Knysna cruising
Trip Start
Sep 10, 2008
1
7
71
Trip End
Sep 03, 2009
Knysna,
Western Cape,
South Africa
Saturday, October 4, 2008
It took me quite a while to get used to the geography of the place. There seemed to be an endless line of shopping malls, in between each one were bizarre machines and mechanisms, mostly with water running through them in various ways, but all very random. The place was buzzing with people, apart from on a Saturday afternoon, when everything closes after lunch, and even the machines turn off, leaving a few random tourists wondering around looking lost and confused.
Whilst I was there, I managed to get to a great hip hop class, it was interesting to see how the class was different to the ones back home, and where they overlapped
Knysna Heads - The worlds most dangerous harbour
. There were a few occasions where I ended up just randomly flailing rather than what you could possibly describe as dancing, I think they had been learning that routine for quite a few weeks!On my last day in Knysna, we managed to get out on the lagoon kayaking. It was a fairly nice day, and the scenery was beautiful. We stopped for a snack and a swim (in the freezing cold water), although we were all so wet from the boats by that point it didn't really matter anymore. Andrew took a dip earlier than he anticipated, when he managed to fall in when trying to get out of the boat. I still don't know how he managed that one! When Kayaking. you spend your whole time sat in a puddle of water and very time you lift your paddle you drench yourself.
On the way back the wind started to pick up, it was getting less like a paddle down the river, and more like some serious army exercise in wet clothes and cold weather. The guys in the other double were really struggling, so we ended up all swapping boats to redistribute the stronger paddlers more evenly. I managed to draw the short straw and ended up in the single kayak somehow (come on boys, why put the girl in the hardest one!). As we went under the bridge the wind really picked up and I was struggling to stay in the same place, never mind move forwards
Knysna again
! As I watched the other two kayaks edge their way forwards, I started weighing my options. I was drifting into the side of the bridge, I could turn round and land back where I came from, but then we would still need to get the boat back to the shed. As one kayak disappeared round the corner, I decided to dig in and went for it. I managed to edge my way back and land safely, if not a little exhausted. I certainly got my workout for the day!That night, we headed to a tiny pub to see a live band play. They were billed as a Jazz band, but seemed to play more reggae than anything else. They were excellent, and even more impressive was the fact they'd only played together once before. Nowhere else can you get a didjeridu playing next to a traditional African drum and electric guitars. Everyone was dancing round the tables and chairs in the tiny room, there was a great atmosphere.
