Installment number 2

After our time in Storms River, we drove to Plettenberg Bay to a park called Monkeyland. Now, generally we're not a shameless tourist attraction sort of family, but I figured this might be the best way to see monkeys, so I went for it. And what a good decision! We were guided around a 12 hectare park with many varieties of monkey, all of whom had been taken from captivity somewhere else and released into this quasi-wild experience. I say quasi-wild because food is set out every day and the monkeys are kept within a fence. They are, however, not dealt with otherwise for the most part. We saw monkeys from all over the world (as usual, the lemurs were my favorite), and enjoyed our extremely knowledgeable guide. We even made friends with a couple from Mossel Bay who insisted that if we were in the neighborhood, we come by to use their washing machine and have a meal! How kind. Sadly, we were not going to be in the neighborhood.

We had lunch that day in Knysna at a beautiful oysterhouse on the bay. It was really lovely, though a little chilly. We then drove on to George to spend the night. Dida asked who drove--and yes, the answer is yours truly. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that I was the only one confident/crazy enough to brave driving on the other side of the road as well as the kombi system! We made it, and that's all that counts.

The next day was a trip up to Oudtshoorn, an ostrich-farming community, to visit the Cango Caves. We opted out on the ostrich farm because by the time we got to the caves, we had seen so many ostriches, we felt like we knew them intimately! The caves were interesting, though our guide was a bit dorky. If you're in the Murfreesboro area, ask Katie to give her impression. All the same, it was a lot of fun. We then drove through the Klein Karoo (Afrikaans for small desert) to Swellendam. On our way, we happened to stop in for directions at the Blue Cow, a local milk supplier and cafe at one of the tiny towns on our way. The lady just happened to be good friends with the owner of a restaurant in Swellendam, to which she directed us with firm instructions that her friend Herrrrrman must give us the downlow on life in Swellendam. What luck! It was a delicious dinner, and Herrrrrman had a lot to share! We then retired to a cute little backpackers for an overnight.

The next morning, we drove on to Cape Town. After some serious traffic, we picked up my friend (and fellow Rotary Scholar) Elliot and went to lunch at the Waterfront. We then embarked on a trip to Kirstenbosch Gardens. Yes, Mommy, it really is that big. She was incredulous at a garden which is the entire side of a mountain. It just seems to go on forever. Next, we drove up to Signal Hill to see all of Cape Town and our first good glimpses of the Atlantic Ocean. Mommy and Katie retired early and I went to a birthday party for another Rotary Scholar's birthday--Laser Tag! Happy 25, Emily!! You'll all be so proud to know that I won, hands down! Furthermore, if you know Jon David, you'll be glad to know that I totally kicked his butt!

The next day was our time at the market. While we were a bit overwhelmed at first, Katie quickly learned how to bargain and got herself some really good deals. The only point she had to get over was that if someone asks you where you're from, you DO NOT say "the US" unless you really want a mark-up on your price! Mommy took a little more training, but she didn't do so badly, either.

After our purchases were finished, we set out for the Cape of Good Hope and Boulders Beach. I'll save those for the next post. Katie, do you have pictures of any of these events? I don't.

I'm off to do some paper marking and research. Sala hantle!