We LOVED the warm Indian Ocean, great waves, a beautiful beach and the water was so warm it was a perfect swimming temperature. Charlie got cold but was happy to be buried in the sand to warm up!
We stayed in log cabins right on the beach, here is cabin 27.
Before you get to the cabins you see this sign...
Kelly and Charlie became believers...as they sat on the couch, a monkey came in the window right next to them, stole a banana and ran out. Here is a monkey getting a drink from the outdoor shower..
Here is a few of the thieves...they also managed to swipe a packet of chocolate muffins and a pack of breakfast biscuits, they were on alert as we packed out, they jumped in the car a few times to take what they wanted!
We went to see the beach town of St. Lucia and enjoyed seeing the hippos from the boardwalk. We did not see any crocodiles (fortunately).
One of the reasons we went to this area of the coast is it is known for its sea turtle hatching that occurs between Jan-Mar every year. We signed up for a turtle tour on Sat night and we drove down the beach for about 12 KM, hoping for a glimpse of baby Leatherback or Loggerhead turtles hitting the ocean for the first time. We LOVED the ride, beautiful night, great sand dunes and the ocean waves were amazing. Unfortunately the only thing we saw was an empty turtle nest, we at least got to see the egg shells that remained behind. Katie and Greg had the guide stop at one point because they saw something, it was a very cool shell that Katie got to bring home.
We did not sleep well either night in the cabin because we had some unwelcome visitors..big bugs and lots of squeaking noises. In the morning we confirmed it was bats, here is the one Greg found on the floor and carried out...he had a broken wing, Kelly things he hit the ceiling fan. So much for bat radar?
We were sad to leave the beach but headed back and stayed the night in Utrecht along the way. Our spot was called Waterloo Farm, amazing spot at the top of some mountains...unfortunately the GPS sent us over the wrong mountain and dirt roads on our first attempt, but the second attempt was worth it..here is our Hunting/Fishing Cottage we stayed in.
The side room (to the left) was amazing, had a big fireplace and there was a big rainstorm, so the owner brought us wood and built a great fire. We sat around enjoying the fire and talking, Greg, Charlie and Katie were snuggled under a blanket. Then Katie and Greg saw something crawling and said, "Is that a scorpion?"..Sure enough it was!
After some speedy research we learned that although he could give you a bad sting, he wasn't a bad scorpion, the thickness of the tail is the indicator. We were careful to check all the bedding before we went to sleep! The scorpion spent the night in a glass and we released him to the wild in the morning. Here is the cool room with the fireplace and lots of animal heads.
There were beautiful walks from the cabin, here is one of the fishing spots.
We enjoyed the drive home, through Kwazul-Natal Province, land of the Zulus and where many of the famous battles in SA took place. There were traditional Zulu villages all around, here is one, I liked how they flew flags around their huts. We could not believe the long distances we saw people walking to and from these villages!
Here is a soccer field in the sky...at the top of a very tall hill, here are the goal posts!
We look forward to another trip to the hunting lodge and also back to the warm beaches of the Indian Ocean, however we won't be disappointed if we don't see the bats or scorpions again!
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