GR day 1

Got up and hit the road (N2 to be specific) along the Garden Route. First stop was Tsitsikamma National Park, which has a Great Tree, an Oudeniqua Yellowood, as well as a trail along the coastline. The 3km hike ended in an nice waterfall. The coast here was very rugged, but the hike was still easier by far than DK. 

Great Tree, or Groot Boom in Afrikaans:

The hike was extremely beautiful, showing off yet another face to SA:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=c8ECLILmyd8

I have no pics of the waterfall itself, strangely. On the way back, I got lost going up a sidetrail. I gave up on that after I saw some baboons, finally conceding I was heading up-mountain. On the way back out of the trail, I saw a small grey mongoose, which I think is what we saw in Kruger. 

Then we made a quick stop at Bloukrans Bridge, home of the world's tallest bungee jump. Matt went off of it; Gabe and I abstained. I from terror at the idea. 

Then we headed through Plettenberg Bay, first stopping at a high point to look over the city. A somewhat Monaco feel. Then we walked on the beach for a bit.

After that, we drove into the town with our hotel -- Knysna. It's Sunday night, and everything is closed, including the restaurant we wanted to go to. 

Note -- along the N2, there were many examples of extreme poverty abutting wealth. Shantytowns across the street from seaside villas, that sort of thing. My saw rich white old guys riding their mountain bikes down the road one way, and some poor black guy riding his beater bike up the road the next minute. I really wonder how much these sides of South Africa try to understand each other, and how much they just let each other be.