First the ostriches and then off to St. Francis Bay

We loaded the car and got ready to leave before breakfast because we had a few things on our agenda for the day.

Breakfast at Magda, Christo, and Clarissa's was delicious as always, and after checking out, we headed to Highgate Ostrich Farm where we had a tour scheduled for 10:00 am (thanks Christo).

The ostrich show farm is located about 10 km outside of Oudtshoor towards Mosselbay. Once we parked the car and got our tickets, we joined a group of eight for the tour. During this hour-long experience, we learned a lot about this unfamiliar bird, fed ostriches, and even got to hold baby ostriches (7 days old). We also learned about what happens to the animals, including the meat, leather, and feathers. The animals that are slaughtered are usually between 10 and 12 months old (about 90 kg, with 25 kg of meat). Only after 9 months can you tell if it's a female or male ostrich.

After this informative lesson, we set off to St. Francis Bay via George (N12) and Joubertina (R62). It was a scenic drive through the Garden Route of South Africa. We passed fruit plantations and livestock farms along the way. Occasionally, we spotted herds of springboks, zebras, and other local animals. We even saw some monkeys and a tortoise on the road. The road is not well-paved for the entire stretch and needs some renovation. After a little over 4 hours, we arrived at 'The Sands' in St. Francis Bay, our accommodation for the night.

Today, we will have dinner here at the hotel because tomorrow we're going to the private game reserve Shamwari (we're staying at 'Bayethe') for a safari in the morning (at 6:00 am) and late afternoon (at 4:00 pm).

The dinner at 'The Sands' was good and satisfying. During check-in, we were given personalized menus where we could mark our preferences. We had tomato soup or spinach salad, fish for Helena as the main course, and beef stew with rice for me. For dessert, we had a cheese platter. We enjoyed a delicious Shiraz from De Grendel. But the best part was the view of the sea.