Up early and crept out onto the balcony so as not to wake Hannah. It’s going to be a shock to the system when we get home, having to revert to a normal daily routine. Someone is setting up the loungers around our pool. Probs should get a dip in before we go. Moving on today. Franschhoek has been lovely.
I recall on my first visit to San Jose in CA I was sitting around the pool chatting to the pool attendant who asked me where I was from. “UK” I say. “Is that near London?” Was his response. I won’t insult the guy setting up below my balcony by asking him if he knows where the UK is 🙂
The pool guy here has a tried and tested system for setting up. First he puts on the padded lounger covers. Then each lounger gets a towel which he systematically lays out, folds and rolls up neatly to be positioned tidily in place.
His final act has been to switch on the water jets that create nice ripples on the surface of the water, picking up the odd stray leaf on the way and disposing it tidily behind a bush.
Hermanus will bring sea air but no whales as it is not the right time of year. I daresay if we went out on a boat they could find some interesting marine life to look at but suspect we won’t have enough time for that.
Our journey to Hermanus is going to take longer than it should as the Franschhoek pass that climbs high above the hotel is closed for repair work during the working day. Not only will our route be less scenic but it will add anything between thirty and sixty minutes to the journey time. Problems problems.
Hermanus is the one place, apart from last night in Franschhoek, where we have no specific dinner plans. I’m at the point where a doner kebab will do. The local Greek restaurant in the village was closed last night. At least the kitchen was. The place had a nice enough bar but there were people smoking ciggies in the room which didn’t really make for a pleasant environment.
We are officially into our second week in Africa. Fly home a week today. The main event, the herds of rampaging wildebeest etc has yet to happen and to some extent our one night in Hermanus and then Camps Bay are just fillers, albe they very nice and part of a must see itinerary around the Cape of Good Hope.
It’s a great name, Cape of Good Hope. Presumably describes how seafarers felt when rounding the land mass hundreds of years ago. I almost feel like bursting spontaneously into joyous sea shanties when I think of it.
Gotta go – showertime.
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Saw a huge baboon crossing the lawn in front of where we were sat for breakfast. Hannah had leaked along right next to it totally oblivious to its presence. Didn’t get the camera out quickly enough to catch a pic.
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So we have moved on from the wine country and are now ensconced in Hermanus. The Hermanus Boutique Guest House is around fifteen minutes walk from the main drag but there seems to be a v cool bar called Ficks on the beach opposite innit. I think we can start there and may not even get any further.
Checked in with THG who has just got home from visiting family. The weather has been terrible apaz. It has been universally lovely here.
I’m gonna dig out my binocs to take to the bar. Not much hope of seeing a whale but ya never know.
We are two days away from heading to the bush and today we will be taking out first malaria pill.