29.03.2016 – 29.03.2016  26 °C

Dad + I got ourselves up early + headed out for an early morning walk along the beach. Gorgeous steel blue + pink colours ~ I really should get myself up early more often! Two stray dogs decided to be friend us + so we had an entourage follow us up + down the beach + around the town.

We took off after brekky + made our start down the Garden Route. The Garden Route has always been in my mind as one of the great drives. When I think Great drives I’ve always thought Great Ocean Road, Pacific Hwy (San Fran to LA), French Riviera + Garden Route….. Well, that is until today…..

The drive from J Bay to Plettenberg Bay was the highlight. We crossed a couple of very deep canyons. One at which we grabbed a coffee + the other the highest bunjy jump in the world (216 metres)… crazy to see people happily jumping down into this chasm with one little chord keeping them safe. All in all the drive reminded me of driving the coast road in Au. Bush looks an awful lot like ours~ very reminiscent of driving in Au.

By lunchtime we had arrived in Plettenberg Bay (Plett). Plett reminds me of Coffs Harbour. Lots of post 80s houses perched high on the hill overlooking a bay. Nice enough I suppose but not really what he had in mind for somewhere to stay for two nights. We grabbed some salad + a cold drink before deciding Plett was fairly underwhelming + we’d try for Knysna (pronounced Niez-na).

To be more than frank it too was completely underwhelming…. A town perched around the sides of a lake. Lake itself was fairly weed encrusted and the town was huge with very little character! For some reason the guide book and internet had given us the impression that both towns would be quite cute, quaint sea side villages…. Which neither were! Plett was so similar to Coffs as to be not funny and Knysna something akin to Murwillimbah except on a lakeside…. We were so disappointed and grumpy that we checked into a hotel on the lake. I then had some retail therapy buying an Angora jumper for $30 before we grabbed some Chinese for dinner + hit the sack early.

Garden Route you are not living up to expectations! We’ve only travelled half so here’s hoping it gets better tomorrow~ mountains here we come