Quick travels in the Eastern Cape

After finishing exams last week > insert HUGE sigh of relief< I was finally able to take a break. In between finally watching The Great Gatsby and Spud 2, I went to some of the touristy places nearby (anything to get away from the place I associate with studying). First stop: Hogsback.

These are the three waterfalls that we saw. The top left one was the smallest, but possibly the most beautiful to me. I liked that it didn't need to be large, loud and fierce to display its beauty. That's kinda how I feel about people too. The waterfall on the right is named the Madonna and Child waterfall for its resemblance to the painting (which needs a lot of imagination as I didn't see it). Hogsback is famed for its mountains, forests, hiking trails and being the inspiration for the setting of Tolkien's The Hobbit.

A labyrinth that drove me a little crazy after all that walking around in circles

The sun shining through the tangled tree branches above us; and the leaves that have fallen below.

The variety of trees alongside the pathway to the forest; and the forest itself.

The pathway through the forest was a bit scary at times, especially when the decks like the one above had boards broken or were slanted steeply to one side. I ignored the comfortable walking shoes rule and wore boots instead, because being sensible is just not something I do. 

Cath and her sister Tam were my fellow Hogsbackers for the day. 

While I enjoyed going away for the day and exploring the hiking trails, I think that Hogsback has so much more to offer, from the many craft stores to the fairy meander and quaint restaurants. This can only be fully experienced by spending more than a day there. Hopefully I can do this soon!

And then we went to the beach...

Three days after Hogsback, I set off on a rather spontaneous beach trip with Dave and Laura. We went to Port Alfred which is roughly 60km away and one of the closest beach towns. Content was the word Laura used to describe how she felt and I couldn't agree more after walking along the beach, lying in the sun and having delicious pizza for lunch.

I love polka dots and yes I know it's just a Coke can but it is so pretty!
Also, behold, Laura's content face, which is also quite pretty.

And in keeping with the prettiness for the day, here is some festive bunting that adorned the entrances to many of the shops in Bathurst, which is where we stopped at after Port Alfred. Bathurst is tiny and so I'm going to say it's more like a village than a town. It has the oldest pub in South Africa, as well as many craft stores, nurseries and vintage stores (which is my idea of heaven). I've decided to make many of the things that I liked instead of buying them, which is probably cheaper and more satisfying to create. First on the list is making my own bunting of course, as it is so so simple. Will post photos when I do!