A day of infinite dunes!! Another one behind every horizon! But also wonderful scenery and a night to remember!
 |
| What we woke up to..... |
We woke up to sunny skies and the sound of waves breaking on the rocks. A perfect day, even before it has properly started!! Bearded barefoot-Frikkie has already prepared breakfast and almost everyone set aside the packets of instant Oatmeal 'pap' and indulged in fresh toast, scrambled eggs and sausage! (Yeah! No reason to feel guilty for not liking pap!!)
Esti arrived with the lunch packs for day 2 which again included one of those wholesome sandwiches that we had yesterday! Yum!! We then set off and walked a short while until we reached the first dunes of the Sand River. Here Esti gave us a short briefing about the day's hike and we got a chance to put on our stockings! Yep! Stockings! She warned us before hand and I managed to get hold of a few pairs of knee highs at Pep Stores in Jeffrey's Bay the day before. These one puts on over your hiking shoes to prevent sand from easily getting into your shoes. And no, you cannot wear them again afterwards! And no, you won't get onto the front page of any fashion magazine while wearing these!! But it does help! A lot! And they last much longer and better than expected, as long as you walk in the sand, that is.
 |
| The first dunes of the sand River and the route we followed. |
 |
| Esti briefing us about the day´s hike. |
 |
| Yep!! A site for sore eyes! |
 |
| Periwinkle in the almost dry river bed. And take note!! The ones loosing out on the periwinkle discussion while busy emptying their shoes are the ones who did not bring their stockings!! |
 |
| Great fun!! Running down the dunes! |
 |
| Notice the footwear! |
 |
| Periwinkle shells I gathered! (and brought home with me!) The colours and patterns are just so pretty. |
 |
| The lunch break! And time to indulge in those wholesome sandwiches!! (at last!) |
 |
| And when you have finished your sandwich .... |
 |
| Prettiness everywhere. |
 |
| This shall certainly, in one way or the other, appear in one of my jewellery designs some time in future... |
Some time in the afternoon we were done with the dunes and arrived at the Dune Ridge Country house where we stayed the night. On arrival we were met by the friendly manager holding a huge glass jug of refreshing homemade iced tea! And on the table there was this glass bowl filled with sweets from heaven!! - homemade marshmallows, brownies and all those things you tell your children not to eat too much of!!! (but hey, the children aren't here, are they?)
We then got our rooms assigned and had time to relax before enjoying a delicious dinner served by really friendly staff.
 |
| Dune Ridge Country House |
 |
| Comfort! |
 |
| Super soft bathrobes and a heated floor!! What more can a tired hiker soul ask for! I briefly considered wrapping myself in the bathrobe and spending the night on the bathroom floor!! But then there was this huge bed with crisp white bedding.... |
Visit the Chokka Trail website for more info about the trail.
