Mossel Bay, Kysna, and the Heads

On Thursday, Dr. Mulder took us on a drive to Mossel Bay.  It was a beautiful town, as it was built on the mountain side.  The bay that came up to the town was a deep blue, and I think that you can go cage diving there.  From Mossel Bay, we headed north, planning to go over the mountains and see the ostrich farm.  About half way up the mountain, there was a work crew that told us the road was closed up ahead.  Apparently, the area had about 10 inches of rain within two days sometime last week, so the road was still washed out.  Taking a detour, Dr. Mulder took us all to Botlierskop which was a private game reserve.  We had lunch there, and I ate kudu kabobs.  The wind was very bad that day, so we did not go on a game drive after lunch.  We did see elephants, impala, and wildebeest as we drove out of the park. 

We then headed back to Knysna.  Later that evening, Jorge, Dr. Munster, and I went on a paddle boat cruise out to the Knysna heads.  It was a fun experience, and they served us beer and food.  It was an evening cruise that left at 5 pm and returned to the dock at 6:30 pm.  It was disappointing as we did not get very close to the heads at all.  They claim that when the British Navy was at its peak, that they claimed the Heads to be the most dangerous and treacherous pass to enter and exit. 

Yesterday was my first real day of work.  I arrived at the office at 8 am, and became familiar with the layout.  First, I read a document on sustainable drainage systems (SuDS).  These systems are what will be implemented at the Crossways Farm Village.  These systems will trap as much storm water as possible, as they do not want all the water to run off the site. Designers want to capture as much runoff as possible and use it to irrigate vegetation, lawns, or crops for the dairy.  Each house will have a rainwater cistern, which will capture water from the rooftops of each house.  Later that day, I scanned through CAD files that the engineering had sent over to CMAI.  At this point, I am not real sure where I fit into the system.  I want to be productive, and not reproduce what they have already paid engineering firms to complete.  So, I am still trying to figure out how I will contribute to CMAI.  Friday was good because the office works through lunch and get off at three in the afternoon.  After work, we took a tour of the actual Thesen Island.  It is an amazing design and concept, definitely not seen in the USA.  That evening, I went to Dr. Mulder’s house, and we had a braai.  Him and his wife grilled lamb chops, sausage, and vegetables.  It was delicious, and we had a pancake like thing for dessert.  We drank a red wine from the Stellenbosch region called Jonty’s Ducks.  The vineyard that the wine came from is organic, and they use ducks to control the worm and insects.  It was a very interesting story. 

Today was Dr. Munster’s last day in Knysna.  We had breakfast at Ile de Pain, which is a famous restaurant located under our hotel room.  Once he left, Jorge and I discovered that the Lofts had two bikes for us to use.  We took off to get a better look at the Heads, which was about an hour bike ride.  We ate lunch at a restaurant the overlook the heads, and I had the grilled fish which was delicious of course.  I’ve decided that they do not make bad food in this area, as everything I have eaten has been great.  We got back about an hour ago, and now I am update the blog and pictures.  Check out Facebook for all the pictures.  Oh, here are a couple picks of our hotel room. 

'Till Next Time...