2009-09-23 – climbing and climbing... and then wining about it...

NB: the usual disclaimer; see old posts

We started the day with a nice, simple breakfast that included locally-baked bread, as well as fried eggs and tomato. (OK, Ms. Penguin started her day with her usual bird stalking, and saw, among other things, a rather feisty black-headed oriole.) We had the breakfast in the reception/dinner/common area at Wild Spirit Lodge, with a stunning view of the mountains and the valley in between. The breakfast was good fuel for our next activity – a two hour hike (Kalanderkloof Trail) in the Tsitsikamma National Park.

The hike was very enjoyable. We walked along a dry river bed through a beautiful forest filled with very old trees. One of the guys at Wild Spirit told us that we could encounter animals – baboons, vervet monkeys, antelope, and so on, but the only things we saw were birds and a cute little green-headed lizard. Hmmf.

The trail was also physically demanding at some parts, and involved a lot of climbing, including stairs that seemed to go on and on and on... who needs the silly stairmaster machine to work up a good sweat? Anyway, when the stairs did finally end, we were greeted with one of the most amazing views ever. A whole field of fynbos and views of the mountains and the sea. It's difficult to describe how incredible this view is, but we hope that the photos we took and will eventually publish here can help give an idea, but you just have to go there to see it and really enjoy it! Just be sure to wear proper shoes and clothing while on the hike though...

Oh, and we can't complain about the weather either. Around 25 Celsius and clear skies, with a nice breeze :-)

We were quite hungry after our hike, so we stopped at a little restaurant at Nature's Valley, a beachfront village inside the national park. Ms. Penguin got an ostrich burger topped with fried calamari, while Mr. Penguin got an ostrich burger topped with cheese, eggs, and bacon. Both served with fries on the side. Not the most gourmet thing in the world, but still yummy, especially after hiking and climbing for two hours... (one must appease the anti-exercise RoF, right? ;)

After lunch, we put on our Vibram Five Fingers to walk along the beach and do another trail that is along the coast. However, the terrain proved to be too much for the Five Fingers – too many sharp rocks and rocky outcrops – and if we had used our regular shoes they would have been filled with sand (been there, done that in the Namib desert; it blisters up your feet very quickly), so we gave up that idea and decided to drive around a little bit...

While driving, we came across a little wine estate called Bramon; it is named after the owners' children – Bram and Manon. They bring in barrels from various vineyards, but they make their own sparkling Sauvignon blanc, which is absolutely lovely and what the Penguins are drinking as they type this blog entry...

Tasting notes:

Bramon Sauvignon Blanc Brut 2007 (Plettenberg Bay). Methode Cap Classique.

color: very pale gold with a hint of green
nose: green apples, pears, grass
palate: dry and refreshing, with pleasant bubbles; flavor of green apples, pears, hint of grass; easy to drink (and perhaps get drunk on hehe... )
grade: :-)+

We also bought a bottle of their Shiraz and their Cabernet Sauvignon.

After the visit to Bramon, we stopped by a farm stall close to Wild Spirit Lodge to taste and buy some tasty local cheese. We also bought some homemade oatmeal cookies and a few bottles of water. It *is* safe to drink the tap water here, but sometimes it doesn't taste so great. We haven't tried it here (yet), but it's a good idea to have bottled water around anyway, especially for the drive to Oudtshoorn tomorrow...

And, as you have probably guessed, we're back at Wild Spirit Lodge, enjoying our wine, updating itchywebbedfeet, looking forward to the lamb stew for dinner tonight, and enjoying life some more... :-)