Aboard Dignity (Lagoon 420) Blog

On Friday we did relax. At least for the morning that is. We both woke feeling very stiff and painful from our previous two days efforts. We were due to move rooms that morning (due to there being no room continuously available for us when I booked) so after breakfast we packed then left the room. We spent the morning in the hotel ‘quiet room’ where we could access the internet and generally relax. For the first time we ate lunch at the hotel having had packed lunches prepared for us the previous two days. Leaving aside my comments of the first night we’ve been pretty happy with the fare here and lunch was no exception.

After lunch we moved into our new room – a superior suite. We now had a better bathroom, a better shower, an additional room off the side, a bigger and colder fridge and a four poster bed. Not bad. After settling in and despite our legs feeling no better at all we decided to go for another hike, this time to visit the ‘Silent Woman’ carved into a nearby rock. Helen had hoped the hike would be fairly flat but it wasn’t. Even though it was about the same altitude as the hotel there were plenty of ups and downs that kept us groaning with the pain in our thighs. Another wrong turn left us spending some time looking for the ‘Silent Woman’ as we arrived from the wrong direction. We would have found the carving straight away had we come directly. The ‘Silent Woman’ was carved into a rock in amongst some other rocks and trees down by the confluence of two small streams. Had there been no markings it would taken a lucky find to run into it.

We were exhausted on our return and fell into the bath (big enough for the two of us) to wash and unwind.

This morning we hiked the hills on the other side of the hotel to which we’ve generally been heading off. We reached a place called ‘The Grotto’ which was a set of waterfalls and wind and water carved gulleys. From there we ascended to the lower ridge where we had some great views of the hotel and the landscape behind. We walked past the top of ‘Fan Falls’ which, we assumed, would look good had there been more than a trickle of water coming down. We finished off by winding our way back to the hotel along a path we found that was not on our map.

After lunch we both had a massage, simultaneously, in a delightful hut overlooking the forest. Worried about our painful legs we both dosed up with ibuprofen before we went. Even then we both felt a little sore at times. Regardless, it was a great way to unwind after our recent hikes.

Tonight is our last night here and tomorrow we head back to Johannesburg before flying to the Uk on Monday (arriving Tuesday). So we’re close to the end of this holiday (here in the Draks) within our holiday (trip to South Africa) within our holiday (our life at the moment). We hope to visit the Golden Gate Highlands National Park on the way (well, out of the way) back to Johannesburg. Not sure what to expect but it’s supposed to be a good drive.

We’ve had a great time in Grahamstown. In particular, the chance to spend three weeks with our family there without having much going on and just having the time to relax, spending time together, has been great. The great opportunities that arise in the modern world often flings families apart and that can be a heavy price to bear. Hopefully we’ve caught up a little.

We left Grahamstown this morning and headed over to Addo Elephant National Park. This was our third visit and perhaps our best. In addition to elephants we saw kudu, dung beetles, ostriches, zebras, warthogs, tortoises, monitor lizards, herons, cranes, monkeys, eagles and probably many more. We took plenty of pictures (see below) but missed a couple of classics such as seeing a mother and four baby warthogs crossing the road. What really made this trip were some real close up encounters with elephants, kudu, ostrich and warthogs who seemed oblivious to the presence of our car.

The park has been extended since our last visit so it was good to have more roads and locations to explore. We eventually left through the south exit and headed into Port Elizabeth. We paid a brief visit to Algoa Bay Yacht Club which is a potential stop for international yachts sailing the coast of South Africa. We learned it wasn’t a common stop and we could see why. There was a lot of swell in the harbour and we were told it was light. We also learned that East London, another listed stop, is now all but closed to international yachts due to the dock where they tie to being condemned.

We finally checked into our accommodation for the evening, the Treetops Guesthouse. For the low price it is excellent and right by the airport. Just what we like.

While we’ve been enjoying our time with our family here in Grahamstown we have been polishing off our plans for our own mini-holiday at the end of our SA trip.

Next Monday morning we’ll pick up a hire car and head down to Port Elizabeth. Along the way we’ll spend the day at Addo Elephant National Park. We’ve been there a couple of times before but this won’t take away from the thrill of going again. We’ll spend the night in PE before flying up to Johannesburg where we’ll pick up another hire car and head down to The Cavern in the Drakensberg where we’ll stay for 5 nights. This should be a really nice getaway with plenty of excellent hiking. For our final night in South Africa we’re booked into the Impangele Guesthouse which is not too far to the international airport.