You broke it, you fix it.

Stand: 22.12.2017

...with this mentality we arrived today in Coleen Glen, near P.E. (Port Elizabeth). Honestly, it seems that we are currently traveling to areas that are not so touristy. We notice this by the fact that it is difficult, if not impossible, to get an Uber, and even when we call local taxi companies, they say the next driver will only come in 30 minutes.

About our last days: on Tuesday we were able to enjoy Knysna very well. We left our accommodation with a view of the lake and fortunately were able to store our backpacks at a nearby backpackers. The Bazbus to P.E. was scheduled for 16:30. We called a taxi and drove to Knysna Elephant Park. There you buy a bucket of fruits and vegetables and can then go out to the elephants. These are elephants that have been rescued and rehabilitated - that's why they are so docile. You can see from the pictures how happy feeding these giants made us. Afterwards, we could take more photos and unfortunately had to say goodbye again.

In the early evening we took the Bazbus to Port Elizabeth, to be precise, to Colchester. We had booked a chalet (bungalow) at Hakuna Matata Adventures. The Addo Elephant National Park is nearby. Having become interested, we now wanted to get to know the giants in the wild. We were able to book a tour through the park with our hosts right away. We sat in the bakkie and off we went. The national park is huge. You can drive in and explore with your own car. You must not drive far off the tracks and if you see a wild animal, you turn off the engine, relax and enjoy. It is strictly forbidden to leave the vehicle to take selfies, for example, because it is simply too dangerous. But try telling that to the tourists. At the beginning of our tour, an elephant greeted us by the side of the road and ate happily from a tree. He looked at us relaxed and continued eating. We also snacked at the picnic area. Our guides introduced us to the world of pies. These are puff pastry tarts filled with savory meat. Believe me, it doesn't get any meatier than this!

Back in the wilderness, we saw an ostrich, zebras, buffaloes, warthogs, antelopes, and so many elephants. Elephants are herd animals, so you usually have the luck of seeing several at once. They bathed, the young ones played with each other, and twice the whole herd of elephants passed very close to our vehicle while crossing the road. Wow - what an experience.

When we arrived back at the chalet, we had a short time to put on our swimwear and I (Sedef) was even able to nap for 15 minutes. We spent the rest of the day on the small motorboat on the Sundays River. Equipped with the appropriate boards, we drove to the nearby sand dunes and went sandboarding. Mega funny. 😂 We then cooled off in the river. The river was, of course, much warmer than the adjacent Indian Ocean.

After everyone has raved about the S.A. Braai throughout our trip, we also got one to conclude a very successful day. The South African Braai is the local way of grilling. Typically, everyone brings something and you enjoy the evening together. We had steaks, beef sausages, and typical Braaibroodjies. These are delicious sandwiches with butter, onion rings, tomatoes, and a sweet chutney, which are also grilled. Fantastic!

Since a purely holiday trip can quickly become expensive, we looked again for couchsurfing opportunities. We are now spending the Christmas holidays on a 2-hectare estate in Coleen Glen. Our hosts are an absolutely down-to-earth South African couple. Alain and Penny have four children, all of whom have moved out and live in Europe or Thailand. They are only left with two horses, three dogs, and two cats. We inhabit one of the children's rooms with a view of the pool and the horse range. You might think we're in the middle of nowhere, but the natural surroundings are more than relaxing. On the first day, we were allowed to borrow the daughter's old City Golf. Alain handed us the keys with the phrase, 'you broke it, you fix it' - if you break it, you fix it. Daniel bravely took on the challenge of driving on the left and we drove down to Maitland Beach. Huge sand dunes and a white, endless long beach. We did everything right.