Grootbos Nature Reserve: Gansbaii, South Africa
What a beautiful 2.5 hour drive with our driver Daniel today from Cape Town east to Gansabaii. We enjoyed wonderful conversation about his observations of his country and their transformation over the past 20 years while we drove around the mountains, by the ocean and saw many settlements and spectacular landscapes. We arrived around noon to Grootbos Private Nature Reserve. What a spectacular lodge on a preserve of Fynbos one of the floral kingdoms of the world that has over 9000 species, many of which are present and thriving on this nature preserve which surrounds the lodge. Fynbos requires regular burning for its persistence and so often they conduct controlled burns, although an uncontrolled burn happen in 2006 which took out part of the lodge. Fynbos repopulates within months to the multi flora low lying and flowering bushes that cover the hills of the Cape.
We enjoyed a delicious lunch, photos included and then we headed to our room which was honestly spectacular and then met back our guide Anneke to take us to a local school. The Reserve helps sponsor an integrated sports program in the community since this area people of color, blacks and whites all live in separate living communities and don't go to school together until high school. As our guide who lives in the "colored community" explained that integration "takes a while". The athletic program that Grootbos is one of the sponsors of has the kids play together from all three communities to assist in the integration. Today there were just some of the kids from the black settlement. The kids and the coaches were great in inviting Sam to play with Cricket with them. Sam jumped right in and had a great time and made the final run that ran the kids in. It was kind of an adapted game of half cricket/half baseball it seemed to me. At the end when we had to leave I asked if I could take a photo of Sam and some of the kids and they all ran in and jumped in the picture with Sam. Very cute.
After we went to a nursery where they train local students about horticulture and how to grow and maintain plants and their many properties. These students go on to have jobs in the community.
Following our tour we headed down to Gansaabi with some other guests of the Lodge and visited with a friendly couple that now resides in Sydney Australia. Once down by the beach we pulled over and saw 2 large Right whales swimming around with their pup. It was amazing to see large whales. They got their name as Right whales from early fisherman that wanted to hunt these whales because they had a lot of blubber, floated well and were slow moving so made them easy to hunt, and then haul away since they were so buoyant- sad :( But today they are protected and there are hundreds of them that come to this area to birth and look after their babies before moving on. We are excited to go whale watching tomorrow to see them up close and personal.
We made our way down to the Ancient Caves, which they believe 80,000 years ago people were living by the sea in this cave, but have evidence of 2000 years ago. The views and windows of the cave were just spectacular and interesting how they would fish in these shark infested waters but setting up low lying walls and setting bait that would bring in fish and then when the tide would retreat they would have their catch for the day. The caves also were surrounded by fresh water that runs down the mountains and throughout the limestone rocks and purifies the water. The beach was also full of seaweed that was so thick and served many purposes including the big kelp beds keeping the sharks at bay.
This evening we returned to our room and enjoyed the most spectacular sunset overlooking the ocean and the fields of Fynbos before returning for dinner to the lodge. Sam has been a bold eater and enjoyed squid tonight after his locally caught monkfish today for lunch. Looking forward to whale watching tomorrow!
HAPPY 22ND BIRTHDAY KENDALL!!!! XOXOXO
What a beautiful 2.5 hour drive with our driver Daniel today from Cape Town east to Gansabaii. We enjoyed wonderful conversation about his observations of his country and their transformation over the past 20 years while we drove around the mountains, by the ocean and saw many settlements and spectacular landscapes. We arrived around noon to Grootbos Private Nature Reserve. What a spectacular lodge on a preserve of Fynbos one of the floral kingdoms of the world that has over 9000 species, many of which are present and thriving on this nature preserve which surrounds the lodge. Fynbos requires regular burning for its persistence and so often they conduct controlled burns, although an uncontrolled burn happen in 2006 which took out part of the lodge. Fynbos repopulates within months to the multi flora low lying and flowering bushes that cover the hills of the Cape.
We enjoyed a delicious lunch, photos included and then we headed to our room which was honestly spectacular and then met back our guide Anneke to take us to a local school. The Reserve helps sponsor an integrated sports program in the community since this area people of color, blacks and whites all live in separate living communities and don't go to school together until high school. As our guide who lives in the "colored community" explained that integration "takes a while". The athletic program that Grootbos is one of the sponsors of has the kids play together from all three communities to assist in the integration. Today there were just some of the kids from the black settlement. The kids and the coaches were great in inviting Sam to play with Cricket with them. Sam jumped right in and had a great time and made the final run that ran the kids in. It was kind of an adapted game of half cricket/half baseball it seemed to me. At the end when we had to leave I asked if I could take a photo of Sam and some of the kids and they all ran in and jumped in the picture with Sam. Very cute.
After we went to a nursery where they train local students about horticulture and how to grow and maintain plants and their many properties. These students go on to have jobs in the community.
Following our tour we headed down to Gansaabi with some other guests of the Lodge and visited with a friendly couple that now resides in Sydney Australia. Once down by the beach we pulled over and saw 2 large Right whales swimming around with their pup. It was amazing to see large whales. They got their name as Right whales from early fisherman that wanted to hunt these whales because they had a lot of blubber, floated well and were slow moving so made them easy to hunt, and then haul away since they were so buoyant- sad :( But today they are protected and there are hundreds of them that come to this area to birth and look after their babies before moving on. We are excited to go whale watching tomorrow to see them up close and personal.
We made our way down to the Ancient Caves, which they believe 80,000 years ago people were living by the sea in this cave, but have evidence of 2000 years ago. The views and windows of the cave were just spectacular and interesting how they would fish in these shark infested waters but setting up low lying walls and setting bait that would bring in fish and then when the tide would retreat they would have their catch for the day. The caves also were surrounded by fresh water that runs down the mountains and throughout the limestone rocks and purifies the water. The beach was also full of seaweed that was so thick and served many purposes including the big kelp beds keeping the sharks at bay.
This evening we returned to our room and enjoyed the most spectacular sunset overlooking the ocean and the fields of Fynbos before returning for dinner to the lodge. Sam has been a bold eater and enjoyed squid tonight after his locally caught monkfish today for lunch. Looking forward to whale watching tomorrow!
HAPPY 22ND BIRTHDAY KENDALL!!!! XOXOXO
Views from our drive
Enjoying the view and delicious lunch at Grootbos
Tasty lunch with vegetables grown locally
A local project teaching children how to grow their own produce and using the plastic tube for irrigation
Sam makes some new friends at the after school sports program and learns to play a version of cricket with the local kids
the neighborhood of the children Sam played cricket with
At the Grootbos's nursery where they teach locals about caring for the fynbos and growing and caring for local plants and educating about the medicinal values of many of the plants
Fynbos is one of the Floral Kingdoms of the World found in abundance in this region of South Africa
Beach inside the reserve where the cave dwelling of ancient people lived
Inside the ancient cave dwelling
Spectacular sunset view from our room over the Atlantic and Walker Bay
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