We now drove to Knysna, known as ”The Heart of the Garden Route” on the coast of the Indian Ocean. Here we stayed at Monks, ideally located on the waterfront at the Knysna lagoon with a view over the Knysna Heads, the two rocks projecting from each side of the lagoon opening to the sea.
On the way to Knysna Amarins and I made a playlist of music from my computer, but as we listened to it; it was Pet Shop Boys over and over again as the player in the truck started again from scratch each time it was activated after each stop and it and had no shuffle function. So, Godfree became somewhat of our shuflle.
”Skip the next 10!”
”Skip the next 15!”
”Skip the next 50!”
The township in Knysna
We had lunch in the open air and got some different options of things to do during the afternoon – all but one chose to go the township with Orin.
Orin was a bit special, he is a former rugby player, who after an injury retired from the sport to be a guide. He is passionate about the people in the townships and is well known here.
I had already been in three other townships – Soweto, Khayelitsha and the one in Port Elizabeth, so I had to promise to give Orin my honest opinion on the Knysna township after the tour about which one I thought was the best tour.
We started the tour with a walk in one of neighborhoods where Orin told us about the houses, living conditions and the origin of the townships.
Here we went into a small local shop and bought a carton of bananas and sweets, which we then would hand out at a preschool. Then we went to a local sheebeen, i.e. a local pub in the township, where we enjoyed a beer in the sun on the terrace while Orin talked and answered questions.
Han and I took the opportunity and played a round of pool, which I lost. I blame the other beers we took …
Brother Paul
Orin took us to a Rastafari colony in the middle of the township – I did not know even they existed here – and we got to meet Brother Paul. A special guy who told us about Rastafari as a religion, how the Rastafari community functions and about their longing for the old traditions as it is described in the Old Testament.
For those of you who do not know, Rastafari is a religion based on the Old Testament, with African influences from Ethiopia. Bob Marley was the one who got Rastafari out in the spotlight and was appointed as a prophet.
We visited an elementary school in the township, where they had just established a school food programs The school is not funded only by the government, but also by private individuals and companies who amounts other things donate computers. Education is the only way to get out poverty and the townships, so they work hard to make the parents to understand this and let the children go to school. The school food program will further help children to have a better health and to motivate parents to send the children to school.
The last stop on the tour was in a preschool, where we gave the bananas and candy to children. We played with them in the swings and this was a nice ending to a long afternoon.
During the day we had seen many aspects of life in a township and I told Orin that I honestly considered this to be the best one of my four tours. His passionate commitment and participation made it possible for us to get the most out of visit!
We drove to the Knysna Waterfront, where we were dropped off while Orin took Laura to the Doctor, her knee ached and she was a little worried about it.
I bought a wide-brimmed panama hat, new pipe tobacco and a new book to read – the book I had with me, I finished in Cape Town, even though it was around 300 pages. What, I am a fast reader, okay!
It was an early evening, most of us went to bed around 21:30 to 22:00, but I and a few others stayed up for a while and talked, smoked and drank…