Oh Wilderness

May 6, 2002-Paranoia
(photo:View from room at Dunes Lodge)

We had breakfast in the main house of the B & B. I didn’t realize the thatched roofs were visible from inside. The ceiling was vaulted and beamed and the thatch was exposed. It was charming. Unfortunately, one of the guests had their car broken into last night. Despite the wall and security alarms, someone got into the parking area, popped their door open, and took their radio. The wine that was in the back seat was untouched although it looked as if an attempt had been made to access the trunk from inside the car. We left just as the police arrived. Other than making a report for insurance purposes, there was little to be done.

When we parked to go into an Internet café, we were pretty paranoid. It was metered parking but there was also an official looking “car watcher” wearing a fluorescent vest who was offering to take care of the vehicles. I know there’s a saying in business: find a need and fill it. The people here seem to be very entrepreneurial and have come up with a variation on that theme. They’ve created a need and filled it. The locals are the ones who rip off the cars and other locals can extort “protection.” Even if we get out of the car for a short time we’ve started to put the backpack that sits in the back seat into the trunk.

No Eden

When we left Hermanus, we anticipated the beginning of the highly touted Garden Route. So far we’ve been disappointed. We’re not hard to please and reveled in the fact that the road was blacktopped and had a centerline. Drivers out here tend to pass in the Greek way by moving to the shoulder so faster cars can go around them. The courtesy is acknowledged by the passer briefly putting on the hazard lights (flashers) and the pasee saluting with his headlights. The way out of town was lined with rainbow hued rock walls of red and yellow and pink and brown, orange and mauve and gold. The road doesn’t hug the coast as we thought it would and we’ve spent today driving through pastureland. Although that’s not my favorite scenery, there were some sheep that deserved a second look. In this land where color and race is such an issue, I’m happy to report they have white sheep with black heads.

Aloe products are a thriving business in Albertinia and it was suggested we stop at an aloe factory. It was pouring and an indoor activity seemed like a good idea. They had a small café where we had pretty respectable hamburgers. There’s no heat in any of the buildings in the area even though temperatures dip into the low 50’s. The door to the café was open and a fire was going in a walk-in fireplace. We chose a table close to the fire and I kept sliding closer until David suggested we just move ourselves onto the hearth. When it came time for the tour, there was only one real English speaking person to guide us. Afrikaans is very pervasive in the Western Cape area. It’s the primary language of the coloreds, as they’re referred to here, and most of the whites. This is the route that the Boers took for their Great Trek in an attempt to leave the British behind. The factory was pretty rudimentary and the stench got into David’s nose and mouth. He had to eat a bag of small chips and drink some pop before it would go away.

Mossel Bay was a quaint little town that was eaten by a petroleum refinery. The plant dominates the approach from the West but doesn’t detract from the historical importance. Bartholomeu Dias landed in Mossel Bay in 1488. He was sailing a Portuguese caravel and was the first to sail around the Cape of Good Hope in search of a route to India. There was a model of the ship in the maritime museum and it was a wonder. In 1988, it actually was sailed from Portugal to Mossel Bay to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Dias achievement. It is 70 feet long and 20 feet wide. It’s the size of a modern tugboat. Even on land, the deck was slanted and the footing was insecure. The railings were very low and there just wasn’t a lot to keep a sailor from falling overboard. It was steered by using sails and a rudder and tiller system since the use of a wheel to steer hadn’t yet been invented. The enormity of the challenge was emphasized when we saw the navigational instruments available then. They were so primitive, but they seemed to do the job.

Near the museum is a 500-year-old milkwood tree called the Post Office Tree. Since 1501 sailors would put letters into a shoe under the tree. Anyone going in the direction of the recipient would pick the mail up and deliver it. Today the tree is the size of a large house and looks like it can go on for another 500 years. The branches have gotten so heavy they drape all the way to the ground. It’s very private and peaceful when you walk underneath.
Heaven

We slept well last night in spite of a thunderstorm. As I was dozing off a massively loud clap of thunder nearly lofted me out of bed. That was the last thing I heard until the alarm and the voice of our granddaughter Alex saying, “Love you Sabba and Savta. Hope to see you soon. Miss you. Bye.”

We’re sipping hot cocoa and eating cookies in our room at The Dunes Lodge, our B & B for tonight in Wilderness. There was a change in topography as we came into this area. All of a sudden we were in densely forested terrain. Our room has the most magnificent view of any place we’ve ever stayed. There’s an entire window wall with sliders out to a deck on the beach. The Indian Ocean is literally lapping at our door. There have been rainstorms on and off today and it’s reflected in the angry green-gray color of the sea. The waves are intimidating, large, and topped with foam that looks as if it has the consistency of shaving cream. The wind is whipping the white caps into froth and spray is flying two to three feet into the air. The house itself is new and modern in its adaptation of terra-cotta color stucco with a Mediterranean flair. The entry opens to a great room with soaring spaces that overlook the pool and ocean. With breakfast, the cost is $65.

David wants me to buy him an ocean. It will be very hard to tear him away to go to dinner. It’s dark now and all we can see is the white of the foam, a fading blue corner of sky, and the last glint of the sun on the clouds.

Toby