This week!

Though I owe you an entry about our weekend in Darling and the week that followed, I must say a few words about the week that is almost done. Last Saturday we went to the South African Airways Cape Town Flower Show. It was held on the grounds of the Lourensford Wine Estate outside of Somerset West, which is 40 km to the east of Cape Town. What an estate! Not only was it large enough for the flower displays, there was a field large enough for polo matches, which were part of the festivities.

The high point of the show, and worth the price of admission all by itself, was the Kirstenbosch-South Africa Chelsea exhibit. This is a recreation of the gold medal winning exhibit at this year's Chelsea Flower Show. It was truly stunning! I have never seen so many blooming proteas in one place at the same time. And not just the common ones, but many different ones. And loads of other native plants. We walked around it multiple times, in awe each time. Only problem was that the other exhibits paled in comparison, though many were very good. It was a most enjoyable show. And it made it necessary to visit the plant shop at Kirstenbosch garden to purchase a bouquet of flowers for the cottage.


Upon our arrival at the cottage we found that we had no Internet service. Oh well, we had been doing so well for so long it had to go out at some time. That is the state of Internet service in SA, not very reliable, expensive, and slow. We are lucky to have the service we have in the cottage. It is better than what we have at work. Seems there has been no competition until very recently and so there was nothing driving the market for any changes. We have it so good at home!

On Sunday we went to craft markets. We returned to this month's edition of the Kirstenbosch market and then headed to Hout Bay where there is one every Sunday. Found lots of neat things at both places and had to bring some home with us. Who knows how all of these items will fit in our luggage. Can't worry about that just yet. Then went across the street to a very nice arts and craft store. Some very nice items there as well. It does appear we will be returning to Hout Bay on some Sunday soon.

Found a nice cafe at which we had lunch, and a Woolies for some bakery items, and then we headed home. We did so by way of the route around the west side of Table Mountain through the communities of Camps Bay, Clifton, Sea Point, and Green Point. This route leads back to Cape Town and is another great ride with the ocean on one side and mountains on the other side. Very slow but very nice ride as it was a beautiful day and many folks were out enjoying the weather, the beach, and the exotic foods festival. Once at home still no Internet. I worked on blog entries offline so that upon the return of the Internet I could try to get back on track. Well Sunday became Monday and Monday became Tuesday and still no Internet. So it was quite a relief to find upon my awakening on Wednesday morning that the Internet was open for travel. Then I tried to take a shower, but to no avail. There was no water.

Shortly after I learned of our water situation Jenny knocked on the front door to tell me the whole neighborhood was without water. So we made breakfast the best we could and then headed to work. But remember that work is just up the hill from the cottage. And that's right, there was no water there either. Work went on as usual with just a bit of juggling needed to keep everybody in tea and coffee. And the seminar by Dr. Andi Wolfe from Ohio State went ahead as scheduled. Who would have imagined I would be attending a seminar such as this by a US colleague in Cape Town. And to make it even more interesting, she did a postdoc with Claude DePamphilis at Vanderbilt Univ and this started her work on the SA hyobanches, a group of parasitic plants. Claude, Marcia, and I were in grad school at UGA together! Small world! Or as I like to say, cosmic!!

We learned that a water line burst just two streets over from the cottage. Work continued through the day, and late in the afternoon the work was completed. Water was again flowing when we returned home after eating dinner out, just in case.

Through most of this week we have had wind and rain and low temps. Seems to be reverting to winter again. And today there was even a thunderstorm, something not common here in the Cape. But another surprise was waiting for us when we awoke this morning. The water was flowing but there was no electricity. We had electricity around 3 AM when I was up watching the rain come down in torrents. But we had none at 6 AM. We had a makeshift breakfast and got ready to go to work as the rain continued to fall. When there was a break in the rain I loaded Marcia in the car and began the routine of securing the cottage. There are two locks on the wooden front door and then one lock on the iron-barred security door. Once those are all locked I activate the alarm system. Strange thing was the alarm was powered though the cottage was not. Something strange here! I looked next door and saw that the main house had power.

I chatted with Belle, one of Jenny's daughters, who said she would let her mom know. Figuring that was all I could do we went to work. Upon our return home the cottage was still without power. Seems mom never got the word. Not to worry, in Jenny ran and saw the circuit breaker had blown and needed to be reset. And that was all it took. But we have no idea what caused the outage in the first place. It doesn't matter. We have run the list of services that can go out at the cottage and so should be in good shape until we depart. At least that is how I am going to proceed.

Next up I will tell you about our return visit to Darling and my trip to Shaw's Pass. But that will have to wait for another day.

Edward

P.S. Marcia and I did meet Ingrid Nanni. I have seen her a number of times before and she was part of the Botanical Latin workshop. It was very nice meeting her and getting a chance to chat. I will try to get by her office again for another visit.

The Great Karoo, the Klein Karoo, & the Garden Route--part 6

Well our travel week is about done. It is time to pack our bags for the trip back to Cape Town. But first another terrific breakfast overlooking the lagoon and through the mist the heads. Also, another enjoyable conversation with Peter and Mart. It has been so much fun meeting people at all of the places we have been and getting a chance to learn about them and their parts of South Africa. This has made the trip so much more meaningful and personal for me. I just wish I could introduce many of the folks we have met to you personally.

After breakfast we head east once more for a return to the Garden of Eden boardwalk. And we are very pleased we returned. This is a boardwalk through a section of the forest designed for wheelchair use. It is flat and broad and made from planks of wood that have been slotted so as to provide traction and to not stay wet long. Though there are no rails Marcia has plenty of room and so doesn’t seem to feel she is in any danger of slipping off the sides. Off we go to visit the forest.

There are some markers on some plants along the way, but mostly it is just a walk through the forest that quickly engulfs you once you get on your way. At places you have to push fern fronds out of the way or duck to go around a leaning branch. For Marcia that is a good thing as it means she is really in the forest. There are numerous places to leave the path and sit on a bench or have a picnic lunch. They have done a really terrific job.

We encounter two crews of workers who are busily redoing sections of the boardwalk. As was the case for the N2, the recent rains did considerable damage to the boardwalk. One section was closed still. As we stopped at this dead end we got to chat with an official with the park about the situation. We also got to tell him how nice the facility was. He seemed pleased to hear this. I hope he passes our comments on to others.

In addition to enjoying the boardwalk we also enjoyed seeing some of the native trees that constitute these forests and some of the animals inhabiting them. There was limited bird activity, maybe due to the work being done, but we did see a big spider, a huge millipede, a huger slug, and a charming frog. Not everything can be big! Some interesting fungi, lichens, and moss as well. All in all a very nice walk!


On our return to Knysna as we did on our way to the forest walk, Marcia took pictures out the window as we drove past the township to the east of Knysna. This was on both sides of the road and continued for some distance. This is a typical township with tiny shacks in mostly horrible condition. There were dogs around and cows and pigs and goats grazing on any unoccupied land. I know we need pictures of the townships as they are so much a part of the SA landscape, but I feel that we are intruding on people’s lives when we take these pictures. I am certainly not comfortable driving into a township just to take pictures. So this is what we do.

And while I say that this is a “typical” township for the poverty-stricken Africans, these shacks are actually in better shape than some of the townships closer to Cape Town. At least here there’s some room between the individual dwellings. In the more crowded areas outside the city the shacks are side by side.


There are government-built low income housing settlements that put the poor into decent housing, but clearly there’s a pressing need for much more housing to be built. We’ll put more pictures into future entries.

We returned to Feathers to settle our bill and get our box on its way to VA. It probably won’t be there before we get there, but what fun it will be to have it arrive after we are home. Then the birds can find new roosts.

Back to the N2 we go. Marcia tries to relocate her orchids but to no avail. We revisit the delays for road work and eventually reach Mossel Bay (named for the plenteous mussels to be found there). From Mossel Bay one can look back and see much of the coast we have traveled along these past two days. Overlooking the harbor is the Bartolomeu Dias Museum Complex. The Maritime Museum is the focal point of the complex and is built around a replica of the ship used by Dias on his voyage from Portugal that started in August 1487 and ended in what is today called Mossel Bay in February 1488. Of more interest to us was the Shell Museum and aquaria. Quite a nice display. And of course there was the usual display of plant specimens with names attached, but in addition there were beds of labeled native plants throughout the complex. Quite a nice set of attractions for an admission fee of 6 rand, which is less than a dollar!

The rest of the day was spent on the road, the N2, back to Cape Town. The ride was uneventful and the trip over Sir Lowry’s Pass with the sun in our eyes was again quite exciting. The pass is the gateway from the Overberg to Cape Town and its suburbs. A quick stop at the local market and we were home. It was a very nice day, but too much driving, and a super week. One night to catch our breath and then we head to Darling to visit Pat and Bobby with Dorothy, Jon, and Robyn.

Good night!
Edward & Marcia

The Great Karoo, the Klein Karoo, & the Garden Route--part 5

It’s time to leave Calitzdorp and cross more mountains to make our way back to the coast and the Garden Route. Enjoyed another delicious breakfast and more enjoyable conversation with the SA couple before chatting with Zurika about arrangements for the ostrich farm. Her first choice couldn’t do it this morning and so we are headed to Rietfontein Ostrich Palace. The sign on the road labels this as the oldest working ostrich farm, which means it is a production farm not a show farm. Show farms came after the crash of the ostrich market early in the 20th century as a way to provide some income. Now there are many show farms complete with ostrich rides and races. We wanted to learn about ostrich production.

We are met at the farm by the owner who leads us to the pens where some of his birds are kept. Others are roaming his fields. He described his operation and answered all of our questions. Marcia got to feed one of his human-raised birds but wasn’t able to see chicks as she had hoped. Seems the rainy weather had resulted in the loss of the previous clutch and so instead of little ones there was a new round of eggs to incubate. This is a picture of one of the penned females on her nest. Given how hard she was to spot in that small space, I can only imagine how hard she and the nest would be to spot in the veld.
But that is what has to happen with the free ranging birds as the eggs are collected every two or three days.

We discussed everything from the egg to the meat and leather and the state of the market. At the moment there is a ban on export of ostrich meat due to concern about avian flu. The hope is that the EU will lift the ban shortly and then Asia will follow. These are the two largest markets for the meat. And we did try ostrich at lunch in Oudtshoorn two days ago and it was very much like lean beef. It did not taste like chicken! Once back in the main reception building we got a lesson on real versus fake ostrich leather. And of course we did our share to help his economic state by purchasing a few items. Then we were on our way.

Next was a drive through the Red Stone Hills. And they are strikingly red due to the red and orange sandstones and mudstones that were laid down more than 250 MYA and then tilted into this spectacular landscape. This turned out to be a longer drive than we had anticipated as we got a bit lost and had to double back at one point because there was just too much water rushing over the road. And all of the roads through the hills were gravel and with the rains this meant the end of a clean car. By the end of the day we needed our friendly garage crew from the start of the trip and at least a double wash. But that would have to wait. Oh well, all the dirt hides the scratches!

After crossing Schoemanspoort pass we make it to Oudtshoorn for lunch and a visit to Lugro leather. Zurika suggested this as a good source of ostrich leather products. There were some beautiful items but the prices were a bit too high for me. But it was nice to see good quality ostrich leather products. Then southeast we head to George and our day’s destination, Knysna.

There are three parts to the rest of this day’s journey. The first is to finish our ride through the Klein Karoo. This ends with another mountain range, the Outeniqua Mountains. Of course this means another pass, this one being the Outeniqua pass, part two. More incredible views and numerous wildflowers in bloom on the side of the road but no place to pull over. Marcia spots what looks to be an orchid and so wants to be able to stop, but it’s not possible. Then we reach George, a large town on the western end of the Garden Route, though not truly on the Garden Route as it is a bit inland. It is here that we pick up the N2 for the rest of our journey east.

The third part is the ride along the coast from Wilderness to Knysna, the first section of the Garden Route. This takes some time as there is much traffic due to all of the road work being done. The recent rains have done considerable damage to the road and one section after another is under repair or replacement. These delays give us time to enjoy all of the scenery as we go by lagoons, dunes, lakes, and beautiful coastline. And then we pick up sections of forest. It is easy to see how this became known as the Garden Route.

We arrive at Knysna and find our way to the Guinea Fowl Lodge. I have my choice of rooms and there is no question which one Marcia wants. It is the one that looks out over town and the Knysna Lagoon all the way to the Knysna Heads, two sandstone cliffs that border the mouth of the lagoon where it empties into the Indian Ocean. Quite a stunning view!


We will drive around the lagoon to the heads tomorrow and see how far we get on the Garden Route. For this day that’s all.

Next day: Met Mart last night and met her husband Peter this morning. They are the new, within the last year, owners of the lodge. They retired from their farm in the Free State and moved to Knysna. They are delightful and are very interested in making things work for Marcia and the wheelchair. They admit they are not truly wheelchair friendly but want us to tell them what could be done to make things more accessible. Peter has done much of the recent work on the place and seems most willing to do what he can to accommodate. Over the course of our stay we have wonderful conversations about his time growing up in rural South Africa and his profession as an organic farmer. And it turns out his cousin, Ingrid Nanni, has been at Kirstenbosch Research Center for many years. I am to say hello to her once back at work. Small world!

This day begins with another great breakfast and then we are off. We drive around the eastern side of the lagoon down to the head. It is easy to see why people settled here. The vistas are truly beautiful.

Then to a place called Feathers, a shop that features carved birds and other wildlife related items. My solo inspection perusal tells me this is a shop Marcia wants to visit. Through a side gate and the work area Marcia can get into the shop. And some time later we depart to return the next day to settle the tab. We are going to send as many things as possible home and so this gives the helpful salesperson time to determine shipping weight and shipping charges. Glad we read about this place!

Most of our day is spent making our way along the Garden Route from Knysna to the Elandsbos River. We go in and out of the Tsitsikamma National Park, which sits between the Indian Ocean and the Tsitsikamma Mountains. Here are remnants of the original evergreen forest that covered much of this area. Important tree species in these forests include the yellowwoods, Podocarpus falcatus and P. latifolius; Cape chestnut, Calodendron capense; ironwood, Olea capensis; and stinkwood, Ocotea bullata. And to see more of this area after we wander through Plettenberg Bay, a very upscale touristy community, we leave the N2 and take R102, a route suggested to us by folks we know and folks we chatted with while getting gas. This route spends much of its time in the national park and makes its way from coast to mountains across valleys and through two gorgeous passes, Grootrivier and Bloukrans, with forest and streams just next to the road. This is a view looking down on Grootrivier Lagoon from the top of the pass.
There is a little community, Nature’s Valley, next to the lagoon. And the drives on the passes were great fun as well!

Along the way we rounded a corner and on both sides of the road were seas of yellow. This area had recently burned and here was part of the response. There were thousands of blossoms of Moraea ramosissima on display. Off I went to take pictures and to see what else was there. Then the bees caught my attention. All those Moraea flowers had the bees out in force.And so it was my job to catch them in the act. I won’t tell you how many shots were discarded in the evening review session. Good thing I am shooting digital! But I sure had fun trying!

As we finished our trip on the R102 and made our way to the N2 for our ride back to Knysna, we encountered a small bluish/purplish flowering tree along the side of the road. It turned out to be another member of the Fabaceae, the legume family: Psoralea affinis. There are legumes of all sizes here and throughout South Africa. Very attractive!


We head back on the N2 with two more stops to make before Knysna. The first is the Knysna Elephant Park. An interesting aspect of the indigenous forests we have been in today is that they were home to elephants. In the 19th century there were as many as 500 African elephants adapted to living in a forest habitat. By 1904 there were 20. By 2000 there were no more than 3. And today there are probably none. This elephant park was started in 1994 to raise orphaned elephants and to provide environmental education and local jobs. It seems to be doing all of these things reasonably well. Though this wouldn’t be elephants in the wild, Marcia was really keen on visiting the elephants.

After a short video about the elephants and the park, Marcia and I and one other visitor board the open-sided trailer to be taken into the field where the elephants spend the day. This is quite a ride for Marcia in her LRW.She hangs on tightly as we bounce along, and I hold onto LRW tightly as well. No disasters either going out or coming back, fortunately. Once there we learn more about the elephants and Marcia gets to feed them. That was a bit more than she bargained for because one of the larger females kept trying to butt in to get more than her share. You can see Marcia keeping the food she had planned to give the smaller adult female away from the piggish one. Fortunately the native employees who work with the elephants know very well how to handle them, and after a couple of stern “Trunk down” commands, the food got to the intended recipient. The elephants grasp the food in your hand with their trunks, and you can hear their noisy breathing as they’re doing it. Actually they grasp your hand, too, and get it covered with dirt and saliva and some of the pelleted food all at once. Quite an experience!

We stop at Garden of Eden boardwalk after the elephants but it is getting too dark to take a walk through the forest. That will have to wait until tomorrow. So we find The Cruise Café along the waterfront in Knysna and enjoy a delicious meal as the sun sets on the lagoon. Sure covered quite a few different things today. Even left a few for tomorrow. Until then!

Edward & Marcia

P.S. The following picture is presented to remove any doubts that we are actually taking this trip together!