Surfing and on to Storms River

Surfing and on to Storms River

Stormsrivier, South Africa, Africa
Andelomi Forest Lodge

We had an early wake up call this morning so we would have time to have breakfast, pack up and get to our surfing class. Our breakfast was included at Dio Dell Amore, and it was amazing. The house and the property is really beautiful so as they were cooking our breakfast, we went for a little walk outside in the garden and visited the many beautiful birds they have in cages. If we didn’t have to get into a wetsuit and go surfing, I would have enjoyed a lot more of the breakfast, but we had to keep it light.

We packed up went down to Wavecrest Surf School and met our instructor Raino. He looked exactly like what you think of for a surfer. He had long dreadlocks, plenty of tattoos, and a very chilled attitude. It turned out that we were the only people getting a lesson this morning, so that was a bonus! We got changed, grabbed our boards, and headed down onto the beach. The water was a bit chilly, but nothing we couldn’t handle. Raino gave us some instructions on the beach, we practiced a few things, and then we went straight out.

It was a great couple of hours out in the ocean, and we both loved it! We were both able to stand up on the board twice, which doesn’t seem like much, but when it happened it felt amazing! I would absolutely do it again, but hopefully somewhere a bit warmer. Wavecrest has a photographer who comes out and takes pictures while we’re surfing, so we got a few pics from him, which will be a nice memory.

We finished up the lesson and got a tip for a restaurant down at Marina Wharf called Walskipper. Melissa had the crayfish, which is basically a small lobster, and I had an ostrich steak and crocodile skewers. The food was excellent, but the best thing was being able to sit at a picnic table right next to the ocean, and just enjoy the beautiful weather. In fact, it was so nice that after we ate we took our inflatable sofa down onto the beach and relaxed for about a half hour before we had to take off.

We drove along the coast to Stormsriver, and just stopped at the bridge over the river to take some pictures. It is a massive gorge that was really impressive to see. We found our hotel called the Andelomi Forest Lodge and checked in. It’s nothing special at all, but it looks clean enough for a night. We were able to book a kayak and lilo tour for tomorrow morning, which is something I’ve been looking forward to for a while. I love kayaking, but I don’t really get the chance to do it often.

We went out for a drive to see what is around here, but there is really nothing. Stormsriver is a really small village, really small. There are a few hotels and restaurants, and that’s it. We only found one that was open called Woodfired Pizza, so we decided to give it a shot. It was a surprisingly good pizza and we split a Windhoek beer, which was also pretty good. I had a pepper, pineapple, and banana pizza, just because I don’t know anywhere else in the world that will make that concoction.

We are back at the hotel now and looking forward to another early rise so we can go kayaking in the morning. It’s going to have to be another small breakfast so we aren’t feeling too heavy for all the paddling!

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