I woke up early Friday morning after minimal sleep and an all-too-scandalous volunteer house party to head straight to the beach in hopes of lessening the lingering headache and wine infused circulatory system. It only took a few waves to the dome to wake me up, bring me back to reality, and have me up and surfing one last session before the weekend. Heading to Salty's I was back to thinking how much I needed a weekend off and hoping Hermanus would deliever. G, the Dutchies, Steve, Jen* and I piled into Jen's car and took a one and a halfish hour drive through the mountains to get to the sleepy coastal town. We arrived around 2pm, took a drive around town, and finally checked into the cozy Traveler's Lodge, complete with a hammock in the courtyard, that we had all to ourselves.
While the others unpacked, G and I went for a quick longboard/explore session around town. What used to be a little known city on the coast has since become something of a tourist destination and whale watching headquarters, so all of the roads and hills were recently paved - perfect for an afternoon skate. When we got back to the hostel, everyone was itching to head to the beach and we naturally obliged. The shoreline here, like Cape Town, was mostly rocky, but all it took was one turn in the road to lead us onto a small pocket of sand tucked underneath a mountainous backdrop. The beach itself was lined with rock crags that were excellent for bouldering and, once again, seemed to have never been climbed before. G and I discovered route after route, while showing some of the others the ins and outs of climbing. Additionally, the beach itself was long enough to allow for a great day of frisbee under the sun, something I have been itching for since stepping off the plane over a month ago. As if this scenario was already perfect, the water in our little cove felt like bathwater in comparison to the western coast where I have been spending most of my time. With the sun slowly setting in the distance, we reluctantly headed 'home' to change and head back into town for dinner.
The following day, we woke up relatively early and made our way back into town to explore the market. It is beginning to seem that many of the goods for sale in these little town markets are the same across the country, but it is always at least a little entertaining to wander, barter, and meet the locals. We spent a few hours in town before driving up to a reservoir in the mountains to swim and cliff jump. We were welcomed to our short hike upward with a sign warning to not feed the wild baboons (unfortunately we didn't spot any) and about thirty minutes later we reached the vast reservoir surrounded by cliffs. The red rocks making up the walls around the bottom of the pools gave the water a heavy, dark red color and it became almost eerie when diving down to check the depth below the rock faces. After a few safety dives from in the water everything checked out, and we began our climb up to the cliff tops for a little dose of adrenaline. The jumps ranged from small, fun little hops to ledges maybe a little bit higher than the highest jump at Pewitt's Nest near Devil's Lake in Baraboo. We spent most of the day swimming, jumping, and hanging out in the secluded ravine before heading back to our favorite beach. A few more hours of relaxing and we were hungry for dinner, drinks, and Super Rugby*.
The evening's restaurant of choice was perfect in every aspect imaginable. Our table was in a corner surrounded by two BIG, open, picture windows that looked out over the ocean, mountains, and sunset. The food was excellent, the company was great, and cocktails were half price from 5 - 7pm. Steve taught me the in's and out's of rugby, and by the time we left at halftime I was strongly pulling for a Stormers win over the rival Sharks from Dubran. Steve, The Dutchies, and I headed to a small dive bar for the second half, a game of pool, and a thrilling 15 - 12 Stormers' victory. On Sunday morning (today), we made the drive back to Table View all at least a little bit refreshed before starting another week of work on Monday.
On the weekend retreat to Hermanus I was able to have some mental conversations and personally iron out a lot of what has been bothering me. It's amazing what the right people and right atmosphere can do to your energy, and I can now confidently say that my view of South Africa's mystique has been fully restored. Bring on the kids, waves, and braai's...I'm thrilled to be here for the next few months.
*Character Reminder...
G = Grainne. Irish Outdoor Education friend and surf adventure volunteer leader.
The Dutchies = The three girl surf adventure volunteers. Dutch, obviously.
Steve = Travel writer from England and one of the potential AfrikaBurn crew
Jen = Volunteer coordinator at Salty's.
**Super Rugby = Southern hemisphere rugby league made up of teams from SA, NZ, and OZ.
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