The Last Week (in a nutshell), continued:

Friday (Day 11):

We rented a gorgeous little VW Polo (yeah, just what I wanted!!) and headed out on the Garden Route. First stop, Hermanus, for a bit more whale watching. We looked down into the bay and to our delight, laid eyes on a mommy whale with her month old baby. It was a stunning morning! We had lunch at a sweet little shop - the most delicious salads you could imagine - on the coast and had a beautifully, tearful conversation about starting our family :) We then headed onto Carmel, at Victoria Bay, a christian guest house owned by my dad's side of the family.









Saturday (Day 12):

Our first morning in Carmel...and guess what...perfect weather! We ate a delicious breakfast, and then headed down to the bay. We hiked down the mountain, along the train track, and climbed down to the road...it was a wonderful hour long trek. We climbed up enormous rocks and found a comfortable perch to watch the water...and the blessing continues...we saw over 100 dolphins frolicking in the sea. They swam by, pod after pod after pod. 9 different groups of dophins, each making their way past us in an incredible display of sea life! WOW! We didn't take the camera because we didn't want to lug it down to the beach...we also happened to forget to take any cash with us (big mistake). After a couple of hours watching the water, we collected shells along the shore and in little pools along the the coast. Wonderful memories from childhood - I love this beach! After 4 hours, we were thirty and starving...and had an hour, uphill hike home. We were practically delirious - it was hilarious! We staggered our way up the road, along the track - found a packet of chips...CLOSED...(the skies must have opened and this supernatural manna arrived in our path, can't you just hear the angels singing?). We ripped it open and devoured the delicious contents (aah! like a glass of water in the desert!)...continued up the hill and finally made it back to our room. Our legs were practically buckling beneath us on the final few steps...we were laughing and almost crying in absolute exhaustion. What a workout :)