It was about a six-hour drive but we stopped in Mossel Bay to go through the Bartholomeu Dias Museum Complex, which was established in 1988 to mark the 500th anniversary of his historic landfall. A full-sized replica of Dias' ship is housed in the museum and is one of two replicas of the ship, which was used to round the Cape of Good Hope in 1488. The replica was built in Portugal in 1987 and set sail for Mossel Bay, using Dias' route. The crew of 14 made in it three months, as opposed to the six months it took Dias. The replica weighs 130 tons, and it was lifted from the water and lowered into the specially altered museum with its high-angled roof, clerestory windows and sunken floor for the keel.
The replica was interesting; it was much larger than the replicas we've seen of Christopher Columbus' Pinta, Nina and Santa Maria.
The museum itself was alright but it really didn't engage us. It featured old maps, photographs, documents and information detailing the first explorations around the tip of Africa including about Dias as well as da Gama, who "discovered" the route to India. There also was information about the Portuguese and their colonization of Africa before the Dutch arrived.
We talk about globalization today but, hey, it's been going on a long time. The only difference is the technology. It reminds me of a book I read - 1493 by Charles Mann.
We didn't spend any time in Mossel Bay because of the time restrictions - it was a very long drive to Plettenberg Bay - but we did see an offshore platform that we learned is probably part of the controversial and costly Mossgas development, which was initiated by the discovery of natural offshore gas fields. Mossgas is South Africa's giant oil producing plant. PetroSA, which owns the Mossgas plant, signed a deal with Russia's Rosgeo in which Russia invested about R5 billion for the development and exploration of a portion of the South Coast of South Africa.
We also saw a huge refinery for Petro SA, South Africa's national oil company. It's called the GTL Refinery, and it processes both the gas and condensate to produce liquid fuels and chemicals. PetroSA's main activities are the extraction of natural gas from offshore fields, the production of synthetic fuels from the gas, the extraction of crude oil from oil fields of the South Coast of South Africa.
The drive to Mossel Bay was through an agricultural landscape. It was unremarkable, really, but beautiful. Very pastoral. Lots of different crops with which we are not familiar. There were fields of gold, which we suspect is canola but we're going to have to do our research.
Beth really liked the shoulders of rounded farm fields, folding one upon the other into the very long distance. She said she would look to the far end of a distant field, then spot sheep that looked so very, very tiny - the distance was much greater than she thought. Then, behind the fields, were those ancient rock mountains just soaring up. Very imposing.
Agriculture in South Africa contributes around 10% of formal employment, relatively low compared to other parts of Africa. It provides work for casual laborers and contributes around 2.6 percent of GDP for the nation. We saw several locations at which we thought the "casual laborers" were being picked up to be taken to the fields. All the "casual laborers," of course, were black.
Only 13.5 percent of the land can be used for crop production because of the aridity of the land. South Africa is one of the world's largest producers of chicory roots, grapefruit, cereals, green maize and maize, castor oil seed, pears, sisal and fibre crops. The dairy industry consists of around 4,300 milk producers providing employment for 60,000 farm workers and contributing to the livelihoods of around 40,000 others.
We also saw many pastures with sheep, dairy cattle and beef cattle. We saw orchards too but didn't see anything that resembled a chicken farm or pig farm - and it seems they eat a lot of chicken here.
We saw the blue crane, which is South Africa's national bird. It's huge, and as you can see, they were co-mingling with the sheep.
Oh - and we saw our first zebras, as we were approaching Plettenberg Bay. They and some Springbok were in a pasture, as they're part of a "wildlife sanctuary." There are several "wildlife sanctuaries" in the area - it almost feels like Branson or some of those areas in which you can view "wildlife" - for a price.
We didn't see the Indian Ocean until we nearly reached Mossel Bay, and it's a beautiful aqua color - much like you would see in the Caribbean, tropical-colored water. It's supposed to be warmer than the Atlantic but we haven't gotten close enough to it to dip our toes to test that theory.
The landscape changed dramatically after we left Mossel Bay, as the landscape now featured green growth - lots of trees - and lots of lagoons as well as wetland areas. Apparently, there is a swath from Mossel Bay to 50 km on the other side of Plettenberg Bay that is indigenous forests. They saved some of it, as we saw a lot of clear cutting that was evidence of past logging. There was a patchwork of state-forest reserves in the area that was amalgamated into the Garden Route National Park. The forests support many impressively old Outeniqua yellowwood, ironwood and stinkwood trees.
Knysna was beautiful. I did not get a photo of it but it featured a 11-mile-long lagoon that is protected from the sea by two sandstone cliffs, the Knysna. Apparently, boat building and oysters cultivated in the lagoon are the major industries. In fact, South Africa's largest commercial oyster-farming center is based at Knysna Lagoon
A couple of things on our way to our forest cabin: there were places at which police were stopping vehicles on the highway. They had jackets on that said "breathalyzer," so we assumed they were checking for drunk drivers. It was Sunday, and we thought it a little odd but as we were leaving Mossel Bay, we got a better understanding as we passed through a township that was having a party! Yep, right next to the road. We had seen the township from afar - it was sitting on top of a hill, and everyone was gathered for the afternoon. We assumed there probably was a lot of drinking. We did not get pulled over but a lot of cars were being pulled over by the "breathalyzer."
We arrived at our little forest cabin, and it's delightful We actually have a small stove in which to build a fire, and the cabin is small so we can be cozy tonight (along with electric blankets).
We met Albert, who greeted us upon our arrival. He is German, his wife Sue is South African. We didn't meet Sue but Albert was very talkative, explaining to us about the forest, the birds, the monkeys and baboons (!), and the mountain ranges.
When telling us about when the gate closes (9 p.m.), he stated "Looking at you, you won't be out past 9). Ha! We wanted to tell him were looking for the closest disco!
After having told him where we have been so far, he assessed it as "Africa Lite," which is something we've kind of felt all along i.e. we're only experiencing the European Africa. But as we move north, we'll be experiencing Africa as we have come to know it through all those mediated images and narratives. Ha!
The braai at the cabin is, well, an open fire pit. My bag of charcoal didn't go, so we fixed supper in the cabin.
We have to go to the "wi-fi palace" ( a small building up near Albert's home and the reception office) in order to use internet so I don't know when I'll post again. We're going to explore the area in the next two days so, hopefully, we'll have something to tell you!
We think this is castor seed.
The rolling hills of crops.
South Africa's national bird - the Blue Crane - amongst the sheep. :)
This is the old granary in the Dias museum complex, probably built in the 1830s.
This is the replica of the boat Dias sailed. The photo doesn't do justice to it because it was quite large.
This is the Old Post Office Tree in the Dias complex. It is about 500 years old (do you see a figure in it?). It is so named because it acted as a mail system for seagoing men in the 1500s. It’s an old milk-wood tree on which sailors used to hang their shoes with notes in them for safe delivery. This is a National Monument and is generally known as Post Office tree.
The South Africa Mail System started because of this gnarled milk-wood tree. In 1500, one of the Commanders of Cabral ships, Pedro De Ataide, left a letter of importance in an iron pot shoe under this large tree on his return journey from the East. This letter was found by Commander of the third East India Fleet, Joao De Nova, in 1501 when he was on his way to India. This is how the post office system started in the country.
There is a Post Box at the Old Post Office Tree where people can drop in letters and postcards to their loved ones. The letter-box is shaped as a boot as it is presumed that the first letter left under this old tree was found in a sailor’s shoe back in 1500. Today all outgoing mails from this letterbox have a special flank to commemorate the importance of this tree as the first post office of South Africa.
An estuary near Knysna on the Garden Route.
Sailboats on a lake near George.
The view from the deck of our little forest cabin.
The peak we can see from our cabin - with a little snow on it.
Beth starting a fire in our little stove in our little forest cabin.
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