Coastal Christmas 10- Route 62

December 27, 2013

Wine Country.

Route 62 is rumored to be the longest wine route in the world. That fact, in itself, was enough for M and I to put this stretch of the country on our itinerary. 

Basing ourselves in Swellendam, we spent two glorious days hopping from winery to winery, sipping wine, making wine (see below), floating on a river while drinking wine, and shopping for wine. While perhaps not for everyone, it would be hard to not see the beauty in this region of the country (although perhaps that's the wine-googles speaking? No, no I don't think it is). We covered everywhere from Calitzdorp, Ladysmith and Barrydale to Montagu, Robertson and Ashton….wine, wine and more wine. 

Gorgeous rugged wine land.

It wasn't tough in these parts to find a vineyard serving an incredible lunch, and the views were easy to feast our eyes on while we waited for our food.

Making wine. Well, okay, we were mixing wine. Still, a very cool process! We learned that we need more Merlot than we first thought we did…really though, don't we all need more Merlot?

 With beautiful vineyards comes adorable little towns with rivers running through them. Naturally.

What's better than a wine and chocolate pairing at 9am? A river cruise complete with bubbly at 10am. 

 "Brunch".

Some of the 20 odd bottles we managed to fit into the Getz…bottoms up!

Coastal Christmas 9- Christmas in Dana Bay

December 25, 2013

 Merry Christmas!

Of all the places we stayed on our trip, this is the first place we booked. We knew we wanted to be near the ocean for Christmas, so we decided to stay in Dana Bay. It is just outside of the more well-known Mossel Bay on the Garden Route, provided a very quaint experience with unobstructed ocean views. We spent three nights in Dana Bay; this is the longest we stayed in one place during our entire trip. It was the perfect spot to share our first South African Christmas!

The owners of the guesthouse we stayed at are German (as were most of the other guests), and they celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. We enjoyed (well, I enjoyed, M experimented…) a seafood dinner with local oysters to start and traditional pudding for dessert…complete with endless champagne!

While this wasn't our first time away from family or our home for Christmas, we really like to try and keep at least some of the traditions we know and love, as it makes it feel more like "Christmas" to us. And so, I had brought stockings with us, along with a few gifts we had received from friends that we were instructed to save for Christmas morning. With mimosa in hand, we opened our gifts on our balcony, and then after breakfast decided to go for a hike along the coast. We even found a local golf course en-route serving a traditional Christmas meal, so it only made sense to stop for turkey mid-hike…

On boxing day we relaxed for the morning, and then visited a local private game reserve for an afternoon game drive. While it didn't feel quite as "wild" as others we've visited, it seems that the only bad game drive is the one we don't do! I am always excited to see incredible wildlife up-close in their natural habitat (and let's be honest, I'm not one to turn down a good photo opportunity…).

We will definitely treasure the memories of our first Christmas in Africa!

 Dinner on Christmas eve, with our stocking hung by the window with care!

  

 View from our room. Who needs a white Christmas?

A very big thank you to both our new South African friends and our old-faithful Finnish friends for sending us gifts for Christmas Day! It really made it extra special, and we were touched at the gesture! (See, I told you both we'd wait till Christmas morning!)

Starting out (the sun came out!): a 14km hike from Mossel Bay to Dana Bay along the coast (the last day of a 4-day hike known as at the Oyster-Catcher Trail or the St. Blaize Trail).

 Trekking along.

Stopping to enjoy the view.

Late afternoon sun on the ocean as we finished the home stretch.

We did it! 

Infinity pool: we definitely made use of this after the hike!

Apparently when they filled a pot hole at this service station they decided to fill it in the shape of Africa…

Paradise.

Cape Mountain Zebras (Notice their stripy legs and the fact that they don't have "shadow" stripes? They are different from the more commonly seen Plains Zebras).

Lioness resting in the sun.

The tiniest baby rhino I have ever seen…so adorable!

Why, hello there. Merry Christmas to you, too!

Welcome to the World, Quinn Joyce!

December 24, 2013

On December 23rd, 2013 at 10:45pm (Atlantic Standard Time), my fourth niece entered the world at a very healthy nine pounds, three ounces. I am dating this post for Christmas eve, because, well, it was Christmas Eve in South Africa when Quinn was born. 

While we were travelling along the coast of South Africa, technology stepped in to lend a hand: my eldest sister (not in labour) was texting me as things progressed (while we were watching the meerkats!), and Google+ once again made it possible for me to experience the magic and the chaos first hand, right there at the hospital with my entire family in one room. I was able to see sweet Quinn on Christmas Eve, less than 12 hours after she was born. While it isn't the same as physically being in the room with her, it was the next best thing, and was an unforgettable experience.  

I had a chance to have a video chat with my sister just days before she went into labour, and it was surreal to see her then, and then just a few short days later, now the mother of two gorgeous little girls.

Huge Congrats P, we are so proud of you and happy for your new family of four! Love you guys.

 Sleeping Beauty. 

 Yah! Kali's a big sister!

 Best. Christmas. Present. Ever.

All the girlies in my family. L-O-V-E. 

Coastal Christmas 8- Meerkats in Oudtshoorn

December 24, 2013

This post is for Mo. 

Back when moving here was nothing more than a pipe dream, Mo started saving for her trip to visit M and I in South Africa. I'm sure it was partly because she's very organized and practical like that, and maybe partly because she had faith that it would actually happen, but mostly I believe it was because she really wanted to visit the meerkats. And the rest of the country. But mostly the meerkats.

And so, when M and I were planning our Christmas trip, we simply could not pass Oudtshoorn without paying a visit to the meerkats. You know, to test it out and tell Mo whether it was worth it or not. And because Mo was so excited about it, it actually made me want to do it...

While there are other places in South Africa (and the rest of the world) where one can see meerkats in their natural habitat, this particular place is special because it is based entirely on a genuine interest in these specific creatures. The "tour" consists of getting up before the sun (4:30am!), and going with the Meerkat Adventures guys (these guys make researching meerkats their mission in life) to the meerkats' den before they wake up. As the sun rises and they start to stir, they come out into the sun to warm their bellies. Meerkats are "solar heated"- they need the sun to warm their bellies as this is how they maintain their body temperature. If the sun isn't out, they don't really bother to come out of their den, but rather dig in their den to warm themselves that way.

Since Meerkat Adventures observes this particular family of meerkats everyday, the meerkats are used to the sound of humans and are fine with it as long as everyone keeps a safe distance (Meerkat Adventures is based on observation only; they do not feed, pet or care for the animals in away way).

The lead meerkat was just coming out of the den when we got there, so we set up our chairs, sipped coffee, and watched as the other meerkat family members made their way up to the surface to start their day.

Watching the sun rise over the hills.

The sun bringing everything to life…

Getting instructions on what to do (sit in your chair and don't make any sudden movements).

Guard meerkat: watching as we approached. 

Second guy coming out of the den to join the "guard". 

"I got your back".

Even meerkats yawn!

These three remind me of my sisters: the two oldest on either side protecting the youngest sibling.

A few others join as the day starts to heat up.

Apparently they heard a noise...

All ten in the family together.

Doesn't M look thrilled to be watching little rodents at 5 in the morning? (photo courtesy of our Meerkat Adventures guide). 

Thanks for inspiring us to do this Mo! Can't wait for you to see these guys in person in a few months...

Coastal Christmas 7- Two Passes Route

December 23, 2013

After enjoying the beaches of Wilderness, I managed to convince M that there were more treasures to be found inland, and so we left the coast behind again and headed for the Swartberg Mountains.

This area is considered to be part of the Central Karoo- the entire area of the Great Karoo covers nearly one-third of the country of South Africa and spreads over three different provinces. We visited more of the Karoo later in our trip, but this mountain escape was our first introduction to this dramatic region of the country.

And since we were touring the above-ground part of the Karoo, we thought we should also check out the underground world here too. The Cango Caves are built into a limestone ridge parallel to the Swartberg Mountains, and are a major tourist draw to the Karoo area.

We drove the "Two Passes Route"; from the town of Oudtshoorn to Swartberg Pass, stopping in the artsy town of Prince Albert, and then looping back through Meiringspoort Pass. With incredible views, quirky-hip little towns and intense skies, we couldn't help but be reminded of the Rockies.

Heading towards the pass (and the last of the tarred road for a while…). 

Stopping on the hairpin gravel road for a photo op. Totally worth it. 

Pass one of the "Two Passes Route". 

The Top of the Swartberg Mountain Range.

What would a mountain drive be without stunning vistas?

Doing the Robot on the pass.

Swartberg Mountains translates to Black Mountains in English, but I think it should be Christmas Mountains, with all the lush deep greenery and rusty red cliffs. 

Prince Albert: Where the South African producer Anant Singh spends his summers (latest credit:"A Long Walk to Freedom"); so it only makes sense that this is a hip, artsy, edgy little town tucked at the base of the Swartberg Mountains. We spent a few hours perusing art galleries (seriously!), and taste-testing the Lazy Lizard Cafe's legendary apple pie. When in Rome…

Heading towards pass number two (and back on tarred road!): Meiringspoort Pass.

Ostrich country- baby ostriches!!

While not nearly as rugged as Swartberg Pass, Meiringspoort has the better waterfall. You can't compete with a good waterfall. 

Cango Caves: not exactly a non-tourist destination…fascinating caves though!

Cango Caves is a Khoe-San word for a "wet place" as the rock formations are the result of moisture. 

This reminds me of a weeping willow tree.

No idea what kind of formations these are (I'm sure they have a very technical name…) but I think they look really cool.