a town called Knysna (pronounced 'Nice-Na'). We heard from Bec that she landed back in PE just fine. I miss her already but know we will see her tomorrow night. Today is cloudy, upsetting for our drive, however we lucked out with beautiful weather all weekend. So I can't complain. Our drive showed us a different side of SA- a countryside of farm land, cows, sheep and ostrich. Surprisingly the main road we drive on, N2, has several well kept rest stops with gas stations and snacks. This is a good thing, since we all know I have to pee every 30 minutes.
This long drive gives is a perfect time for me to talk about some South Africa-isms.
Tipping- tipping is expected in SA on almost everything, but the suggested tip is only 10%.
Parking- public street parking is quirky. There are all these guys that hang out on the streets wearing yellow reflective vests that are considered everything from Parking Marshalls to Car Watchers. Some of them are actually official car marshals that you pay to park per hour. Others are guys that try to help direct you as you parallel park, then expect you to pay them a few rand for their services. Some of these guys also say they will "watch your car" to ward off possible break ins. While sometimes helpful, these yellow vest guys are also annoying. They often tell you that you need to pay them when they did nothing but stand on the street. They mostly just wear the vest and hope to get paid. It's kind of funny. The locals seem to ignore them and think them a nuisance.
Now Now Just Now- Rebecca gave us a lesson on a few general terms you often hear. "Just Now" means in a while, maybe never, but certainly not right now. "Now Now" means, right now.
Limes and Lemons- seem to be generally considered the same fruit, the result being a lemon sized citrus fruit that is yellow on the inside and a blend of yellow and green on the outside, but actually tastes like a cross between the two fruit. We found limes in Kalk Bay at the bars where they were making mojitos. The lemons however were the cross blended "Limons" as Bec dubbed them.
I'll have fries with that- French fries in SA are called "Chips" and Ketchup is called "tomato sauce" and has a funny taste to it. We have yet to figure out what tomato sauce is called. Also, apparently in London, "Potato Skins" are actually french fries with the skin left on them.
Pancakes- are actually crepes.
Traffic lights- are called Robots here
Does it now?- people usually respond to something you've told them, with a question, such as "Does it Now?" or "Do you?" or even just "Is it?" it is really amusing and I kind of like it. Rebecca has definitely picked this custom up, which makes me giggle each time she says it.
We are now closing in on Knysna, about 15 km out. I am going to put away my computer and pay attention. We have so many pictures we need to post, but with the Internet being so slow, they will most likely wait until we get home. We are staying at the Phantom Forest Lodge tonight, which is supposed to be a tree house like hotel, each room being its own little tree hut. We are stopping in Knysna first to grab some lunch and look around, then we will go check into our hotel and explore their grounds.
We are now closing in on Knysna, about 15 km out. I am going to put away my computer and pay attention. We have so many pictures we need to post, but with the Internet being so slow, they will most likely wait until we get home. We are staying at the Phantom Forest Lodge tonight, which is supposed to be a tree house like hotel, each room being its own little tree hut. We are stopping in Knysna first to grab some lunch and look around, then we will go check into our hotel and explore their grounds.
More to come from the Garden Route! Thanks for reading my rambles!
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