Seekombuis

Now, I have already gone into the general appeal of Paternoster, but let me tell you about the one place that really made this little fishing village a great memory for me. Seekombuis  is right by the entrance for Tietiesbaai. If they ask you to pay at the boom, just tell them you are going to the restaurant and they will let you in for free. 

It is an open-area restaurant on the beach; the smell of the ocean mixes with the smell of freshly-baked bread, the smooth rocks stick out of the ocean like silent titans, old crayfish boats have been converted into tables. It all comes together to create an amazing atmosphere. Not only that, but the people who run the place are among the nicest people I have met along my travels. If you need some insider information on which routes to take then they will be able to help guide you in the right direction.

They have only been open for a year, but already they have got a strong local following. Perhaps you don't understand how friendly these guys are. So let me tell you about my experience there.

I stopped over for a beer, and told them about my plan to camp at Treckosskraal. They advised me on which road to take, but also told me that if I wanted to camp on the beach by the restaurant, I was more than welcome. Come now, if that is not the nicest thing ever then I don't know. Oh but wait, it gets better. So after I go and check out Treckosskraal, I come back, and decide that I would rather chill out there, chat to some people, have a few beers, and sleep on one of the most beautiful stretches of beach I have ever seen in my life. Things can't get any better than that right? Boy was I mistaken.

So at six in the evening fresh loaves of bread come out and the dinner service starts. Now, without provocation they told me that I have to taste their food, and they did not need me to pay for it. I realise that I told them was on a road trip and that I was doing reviews of places, but that was a surprising act of kindness. What was even better was the food itself. Smoked snoek pate with home-made apricot jam on bread that had only been out of the oven for five minutes. I was close to tears the food was so good

As the night died down, and we all made our way to bed, One of the ladies there gave me three beers, a big packet of chips and a chocolate milk for the rest of my trip. By that point I was so full of kindness if some one had pricked me I would have popped.

I woke up to one of the greatest views a person can hope for. I would like to thank every one at Seekombuis for making my time in Paternoster amazing.  

What I saw when I woke up

Checkers

Right then. Let us wind back the clock a few years. Back to a time when men were men, women were barefoot in the kitchen, and stereotypes did not result in the kind of scorn I can pre-emptively see seeping from the pores of every woman who has started to read this. That was the time when the only place you could do all you one-stop mega-shopping was at Pick 'n Pay. The investors rolled in and after much arguing; a Checkers reared its gleaming head in a new shopping mall here in Hermanus. Like every new kid on the block, it will do its best to out gun the old guard. This time they used free food and booze with pretty girls in fancy clothing. Who would I be if I were not to investigate?

So in the middle of town they erect a massive tent, brand the thing with Checkers logos, and put two teams of attractive women to guard the entrance. A good start for the PR people I would say. The premise of the entire show is a free cooking and lifestyle extravaganza, with celebrity hosts and celebrity cooks. I wanted to see Nataniel, who I think is a talented individual, both in his writing and in singing (sadly I know too little about food to comment of his prowess as a cook). Instead I got to see the food editor of the Huisgenoot prepared steake with mushroom sauce. She was accompanied by a local celebrity whose face seemed familiar but unfortunately I could not place him. Yes, I know, I should have taken note of who he was. This is in no way a stab at the gentleman, whom I am certain worked very hard to be were he is today, but being a local television celebrity makes him about as important to me  as a yoghurt enema. Sorry dude, no hard feelings.

I did learn that when one cooks a steak in a pan (and not on fire like I normally do) its best to not heat the oil in the pan, but rather to coat the meat with the oil and then put the meat in the heated pan. I would have never guessed. Between the cooking, models came and strutted their stuff; clad in the newsiest ranges from local designers and boutiques, which included David Thale, Maria & Me, The Bromwell and Hip Hop. In case you were wondering, I had never heard of any of these before. So I suppose it did well as far as advertising as well as reminding me how uncool I really am.

When we walked in were were each given a glass which was filled at one point with wine, then later with Jack Daniels (which they watered down with soda) and Jamerson (or was it J&B). When the cooking was done we were all given a pre-prepared sample of the food we saw being prepared in front of us. Now this is being sponsored by Checkers, are gosh darn it, they were going to make sure we left remembering it. It was like being in a live infomercial.

Let's see. The wine we got to taste was call Odd Bins. In other words, Checkers, in their infinite and compassionate wisdom go to the leading Wine farms, and take their excess wine and resell it at a fraction of the cost, to us their loving patrons. Hence the name. A rather large and cynical side of me wanted to ask them what the difference was between that and Tassenberg, but the question was answered for me when the presenter mentioned how it is exclusive to Checkers. Ha, I see what you did there. Tackle the stigma with exclusivity, nice. Oh they also have an exclusive selection of coffee beans, in case you were wondering.
I might have come down a bit harsh on this massive company, but in truth, I like what they did. As far as a marketing campaign goes, this has been my favourite  It added to the atmosphere of the Festival  and it was actually enjoyable. The food was good, the girls were pretty and I learned how to make steak in a pan. Hell, I will even go and buy Odd Bins next time I need to get wine that does not need to be in a 5l box. Call me a sucker, but they gave me free food.
 

Near Death at the Big Tree. 08-08-2012

I had my usual stop at Storms River, enjoyed the view and had some oranges. That was rather droll compared to what happened next.

Thankfully, the rain stopped long enough for me to check out something I have been wanting to see for years: The Big Tree. I am not to sure why, I just always have. The many days of rain had brought out the rich colours of the forest, with all its deep greens and dark browns; cloaked in shade. Much of the soil on the path had been washed away, exposing a network of roots that seemed to connect the whole forest. They looked like the veins on the flexed forearm of the forest floor, with shimmering pools of water between them.

The Big Tree itself is only around one kilometer into the forest. The boardwalk around it makes it easily accessible, but it was not as insanely epic as I had build it up to be in my imagination for years. There were a few more trees on the longer trails so I decided to take the 2.6km trail to see more of the forest. But half way through the trail my whole body froze with a primal fear the moment I heard a loud and distinctive growl. With all my senses on high alert my eyes darted through the thick foliage and caught a glimpse of something moving in the shadows. The steady falling droplets made a constant but disconcerting background to the forest. With adrenalin still thick in my veins I wondered if perhaps my senses were lying to me. As I stepped backwards I heard the rustling again. I was very afraid. I had just spoken to my mother, assuring her I was fine. Eventually when I got control of my body again I took my knife out of my bag, opened it (like that would do any good against what ever might be eyeing me) and started to back away slowly. After half an hour of careful backtracking I indulged myself in a good old fashioned 'run away'. I dared not do it earlier lest I looked to much like prey.

By the time I got back to the entrance, where had I paid to go in, I had calmed myself down enough to start thinking rationally. "There is no way that could have been something like a leopard out there in the woods, I must have been imagining things. Perhaps it was something completely harmless and I got scared for no reason", I told myself. Yet when I asked the people that worked there they told me that it was very likely that I had in fact encountered a leopard. Maybe it just wasn't that hungry.