Plettenberg Bay - Breakfast like in an art gallery

South Africa/ Day 11 (Thu.) - 01.09.2016

At breakfast the next morning, we sat at a tastefully set table with fresh flowers right by the panoramic window overlooking Plettenberg.

The buffet was small but had everything we like to eat and ultimately it was only set up for the two of us. There was fresh fruit, muesli, yogurt, a variety of cheese and cold cuts, different types of bread, and probably homemade jams. Egg dishes were prepared to order and freshly brewed coffee was served.

Thanks to the spacious, open design of the guesthouse, we felt like we were having breakfast in an art gallery.

Veronica greeted us, asked about the previous evening, and how she could assist us today.

Unfortunately, the weather on this day was disappointing.

The morning already started with overcast skies. Due to the weather forecast, we decided to do sightseeing by car. We originally wanted to go to Noetzi, an idyllic beach with houses that look like castles, but then we realized that the only road leading there is unpaved and goes through a township. Our car wouldn't handle the gravel road well and we were a bit scared to drive through the township, so we turned around.

We continued to Knysna, where we wanted to take another look at Thesen Island in daylight, had a coffee there, and later walked through the city center in search of the African market. It was crowded there. There were long lines of black residents in front of every bank and ATM because today, on September 1st, was pay day. Shortly after, the first drunk people staggered through the streets.

We couldn't find the market and drove back to Robberg in Plett, which we had seen from the boat yesterday. It is a protruding mountain into the water, designed as a nature reserve. Once again, we had to fill out lists and pay an entrance fee at the entrance. There are three hiking trails on Robberg, partly constructed with handrails on the rocks, wooden walkways, and observation platforms, and sometimes we had to climb quite a bit. We liked it there so much that we didn't just take the shortest hiking trail, but also the longer one as originally planned. At the beginning, the weather was just right, but then thick clouds and sea spray covered the mountain, it drizzled, and cooled down. And yet, it was incredibly beautiful. We not only saw the seals, but also two sharks swimming in the sea from above. Later, our landlady told us that there have been several shark accidents in this bay, where a beautiful white sandy beach runs from Robberg to the city center of Plett. Speaking of sharks: JC talked to everyone we met. Today, we met a Black man on the street wearing a Tsitsikamma jacket and JC immediately told him that we had also been there and found out that the jacket wearer worked as a forester there. During the hike on Robberg, a young couple came towards us and JC asked me if I wanted to tell them that we had seen the sharks. I declined, so JC told them about it and learned from the two of them (who spoke English) their story of a big wave at the foot of Robberg.

After about 9 kilometers of hiking over rocks and beaches, we were back at the parking lot and drove to the covered market in Plett (it was still drizzling). We knew from the previous day that there are snack stands there. We ate something and of course talked to the snack stand owner. This time we learned that the guest workers from Zimbabwe work very hard and many black South Africans would rather live at the state's expense because they receive money for each child and free electricity and accommodation.

Then we met a couple from near Dortmund, whom we had met on the boat trip yesterday, and continued talking about their vacation in Namibia and life over a cup of cocoa. She is the export manager at a shock absorber factory and he works as a driving instructor. (I always ask for the occupations because my mom always wants to know!) They recommended a restaurant on the beach for the evening, which they had visited the day before.

By 5 p.m., the temperatures had dropped to 13 degrees and all the shops and cafes closed due to winter and nothing going on, but we had a good day despite the bad weather.

The evening was unfortunately rainy. Nevertheless, we drove to "Loockout Deck," a rustic restaurant right by the sea, famous for its mussels and shrimp.

You should definitely go there when it's bright and sunny, the view is fantastic!

Since the restaurant is built like many interconnected terraces, with windows, as far as they exist, open, it was quite cool inside, but they placed a heater next to our table. Once again, I was totally impressed by the food! I have never eaten so many large prawns at once in my life. They were served in a Piri Piri sauce with rice and vegetables and tasted delicious.

See you soon...
Tatjana

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