Day 84: Sweet 16 — Robberg Nature Reserve — Cokes and Beers by the Pool
New York friend Leslie has generously shared her Fubo TV account through which I can watch March Madness *and* record the games. Duke tipped off in the Sweet 16 last night at 3:30am our time but I woke at 7am, avoided my phone and went right to Fubo on my iPad to watch Duke beat Virginia Tech in another nail biter — and skipped through commercials! Tomorrow’s Elite 8 game vs Michigan starts at 11 so I’ll likely watch that one live. Thank you Leslie!
After the game we continued our normal program of breakfast and school. Willa got sunburned on the beach yesterday so we vowed to get her another swim shirt she actually wants to wear.
We hit a little surf shop near the hotel, stocked up on some swim gear for both kids, then grabbed a light lunch at the little cafe next door.
After lunch we headed to Robberg Nature Reserve. Robberg is a gorgeous peninsula right next to Plettenberg Bay that is not only a nature reserve but also a national monument and World Heritage Site. Rocks from the region date back 120 million years.
The views are absolutely spectacular.
We had been told that there is an easy hike and a longer hike. Turns out there is a short, medium and long. But the short is super short and barely worth the drive out there. And the medium is a 3 mile haul with narrow paths and relatively steep step climbs — no easy task for a 4 and 6 year old. We took the medium route, admittedly not knowing how long and difficult it might be.
We got through it with minimal complaints from Willa and James — and barely a peep after we offered Cokes to non-complainers. We saw seals along the eastern edge on the first half of the hike, then at the halfway point the path opens up into huge sand dunes with spectacular views.
Margaret and I agreed it’s one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever been. Pictures and video really can’t do justice to the scenery but we sure as hell tried to capture it.
Here’s a short video of the scene at the dunes…
And another video of the hiking situation…
We were really proud of Willa and James for powering through to the end. We rewarded ourselves back at the hotel pool with cokes, beers and popcorn.
The kids burned off their sugar highs playing with a new friend they made at the pool, the daughter of one of the super-nice staff here at the hotel.
It got chilly once the sun went behind the trees so we came back to the room for warm showers and room service.
We then had a video call with James & Claire back in NYC. It was so great to catch up with them. Wishing in them the BEST with Baby Girl #2 who should arrive in the next week or so.
Misc:
While we were at the pool with the manager Matthew and his daughter as she ate a sundae with him on his day off, he remarked that “it’s always ice cream for the little ones!” James blurted out, “And beers for the big ones!”
Margaret writes: “For this trip, I think the single best source of clothing for packing is a surf shop. It’s soft/trendy/beachy/casual — suitable for long flights and warm weather without looking like pajamas nor city clothes nor hiking gear. Seems to be the right mix.”
