2012 Weekly Summary #2: 15 Jan 2012 – Britannia Bay to Draaihoek

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Two weeks into the foundation year EXPEDITION Project 2012 my friends!

A reminder about our West Coast goals:

  1. Focus on The TOURISM Project – it is the holiday season in SA right now and the west coast needs a tourism boost for all things from accommodation, restaurants, and activities. Our interviews, photos and surveys will be geared around this (FYI we have 16 project categories in total and we will be touching on all of these during 2012)
  2. Sustainable Seas Trust Sea Pledges – as we are on the coast and in the fishing territory we felt it important to try and create awareness, collect sea pledges and educate charitable donations. This is a partnership with SST (Sustainable Seas Trust) and MSC (Marine Stewardship Council).
  3. Establish the correct interview questions needed and the best diary cam techniques

9th Jan 2012

Day 9:

We reached Paternoster, Town # 7, the beautiful Greek-style fishing village and checked into our Farr Out B&B tepee. Time to meet a few local fishermen and eat some crayfish. Voorstradt right on the beach was to be the ideal location and they kindly sponsored us a crayfish for lunch, and a deliciously fresh one it was. We shared one and a beer while watching the fishing boats and waves.

10th Jan 2012

Day 10:

Breakfast was followed by a beach buggy trip along the Paternoster coastline with Deon (Co-owner of Farr Out B&B). Deon proved to be a wealth of information on the area. Check out our footage on YouTube.

11th Jan 2012

Day 11:

Leaving the beautiful Paternoster and onto Town # 8 – Velddrif – home of the Berg River Canoe Marathon, SA’s only Maritime Fishing Museum and a whole lot of friendly locals.  African Sunrise was our host for the night and Doekies nourished us with some delicious Snoek and Calamari.

12th Jan 2012

Day 12:

A stop off in Velddrif wouldn’t be complete without a trip on the Berg River, and who better to take us than the famous Boggoms Lane Boat Trips? We met Dan and Des for a quick chat before Dan gave us a short tour of the river along the Velddrif area. We were lucky enough to catch the Chairman and Secretary of the Velddrif Chamber of Business for a discussion about the past, present and future of Velddrif – very informative. (see interview here). Before leaving Velddrif we had arranged a sponsored dinner at Port Owen Marina’s Vaatjie Restaurant – Their famous ribs were recommended – as good as the Spur! A short drive onto Draaihoek Lodge between Dwarskersbos and Elands Bay for the night.

13th Jan 2012

Day 13:

From Draaihoek Lodge we headed inland for the first time since departing from Stellenbosch on the 1st of January. Town # 9 was to be the sweet sleepy town of Aurora. We met Hillary Morris – our local link-up and accommodation provider for the night. After a tour of the village by Hillary accom[anied by a wealth of knowledge, background and information we headed for L’Aurore for dinner. Run by a relocated Austrian named Helmut, his bar and restaurant were warm and friendly and had a great menu.

14th Jan 2012

Day 14:

While having breakfast with Hillary we had an informal chat with her about her background, Aurora and South Africa (see interview here). Onto Dwarkersbos, Town # 10, and Dwarkersbos’ Holiday Resort and Camp Site for the night. Time for our first braai (BBQ) of the trip.

15th Jan 2012

Day 15:

After a hot night, we headed back to Draaihoek for the end of the weekend. Time to recharge, re-group and re-fresh for a day before the start of week number 3! Draaihoek is the perfect location in which to unwind, enjoy nature, have a swim in the sea or their pool and enjoy some great food. We chose to braai again as we had the perfect location with the sun going down right in front of us. One more night here and then onto Elands Bay.

…of the week:

  • Towns visited this week – Paternoster, Velddrif, Aurora, Dwarkersbos, Elands Bay
  • Accommodation sponsored this week – Farr Out, African Sunrise, Hillary’s, Dwarkersbos Holiday Resort and Camp Site, Draaihoek Lodge
  • Food sponsored this week – Voorstrandt, Doekies, Vaatjie, Draaihoek
  • Highlight of the week – Beach buggy trip with Leon
  • Lowlight of the week – Increase in temperature and mosquitos as we reached Aurora
  • Quote of the week – “After every action, there should be a period of reflection” Hillary Morris
  • Sign of the week – ‘Tortoise crossing’
  • Meal of the week – Crayfish at Voorstrandt, Calamari at Doekies and Ribs at Vaatjie
  • Comedy moment of the week – Maddy’s improving driving skills

Week 2 – check!

See you next week fans!

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