 years, but this morning the rain came in abundance. We drove over bridges where the water rushed rapidly just below the highway. In other places water washed the asphalt and we were stopped by police for a short duration due to flooding.

The delay was just long enough to put us behind schedule, but the efficient wait staff at Botlierskop had things well in hand – under sunny skies. The rain was behind us and would stay there for most of the trip. We each had menus on which we wrote our name, circled our choices and handed it to one of the many staff buzzing our table.

ENJOYING THE VIEW

As far as I was concerned, they could take their time serving my starter of Springbok Capraccio, and the

Main Course of Butter Chicken Curry or even the Baked Cheesecake I’d ordered for desert. With a cold IPA I could have sat there all day, taking in the fields up to the magnificent Outeniqua Mountains, with their unique formations. A far better option than meeting Jerry.

Then things got even more interesting as three rhinos wandered across the field on the far side of a small watering hole. This was Vietnamese photographer’s Tran Viet Dung’s cue to put his life in peril by wandering out towards these very dangerous animals. Warren and Mitali leapt to their feet, yelling at him, as did most of the staff. Their yells became louder and more anxious when they

couldn’t get his attention, but nobody ventured out. I sat back with my camera at the ready. I didn’t want to miss the shot should one of the rhinos take it to mind to give the diminutive photographer a run for his money.

AT HIS OWN PACE

But this I didn’t understand. When we had finished our excellent meal, we strolled over to the stables, where Jerry was purposefully given to me to ride as some of the young ladies would have been taken advantage of by the horse – as was I when we rode out into the field barely yards from the rhinos. Who ignored us.

“Why?” I asked. “They are used to the horses. Just as they know all the other animals in the reserve. If you get off the horse, then you are different, and they will take an interest in you.”

I was very interested in seeing four of the

Big 5 (lion, elephant, buffalo and rhino) as well as a host of antelope, including the rare black impala, zebras, giraffe, wildebeest, hippo and the marauding meandering tourist/photographer who is always on the loose. Jerry did not co-operate. He trotted purposefully for short distances until he found a patch of grass he wanted to chew on. He was not interested in the scenery, he had no interest in the other animals or his fellow horses. He was not interested in going where I wanted to go. Just to get him to turn so I could get a picture was a battle – which I always lost.

NATURE IN ABUNDANCE

Despite my uncooperative ride it was magnificent. Scenery, animals, guides giving us their best. (Except for Jerry). We rode past the rhinos, sublimely ignoring us, we rode past peaks and streams in places we’d never been, all sublimely ignoring us. We closed in on the wildebeest and the impala who did not ignore us, but skittishly kept their distance.

Half of our group piled into the back of a truck and they bumped along the field with the driver giving them every opportunity to get the best possible picture. When we returned to the stables Jerry, just to show me who was in charge, cut closely to the door so I had to quickly move my leg or whack it solidly.

Walking back to the restaurant, around the pool were people lounged, and the terrific scenery, I felt our hours here were far too few. If you want to be active there is a lot to do here, and if you wish to lounge and enjoy the food and drinks, what better setting?

BLUSHING BLUE BAY

Oubaai Hotel Golf & Spa was our next destination and the scenery along the ‘Garden Route’ never disappointed, just as it did not when we entered the lobby with its magnificent views of golf villas, distant greens and the beautifully brusque mountains. From my thirdfloor room, one of 100 luxury rooms and suites, and with a balcony, looked towards Herold’s Bay blushing blue.

The resort’s Freesia Spa offers a combination of traditional African remedies and unique European Treatments. Both containing natural ingredients which endorse positive health and everlasting youth.

There is a fitness centre and a swimming pool, which a couple of our group took advantage of. In addition to the 18-Hole championship golf course there are 8km of hiking trails, a tennis court and squash court. And make sure you check out the chandelier that is made of wine glasses.

NOTHING QUICKLY HAPPENING

Next morning, as we drove to the cliff top where we would go paragliding, we passed Sedgefield. Warren stated, “Nothing happens quickly here. When you order breakfast, you can have it for lunch.”

In that sense, paragliding is the perfect activity for this part of the world. It happens slowly, except for the takeoff and landing. Once aloft, you drift a long taking in the scenery, and here it is spectacular. There is no question as to why this is called the Garden Route. Forest, rivers, gardens and cultivated land, ocean, freeway and the town itself drift lazily below.

TANDEM & TRAINING

At Cloudbase they do tandem flights and training. While I waited my turn a tall Chinese stood close by. “I am a tourist,” he stated. “I was travelling in the area and heard about paragliding. I tried it, loved it and now I am learning how to do it.”

I went up with Johan, who has been paragliding for 30 years. “It was a lightbulb moment for me. I saw a sign about paragliding, and I decided that was what I wanted to do.”

ECLECTIC ZUCCHINI

Lunch was at the delightful eclectic Zucchini Restaurant located in the Timberlake Organic Village. The other members of the village are boutique shops, with local crafts, wine shops and cafes/pubs. They make for most interesting browsing. At Zucchini seats along the bar are horses saddles while horseshoes make a wine rack. There are wine kegs, book cases and seating outside. Overhead vervet monkeys scampered about insuring we kept a close eye on the valuables we wanted to keep.

Before my

Hoekwil Burger was served I was most way through a pint of Thunder Bird

IPA – paragliding works up a thirst.

Not surprisingly, the menu includes a Monkey Business Platter. For three years running Zucchini was voted in the Top 20 Culinary Destinations of the Garden Route. If I had my way, they would be there every year, but the competition is stiff.

ONE NIGHT AT KNYSNA

Up the road at Knysna we stopped at a shopping mall where I quickly went to the supermarket and bought steaks, cheese, cut meats, olives and more, which I managed to get home in eatable condition. I won’t bore you with the details of my weight allowance on future airplane flights.

After trying several of the big name telcos and smart phone manufacturers I finally found a small shop run by two guys who would change my battery in my dying camera – which they did under severe time constraints. The phone worked better, for a little while, but continued its slow march to its ultimate demise.

MEET JOHN BENN

We checked in at the Protea Hotel by Marriott Knysna Quays and then took a short trip down the quay to where the MV John Benn was berthed, about depart for the 6:00pm Sundowner Cruise. The John Benn is a double-decker floating restaurant that does daily cruises along the Knysna River Estuary to the Knysna Heads. The bar is open throughout the cruise on this cosy old boat with its classic wooden finish, wood on the floors, wood on the ceiling, wood between the floor and the ceiling.

Our hosts had arranged an oyster tasting as the sun slowly went down and mist wisped along the shore. Oyster specialist Patrick told us all we wanted to know about oysters – there are 50 species of oysters in the world, five in South Africa and three in Knysna. He also told us not just to swallow them whole, but to chew them to enjoy the full flavour. If you find a pearl, you get to keep it.

COSY QUAY

The Jim Benn offers a la carte and tapas menus with fresh Knysna oysters, local beer and sparkling wine. Our group took to the oysters with gusto. After the cruise we went for dinner at the DRYDOCK Restaurant & Terrace that had oysters on the menu, which many ordered. For me DRYDOCK offered too many great options to go back to something we’d just had.

The Quay is an attractive area of restaurants and bars and shops which unfortunately we didn’t have time to explore. When we’d finished dinner the shops were closed, and they hadn’t yet opened by the time we’d departed for our next great adventure – bungy jumping.

OVER THE EDGE

Warren was concerned about getting to Bloukrans