Garden Route tour. Shamwari to Plettenberg Bay and Hermanus. With Peter Giddy Guided Tours and Tourism that Cares

Garden Route tour.  Shamwari to Plettenberg Bay and Hermanus. With Peter Giddy Guided Tours and Tourism that Cares

Peter Giddy Guided Tours
peter.giddy@gmail.com


Sunday 17th December 2017

I meet David and Shirleen at the PE Airport.
We drive to Bayethe Lodge -- Shamwari.  The rain and impatient traffic make this a slower and tougher drive than usual.  The turn off to Bayethe is on the N2 past Nanaga it is 80km from PE at the same turn off as Sidbury and Eagles Crag.

 The gates of Bayethe warn you of Lions and other wild animals in the reserve.

The T Junction -- Clearly marked the way to Bayethe.. The turn off on the N2 is 80km from PE and then there is a further 10kay to this T Junction with only 5km to go from here. But the road is not good and with traffic you need nearly two hours from PE To Bayethe.
The dirt road to Bayethe is in bad condition, aggravated by the rains, there are pot holes big enough to hide an elephant. 
At the T Junction we turn right to Bayethe.  We sign in at the gate and drive the last few km to the Lodge.  I drop them off at Bayethe where David and Shirleen will spend the next two days.

On Tuesday 19th December I meet David and Shirleen at Bayethe Lodge.  We drive through to PE and then on to J Bay where we stop for a Milo and Sandwich.  We continue on to Tsitsikamma where we register for the Segway. KB is out guide and she does an excellent job of instruction and then on to the road.  We drive through the village and then into the forest.

David and Shirleen on their Segways for the first time. It only takes them minutes to grasp the concept and we are all zooming around and having fun

 KB is our instructor and guide this morning.

 This tree has a name -- Uncle Frank.  (Frankenstein?)  I think that Kayby tells us that this is an Outeniqua Yellow Wood and that it is 100's of years old.

As we drive back to the village both David and Shirleen pick up the speed and have a great time zipping around the roads and field.

Bungy watching is almost as exciting as the real thing

A happy vendor and satisfied customers having bought some African Art.
From Tsitsikamma village we move on to the Blaaukrans Bridge where we watch some Bungy.  Then they purchase a Painting from one of the vendors.

We arrive at the Robberg Beach Lodge at 5.30. I check into the Plett Algergo.  This is the magnificent view from 89 Beachy Head road in Plett where David and Shirleen are staying. This evening they have dinner at the BI Hotel where there is a Kosher restaurant.

 Train taking us to the Elephant enclosure area.

 David and Shirleen feeding the Elephant.

Up Close and Personal.. They are such amazing giants.  Feels so good to be able to touch and hug them.
Wednesday 20th December.
A slow start to the day with some beach and R 'n R ... Later we visit the Knysna Elephant Park.  We walk and interact with these amazing animals. Feeding and touching them gives you an experience not to be forgotten.

Zandwijk wines.  Kleine Draken in Paarl.  Dedicated to producing Kosher wines. This is their Unorthodox Label. The estate offers Kosher Picnics. 

David and Shirleen opt for some beach time and later a bit of shopping where they are able to find a bottle of Kosher wine which they take to the BI Kosher restaurant this evening.

 Sunrise on Robberg Beach.  I discover that it is a total of 8-9km from the Hotel to the Rocks and back.  Megan and her family are in Plett visiting cousins so we walk run to the Robberg and back. By the time we are back nearly two hours have passed and the sun is warm.

 This is the Egg Case of the Cape Elephant Fish or St Joseph Shark.  Today I establish that 40% of the 400 shark species lay eggs (Mermaids Purse) which is often found on the beaches with tendrils that are used to cling onto seaweed.  The other 60% of sharks give birth to live young.
The Cape Elephantfish (Bronze / gold in colour) is found off the shores of the Cape and Namibia. Grows to 120cm and has a front poisonous spine.

A dead seal pup found on Robberg beach. We found 5 of these pups on the beach this morning.
Thursday.. Again a relaxed morning.  Megan and Michael are in Plett visiting family.  So Megan meets me at Robberg and we walk / jog the 8km to the Robberg and back.  It takes us nearly 2 hours.  On the beach we find a "egg casing of a Cape Elephantfish".  We also find 5 dead seal pups. One has the tag number 0364.

Shirleen and David have a totally relaxed day today with time for a bit of a walk to the shops and on the beach.

Friday 22nd.  We leave Plett at 3.30am.  Drive to Mossel Bay where we have a 6am reservation for Shark Cage Diving with White Shark Safari company.  I had not prepared to go on this trip as I am prone to seasickness.  But when, at the last minute, I was offered a trip; I decided to accept the invitation.

 Inside the cabin -- I was not able to go into the cabin as I was afraid I would be ill and there was no breeze to cool me down inside.  The young girl on the right was the angle who gave me water when I was so sick.

 Inside the cabin where some people were able to relax and even sleep.

 The back of the boat -- Two Mercury Outboard motors and the cage which was lowered and hung to the side of the boat.

 Shirleen looks quite happy as we are still moving out to the middle of the bay.

Now the crew members, Richard and Allan, begin to throw out the Chum -- A mixture of smelly sardines and sea water. That we the end of me!
We leave the harbour and power our way to Groot Brak side of the bay. The boat finally comes to a rest on a reef.  When we drove past the bay earlier this morning it appeared that the sea was like Glass.... Dont be fooled.  Glass from the shore is huge swells out to sea. I had been fine until they anchored and started to disperse this foul smelling Chum or bait.
I tried to look at the shore to keep my balance but the rocking motion of the sea and the swells eventually took hold of me and I began to feel nauseous.
And for about two hours I was really SICK.  Until there was literally nothing left in my tummy.

At last they decided that we would not be seeing any sharks today and returned to base.  As soon as my feet were back on land, I began a quick recovery.

The Marine Hotel where David and Shirleen will spend the next two nights.

Hermanus Backpackers -- I spend Friday night here.  To be honest I am not able to do much more driving so am really happy to settle down for the evening.
From Mossel Bay we drove on the N2 to Riviersonderend where I bought a sandwich and coffee and we finally made it to Hermanus at about 3pm.
David and Shirleen checked into the Marine Hotel and I stay at the Hermanus Backpackers where I have stayed, quite comfortably, on previous trips.
I have a sushi and some beers for supper and am feeling whole again.

.

 Hermanus Parkrun on Saturday morning -- Camphill on the Hemel and Aarde Road

 This morning there are over 750 runners while their previous top number was 650

 Maria; Marianne; Cara and Patrick at Springfield.

 Simon and Caz  on the Sunday morning Springfield Run.

 Shirleen and David at Bettys Bay

 Penguin Watching

To Cape Town and Bantry Bay at the Clarendon Hotel.
Saturday Morning 23.12.2017
I run the Hermanus Parkrun and then drive to Springfield to spend Saturday night with Marianne and Patricks family. It is Shabat so I am not required to guide today.

Sunday morning... Run with Simon and Caz before leaving for Hermanus to fetch David and Shirleen.  We stop at Bettys bay to see the Penguins and then on to Bantry Bay and the Clarendon Hotel.

This is the end of my Guiding of this couple and I continue to Riebeek Kasteel to meet my family for Christmas.