Deserts and Daisies days 14 - 16
I didn't sleep too well last night. Probably a combination of gin, amarula and anxiety about the drive to Cape town airport . I can drive around country lanes and rural roads no problem, but hate driving around cities, especially ones I'm not familiar with.
We are packed up and ready to hand the keys back by 10am. I had to nip to an atm to get cash to pay our balance, the machine inside the supermarket wasn't working, so I used one in the carpark, I parked as close as I could but was still paranoid about getting mugged in the 10 seconds it took me to walk back to the car . That's what security gates and panic buttons do to you
Our flight is not until late evening, so we have a whole day to fill. I had originally planned to go back to west coast National park, but lack of flowers has scuppered that. My new plan is to head to a place called Yzerfontein , as the online flower guide says the flowers bloom later there. Then we'll go on to Darling, their annual flower show is next week, so surely they will have flowers .
At the turn off to Yzerfontein there is Weskus Padstall (West coast farm stall) with an 'info' sign at the entrance, so we pull in . The information kiosk is closed, but the farm stall, which is actually a restaurant , is very busy. They are doing a roaring trade in 'weigh your plate' breakfasts. I had hoped to ask someone about flowers in the area, but the staff look rushed off their feet. Out behind the restaurant they have a large aviary with all sorts of colourful birds and parrots. We buy coffee and cola so we don't feel guilty about walking around the aviary and using the loo, then back in the car it's only a few more kms to Yzarfontein . We fill up at a petrol station on the outskirts of town, right beside another closed information centre ( why are they all closed ? ) As usual, the town has no identifiable centre. We take random turns until we end up in a residential area of very nice, modern houses overlooking the sea. There are flowers blooming in the vacant lots and on the sand dunes. We park and wander a little way , it's deserted and the view is lovely , but I'm mindful that our luggage is in the car, so we don't go too far.
Next stop is Darling. There is a flower reserve a few miles out of town, the cars parked on both sides of the road make sure we don't miss it. We park and join the dozens of people in search of flowers. There are a few single blooms and a small carpet ( a rug ?
)of yellow flowers , nothing fantastic.
Back at the car there are ostriches on the other side of the fence. I spend ages trying to get a close up head shot.
Darling is busier than Yzerfontein and at least has a main street. We try a trip advisor recommended cafe for lunch, but it seems they are serving a very limited meat based buffet, so we follow signs to an info centre in a church, it's actually open. The guy manning it recommends an alternative place for lunch, then another reserve on the way out of town, but warns us 'you're a bit early for flowers ' Can't win !
We have a rather boring lunch of cheese toasties then back in the car to find the reserve. At first it looks as though the entrance is locked, but then I spot a couple inside and realise the chain and padlock aren't fastened. We have a short wander , but there is little to see except for a tortoise who trundles across our path so fast I only catch him disappearing into the undergrowth .
Nothing left to do but head to the airport. Heading out of town there are many clumps of what look like Arum lillies growing in fields and by the roadside, look so odd growing wild.
Google maps does a good job of getting us to the airport. I only go wrong once but the woman's voice doesn't take on a snotty tone like I'm sure our sat nav does when she tells me to turn around
The traffic isn't too bad and most people seem to be driving considerately. Driving past a township on the outskirts there are police, an ambulance and dozens of people all milling about on the dual carriageway. No idea what is going on, but our doors are locked, windows up and the traffic keeps moving, and we are soon at the airport, where I take my second wrong turn. I didn't believe the rental car return and exit were the same so did a couple of laps of the carpark
. A woman from Avis checks the car over and tells me there will be a valet charge as the interior is dirty, fair enough, we have half the Kalahari on the floor, but I've heard stories of excess charges being applied so we'll see what the final cost is.
I'm so relieved to have got to the airport without incident that I relax my guard for a minute while we get ourselves and our belongings together, big mistake. A 'porter' appears with a luggage trolley before I could actually go and get one myself, he's loading our bags onto it while telling me ' it's a long walk and he knows the quickest way' . I know it's going to cost me , but I let him push the trolley and lead us across the road, instead of the pedestrian walkway, all the time he's telling me a sob story of a sick child and hospital bills and family to feed etc etc. He mentions his fee and I try not to laugh. Needless to say when we reach the terminal and I give him a more than reasonable R50 ( just over £2 )he gets shirty and demands R150 , I tell him ' R50 is more than fair, thank you and goodbye ' . We are so early our check in desk hasn't opened. While we wait we try and drink all our remaining water and soda and eat the odd assortment of snacks that are already opened. Once checked in we have another 3 hours to kill before boarding. We do a bit of souvenir shopping and I try my best to use up my remaining mobile data. We have an uneventful flight home, but KLM have no record of my ordering a vegetarian meal, even though I phoned to do it , and they have no vege meals left. I'm wishing we hadn't eaten our leftover snacks when the stewardess presents me with a tray from business class. It's a bit of a strange meal as she has collected anything vegetarian she can find, but at least I don't go hungry , I do like KLM
So, we've been home 11 months now, and I want to go back. I'm not sure what it is about South Africa, there are so many other destinations on my list I've yet to visit, but I think one more trip, next year, if the virus allows, maybe to Northern Kruger and I might be satisfied.