HOUSEBOAT WEEKEND, Port Alfred (South Africa) – Part 2 (Final)

July 2022

A weekend houseboat cruise on the Kowie River

Readers will remember that we paused halfway in our previous post (read here) telling you about our trip on a houseboat on the Kowie River. It was just one of those days where it’s almost impossible to describe the amount of joy we experienced while doing a trip … we had a couple of them previously, and this one is certainly under the top 5!

Now, let’s get back to Saturday afternoon. After we had some hotdogs for lunch, we (reluctantly) turned the houseboat around to look for an overnight spot on the river.

It was now quite some time after lunch and we were getting peckish (maybe due to the abundance of fresh air) … fortunately, we had some snacks inside the houseboat. While cruising down the river, I made us a cup of coffee and we enjoyed some rusks and lemon cream cookies (and a banana as dessert).

We were fascinated with the vegetation along the river. The many trees and bushes were standing in close proximity to each other … I was wondering how many wildlife was hiding between those.

On our way down the river, we passed two boats that were anchored close to the bank of the river. There were probably 10 men together, having a braai … it almost looked as if their boats were on fire! They waved exuberantly at us when we past them.

Eventually we got to a spot where we thought would be nice to overnight. And guess what … it was the very same place where we enjoyed breakfast earlier today.

It was amazing to witness how the colours changed as the sun was setting. We were just sitting at the back of the boat, having a glass of wine while enjoying nature’s display of wonder!

While sitting outside and enjoy the sunset, we looked towards a big hill at the back of our houseboat. The silhouettes of the trees and bushes were beautiful and we also spotted some antelopes grazing.

And then … remember those giraffes we spotted with breakfast this morning? Well, they (or maybe it was different ones) appeared on the horizon. They gracefully walked up the hill and disappeared between the high trees. What a magical moment!

I think it was at this moment that we just looked at each other – in total amazement – and appreciated our lives and where we were at that very moment.

Did I mention there is a radio on the houseboat? When it was time to make a fire, we switched on the radio and listen to the international rugby match between the Springboks (SA) and Wales … which we won! The evening turned out to be a joyous one!

We woke up early on Sunday morning, feeling well rested. With a cup of coffee in hand, we went to the roof of the houseboat to wait for the sun to rise.

Berto prepared another yummy breakfast before we packed our stuff, cleaned the houseboat and turned back to the harbour of Port Alfred.

The Kowie River – a beautiful sight

As I’ve mentioned in our previous post, this weekend definitely falls into the top 5 of most enjoyable weekends away! We had such a great time … enjoying nature from a houseboat is a totally different experience and one we would not mind doing again (and again).