Served with surprises
Going back to places we have been before does not result in the same experience. Big trees, baboons, and bad weather could have impacted, but didn’t, what are more encounters to add to our story box.
Enabling The How #168. Reading time: 8 minutes
We’ve been watching two cooking shows, both featuring Gordon Ramsay. Gordon, Gino and Fred’s Road Trip, currently on DSTV Now and Next Level Chef Season 3, streaming on Hulu or Apple TV+. They are very different. One covers the rollicking, and often hilarious, adventures of three chefs cooking up a storm in a variety of countries. The other is a cooking competition taken to the next level, literally. It pits home-based, social media and professional chefs against each other as they compete to get out of the basement, with wobbly pots and broken utensils, into the top floor full of every type of bright and shiny equipment a top chef could wish for.
We have thoroughly enjoyed both shows and have, in the process, been inspired to be a bit more creative with our evening meals. As vegetarians we aim to make dishes with plenty of diversity and colour. Of late we had become a bit lazy and had let the same old, same old menu trot through our week.
Motivated by the shows, we dusted off recipe books and trawled through them for different and delicious.
Quite different
We chose a self catering accommodation for the long stay of our road trip in Wilderness. Primarily so that we could make our own meals. This time, however, we hardly made a thing. This visit was quite different to our last.
The weather was cold and damp which put a hold on any desire to go for early morning walks. We hunkered down and stayed in on the first day, only venturing out on the second day to visit Timberlake Village.
It was quiet on this cold week day but those manning the stores were warm. A chat with a resident artist sent us off to Gerickes Point, which in all her years of visiting this area, Chantal had never been to.
Although the tide was too high for a hike and the wind too insistent for a beach walk, Matthew entertained himself by taking some interesting photos. He made friends with Lewis Martin Jantjies, the car guard who initiated his foray into taking black and white portraits. These became a theme of the stay and we’ll share the entire gallery in our last story about our trip next week.
Something fishy
We were determined to visit the Big Tree again. So the following day we drove to the Hoekwil Country Café for breakfast first. Two years ago we had a trip defining experience there. It was bustling and busy and as we settled into our seats we ordered coffee and omelettes.
The coffee was good, the omelettes were not. They were made in an omelette pan which overcooked and flattened the outside. No expected light and fluffy serving. Oh well, the filling looked good, but as Chantal bit into her egg, she pulled back, grimacing.
“The eggs taste like fish,” she said, shuddering.
Matthew tasted his and concurred. The eggs tasted like fish. The waitress was taken aback. They make nothing with fish in the restaurant. There was no obvious explanation but after one bite we could not eat the rest and our curdled stomachs could eat nothing else.
A search on the internet revealed that it could be what the chickens were fed. No-one's fault, but we were given a wide berth by the manager who circled around us. He chatted to all the other patrons but avoided our table. No next level chef this time.
Big trees and bigger baboons
After our second cup of coffee, which we don’t think anyone expected us to have, we tiptoed out and headed for the Woodville forest. Eager to re-acquaint ourselves with the majestic Outeniqua Yellowwood.
As we walked towards the tree, the general appearance of the boardwalk and fencing around the tree trunk looked neglected and in need of repair. Baboons seemed to be regular visitors of the Big Tree and had made an almighty mess on the boardwalk around the tree trunk.
There had been no evidence of baboons on our last visit. Both noisy and destructive, they had left a mark that was disconcerting while it also felt disrespectful of the elder tree.
“Watch where you step!” Chantal warned Matthew who was focused on taking photos and videos.
As we meandered on the short 2 km forest walk, Matthew videoing as he went, we could hear the troop in the canopy. By the time we arrived back at the Big Tree there they were. Several females and their offspring gambolled in the undergrowth, while perched on the wooden barrier a massive alpha male watched over the group.
Alarmed and cautious, we sidled past quietly but he noticed us and followed as we crossed the bridge. Intimidated by his size we hightailed it for the entrance relieved when we stumbled out into the sunshine clearing.
Both experiences left us feeling wobbly. This was not what we had anticipated when we climbed into the car earlier that morning. We felt banished, dismissed and, subtly or not so subtly, chased away. This was in complete contrast to how we felt the last time we had been at both places.
Hello Ava
Of course we were in this part of the world to meet Matthew’s newest niece, Ava. Five months old with the face of an angel she has brought great joy. Dinner at Emmett and Emma offered us our first face to face embrace with the sweet baby. Her dad’s submission for the best Mac ‘n Cheese was hearty and delicious. We’ll have to wait for an opportunity to enter Matthew’s before a final decision can be made.
Ava came along with Mum and Dad to the Sedgefield market and watched as we piled into the cornucopia of breakfast snacks on offer. Even if we had to wait a while for them. These were no fast food joints and the offerings tasted all the better for that.
Clearly neither Ava nor Mum Emma, had any interest in frequenting the quiz night at Rocket, but we had fun nonetheless. The tapas on offer were a taste sensation. We tried everything that was meat free and can highly recommend the selection. A high five to the chef for his innovative combination of ingredients.
Add to our story box
Our time on the Garden Route was so very different this time round. Some experiences were disappointing, some enlightening, warm and fun. The weather did not play ball, our Big Tree visit and breakfast was a let down from the inspirational encounter we had before. Some times we were met and other times we were ignored.
Like any road trip we had to accept what we got, work with what we could change and make the best of the time we had. Even Gordon, Gino and Fred had some almighty fluff ups on their road trips, but they laughed through it all and we did with them.
Our own road trip offered an opportunity to do things differently and to do different things. A bit like life, if we hold too tightly to our expected outcomes, the need for great weather, a mirror perfect repeat of a previous experience or an idyllic saunter on a pristine beach, we are bound for disappointment.
Being able to experience it all is what counts. To remember that both the good and the not so good will form the stories of our lives. Stories to tell new nieces and granddaughters. Stories to laugh over coffee with friends. Stories to add to our memory box that we will share in front of the fire on cold winter’s nights. Stories to ply you with. You, who takes the time to open and read this newsletter and come on the journey with us.
Until next time.
Yours in feeling,
Matthew & Chantal
Part three: Stormy, surprising, and serendipitous
As we continue our journey, transitioning smoothly from the radiant and rustic to the stormy, surprising, and serendipitous, we delve deeper into the enchanting region of South Africa. Despite facing challenges, our adventure was filled with remarkable experiences and meaningful connections. Each image reflects the serendipitous moments that made this part of our journey unforgettable. Join us as we uncover more of the heart and soul of this remarkable destination.
