The golden sandy beaches here stretch northwards for more than 200 kilometres, all the way to the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. Sadly having left my camera in the 4x4, I have no photos for this afternoon.
We walked along the promenade, looking at the light-house and the unusual Umhlanga Pier, which was designed to reflect a whale bone structure. There were some pretty sand sculptures on the beach depicting the Big Five - very cool.
Pete rented two parasols and we made for the beach. Jim and Francois were the only ones in the group to brave the pounding ocean waves. The rest of us were content to doze, read and chat away. I very sensibly creamed up, and meticulously monitored my 20min rotations - turning like clockwork, not doubt resembling a rotisserie chicken, slowly cooking from the outside in.
At lunch we upped sticks and headed to a nearby restaurant. Cheeseburger sounds good and oh look, they do cocktails! I'll have a Strawberry Daiquiri please. This setting definitely demands slushy ice. Lu and Karen are also swayed to join me for cocktails, they both opted for a Mojito.
My Daiquiri arrives and I'm disappointed to see that it is a day-glow neon pink colour. Um, no real strawberries were used in the making of this baby, and that's for sure. Took a hearty sip and sure it is refreshingly cool, it is not however how a Strawberry Daiquiri should taste - pity! Kirsten meanwhile raves about her scrummy Vanilla Milkshake. Lunch arrives and I cave, also ordering a Vanilla Milkshake. It arrived and oh my god, it may just have been the best damn milkshake I have ever had. Creamy goodness. It was consumed within minutes and I was half-tempted to get a second, but that would be excessive.
Cameras come out, it's our final day, group pics are taken. There's talk of a photobook being created so we need to get more people shoots. Hehe, bit late now for that folks. Still, I'm sure that once we pool all our photos together there should be more than enough content to make an awesome memoir of this trip. Francois entertained us with a funny story from his past, a dilemma involving attempting to open a bottle of rum and a toilet bowl. (You had to be there!)
After lunch we make our way back to LaLuxe to check-in. The entrance to the guesthouse has a Koi pond with some very large fish - not as large as Lu's 18 kg King Mackerel, but still, they are fairly huge!! There's a very nice pool, and a cute little Jack Russell called Trompie who is bounding about delighted to see new guests who will play with him.
I'm staying in the Executive Suite. It's got an extra-length king size bed with Egyptian cotton linen, a large flatscreen TV, a little kitchenette, a spacious living area with comfy couch and a balcony with sun loungers. The bathroom contains a large bath, his 'n' her sinks, plus a dual head shower (perfect for the couple that want to shower together but have different water temperature requirements!). Plus all the lighting and air-con is controlled by a touch-screen panel on the wall. This panel is also responsible for the music system that is being piped in through the ceiling speakers!! Get in!!!!!
Dinner was booked at a Greek restaurant called Olive & Oil. Starters consisted of three huge platters: Vegetarian, Meat and Seafood. I bravely tried the tiny fried baby octopuses - extremely crunchy and weird! Had a nice Mediterranean Chicken pasta dish for main and a melt-in-the-mouth delectable Chocolate Slice for dessert.
Francois very generously bought two bottles of Champers for the table and duly made a speech. Sad to think that this is it, our time together has come to an end and this is the final hurrah. Yet as we all clink glasses I'm sure that this will not be the last time we do this.
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