February 13 - 14

February 13-14

Sedgefield from Cloud Nine       

Yesterday we had a very lazy and relaxing day.  We started the morning by watching George, the maintenance man, trim the overgrowth in the garden at the house.  It was difficult to watch him work so hard in the heat while we watched, but he seemed to enjoy what he was doing.  Just before lunch we drove up to

Cloud Nine, a lookout point above Sedgefield.  From there we were able to pick out Rivendell in

Paraglider

Sedgefirld from Cloud Nine

the village below.  We then decided to continue up the road to the point where launch to go paragliding.  We were hoping to find someone from the various paragliding companies in order to book a flight.  When we got there, there was a number of people there who had their chutes carefully laid out on the ground, waiting for the right moment to fill them with air and leap of the side of the mountain.  There was an awful lot of filling and very little leaping!  It was explained to us that the air was too damp and although they could inflate their chutes, there was not enough lift to carry them on a good flight.  The air didn't seem all that damp to us sitting there in the hot sunlight, but perhaps that's why we aren't used as barometers . . . . After watching several unsuccessful attempts to get airborne by one tandem couple before finally running like a couple of albatrosses and leaping off the steepest part of the mountain only to disappear from view and not surface again, we decided that perhaps paragliding was something best left to the professionals.  If we had time after doing all the other things we want to do then maybe we'll give it a go!

Eisbein

That evening we went to the harbour in Knysna for dinner.  I asked Michael what would be a traditional African dish to try and he told me that Eisbein was quite good.  So that's what I ordered . . . the waiter burst into fits of laughter when he brought it out and realized that it was not for Michael!  It is a whole ham roasted traditionally and served with the skin on and the bones in!!  It was HUGE and although it may be traditional African fodder I highly suspect it was not traditionally for one!

Today was our day to do something that scared us -- we booked a dive with the Great White sharks.  We headed out to Mossel Bay, near George, to meet the boat and jump into the Indian Ocean with a few sharks only to be disappointed that the excursion had to be cancelled due to high winds and rough waters.  We rebooked for tomorrow and the skipper of the boat assured us that the weather forcast is great for the morning and we will have a wonderful experience.  So we will be up again at 6:00 a.m. to make the 1 hour drive to Mossel Bay to do something that scares us tomorrow.

Riverbank at the Riverdeck Restaurant

This evening (being Valentines Day and all) we decided to try out a rustic restaurant along the river between Sedgefield and Knysna called "Riverdeck".  It came highly recommended by Henny, the local liquor store owner in Sedgefield so we thought we should try it.  It was fabulous!  The food was traditional African cuisine.  I had something called Bobotie, a minced meat dish, as did Joan.  Michael had a lamb chop meal while Julie had pizza (not traditional at all . . . ).  The resataurant is situated right on the riverbank and is a large tent with large slabs of wood (nicely finished) for tables and folding chairs.  The food was wonderful and the atmosphere was very relaxing.  They served us with a free glass of champagne to start and sent us home with full tummies and four cupcakes!

Dinner at Riverdeck

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY EVERYONE!