Tag: cape agulhas

I think I’m going to like it here

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We arrived yesterday afternoon after a leisurely drive down and a stop at the infamous Moerse Padstal in Napier. I am now able to totally recommend their roosterkoeke and their friendly welcome. It’s been a few years since we stopped there, but what a friendly place.

And now there’s just sunshine and blue skies and (almost) nothing to do. The wind is blowing, but it keeps the temperature manageable and the flies at bay.

As expected, the extra strain of all the visitors on the cell tower here means crawlingly slow internet, but there are other things to do: books to read, braais to enjoy, naps to plan.

We’ll be ok.

Oh, and if there was a good omen for this week or so away, surely it was the sight of a Black Harrier (Circus maurus) on the dirt road on the way in.

Nice start.

I think I’m going to like it here.

That awkward time

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What date is it?

What day is it, even?

The post-Christmas limbo period is a real thing. The rush and excitement of “the big day” over and done with, but still with that holiday feeling in the air, and summer in full swing.

What do you do?

Well, we are going to go to Cape Agulhas. Yes, it’ll be jam-packed with Vaalies…

But there are over 30,000 tourists visiting throughout Christmas and New Year. They don’t care about the water restrictions, because their GP-registered Chelsea Randburg tractor is near the sea, and will rust overnight if they don’t hose it down each evening. And so we literally run out of water some days.

But remember that if you are a tourist, the place you’re visiting is completely yours and only yours for the duration of your stay. Never mind the other people visiting, and certainly don’t worry about the local residents – they’re just there for you to use and abuse as you wish.

…but it will still be Cape Agulhas.

And a short break away from the madness of Cape Town and deep into the madness of Cape Agulhas will do very nicely, thank you very much.

Because it is all relative. A frustrating traffic jam in Cape Town is 5km and an hour long. In Agulhas, it’s just a bit irritating to be behind someone else at a stop street.

I still prefer it in winter, when there’s just us and a roaring fire.

So I’ll do it all again then.

Plot twist

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Look at this beautiful plot for sale in Suiderstrand, Cape Agulhas. Doesn’t it look idyllic?

And doesn’t sales agent Richard Pratt (stop it!) make it sound idyllic?

Situated within the Agulhas National Park, this vacant stand in Suiderstrand presents a rare opportunity to construct your coastal retreat. The land is level—ideal for straightforward construction. Lush fynbos to the rear boundary, offering a serene backdrop of indigenous flora and the soothing sound of the ocean. The clear sightlines to both the front and back of the plot make it possible to plan your home that captures sea views with clever orientation.

Approved house plans included.

Suiderstrand is a sanctuary for those drawn to serenity and natural fynbos.

Stunning, doll! Stunning!

What Richard has failed to mention here is that while this plot absolutely backs onto lush fynbos at the moment, that won’t be the case for very long, with 15 houses being built all over that very same lush fynbos in the new – and rather controversial – Moquini Bay housing estate, in the very near future.
And then this plot will back onto first a building site, and then a security estate, and not lush fynbos.

But then, I wouldn’t want to accuse Richard of being slightly disingenuous with his description of this place. After all, how on earth would he know about that new development?

Oh yes, now I remember.

He’s selling the houses there too.

Right.

Good things, rubbish things

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Ag, let’s get the rubbish out of the way. We’re back home (that’s ok, not rubbish), but we’ve brought some crappy virus with us. To be expected perhaps, sharing a car for several (or more) hours with several (or more) people. It’s nothing serious, just one of those things that makes you feel crap for a while and then goes away. But yes, it does make you feel crap for a while, and yes, that’s rubbish.

The rest of the trip was pretty cool, though. I played a lot of taxi and let the kids (ha!) get on with their own thing. And I think that suited all of us quite well. But we still did spend some time together, enjoying the fresh air and the wildlife that the Agulhas National Park has to offer. Yesterday was an odd weather day with occasional gorgeous light, and a pretty sunset:

We headed out to Brandfontein, on a mini self-drive Cape safari. And we saw quite a bit for a winter outing…
From the classic Ostrich (after which Struisbaai was allegedly named) in that weird late morning light:

A bit of Grey Rhebok action later on:

Not forgetting a springing bok, but not a Springbok (although we did see some of them too) – this is a Steenbok:

And one should never miss a shot of an African Black Oystercatcher passing by over a huge Atlantic swell:

Thankfully, these guys are fairly ubiquitous along the Agulhas coast, but there are three times fewer of them left in the wild than the White Rhino, (and about seven times fewer than the Blue Crane). It’s strange that we don’t hear about the plight of our birds as much as our mammals. To me, at least.

There will be a battle going on in my upper respiratory tract tonight. Tomorrow morning, I expect to be either 100% or completely broken. Leaning towards to latter, hoping for the former.

Either way – this was a great few days away.

Are you sure this is a good idea, sir?

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After doing a few jobs this morning, I’m heading back down to Agulhas, like sometimes happens from time to time, but this time, I will be have the company of several teenagers.

The teenagers in question are lovely and all, but there are several of them, and only one of me.

Ostensibly, I will be in charge, but I think that we can all see what might go wrong should things go south – which is literally what we are going to do.

Eek.

I joke, of course. I’m looking forward to taking my daughter and her friends on a quick break down to the cottage. And because we know that the internet down there can be a little iffy sometimes, I’m plonking this advance-written post on here just in case those demons rear their ugly heads once again.

Let’s hope that the winter weather is not too wintery (although we have a big fireplace for such conditions), and we can get out and about a bit.

Do look out for stuff on IG and on here, as we play at being tourists in our own backyard for a while.