26th February.
Just a few days left, we drove to Wilderness close George - 250 km, 4 hours incl. shopping in Knysna en god tur.
This area is more touristic, and the prices much higher than from where we have been until now.
We had rented 1 of 3 cabins on a farm - Toorbos - the cabins are lying by a dam, which was used for watering the fruit trees. It was a nice view from the cabin. The cabin was ok, well equipped but old. It was 15 km. from the N2 – the main road to Cape town along the coast.
The view from the cabin
To the cabin that cost €50/night was a boat, Weber grill and fishing equipment
Sunday we visited Stony Point Penguin Colony in Bettys Bay. A penguin colony with 1000 penguins. It only costs R10 to get in and there are loads of penguins but no crowds. The location is less pretty than Boulders Beach (rocks rather than sandy beach) but the penguins are just as cute.
Monday after golf we had a late check-out at our B&B and had to got to the airport.
Everything was fine in the house and our cats were as spoiled as before we went off to SA
Tiger in the most expensive bed lines we ever have had
Just a few days left, we drove to Wilderness close George - 250 km, 4 hours incl. shopping in Knysna en god tur.
This area is more touristic, and the prices much higher than from where we have been until now.
We had rented 1 of 3 cabins on a farm - Toorbos - the cabins are lying by a dam, which was used for watering the fruit trees. It was a nice view from the cabin. The cabin was ok, well equipped but old. It was 15 km. from the N2 – the main road to Cape town along the coast.
The cabin and our Huyindai IX35
It was self catering, and we made some nice meals on the Weber gas grill,
on the terrace when the sun sets, and the animals quiets down. It was nice
with home cooked food, the hotel and restaurant food was beginning to taste the
same, whether you have fish or steak!
We played of course golf. The first course was Kingswood in George. It is a
nice modern course bordering to Fancourt.
The second day we should play Oubai, a Ernie Else course, but we had the
second day of rain on our trip, so we cancelled it. The day after the sun
shined again and we went to Simola in Knysna. We have played it 3 years ago,
and could not really remember what we thought. But it was a hilly course, and
it is mandatory to drive in a cart. Now we are sure, it is not a course we will
come back to. Too commercial, not a friendly ambiance and too many players sent
out, combined with a lay out with many blind holes, led to this conclusion.It was also the first time on this trip we were put together with another couple. In this case it was not interesting - very old couple that absolutely couldn't play golf (any more?).
But the view is beautiful
We decided to leave Saturday even if we had booked and paid until Monday and take the 4 hour long drive towards Cape
Town. We stayed in a nice B&B in Betty`s Bay, a very nice place, with vegetation
called Fynbos , and view to the sea. A
price of 80€ per night, and good local restaurants in a special area that is
differently populated. We did not see black people in this town (and some
neighbouring towns), and even the waitresses in the restaurants were white.
Here you can see the Fynbos vegetation
Later Sunday and Monday morning we played Arabella Golf - rated as no 4. The course is only 10 km away from Bettys Bay.It's a very beautiful course, which also can be windy. We were close to Cape Town (1 hour) and are in the touristic part so now we were also put together with a couple (even worse than the couple at Arabella). We wanted to play monday morning, but only if we could go alone. Monday we were with someone else. After a friendly and calm discussion where we said we would not play if....... We vent on our own and it was nice. And it's a course we have to come back to.
Hole no 8
Monday after golf we had a late check-out at our B&B and had to got to the airport.
We drove along the small coastal route –
which is very beautifully – and rejoined N2 to the Cape Town International
airport where 2 x BA 747 was ready together with all the other airlines big planes
to go to mainly Europe.
We had a fine trip back to Nice Airport with a 2 hours stop-over in Heathrow and it was a little anticlimax to come back to the french weather - we had heavy rain for one week and not too warm.
South Africa is a fantastic country and we fully understand why so many tourists come there - for golf, safari, nature, good weather, good food, good wine etc etc
Today the SA tourist industry is contributing 9,8% to the country's gross domestic product - France 9,7% and Denmark 6,5%
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