SouthAfricaGardenRoute

Today is going to be an adrenaline day because we are heading to the Bloukrans bridge for a little bungy jumping. Did I say little; I actually meant to say the world's highest bungy jump at 216 meters or around 650 feet. For those not good with distances, imagine jumping out a window from the 65th floor. The bridge itself is the tallest in the southern hemisphere and the third highest in the world. We had to backtrack an hour because yesterday when we drove by the wind was too strong and the bungi operation shutdown early. Ed and I were the only brave souls that planned on making a leap of faith.

A few years ago, Karen and I were on vacation in New Zealand with Karen's sister Kris and her husband Keith. The girls signed us up for the Awesome Threesome package, which meant we would bungy off a pipeline over a ravine 106 meters. At the time it was the world's highest bungy but now this distance had been doubled. I was excited about doing it again but a little nervous. Ed had never done a bungy jump before and is always looking for an adrenaline rush. The rest of the crew were going to stand back and pray for our return. I decided to add a little spin on my jump because I planned on jumping with my video camera strapped to my hand. The Sony PC-10 is actually perfect for this because it actually fits in the palm of your hand and is very light.

In New Zealand the bungy setup was fairly dodgy and did not have an air of professionalism. The folks running the Bloukrans jump had their act together. We each wore a body harness that served as a backup in case our feet slipped out of the bungy. The crew members all had on headsets for direct communications with each other. It probably doesn't make a difference but it sure does make you feel better. We had a group of five going including one guy who was 74 years old. He was a tough old bird, the largest of the group wearing only shorts, T-shirt and sandals. It was very cold out and this guy was acting like it was the middle of summer. He also got a good deal because if you are over the age of 65 they let you jump for free. After we all had our safety harnesses on it was time to make the walk. The bridge was not designed for bungy jumping so a wire frame walkway was added to the underside of the bridge. They should actually charge for the walk because it is an adventure in itself. The walkway floor is made of corrugated metal that gives you a clear look down. The walkway even sags a little when you step in the middle. If you can make it over the walkway the bungy will be a piece of cake.

We arrived at the center of the bridge and found a full crew, lots of equipment and loud music. After a short introduction it is time to get started. The heavy people go first because the bungy gets longer after each time it is used. The more weight you have the further the bungy will stretch on your free fall. The guy who is 74 years young is first and he sure is an inspiration. He can't wait for the jump. After his return to the bridge from his brief imitation of a bird-in-flight he gives everyone high fives and he has become 6'4", invisible and bullet proof. I hope when I hit 74 I have half his strength and enthusiasm about life. It is my turn now which means gut check time.

I sit in a chair and a crew member shows me the special bungy gear. It is a pad that gets wrapped around each ankle and secured with velcro. This is a far sight better than the green bath towel they used in New Zealand! After the padding is in place, he wraps a super strong strap around each ankle in a way that creates a slip knot. The rubber bungy actually attaches to the strap and the body harness in turn connects to the bungy. He explains the slip knot is the perfect knot for this jump because the more pressure you put on it the tighter it gets. They should change the name of the knot because the words 'slip' and 'bungy' should not be used in the same sentence. My feet are tied together and the video camera is secured in the palm of my right hand. The next part really scares you because you have to hop over to the staging section for the jump. Having your legs bound together does prevent you from running away.

Another guy comes over to make sure everything is connected the way it should be and everyone is calling out "Check, Check." It is time to head to the edge. They connect the bungy to my ankles and lower the slack over the edge. I have two guys holding on to me making sure I don't jump too early. These guys are good because you really can't wait to jump and they are keeping you pumped up the entire time. They call out Five, Four, Three, Two, One and I jump off the edge. I have flying dreams all the time, that somehow I figured out a way to jump off the ground and glide on the wind. I, of course, always wake up and can't remember the tricks to dream flying. I am currently not dreaming but I am certainly flying. I have enough state of mind to remember that I am video taping this so I point the camera at my face for a picture of fear. To get a timing perspective stop reading and count out one-thousand, two-one thousand, three-one thousand until you get to eight-one thousand. This is how long I am heading straight down at over 120 MPH before the bungy does its job of shooting me straight back up. I am flying pointing the video camera and thinking why hasn't the bungy caught yet. Because you just jumped out of a 65 story window and it will take a while before you hit the ground! At some point you stop falling but it is a very gradual and smooth transition before the stored energy of the bungy shoots you back up to the sky above. You get three or four complete up and down cycles before it is time to just hang upside down before you are rescued. The adrenaline and blood are all rushing to my head as I look into the gorge below. As I hang up side down spinning in circles, I am thankful that a whole bunch of rubber bands has allowed me to fly and will be returning me back to Earth. I look up and see my ride coming to get me. They lower a guy down on a steel cable attached to a giant winch motor. He checks to make sure I am still breathing, it should be obvious because I have not stop talking about what an amazing ride I just took. He hooks on his cable and radios up to the bridge crew to winch us up.

Once back on the bridge, it is Ed's turn. He seems a little nervous and he really should be. He is all strapped in and ready to go but he does not like the current song playing on the CD. He asks for one of his favorites by Green Day and it is now his turn to fly. Once he left the bridge that was the last we saw of him. Ten minutes later after they reel him back in he is ready to go again. Bungy jumping is an experience of a lifetime and I can't wait for a new world's highest bungy jump so I can fly again. For now I will have to be happy with my dream flying.

It would seem that we are having boy time and not doing what the girls want to do. Which means we have to get back in the Ventura, head back to Knysna for food and looking at old houses. Boys will be boys and girls will be girls. Knysna is famous for its oysters which are farmed in the lagoon under controlled settings. They are harvested and brought back to water tanks that help make sure they will be healthy when eaten raw. It is a cute Oyster bar that must get really packed during the summer. Since all they served was Oysters and beer we needed to find a more substantial meal. We landed at The Cranzgot's Restaurant with a spectacular view of the lagoon and the Heads looking out into the ocean. We also got a chance to watch the video that I took of me jumping off the bridge. It captured the experience very well and it is a home video worth watching.

After lunch we climb around on the cliffs looking down to the Indian Ocean. We are in a very upscale neighborhood which usually goes hand-in-hand with spectacular views of the ocean the world over. You can only imagine what this area was like before the white settlers came and forced the Hottentots (native people) to abandon such beauty. Now we are driving on paved roads admiring the size and splendor of the estates. Kim is firmly in control and our next stop is a quaint little village of Belvedere known for it's 1850's Norman style church. This is not a village in the African definition but a place that says, "I have a lot of money therefore I chose to live here." Behind the white picket fences and under the thick thatch roofs, people are playing with their dogs, sipping wine, overlooking the water, and waiting for the sunset to end another day.

We have driven to the other side of the lagoon across from Knysna so we decide to continue on to the ocean. We stop at the Brenton-On Sea Hotel for a sundowner. This would be a great place to stay for a couple of days. It overlooks an 8 km sandy white beach. Somehow it is dinner time but we are more interested in finding a beer or two because of our big lunch. Our last stop for the evening was at the happening Tapas Restaurant at Thesen's Jetty. The word Tapas is being used loosely because it is pretty much a dive and food consists of things heated up in one of six microwaves. They had a band when we first got there which allowed us to have a few drinks and a couple Tapas. When the band packed up they switched to very bad Kareoke which meant it was time to go home.

Today is going to be a long day because we are heading to ostrich farm country three hours inland. We all contemplated going on an ostrich ride but we settled for a quick roadside picture. The Outdshorn region is known for ostriches, wild flowers, mountain passes and our destination of Cango caves. The Cango caves offer a couple of tours depending on your health, size and spirit of adventure. We, of course, pick the max tour and so do twenty other people signed up for the 1:00 PM departure. The caves are once again more than we expected. The tour starts out in large caverns filled with stalagmites and stalactites touching each other after millions of years of growth. The chambers are very impressive and the lighting highlights the beauty. After walking for thirty minutes through various caverns we begin our adventure portion of the tour. We begin with the Lumbago Walk, the narrow Tunnel of Love, the even smaller Devil's Chimney and finally sliding through the Letter Box. Climbing through impossibly small crevices was more fun than you would think. At the end of the tour we are allowed to walk back without our guide, it gives you a completely different perspective when you can see the giant rooms and rock formations without a tour group. We all thought it was a good bang for the buck and well worth the inland detour. The drive back to the coast took us through miles of Ostrich farms and cloud covered passes to the ocean.

Mossel Bay is our next destination and it does not have too much to offer the tourist. Ed managed to sneak in two hours of surfing while we headed to town to do a little tourist "Checking It." We found a museum that was devoted to the discovery of South Africa by the Portuguese sailors. They even have a replica of the ship that Diaz used to sail from Portugal to Mossel Bay, South Africa in 1488. The replica ship was built in 1988 in Portugal and sailed to Mossel Bay. I guess it had a few water leaking problems because it is now in the center of the museum and it will probably never leave. We did the money exchange thing and poked our head into a couple of tourist shops. It is time to go get Ed and continue our drive to Hermanus for Whale watching. Ed was being Ed and we found him still trying to catch the next big wave.

Hermanus is a popular seaside resort; its claim to fame is whale watching. Boats are not allowed within 300 meters of whales, so the whales swim close to the shore putting on a great show. Karen decided to partake in Red Bull during the drive and was soon putting on an original rendition of the Karen show. It was quite entertaining and we are still trying to figure out what she was talking about. We arrived late into Hermanus and picked the Windsor Hotel for our evening's lodging. It had a great location on the ocean and in the center of town. We managed to sneak into the Ocean Basket before the last dinner seating and we were rewarded with outstanding seafood. Most of us had the line fish which is Kingclip and our plates were all clean enough to be put back on the shelf. A couple of cocktails at the trendy O'Bar club and it was time to take Karen home because the Karen Show was done.



We are in the middle of whale watching season which lasts from June-November. The Southern Right whales head up from the cold water in Antarctica to Hermanus to calve. Kris and Keith lived in Hawaii for six years so they have tons of whale watching experience. After breakfast we head out the backdoor of the hotel for a short walk to the cliffs. What makes Hermanus special for whale watching is the watching of whales from the cliffs. The whales are known to swim up to the cliff edge with their calves and hang out. If you are lucky enough you will be able to look straight down into the water and see whales up close. We did not have that kind of whale luck but we did get to see numerous whales playing in the bay. The whale entertainment started with a couple of jumps which leaves you speechless each time something that big comes roaring out of the water. Ed picked us up in the Ventura and we followed the bay around stopping at the different beaches. The town is stunning and we all decided that we could move to Hermanus. Everywhere we went whales could be seen playing within a hundred yards of shore. Hermanus is well worth a visit and an even nicer place to live.

The whales could have kept us entertained all day but we have an even more important task ahead of us. Did someone mention Wine country? The Krumholtz, girls are giddy with the anticipation of wine vineyards, yummy food and an afternoon of wine tasting. The boys all understand this is a chick thing but I think we were all equally excited about kicking back some wine. The drive is along the coast and the scenery and views are unequaled to anyplace we have ever been. The ocean meets the Africa continent with a beauty that is impossible to describe. You will have to visit for yourself to truly understand.