Westcoast - October 2009 By Kerry Van Der Spuy Clean fresh air, no cellphone reception, sun, sand, sea, 4x4's and plenty of laughter were on the daily itinery of the trip down the West Coast. We met at Bitterfontein, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (especially as new-comers to the group) we were looking forward to meeting our fellow travellers and heading towards the coast. A little while later, Mr Van der Reis arrived - at the end of a tow rope. Turns out his little red devil (although she'd had the best treatment just recently) wasn't behaving quite as she should. It was decided that the rest of the group should push on and depending on the severity of the problem, Greg would join us later......or not. With a new Captain at the helm, we left Bitterfontein and headed down to Groenrivier. A short way after our turn off onto the gravel road, we received the great news that Greg would be joining us, so we decided to take the opportunity to deflate the tyres and stand around in the baking African sun. A little while later, plume of dust came hurtling down the road and the little Landy (looking awfully delighted with herself) appeared. We drove down towards the ocean, watching the thermometer dropping in temperature as we approached the big coastal cloud. Once reaching the sea, we turned onto the little coastal road and meandered down to the campsite, Island Point. We pitched camp in the cool sea mist and were quite grateful it was there. As we'd all had either a late night or early start to the day, the camp then fell into silence as the majority of the campers had a quick 40 winks. Fishermen, however, prove to be hardy folk and resisted the call of the duvet, to dip their rods into the sea. Island Point is magnificent with a wreck on a rocky outcrop 100m or so offshore and the waves literally breaking just meters in front of us. Once awake again, the children headed off to the rock pools with nets and fishing rods in hand, whilst their parents watched the sunset with a cold beverage. Supper proved to be quite interesting as different gadgets and styles of cooking were displayed to their owners pride. Laughter was on everyone's menu and camp and vehicle stories did their rounds. We awoke the next morning to a glorious day, with a few porpoises giving a half-hearted display for those observant campers. We packed up and moved down the coast to our next port of call. A couple of little adventures along the way proved that a spade and rope are definitely good tools to keep handy when one's vehicle is sitting hard and fast on it's diff in the soft sand. Once out however, the 4x4's version of the toi-toi was displayed, as all and sundry 'fixed' the road for the next vehicles by enthusiastically kicking sand this way and that. German driven Fortuna's are beyond doubt, a lot faster and more reliable than regular SA driven 4x4s. We stopped for morning tea at a seal colony that was so picturesque, until the wind changed and the choking stench sent even the most avid nature lover scuttling back to their vehicle. We ambled on towards our campsite, taking in the breathtaking beauty of the aqua-coloured sea and rugged and uninhabited coastline, watching whales frolic, meerkats inquisitively peering at us, and yellow cobras moving swiftly across our paths. The next campsite, some 50-odd km from Island View is protectively nestled behind the dunes. A beautiful, wide beach and rock pools alive with myriads of marine creatures were awaiting us. Again, the children dashed off to explore the little pools fed by the tide. The fearless fishermen cast their rods, but were rewarded by catching (probably the same) shark. I guess heaven doesn't get any better than this, I imagine, as I sat with my man watching the sunset over what has been such an incredible time on the West Coast. I forgot to mention that, as in any good story, there has to be tears, and there were that night - tears of laughter rolled down our cheeks and our belly's ached from a) too much Weskus kos and b) the very generous amount of jokes and bantering. Sunday, we had a leisurely pack up and drive to Vredendal, where we pumped tyres and said our goodbyes - some choosing to head slowly down the coastal road home, and others, the highway. This trip has left me feeling revitalised, refreshed and humble that we are so fortunate to live in this most beautiful part of the world. Thanks to Greg and all my fellow campers, who made this trip as wonderful as it was.