Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Hi from Knysna, So. Africa!

We drove for 6 ½ hrs. today to Knysna.  It’s a beautiful little town along the coast to the east of Cape Town on the Indian Ocean.  The drive was great.  I was stunned at how different everything looked compared to what I expected to see in So. Africa.  The scenery reminded me of Montana’s wheat fields, the mountain range on the east of I-15 on the way to St. George, Utah, the mountains in northern Utah, and even a little like the mountains in Switzerland (minus the snow – smile).   It was spectacular. 

Tonight, we had ostrich steak for dinner, and it was delicious.  Lunch consisted of a veggie roll (sort of like a pizza) that was so good too.  It was a “good food” day!

    Ostrich steak medallions look like beef steak and have a wonderful flavor.

Tomorrow, we will go to the Knysna Elephant Park, Monkeyland and Birds of Eden, plus do some sightseeing.  We’ll also drive over to the Knysna Heads where there are cliffs on either side of the Knysna river and lagoon.  It should be a good day.

I’m so amazed and thrilled over the roads here.  They are well-paved and well-marked.  The USA would do well to take lessons from them on their signage.  Even though we have gotten lost more than once, the signs are well-placed along the way and easy to follow.  The other thing I still can’t get used to – everyone stays in their own lane and there are painted lanes!  I love it!  Kenya’s driving and roads are a far cry from these very smooth roads. 

We went to a mall the other day in Pinelands (where our Bed and Breakfast is) that was honestly nicer than any mall I’ve ever been in in the USA.  Hard to believe, huh?  I wish I had lots more room and weight allowance on my suitcases because I would have a hayday shopping there.

Everything in Cape Town and So. Africa, in general, is so clean!  No matter where you go, there are always people cleaning things – bathrooms, floors, streets, tables, etc.  They even had a lot of “doggie poo” receptacles at the Penguin Colony yesterday.  (We drove down to Cape Point, Cape of Good Hope, and the Penguin Colony.  That was a fun day.)

It’s just so different from Kenya.  That’s the good news.  And yet, I REALLY miss Kenya and its people.  They are so in my blood now.  As I look at the people here, I miss seeing the Kenyan people.  They are a very beautiful group of people.  I also miss everyone’s “Jambo” (“Hello”) and “Keribu” (welcome).  I want to use some of my Swahili phrases here, but I don’t think most people would understand what I was saying.  It seems that everyone speaks English, but they also speak Africaans (I think).

I have to admit that I may have over-generalized when I spoke of Kenya in earlier blogs.  After flying into Nairobi for an afternoon and night before we left for Cape Town, we discovered that Nairobi is significantly nicer, cleaner, etc. than Ukunda and Diani Beach.  What I’ve come to realize is that I was really living in a very rural community where things were not easy, modern, clean, etc.  People live hand-to-mouth, as Samuel would say, and it’s true!  I met so many good people who were “stuck” in their life there.  As much as they wanted something better, they didn’t have the money to get out of their circumstances.  For many, their schooling never got them any closer to that freedom from poverty or living day-to-day.  I just wanted to gather up the people and take them home with me to be able to start a new and better life.

I got up at 5:00 AM this morning, have driven (on the “wrong side” of the road, I might add) 6 ½ hours today, and it’s now 11:00 PM I’m very tired.  It’s time for bed.  I’ll still catch you up on my previous adventures since Nov. 17 later.

                     Our room at Bridgewater Bed and Breakfast in Knysna.

Sleep well – I know I will,

Kadi