Our first stop on the Garden route was made extra special with familiar faces and warm hugs. Karyn and Geoff just happened to be on the same continent as us and happened to have a few days unplanned at the end of a longer trip and they just happened to have friends with an unbelievable house near where we were planning to visit anyway. When they say the stars aligned, they meant it. The stars aligned for us on Thesen Island. We had a few days to soak up the family hugs with AK and UG.
After dropping Karyn and Geoff at the airport (with only a few tears) we were once again a party of 4. Destination…Plett. Plettenberg Bay is a thriving beach community on the southern coast of SA with lots to offer. We booked an apartment for a couple of weeks to take in all the sights, sounds and salt air.
Our first day in Plett we were very eager and tackled a 10K hike around Robberg Nature Reserve swarming with seals. The trail touches down to the water at the point after winding through low brush and steep cliffs. About halfway through there was a massive sand dune that they kids climbed up and ran down. Memories from Oman came back but the sand wasn’t quite as soft. It was a great introduction to the area which is full of beautiful beaches and striking landscapes.
Our second day we found a river through a canyon and rented a 5.5 horse power boat to wind our way up with a few swims along the way. This place was already growing on us.
The next couple of weeks were filled with pickleball, monkeys, birds, cats and polo. Liv and I even made time for an overdue haircut. We settled in. You have to catch up on school work at some point. A few days of rain gave us an excuse to hunker in and take spelling tests. SA has not been a shock to our cultural system, we have enjoyed some comforts of home while exploring this beautiful country. The grocery store products have recognizable ingredients, there are organic bananas and sourdough bread that competes with the best of Red Hen Bakery back home.
Next stop Addo Elephant National Park… stay tuned.
Rossiers Gone Rogue 
Looks like you found a gre
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You guys are so inspirational! Seriously I don’t know how anyone can read your posts and not want to explore the world like you guys do. I’m actually planning to take a 6-month trip abroad with my girlfriend in September, and you guys are amazing role models for this style of travel. But trying to plan something like this leaves me with so many questions! If you guys have any spare time between your learning and adventures I’d LOVE to pick your brain on what you’ve learned from all this traveling. Here’s my email and phone number:
sumcush@gmail.com
508-309-2683
Maybe we could connect sometime and I could hit you guys with some questions? Let me know if you can share any wisdom! Thanks and keep rocking it out there!
Much love,
Sumner
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