Day 6 - Sunday October 10, 2010

We had breakfast at home, coffee and biscuits as folks awoke and were ready for the day. We loaded both the Van and the SUV as we had 15 folks traveling with us. The 8 intrepid Americans and most of Hilda's family. We were off for the southernmost tip of Africa where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans converge. What a ride to get there over mostly dirt roads. The landscape was desert like with short shrubs and plants. Many of the flowers were in their last stages of bloom but still very pretty. I now know what Mr. Magoos Wild Ride is really like with over 2 hours on that bumpy dirt road. Not what the normal tourist would accept - but who ever said we were normal.

We made a pit stop at a small harbor where we had a view of the longest white sand beach in the world - 15 miles of it.



 This was primarily a potty stop but also a chance for some photos. There was a small stand selling soft Ice Cream cones which was just too much for most of us to refuse - BUT, they tasted great. 

On to the town of Agulhas (some spellings were L'Agulhas). This is where the two oceans actually meet and we made sure that many photos were taken at the monument. 

You can actually stick your feet in two oceans at the same time, albeit quickly as it was cooooold. There is a lighthouse at this point, one of 7 located around the Cape.

Back to the vehicles for another "wild ride" and another 2 hours basically backtracking most of our earlier drive. Some of the ladies mentioned the need for a sports Bra! We stopped at an old missionary village dating back a few hundred years. Built in the Dutch style of brick and stone and still sporting thatched roofs. I noticed the continuing use of thatched roofs even on newer homes throughout the southern part of Africa. Thatching lasts around 20 years and is made from a local bush that is plentiful in the area.


The next stop was the village of Baardskerderbos (try to say that after a glass of wine). First visit was to a small pub that Hilda wanted us to experience. The pub was closed but the owners wife was fitting a wedding gown in the building and rushed to her house to get her husband to open the doors. The interesting thing about this bar is that the local residents leave some money in marked Zip Lock bags when they are flush so they can get a drink when times are slow. Small town, honest people - it works for them.

We all ordered a drink and we had some interesting conversations with the owner as well as his wife who had joined us in the bar. We were each offered a shot of his own brew - African White Lightning - smooth going down but it would not be wise to drink many shots. The legend of the village name comes from two families from the Netherlands who settled in this spot. There were large resident spiders with sharp pincers that got into the men's beards so they named the town Baardskerderbos meaning Beard Trimmer. I'm not sure what part is true but it does make an interesting story.

Our next stop was just down the road in the same town where we had a few drinks and an interesting lunch. There were also some ZipLock bags hung behind this bar. They did not seem to be set up for a large crowd so it took some time to rearrange the tables and find enough chairs. Our lunch was served in appetiser style trays although large enough to feed us all. We had quite a variety with steak, ribs, calamari, chicken, etc. and a ton of chips (home fries). We all tried hard but could not consume all that was set before us. The wind was howling outside and rattled the roof and shutters. Hugo sure had his hands full driving us home in that rolling sail of a van. He did a great job of keeping us from rolling over.

The afternoon was quiet as everyone needed a nap from the wind as well as the early departure that morning. The evening was relaxing and pleasant with some playing cards and others just enjoying a cocktail and discussing the days adventure. Hugo was busy at the indoor grill cooking POTJIE for dinner. This is a stew like dish cooked in a cast iron kettle hung over the wood fire. Meat, carrots, corn, potatoes, onions, zucchini and who knows what else he had in there but it was mighty good. We did not eat dinner until 11 PM so it was not long after that we all trotted off to bed.