Back on line again.

Yippee the ladies football teams have gone home and we again have WiFi in the hotel, with upwards of 60 players plus support staff constantly on Facebook etc there was no bandwidth left for us guests. I have actually been treating this break as a holiday, I am hashing three days a week plus a quiz on Thursdays, which we won this week, and also getting to listen to some live music - Frankie Vali tonight and the Blues Brothers tomorrow night. This afternoon I played Boules and we had a Frenchman playing, he instructed us in the etiquette of the game, there seem to be more rules on etiquette than on how the game is actually played. I am on fully inclusive at this hotel but I have been out with friends for meals most nights, buffet evening meals are not for me. On Monday we said goodbye to Pauline and Jim, they are leaving the island after having lived here for 28 years and they are not the only people going home disillusioned with the 'new Cyprus' More soon.

Cyprus 2016

Manchester Airport Terminal 2. What a comedown from my last two airport experiences at Heathrow Terminal 5 and Liverpool which were efficient and friendly. Initially huge queues to book in with Thomson fortunately they had a number of check in desks open but then the security nightmare began, queue, queue, queue for the two channels they had open even though there were enough staff hanging around to open at least another two channels and the attitude of the people staffing the area was appalling, the passengers were treated as inconvenient encumbrances. The disastrous consequences of all the queuing was no Frankie and Bennie’s breakfast which maybe in the great scheme of things was good for me.

Next rant. If you ever fly Thomson do not get an aisle seat, the aisle seems to be narrower than on other airlines and the stewardesses are wider, a bit like the stewardess on the National Express song, there was a miniature Irish steward but he had no control over his elbows so everyone in aisle seats were constantly being battered or losing their books, drinks etc, the poor girl in front of me had just poured her champagne into the stylish plastic cup provided when the leprechaun knocked it all over her handbag and shoes. I am getting a window seat on the return flight to keep clear of the mayhem.

Booking a three week all-inclusive holiday in Cyprus was probably not the best way of starting a new healthy lifestyle, especially now the understairs is packed to bursting with wine including too many ordered during my South Africa trip. The restaurant in the hotel provides buffet food only so that could aid the healthy lifestyle ‘cos I won’t be eating the tepid food that has been sitting on the counter for hours, looks like fruit for breakfast and salads for lunch and dinner with the occasional kebab and fish & chips at local restaurants.

Enough gloom and doom, today is a new day, the sun is shining and it is lovely and warm. I wonder what it is like in the UK!

Looking back, this is the first hotel holiday I have been on since Jan and I went to Tunisia over New Year about 12 years ago but despite the usual disadvantages like the tepid food and listening to the people next door there are definitely positives. I am surrounded by staff who cater to my every need, no cleaning up after myself and even the bed gets made but the nicest thing about this hotel is it is located centrally for all the places I want to visit and is even on the bus route. The biggest problem at the moment is the hotel is full, there are four teams staying here who are taking part in the Cyprus Cup which is women's competition so it is not all bad. 

I have had to try all over the hotel to find a good enough wifi signal to connect my laptop but I found it by squeezing onto the pay terminal in the foyer so things should be OK from here.

Last night I met Paul and Teresa at Lambros (my favourite fish & chip restaurant) and we went on from there to a quiz, we did not win this time. I am meeting up with another group of friends on Sunday for lunch and music, I will take the camera.

Idiot

I arrived today at 1230 at the Sevilla Rock Art Trail in the Cederberg in my air conditioned car and set off on the 5km ramble around nine rock art sites it was a unique experience for me and I also enjoyed all the deer and antelope I saw en-route but I was not too keen on the troops of baboons. By the time I finished the walk I had drunk the whole of the one and a half litre bottle of water I had with me and the lady who runs the site said I was mad to go out in the 40+ temperatures. When I saw my bright red face in the mirror I agreed with her. That is one problem with aircon it lulls you into a false sense of security, I have now finished a second bottle of water.
So that is it, holiday nearly over just pack the case and meander down to Cape Town tomorrow.
Next year I will come a little later when it is not so hot.

From the sublime...............

I left the luxury of Marie's B&B on Saturday morning after a wonderful 2 day break the only drawback were Wal and Reen from Grimsby, they were a talking tag-team and never seemed to draw breath, I got caught twice but now I know the history of their family, friends jobs and holidays. I had a long trip planned to make my way to Tulbagh. The route was scenic. First I took the Swartberg Pass to Prince Albert as suggested by BB.

The top of the pass is 1500 feet higher than Snowdon and they even put a sign up to let you know you have arrived.

 

 

The views are spectacular and a little scary - no barriers on this road.

 




Prince Albert itself was just another desert village so I just stopped for water.







The next stop was at The Milner Hotel in Matjiesfontein, which was being set up for a wedding later that evening.

Matjiesfontain, built in 1884, is just a one sided strip next to the railway line in the middle of nowhere, where the train still stops.

I settled for lunch in the Old Post Office.

 

I arrived in Tulbagh in good time to get to the sports bar for the start of the Six Nations in fact I was early and caught the final hour of the England One Day International where Jos Buttler destroyed South Africa's hopes with three consecutive sixes, I felt sorry for all the guys so I bought a round for the bar, I don't actually remember leaving there.

 

The B&B I was booked into bears no comparison with my previous 2 days and there was no one around to make breakfast the following morning or for check out - that will be an enjoyable Trip Advisor entry. The same will probably happen at the current place but I shall not bore you with my moans.

 

I had a good day exploring today, I went up to Eland's bay which is impressive to look at and because of the cold sea quite refreshingly cool but not a place I would revisit. My second call was to The Baths which are naturally heated baths 18kms South of Citrusdal.

I spent a pleasant hour or two there and may do again tomorrow.

Earthbound again.

Yesterday's drive up to Oudtshoorn was uneventful but for the scenery I am sure I drove some of the locals nuts by cruising along on their roads and getting in the way when they had places to get in a hurry but there were no honking horns or rude gestures, so much more relaxed than us northern hemisphere types.

South Africa's very own Uluru

This photo cannot capture the majesty of these mountains.

Another busy road in the Langkloof.

I stopped of for lunch at Ray's Cafe in De Rust and asked him what I should not miss in De Rust he told me to forget the town unless I wanted local crafts or wine and to head up to Meiringspoort just 20 minutes North for as he put it 'the nature', he was right but for some reason my camera misbehaved so the photos of the pass, waterfall and pools are only in my head.

I had a lovely welcome back to Earthbound guest house by Marie and her staff, this place is a gem. I said last year that I was glad not too many people read this blog because otherwise she would be booked all year well despite that she IS booked all year in fact I met one couple who are now on their sixth visit so if you do want to visit and I recommend you do, book well in advance.







Last night's Sirloin steak on the bone plus two beers and a dessert at the local branch of the Spur chain (which I found out is owned by Marie's husband Bas) came to a massive £9.00 including a JB sized tip, Oh and that included the taxi there and back. Why do we put up with high prices, rain and misery in the UK when all this is available just 12 hours away?

Pissed off in PE

While here in Port Elizabeth I had plans to explore the old part of the city and the beach-front as well as visit the Addo Elephant National Park but that has been put on hold until my next visit. I must admit I could not have found a nicer B&B to have to spend some time in, thankfully I am not stuck in some basic hotel room. 

If you ever visit Port Elizabeth I can thoroughly recommend the Millbury Guest House, I will certainly use it when I come back next time.






Hopefully after nearly three days rest my knee won't object too much tomorrow on our scenic road trip up to Oudtshoorn pronounced Oats-horn. My host and hostess here Colleen and Dennis have given me all sorts of information and suggestions for my future travels so the next seven days are going to be very full.

My flight out of here next Wednesday is not until 9.30pm so after a full day's exploring I was thinking of booking a hotel room to have a shower, chill and change before booking in at the airport but I found that Bidvest have an airport lounge that I can use for up to three hours before my flight and they offer showers, towels etc as well as snacks and drinks for less than twenty quid so that is a bargain and I won't get on the plane smelling like Jock o' The Bushveldt.

Wifi and knees.

The wifi in my B&B ran out 4 days ago so I am playing catchup now I am in the Millbury luxury guest house in Port Elizabeth. This is an amazing place, the bed is big enough for four, my room is huge with a couch, table and chairs, kitchenette, real wood floors and bathroom with shower and double ended bath and that does not include the garden, pool and undercover BBQ area.

For the past few days I have been chilling and doing some casual exploring. I had to check out the Bloukrans Pass which all the signs said was closed but lo and behold some South African gentleman with initiative has removed the government berm and the road is open if a little dodgy in places.

Friday after a failed trip into the forest to visit the first goldmine in South Africa (someone phoned in sick) I went down to Robberg beach for a walk, it was only three or four miles but now my left knee is objecting but it did give me the opportunity to take a photo of the Robberg Peninsula which I had walked earlier in the week.

Saturday I revisited the Farmers market in Sedgefield which is heavily supported and I met a couple of people I had zipped with earlier in the week - I am now fully conversant with all the problems of South Africa having had the benefit of Julie's insight now on two occasions.
While in Sedgefield I had another look at the house I had liked last week and had a good old explore, one of the most interesting finds was Sedgefield Classic cars which was displaying cars from 1940s American and European up to 1980s Japanese Classics?? there were also a couple of Moggy Minors. Being back in the area again I could not resist visiting Hoekwil again for coffee and carrot cake.

Yesterday saw me back in the forest at the Bendigo gold mine outside Knysna but thed best thing was the speed trap put up by a local farmer who is obviously fed up with people speeding past his place.

I also snapped a photo of Knysna's equivalent of Dai Logs.

And being Sunday I stopped for a late lunch at Totties  a backwoods country store that sold everything as well as a buffet three course lunch including roast lamb dinner, with the shade temperature just above 30C I settled for two plates of salad.

I am now in Port Elizabeth for three nights, I did have plans to get out and about but I will have to see how the knee holds up - it is now about twice normal size.

They have an interesting set up in the chemists over here, drugs are only sold in pharmacies but I have been into the 'self prescribing' channel and told them what pills Dr Ramsey prescribed for me last year and they said Oh yes we have them and handed them over, no prescription required.