We timed it right; leaving Plett on a cloudy, rainy day. Although we were leaving Plett, we did not have an exact destination in mind. Driving with the hope of coming into sunshine. This is a familiar section of road to us as we started our journey in this direction over a month ago. We toyed with the idea of returning to Bontebok National Park, but I was not keen on repeating too many experiences. Bontebok was our first night outside of Cape Town and everything was amazing. It is hard to go back and recreate feelings, so I like to leave memories as they are.
As we were driving, I read about a tiny town; Witsand. During the whale season (June to September) it becomes a whale nursery. Last year over 80 calves were born in the bay at Witsand. Although it is not whale season, and the town only being about 40 minutes off the main highway, we decided it was worth a look. The off the N2 was flat with fields of ostriches and sheep.
When we arrived the wind was howling and the skies were still grey. We found a house at "Barrie's Backpackers" and settled in. The boys were thrilled with the ping pong table. Barrie is no longer the owner, but a couple from Zimbabwe took it over in October. The government of Zimbabwe with their land reclaiming act, forced them to leave their farm. The husband was fourth generation Zimbabwean, but had not right to his land. They felt fortunate that they were able to sell their equipment and animals as that was more than most farmers got.
The town itself was small, but very safe and inviting. With a very limited grocery store I had another go at making pap en saus. Either I am getting better, or everyone was hungry as there was not much left. Bar one for dessert!
After supper, Nancy, Jack and I went to explore the town; the cold wind still blowing off the ocean. At the end of our street, the ostriches were running across the field.
The next morning, with a bit of blue showing in the sky, Luke and I set off for a 12 mile run. After a loop around town, he suggested we head out on the flat, flat highway. We laughed as he said "Mom, it's just like home, minus the ostriches, sheep and ocean salt breeze. Flatness was the only thing in common. The first six miles went well, the last six were in the pouring rain. A car drove past us as we were nearing the house and sped through a large puddle. Good thing we were already soaked!
On our departure, we drove through town to look at the ocean. The camp ground we drove by looked pathetic - almost completely underwater! Barrie's was a good spot for us last night.
