Gateway to the Garden Route

After travelling from Cape Town and coming through the tricky Kaaimans Pass, this is the first ocean and beach view.
Stunning! This is also the village Wilderness, which is a one in a million as it is surrounded by the Wilderness National Park.
Recently the Wilderness National Park has been included in the greater Garden Route National Park, which protects all the wilderness corridors and natural habitats and stretches as far as Tsitsikamma.
In Wilderness the beachfront is protected and so are the lakes behind the dunes,the natural vegetation and afromontane forests.


Sea Paradise Guesthouse lies right on the beachfront.


http://www.seaparadise.co.za

Summertime.......

............and the living is easy.

So now the season is on and Wilderness has that certain buzz again. Never too many people, but an accelerated activity and there are definitely holiday makers around.

The weather today is 23 degrees, yesterday was 27 and tomorrow 21. That gives a good idea of the range of Summer temperatures.
Breakfasts on the balcony, 18 degree water tempeartures and fun in the sun.

Back to work. See ya.
Christa

Indigenous and flowering

This spring the clivias have been flowering later than usual, usual being September. They are a magnificent example
of the striking beauty of our indigenous plants, and these plants thrive in moist shady spots and do well in suburban gardens.
It is a highly poisenous plant and has been used for magical purposes in the African tradition.
Interestingly the porcupines, who love to eat bulbs, stay well away from the clivia plants!!

Clivia Minata

Wilderness walks

Whether you are walking on the beach, in the open veld, or in the forests, the Wilderness walks are easy and well signposted.
Because they lie in protected nature zones, one may on the odd occasion come across a bushbuck, a mongoose crossing the path,
possibly even a cape clawless otter and of course francolins and guinea fowls. The rock pools are wonderful to explore, with sea urchins, star fish to see and sometimes the elusive octopus.

So a trip to Wilderness is definitely for those who need to relax and unwind and who also enjoy walking and exploring.
Of course there are also beautiful gravel country roads, which make for perfect mountain biking.

Until we walk again,
Christa

Cango caves

One of the really popular day outings from Sea Paradise is a trip to the Cango caves.
The drive is scenic as it crosses the Outeniqua Mts and meanders through the semi-desert of the Klein Karoo.

Driving just 70 km away from here and over the Outeniqua mountains lies Oudtshoorn, a charming Karoo town with many beautiful Victorian sandstone buildings.

Another 20 km further outside Oudtshoorn and you arrive at the Cango caves.

Before going in to see the caves, it is well worth seeing the video, mainly because there is footage of the recently discovered extensions of Cango; and it takes one`s breath away to see the brilliantly sparkling interiors fit for a king, like zillions of diamonds all round.

But mostly the caves are a wonderland journey. Enough said!

At the end of the day, its lovely to leave the heat of the Karoo and arrive back in Wilderness overlooking the ocean in time for a swim or sunset.

http://www.seaparadise.co.za

Summer Paragliding

Summer is just 2 months away and I thought I`d put in a teaser pic. Look at the intense blue sky and ocean, the expanse of space, of unspoilt beach, (no highrise buildings) and a true adventurer`s and nature lover`s destination.

One of the adventure sports, ie paragliding is something for everyone, ...and I say this because you dont have to fly alone,you can fly in tandem!! This way you sit in a harness with the tandem fundi and hey ......run off the hill and whoosh airborne and peaceful gliding. The time in the air is anything from 15 minutes to 1/2 hour and leaves you feeling invigorated and energised.

This is really fun, to soar above the beach, sometimes over the ocean and then finally land on the beach.

Ever felt like flying?

Try this for an eagles` perspective or in this case a seagulls`!

Oh, and Sea Paradise is right on the beach, pretty much in the middle of this stretch.

Christa

Loving to lounge

Some spring days here at Sea Paradise on the beach are still cool, ie 19 degrees C and so our recent guests Trish and Lilian took full advantage and found a corner in the sun in the comfortable upstairs lounge.

Welcome the Whales

The last 6 weeks have flown past and I have been meaning to announce the arrival of the southern right whales in Wilderness.
This is a yearly event and for me marks the beginning of early signs of spring. To see that immense body heave up out of the surface of the ocean is so thrilling, and then to sit back and observe them is a treat.

The thing that is most special is their pace, their p-a-c-e.. it is so slow and unhurried.
To sit and be with them, I find the daily stresses of the "busyness" of life draining off and before long find myself sighing with relief and contentment.

Another wonderful experience is to be so close to them, that one can hear the breath, for sure, one can hear it from rocky shores, when they laze close by. !! The blowhole opens and tons of air escapes slowly and evenly for what seems a long time; and that sound can transport one right into that giant barrel of peace.
Fantastic.

So the whales really offer us moments of peace and wonder, and this is food for thought.!

The real reason for their yearly trip to these waters is to calve and nurse their single offspring. At this stage in August quite a few calves would have been born and are being nurtured into healthy whales, and in January they head off back to Antarctica.

At Sea Paradise we have had whale sightings from our breakfast room. The pic I have included clearly shows two of them.
What they are up to, ....I would not know, hopefully having fun.

Till next time.
you have fun and find your "unwinder"

Magicians in the forest

This past weekend I took some friends on one of my favourite walks in the Wilderness area, the 30 minute forest walk and "BIG Tree". If you`re feeling relaxed, not overly energised and in search of a therapeutic mini journey, this one`s the one.

Just 15 minutes drive inland from the beach and onto the plateau is a large stretch of afromontane forest, and behind the forest lie the Outeniqua Mountains.
For centuries now the population of trees here have established themselves as mature forests and the elders here are generally between 500 and 600 years old.
Amongst all the magnificent trees however, there is one family that stands out, the yellowoods, and in particular the Outeniqua Yellowood.
With their long flowing old man`s beards draped loosely from branches up to 40m high, these trees exude presence and magick. Fluted crowns and expressive branches,... this truly is Tolkien`s world.

On this particular walk you shall meet our oldest resident we know of, an 800 year old giant. At this stage of his life his girth measures 12 metrs and he towers 33m above the forest floor.
As a little seedling in the early 1200s he would have started his journey in life, growing through times like the middle ages, Bartholomew Dias and Vasco ds Gama sailing past on their wooden boats, possibly observed elephant and dreaded woodcutters, a couple of Khoisan running around and in all this time of international human action, movement, development and land occupations all round, he stayed in one space occupying the same 4 square metres at the base. How centred can one be!

Is it not amazing that that there is a force that powers plants to grow, continually so and for 800 years. Wow. This is fantastic. You see this is what happens when one meets a magician of this natue. He sparks one`s imagination, and before you know it, you`re on a rollercoaster of images and dreams; and is this not how stories develop?

At this point it is time for me to let go, let you sit back and wonder and imagine your own creation story or...possibly a visit to a magical Tolkien`s world.

Outeniqua Yellowood ( podocarpus falcatus)

Wilderness Beach

Just a note and a pic to show the beauty of Wilderness beach. This shot is taken from the garden at Sea Paradise guesthouse.
As you can see there is an additional hidden deck set in amongst the dune vegetation where you can feel the indigenous plants and smell the aroma all round.

Although the ocean is cold at the moment ie 14 degrees Celsius, the 6km long beach is great for walking, and there are beautiful rock formations and rock pools along this stretch.

Christa Fairhead

WINE ROUTE TO CAPE TOWN
On our way .. we took the Route 64 this time and not the N2 and it is harvest time and
all along the Wine Estates the roses and cannas are in full Summer bloom.

2010 SOCCER
A few days in Cape Town..... only 4 hours drive from Wilderness and what a sight !
Greenpoint will never be the same again! The view from our Hotel is the stadiam well on its way !

FRIENDS FOR LIFE !!

Al elf jaar komen we in Sea Paradise De ligging is uniek met een prachtig zicht over zee en strand !
Je voelt je hier direct welkom door de vriendelijke ontvangst en verzorging door Maryne en Danie
(gastvrouw en heer) en personeel !
Het is echt een "Paradys" !!
Joop en Nelly van Dijk, Naarden. Nederland

Joop en Nelly van Dijk are just like the swallows from Europe ......
every Summer for the last 11 years they return to
stay with us for three weeks at SEA PARADISE GUESTHOUSE.

STAFF MEMBERS

Two of our Staff members are...
Racheal left and Eunice right
They are part of the Sea Paradise Team for
the last 8 years

MILKWOOD VILLAGE

The Milkwood Village is only 5 min walk from Sea Paradise Guesthouse. Every Friday night we have a
market in the Center of the Village under the Milkwood Trees. In the complex you will find 5
Restaurants of Coffee shops and Takeaways. There is a Post Office and Laundry and a few Estate
Agencies. Then you also have a Art Gallery as well as a Jewely Shop and a beautiful little Perl shop
at the back of the Centre. And most important..... the TOURIST OFFICE where one can find so
many info and maps of this area. You will find everyone very friendly and helpful.

WILDLIFE IN THE AREA

I took the photo of this Lioness in the Kruger National Park
but...
Nearby we have so many Parks where the big 5 can be seen.

Plettenberg Bay Game Reserve
Buffelsdrif Game Reserve near Oudtshoorn
Bottelierskop near George
JUST A DAY TRIP FROM US AND THE GAME DRIVE CAN BE BOOKED

HOLIDAY RELAXING

CIRCLES IN THE SAND
..... ALSO AN OPTION TO
RELAX !!

PARAGLIDING ADVENTURES

Wilderness is a PARAGLIDING PARADISE !
A Tandem flight for 20 min= safe and very enjoyable @ R450.00 pp
Introduction Course 2 - 3 days = R1500.00
Full Paragliding Course 2 weeks Pilots license = R7500.00
and Eguipment Sale and Hire also available and it is also very good for
TEAM BUILDING... GROUP FLIGHTS .... PROMOTIONS .... AND CHILDREN FRIENDLY !
Direct contact... email: dolphinfly1@hotmail.com and tel no. 0721990622/ 0829598818

FUN ON THE BEACH !

DADDY ALSO NEAD SOME EXCERSIZE ....!!

ON THE BEACH

THE LIFESAVERS ARE ON DUTY AND LOOKING AFTER EVERYBODYS NEEDS !!

SUMMER 2009

AAAH.....TODAY THE SUN IS SHINING !!! THIS IS GOING TO BE GOOD!!

SUMMER 2009

SUMMER ON WILDERNESS BEACH