South Africa Day 11

After a great night in mosquito-netted luxury, we awoke in the middle of the forest. Tim and I decided to take a short stroll before breakfast, so we walked on a couple of different paths through the forest. Breakfast lived up to the expectations dinner had set. We started with juice and tea/coffee. Then I had fresh fruit, while Tim had homemade muesli with yogurt, fruit, and honey. We then had a sampling of fresh baked pastries and muffins, which were beyond fantastic (so good, that Alan was willing to put the leftovers in his backpack and blame the monkeys). Next, we had eggs cooked to order; I had poached eggs with bacon and tomato, while Tim had scrambled eggs with salmon. We were ready to start our day. As we were walking to the checkout one of the monkeys went tearing by us along the boardwalk railing. While I checked out, Tim took some great pictures of it, and another few, including a baby. We headed down in the jeep to our car, and then we headed on a drive across Route 62. This went up over the mountains and through the Little Karoo for significantly different scenery than we had on the way out. It was simply a beautiful drive, with great vistas of mountain passes, and eventually orchards and vineyards. We arrived in Montagu in the late afternoon, with enough time to check into our super cute bed and breakfast and walk around town a little bit. We tried a walk called the “Lover’s Walk,” but it was either ironically named or under some significant repair, so we turned back. We ended up strolling through town and happening upon the Joubert House, maintained by the Montagu Museum. It is the oldest remaining house in town, and has been turned into a museum detailing its history and the town’s history. The floor in the kitchen was made from peach pits and beeswax. It’s supposed to last forever. Out back it also had a nice medicinal herb garden. We finished the day with a dinner at a local tavern, where Tim got to sample some of the local Karoo lamb; I had a burger.