Day 6 Garden Route

This morning before we we left Oudtshoorn Kath and Lynn went to the local drapery store and purchased some African print material to make  tablecloths with.  We then continued our journey along the Garden Route from the Karoo district through to the scenic Outeniqua Pass towards a town called George and the Wilderness, and then from here we followed the coast line through Brenton-on-Sea to Knysna, where we were booked in for one night at the Knysna Hollow Country Estate Hotel.

Knysna Hollow Country Estate Hotel

Knysna Hollow Country Eatate Hotel

The Knysna Hollow Country Estate Hotel was splendid and the weather was beautiful, we decided to drop our cases and bags in our chalets, and head off towards the Knysna Lagoon. The pool looked really inviting, however we decided that we would take a dip later in the afternoon.

Pool looks really inviting!!

Knysna Town is centred on the harbour and lagoon which was a spectacular sight, with many shops located along the quay side with very expensive properties to the left of the lagoon.  At the right hand side of the lagoon their was a private nature reserve called "Featherbed" where the properties would be in the millions and the further up the hill side, the more expensive the properties became.

This looked perfect for a boat trip out from the harbour towards the lagoon and the "Knysna Heads" where the lagoon meets the Indian Ocean.  While sailing out we got taking to an Asian family that were also visiting on holiday from Durban, they were fortunate to have tickets for the World Cup later in the summer and were looking forward to the games. The father of the family explained that we should try an Indian restaurant while in Durban, which went well with Jeff and I, with our love of spicy food and curries.

                                                            Knysna Lagoon, Harbour, Marina and Properties

On our return journey in the boat we watched some dolphins surfing in the lagoon.  As we walked back along the jetty towards the shops I could not resist sitting out side one particular shop. The seat had a plaque stating it was "Reserved for Tired Husbands"

We travelled south along the coast, and our first pictures were looking down at Knysna Lagoon from the Featherbed Private Nature Reserve, before continuing to Bollard Bay Beach where we watched a couple of guys paragliding.

We then ventured into the sea for a paddle some people getting a little more wet than they intended.

                                                                               Look out for the big waves Lynn

                                                                           Looks like Lynn caught the wave!!

Returned back to our hotel for a lazy afternoon round the pool with a few beers to cool down, and a dip in the pool as required.
I had booked in with the reception for an evening meal in the dinning room for the 4 of us in the main restaurant.  Before our evening meal we went for a walk round the grounds of the hotel and gardens, where we noticed a sign advertising a Farmers Market Fair in the adjoining property to the hotel.  We ventured out of the hotel grounds to the Farmers Market Fair, which was in a large field set up with beer and wine stalls, various different types of food from all over the world and groups and bands playing music.  It was a regular meeting place for all the locals.  We got talking to a couple from London who spend about 6 months of the year there, the other 6 months in the UK. Nice life style!!

A very vibrant atmosphere with families eating and drinking whatever took their fancy, everyone having a good time.

                                                                                          Time for a drink!!

Kath was disappointed that I had booked the meal earlier on, as this would have been an excellent venue for our evening meal. Can't get it right all of the time!!
However we did sample one or two beers with cider to follow, guess who had the beer and cider. 

Kath had suggested the stilts to Lynn, and she made a brave attempt, and did very well, we all enjoyed Lynn's performance, and cheered her on with another drink.

The children in the background looked well impressed with Lynn's performance, couldn't stop her once she got started.

The party mood was really starting to warm up, South African style.

Returned to the hotel for our evening meal, which was excellent, accompanied by some lovely South African Shiraz, and another big fire in the hotel foyer.

Some people just want to swing around, while others have different idea's and retired for the evening.

Bed and a good game of Sudoku, Kath beat every one first to bed again!!!