A Feast in More Ways than One
It’s a great place to do nothing but unwind, but Keith Bain rediscovers the scenic Garden Route as a place to cram in all kinds of indulgences, from effortless flying to endless dining.
I am soaring. My feet are dangling above shuffling cars slowed by speed cameras along this notorious coastal highway. I can see a few mortals, too: antlike dots strolling along a golden sandy beach which stretches into infinity. Up the coast, green cliffs disappear under a blanket of mist enveloping the Outeniqua Mountains. “On a clear day, you can see the Knysna Heads,” pipes up Jan Minaar, the paragliding pro to whom I am tethered.
We launched from Map of Africa, a sloping grass field which gets steeper as you start to run down it. It is as convenient for taking off as it is for landing, and overlooks all of Wilderness and beyond. At times we get seriously close to the houses on the mountain slopes. People wave from their garden loungers. Some are not too thrilled at being ogled from above and nervous sunbathers duck beneath umbrellas.
We fly like this for half an hour, riding what Jan calls “perfect coastal soaring conditions”. Today’s 20km/h south easterly wind is textbook perfect.
From up here, it is obvious what attracts people to Wilderness: A perfect marriage of beach, thick indigenous forests, and inland waterways, all crammed between the ocean and the mountains. The scene is mesmerising, and all the more magical because flying adds to the illusion of invincibility.
And then: touchdown. It is a smooth, butter-soft landing, precisely on the spot from which we launched.
Decadent Dining
Exhilarated, I am yearning to explore what I have just witnessed from above. I meet up with my food obsessed American travelling companion, who tells me that Wilderness reminds her of California. “The best bits,” she assures me. For weeks we have been planning a trip with a culinary focus, and she is ready to start racking up notches on her belt.
First up is Sedgefield for one of the country’s best Saturday markets. It is bustling with farmers flogging fresh produce; straight-from-the-boat fish; and artisanal food crafters with inspired ingredients. There are yoghurt makers, and ex-pats with traditional recipes from Europe. We snack and shop, and fall in love with the mood.
Then we have a long drive – beyond Knysna, Plett, and Storms River – to lunch somewhere truly special. We zip off the highway and down rutted dirt roads to Fynboshoek. This is not really a restaurant. Rather, it is Alje van Deemder’s home. Here, amid green meadows, he runs a bespoke dairy with happy cows and goats.
We feast in an intimate, light filled room just off Alje’s kitchen, while his menagerie of dogs and cats look on. Lined up are a caprese salad (the mozzarella in it was made just yesterday); a taster of thyme-baked goat’s Brie drizzled with honey; and then a bulging platter of flavoursome cheeses, served with focaccia bread straight from the oven.
We take occasional breaks between mouthfuls to explore, and finish off with superb coffee (the only thing not grown on the farm). Chatting with the renegade microbiologist turned cheese maker, we hear about the dire state of the supermarket food industry, and about the healthy lives Alje’s animals lead.
Part of the Family
We then head back west, where we check into a backpacker-style hostelry in the Judah Square Rastafarian Village in Knysna’s Khayelethu township. Founded in 1993, this is South Africa’s largest Rastafarian community.
We are quartered in a small, uncluttered room containing a pair of bunk beds. It is an extension of Kerri McKenna’s township home. She arrived from Australia years ago and opted for life among the people. Her Jah Works B&B is clean and inexpensive, and within earshot of the tabernacle around which community life revolves. She is dedicated to her adopted Rasta family, and Sister Kerri also oversees the crèche next door. “There’s nowhere in the world I’d rather be,” she tells us.
People are overwhelmingly warm in Judah Square; everyone welcomes us and there is plenty of time for casual conversation. It is deeply humbling and each time I boil the kettle to make hot water to shower with, I am reminded how much we take the basics for granted.
As night falls, we chase off to find a red tin roofed cottage on the edge of the Knysna Lagoon. The spicy Firefly Eating House is a warren of quirkily decorated rooms, all pink and candle-lit, with bewitching aromas spilling from the kitchen. Its reputation is for curries laced with flavour. I order the fiery-sounding “Bang-Bang!”, which is their most potent concoction of black tiger prawns, tamarind and red chillies. I am soon sweating and the tears are welling up, but I simply can’t get enough!
At the crack of dawn we join the gathering in the tabernacle. It is casual, but orderly – Women on one side, men on the other, and everyone chanting in one beautiful voice, with simple praise singing accompanied by rhythmic drumming. Lighting up, too, is part and parcel. And when the moment takes us, everyone gives over to spontaneous dance. It is a full-bodied expression of enthusiasm for the day ahead.
Time to Reflect
Avoiding the highway back to Wilderness, we take the Seven Passes Road instead, shifting gears over Edwardian bridges and passing through dense indigenous forest on the original George-to-Knysna road.
Eventually, the road brings us back down past Map of Africa. We stow our bags in our room at Moontide, a charming guesthouse on the banks of the meandering Wilderness lagoon, its water as calm and seductive as ever. We jump into Moontide’s little paddleboat and drift off.
Soon the American mumbles something about dinner. “Apparently, if you take off your shoes before entering a restaurant in Wilderness, you’re considered a local,” she hints.
Staring up into the clouds, I catch sight of Jan Minaar, flying effortlessly; footloose and fancy free.
“Perfect,” I reply, dipping my oar into the water. “I left my shoes in Knysna.”
Contact Details
Cloud Base Paragliding: Contact +27 82 777 8474 or +27 44 877 1414 or visit http://www.cloudbase.co.za/ for more information.
Wild Oats Community Farmers Market, Sedgefield. Contact +27 82 376 5020 or +27 44 883 1177 or visit http://www.wildoatsmarket.co.za/ for more information.
Fynboshoek Cheesery: For more information, contact +27 42 280 3879.
Jah Works B&B: Contact +27 83 502 2229 or visit http://www.knysnalivinglocal.co.za/ to learn more.
Firefly Eating House: For more information, contact +27 44 382 1490 or visit http://www.fireflyeatinghouse.co.za/.
Moontide: Contact +27 44 877 0361 or visit http://www.moontide.co.za/ for more information.
Story & Pix © Keith Bain
