This evening’s journal entry comes from Oudtshoorn, ostrich capital of the world and former home to the infamous “feather barons”. The many ostrich farms in the area advertise tours that include the opportunity to ride an ostrich, and while I’m unfortunately over the 75 kg weight limit, it’s possible that there will be an interesting video of Audrey in tomorrow’s post.
Today was a travel day, so we took our time getting started, enjoyed breakfast at our comfy lodge/B&B, then drove a couple of hours east to the coastal town of Mossel Bay. I expected the town that marked the start of the Garden Route to be similar to Monterey or Carmel, and was a bit disappointed by its lack of character, but I gave it two bonus points just as we were about to leave when we spotted five humpback whales and at least thirty dolphins feeding within a stone’s throw of the shore.
From Mossel Bay we drove inland through the mountains and clouds, and then down to the town of Oudtshoorn, which any idiot would immediately realize is pronounced “Oats Horn” (I had to ask the owner of our B&B to pronounce it for me, twice). After arriving, and on the advice of the B&B owner, we went for a mid-afternoon lunch to the Bufflesdrift Game Lodge, which is essentially a giant ranch with animals in it. My mango and chicken salad was consumed while watching three hippos across a lake, while Audrey ate her venison bobotie while enamored with the big fish that populated the lake and swam below us begging for food.
Tomorrow we’ve got a couple of morning activities planned in Oudtshoorn, including the aforementioned ostrich farm tour, and from there the travel plan is still TBD, although we’re pretty sure to be heading back in the direction of Cape Town since our time in South Africa is winding down, with the final stage of the odyssey set to begin in just four more days.