Day 1 and 2 of our Garden route holiday

Apologies for the long delay in updating my blog. I know I promised to try to keep you updated with posts of our Sedgefield adventure, but honestly, I really didn't feel like it. Mainly because I was too busy living in the moment and savouring every precious second of our time away.

Firstly, let me correct something from my previous post - Sedgefield is not an 8-hour drive from Cape Town. We were only able to leave (after all our car drama) at about 15:30 and we arrived in Sedgefield at 21:30. Surprisingly the drive was not too bad. The kids did not complain too much. Aisha (3) only really started to moan during the last 90 minutes. As stressful as that was, it really could have been worse.

The kids slept part of the way and we stopped off regularly to keep Mo awake and the kids happy.

The plan for the holiday was to obtain cheap/affordable accommodation, which would merely be used as a base while we explored the surrounding areas like George, Knysna, Wilderness etc. As far as the accommodation went, let's just say that we got what we paid for and leave it at that. However, the backyard and surrounding scenery more than made up for what the inside of the house lacked.

Since the following day was Friday, we were not really able to do anything during the early part of the day, as Mo and Shakeel (13) had to go to Jumuah. Since the nearest mosque is in George, we went along for the drive (as we'd arrived at night and had not seen much of the place until then).

Now, have you ever driven with someone who forgets that he is, in fact, the driver of the car? I mean someone who does sightseeing whilst driving - to the extent that he forgets to look at the road in front of him. Well, that is what Mo did for a moment and, while admiring a stadium in George, he drove straight into the pavement. Which caused this

Fortunately we were early, so there was still time for him to change the tyre (using the spare) and make it to mosque on time.

The next few hours were however spent at a tyre fitment centre fitting a new tyre while the kids and I roasted away in the scorching unbearable sun.

When we arrived back at the house, Nuha (7) and Aisha could not resist cooling off in the sprinklers while we got ready for a swim (the house also has a pool).

Mo was very disappointed when it started to rain on the Saturday morning. We had already wasted the previous day due to the busted tyre debacle and there was so much he still wanted to show us (since he's been to the Garden route many times before and has always wanted to take us). At that point it seemed that the holiday was going to be a bust - until......

The kids playing in the rain

Since they were already drenched to the bone, the kids then hopped into the pool for a morning swim.

Shakeel and Tharaa (11) - competitive as ever

Combining their passion for karate and swimming :)



Since by midday, the weather seemed to show no sign of improvement, we decided to head to the movies to watch Rise of the Guardians at Garden Route mall. I was really surprised at the size of this mall which seemed to house every shop I'd ever heard of.

Later we headed back to the house where Mo braaied for supper (as he so enjoys doing).

Despite the hiccups and unexpected obstacles, the first two days of our holiday were actually really enjoyable.

And, little did we know-  it would only get better....

Holiday departure hiccups

We were meant to leave for our holiday to Sedgefield at 05:00 am. It is now 12:38pm and we are still waiting for our car to return from the mechanic.

On Monday Mo dropped it off for clutch- and other minor -repairs . To make a long frustrating story short, problems with manufacturers of the various parts which had to be replaced, meant that the car, which was supposed to be done some time yesterday afternoon, is still at the workshop.

The owner of the spares shop, who sold Mo the faulty part in the first place, had to make a few calls to get the correct part. When it became apparent that he would not be able to find one, Mo said he would try to get the part elsewhere. The guy could just refund him for the amount he had paid for the faulty one. The shop owner then asked Mo how much he would be reimbursed for making the effort to get the right part, i.e. for all the calls he'd made. He suggested an amount of R150.

Is it just me, or is that guy insane?

Anyway, moving along - we have just been told that the car will be ready by 13:00.

The kids are driving me insane with their incessant whining (''When are we leaving? Why is daddy taking so long?'')

I shudder at the thought of spending 8 hours in the car with them - with nowhere for me to run and lock myself away.

Mo is now at the mechanic trying to hurry them along. But my mum cautioned him against pissing off the guy who is checking our brakes.

I won't be taking my laptop along, but will try to post some pics using Mo's Galaxy tab.

I pray that everyone travelling this holiday arrives safely at their respective destinations.

[Please excuse the clumsily-written post - right now I'm supposed to be making the kids lunch so that they don't moan and grumble too much on the road].

Happy holidays everyone!!!

A magical weekend at Goudini (including a trip to Birds Paradise)

 

We spent the first weekend of the school holidays at Goudini Spa.

Yes, we have been to this resort before - in fact we, as a family, have been rather unadventurous when it comes to choosing our holiday destinations - always exploring various options, yet always ending up preferring this one.

On Friday evening we arrived late-ish so, surprisingly, the kids preferred not to swim. I was glad - Aisha (2) and Shakeel (13) were showing the early signs of getting a cold. Mo braaied (barbequed) while we sat around the fire. Annoyingly, the kids kept running to spend time in front of the Disney channel, since we don't have DSTV at home (precisely for this reason).

Our villa was quite secluded, so we spent the evening enjoying the peace and quiet (not counting Aisha (2)'s constant nagging).

It was only the next morning that we could truly appreciate the absolute beauty of our surroundings. We had never stayed in one of the villas before and I had never wanted to, since they are quite a distance from the pool in which we prefer to swim.

But the morning light revealed the absolutely magnificent location of our villa, which was one of many dotting the foothills of one of the mountains surrounding Goudini. Since ours was situated right at the end of a little 'road', we only had an (empty) neighbouring villa on our right hand side, with nothing but mountainous rock and shrubs to our left.

 

The kids and I explore the rocky terrain

Standing over the basin, washing a heap of Saturday morning dishes (ugh!), I stared out of the kitchen window marvelling at the splendour of the other mountain right in front of me. I gazed, mesmerised by the beauty of the varying greens, yellows and browns, as well as their assortment of textures - so much so that I was done with my dreaded task before I knew it.

Later the cleaning staff came in to wash the morning dishes and make the beds - if I had but known that earlier.

Mo had to head back into town for a few hours, so the kids and I decided to embark upon the dreaded trek down to the pool. And what an incredible walk it turned out to be! We raced, chased, marvelled and okay - pacified Aisha when she nagged to be carried. But it actually turned out to be wonderfully invigorating and I enjoyed these walks/jogs immensely.

Upon Mo's return a few hours later, we headed to Robertson. Mo had heard about a place called Bird's Paradise, which boasted a variety of beautiful exotic birds. Mo also wanted to check it out as a possible future holiday destination, since they do have accomodation and other attractions available.

Firstly we headed to Worcester for lunch. Although not far away, we took a while to arrive at our destination, since we drove slowly and often stopped along the way to gawk at and photograph the spectacular scenery, the most impressive of which were the snow-capped mountains (especially since, as Capetonians, we had never been so close to snow before).

Since KFC was the only Halal food establishment of which we knew, we headed there immediately, but the long and winding queues sent us back on the road to Robertson instead - we preferred to suffer our hunger pangs a little while longer instead of wasting a minute queuing in that heat.

On the way, we ''ooh'ed'' and ''aah'ed'' at the beauty of our surroundings. I tried, in vain, to express to Mo how being in small towns, which appear to be almost timeless, evokes a sense of longing, sadness and nostalgia in me, which I just cannot explain. After all, can one feel nostalgic for a time and place of which one was not a part or to which one has no link or ties?

The sight of the old farmhouses had me picturing what life in those areas had been like a century ago. In many cases, though, it truly appeared as if time had stood still.

After purchasing our lunch at KFC in Robertson, we found our way to the Bird's Paradise.

And that is where Mo was in his element, all the while trying to convince me to fall in love with one of the beautiful birds, so that we could purchase one for a pet. (We already own 2 love birds [our breeding pair], their baby, a ring neck, a cockatiel and Titan, our quaker parrot). Seriously, does it really seem as if we need another bird?

I was very impressed with the non-avian creatures whom Mo, on the other hand, barely gave a second glance.

 

But I have developed a deeper appreciation for feathered creatures than I'd had before (although I still prefer a cuddly bunny any day). So I truly enjoyed our tour of the impressive aviaries and their clever inhabitants.

Recognise this guy? It is a hyacinth macaw, which is the same type of bird as the main character in the movie ''Rio" - apparently it costs about R80 000!!!

The kids were delighted by the cockatoos who greeted them by saying ''Hello'', ''I love you'' and ''Goodbye'', prompting the birds to show off even more for their admiring spectators.

Admittedly, I truly was impressed by the plethora of gorgeous birds I saw at Birds Paradise. So much so, that I am very tempted to agree to Mo purchasing a macaw as a pet.

We left Robertson late Saturday afternoon and arrived back at Goudini 45 minutes before Maghrib (sunset prayers). Mo and I headed up to prepare supper, while the kids chose to play putt putt until Maghrib.

We spent the evening playing cards - until the electricity went off in our villa. As scary as this had been for the kids, it turned out to be a blessing because they were unable to switch on the television. I kept them entertained with a game of charades, which they later described as one of the highlights of their weekend.

Happily, Mo informed us that he was planning to extend our stay for another day. So Sunday was spent gleaning every second of fun and enjoyment which the place had to offer.

 

Then, sadly, the morning of our departure arrived. The kids were glum and I was not much better. But Mo had a 10:00 am meeting, so we packed up and said our sad goodbyes to the lovely villa and our magical weekend at Goudini.

Despite our constant search for other possible holiday destinations, I am certain we'll end up back at Goudini (hopefully in the Slanghoek villas) time and time again.