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27th September - 25th October, 1999
Tsitsikamma ¦ Knysna ¦ Truck's progress
So how is Truck faring?
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As a result of a 2 day trek into the arid Outeniqua Mountains we have realised that Truck is not dust proof. We're in the process of dust proofing it!
- Leaky fuel tank when filled. Fuel tank was taken out and cork seal which had perished was replaced. Cost 0.00R.
- Radiator Hose leaked. Replaced with new hoses from a rubber specialist cost a tenth of the price for LandRover spares - for minimal cost of 240R (£25).(Apologies to LandRover)
- Rubber Sand Ladders purchased for 20R each (£2) - Result!
- Exhaust fumes in the Cab caused by corroded union bolts on pipe. These were replaced, we can now breathe. Cost - £0
- Truck was still stalling so changed Fuel Filter but problem lay in a faulty fuel pump - Cost - £0 as pump under warranty.
Although we feel more than a little unlucky that this should all be discovered in the space of 2 weeks, we have been fortunate in that, through a good friend in Knysna with contacts, the cost to us has mainly been time.
Travel Highlights:
The picture
on the left, believe it or not, is the one that other campers seemed to
be interested in taking!
Glorious
spot to off-gas for a few days. Tsitsikamma National Park - 2nd most
popular National Park after Kruger, is in the middle of the famous 'Garden
Route' (coastal tourist route from Port Elizabeth to Mossel Bay). A
stunning coastal reserve combining indigenous forest trails with scenic
cliff walks and ocean viewpoints. As tempting as it was to visit all
camps in Tsitsikamma and do a couple of 5 day hikes, we chose Storms
River Mouth with its variety of short day trails and the novel opportunity
to do an underwater
trail.
Entrance
for 1 day:12R
per person
Cost to camp at Tsitsikamma: 75R per night (out of season)- Beautiful
chalets also available for the more affluent.
Knysna and Environs
We
have been in Knysna now for over three weeks, mainly due to Truck's misdemeanours
and ailments (see above) and really in that time
we could have written a book on the place. We have been staying with The
Turners, a family who's knowledge and love of Knysna and the surrounding
environment have given us a clear picture of life in the area, a mixture
of idyllic happiness and frustration at the increasing developments going
up left, right and centre.
Knysna is set around a lagoon teeming with bird and marine life Its delicate beauty is a magnet to tourists, and as with any beauty spot, it is its very charm that threatens it. A new marina has been built with another on its way, along with this are the inevitable golf courses and car parks to cope with the seasonal tourist trade. One of the underwater attractions for divers to this area is the indigenous Knysna Seahorse, yet it remains to be seen whether this species will survive the next few years of 'improvements'.
The Parks Board Head Warden, Piet Joubert, is positive of the lagoons strength as an ecosystem. That is not to say that he, as an environmentalist, is in favour of the developments, of course he is not, but he retains the conviction that as a complicated organism, the lagoon may well have the necessary robustness to survive. We had many conversations ranging from underwater photography, local dive sites, and conservation issues, and it is fair to say that we couldn't have hoped for a better dive-guide. Go to Diving update for the Garden Route
