The PortsWood Hotel Knysna

... hundred yards off shore there were 4 whale baby / mom pairs. While one mom babysat, the other went for a breaching session. It was AMAZING!!! Thank goodness Robbie was fine with pulling over abruptly and parking on the side of the road so we could run across traffic - with Robbie yelling "Look the other way!!" - to catch the show. Then, as if we hadn't had enough good fortune already, we went round the bay to see another whale slapping the water with her tail ...

... Eve', her perfectly preserved footprints were found in 1995. This caused great excitement around the world, as it lends credence to the 'Out of Africa' evolutionary theory that man originated in Africa before moving north. The small fishing village of Paternoster (Cape Columbine) has a beautiful, long, deserted beach to offer. Around the corner is St Helena Bay which was discovered by Vasco da Gama in 1497. Further north ...

Part of the reason I haven't posted in a while is that Tali was here last week...the other part is that not a whole lot else has happened. But maybe it's just that I'm getting more and more used to things here, so experiences seem less notable. Tali and I had an awesome time. We did all kinds of touristy stuff, some non-touristy stuff, and enjoyed the last bit of really nice weather before this wet, foggy **** we've ...

Suncream? Check. Sunglasses? Check. Full waterproof outfit and accompanying thermals? Ha! What would I need those for, I'm going to South Africa at the height of summer you idiot. Perhaps, I shouldn't have been so hasty. Our (delayed) BA flight informed us it would be slightly damp in the Cape. We're Brits, slightly damp...that's fine. But we were greeted by a monsoon. You know, the type that The ...

... don't see the walking corpses of late stage AIDS, or the AIDS orphans eith** - Tanzania still tries to rely on the family, not the orphanage. Into the hills of Tanzania, hellish climbing, but at least we have gears, and brakes, unlike the multitudes of local bicyclists on cheap, 1-speed Chinese bikes, the wheels so out of true the brakes have been disconnected, a flip-flop dragged on the asphalt instead. But the heat abates, the Indian influence diminishes, as does ...

... I am a vegetarian, of course I did not try any of that, but from what I hear it was pretty good. I had vegetarian pancakes, and they were AWESOME! We stayed out later than I wanted to, but I had an awesome time. We were with a group of like 12 people from Semester at Sea and it was fun, but Ellie and I had to wake up at 4:30 the next morning to get ready for shark diving, which was INCREDIBLE, but you will have to check out my next blog for pictures and that story.

... game Killer and winning a day's outing for two back to Cape Horn National Park. The following morning, we go canoeing on the Wilderness Lagoon and then watch our Scottish pal Glen jump off a bridge at the world's highest bungy jump (216m)at Bloukrantz. We see the most amazing waves and walk a gorgeous trail along the coast at the mouth of Storms River at Tsitsikamma National Park. We spent ...

I have been to work in Knysna 4 times all for various lengths of time over the 3 years I have been in SA. Knysna is a very touristy town which waterfront thrives on tourism. It is a small town as well which is easy to navigate and you easily start to find your way around. I was living in a house which overlooked the Knysna Lagoon and was a stunning big wooden house. Monkeys were frequent visitors to the house ...

... A single churchgoer, managed to return fire, wounding one of the attackers, and the attackers fled. Four on this list were Russian seamen attending the service as part of a church outreach programme. Another Russian seaman, lost both legs and an arm in the attack. APLA cadres were held responsible for several similar attacks. One attacker was convicted for 11 murders and was sentenced to 23 years in ...

... Zebra, Ostrich (boring), 'Steve' the solo crocodile. Back to Lapa for cup of hot tea and freshly made scones, packed cozy blankets onto 4x4 for night drive to see Lions. Got amazingly close to lions - see photos, who had eaten the previous night - dread to think on what! and were just lazing about - unbelievable. Back to Lapa for drinks and dinner at our Irish table - best in the house. Back to hostel for 11, bade farewell to our new Irish friends and straight to bed.