Knysna: Day One

On May 9th, Didier and I jumped on an early 8am flight to one of the prettiest towns in South Africa: Knysna (nii-s-na).

It was a whirlwind five day trip to his hometown to visit his mother, Mylene, and stepdad, Nick, who had just moved back to SA from neighboring island country, Mauritius.

Knysna is marked by the blue heart 

The trip meant a lot to Dids as the last time he saw his mother was back in August during a visit to Scotland (where they had been living). I was also looking forward to meeting her and Nick. We had chatted a lot on Skype but of course nothing is as good as spending time together in person :) 

They were there to pick us up in at the George airport and it was hugs all around. A great reunion!

From the airport, we packed up the car and began the 45 minute drive to Knysna. 

I wish I could bottle the feeling I got once the car pulled off and I rolled down my window to reach my fingers out into the open air. After spending nearly 3 months straight in the big, bustling city Joburg, it was downright orgasmic to take in full fresh breaths of sweet ocean air and look around and see nothing but farmland and green mountain ranges. 

It was so freeing. I have always considered myself a city person but the relief I felt once we stepped outside in George made me sort of rethink that. 

Granted, you'll never find me nestling into a country life with chicken coops and outhouses, but now I know that I also can't fit into a life that doesn't involve wide open spaces. 

We are pretty spoiled in Canada, being that our cities really aren't so big (I'm talking Joburg big -- like 7 million people) that you ever feel choked by the traffic and concrete. Mountains, farmland, and lakes are never far away. I like that. More and more, I am beginning to see the value in living in a country that offers the best of both city and rural lifestyles. 

Knsyna 2011 

As our car first pulled around the bend that would ultimately bring us into town, the Knysna Lagoon stretched out wide and blue on my right-hand side. The curvaceous road snaked along its banks and large wooded hills loomed all around. What a stunning view! 

Knysna is nestled down at the bottom of these rolling hills, near the water

The town itself was quaint and bustling with activity. At around 55,000 residents, it's small enough that everyone knows everyone, but big enough to support nice malls, restaurants, and community life. I had a great time hearing from Dids and his family how it has changed since they last lived there over 5 years ago. 

The best part for me was the safety aspect. We could walk around downtown without fear of being mugged or assaulted. It was so nice to relax the mind a bit. In Joburg, unfortunately personal safety is a 24/7 stressor. You always have to be so vigilant of your surroundings. It felt like a burden had lifted once we hit the streets of Knysna and could walk around and simply enjoy the sunshine and little shops.  

Since Mylene and Nick are currently renovating their house and living in the guest cottage, it was beyond wonderful that Darvey stepped in and offered Dids and I the use of his father's apartment for the week. It was perfect! It was a two storey, brand new (we're talking like <6 months old) place, complete with fire place, balcony, and the comfiest bed I've slept on in a long time :). The location was prime too! Right downtown, only blocks from the mall, waterfront, and the best little French cafe: Le Petit Pain. 

  

We grabbed cappuccinos and croissants here nearly every morning! 

Dids and his mama

Our first day in Knsyna was low-key. We settled into the apartment and went for a walk downtown. In the afternoon, Dids and I took the car over to Leisure Island. What a beauty this place was!

It's a small residential island about a 3 minute drive from town. The best thing it boasts is something you see so rarely here in SA: unfenced front yards!! I nearly fainted at the sight. Living in the big city, you sort of forget what it's like to walk down a street and see flower gardens and front porches. It seems trivial, but I was so happy to see what I would call a "normal" street of houses. It so reminded me of home.

The view from the island is spectacular. It faces The Heads, which are the two opposing mountain ranges that form the mouth that opens into the Knysna Lagoon from the Indian Ocean.

Funnily enough, only one of The Heads has been residentially developed. I'm guessing the owner of the second one (yes -- they are both privately owned!) realized what an eye sore it was and opted to take the environmental high road. At least that is what I like to think.
 

View from the shore of Leisure Island: The Heads in the background with low tide beach front in the foreground 

Such gorgeous houses, eh? And they are even prettier without huge barbed wire fencing ;) 

With only an hour or so of daylight left, Dids and I parked the car next to the beach, rolled up our jeans, and ran onto the sand to go play in the ocean. 

I was introduced to so many exciting ocean creatures! In low tide, I spotted sea anemones, blood worms (a fisherman showed me one that stretched over four feet long! EW.), slugs, sea snails, and lots of tiny crabs and other shell-dwellers. Even though a lot of them freaked me out, it was super fun to play on the beach and see such interesting critters. Reminded me of being a kid!  

Playing on the beach :) 

Footsteps in the sand...

Haha :)

Tide's comin' in!

The winter water was a bit chilly, but not too bad considering it was low tide and had been getting sun all day 

You can notice the tide creeping in on us. It rose so fast! 

You can see by looking at the dark sand how high the water level gets once the tide is in.

Bye bye beach and hello gorgeous sunset!

After driving back to town, we picked up Mylene and Nick for dinner. Darvey also joined in (he works in Mossel Bay -- a few hours from Knysna)! We ate outside on an oceanfront patio. It was a chilly evening but thankfully the restaurant provided blankets. 

By the time we got home, I was ready to hit the sack. Between the 5am wake up and all the fresh ocean air, I was zonked. 

... but of course, Dids had to kiss the prawns goodnight first. haha!

Smoooooch!