South Africa Race-Cation Day 5

We took our time in the morning and worked on the computer. The internet seems to work the fastest in the morning so we try to take advantage of it. We joined our friend Gordon and another guy Brian for a late morning swim in the ocean around 10:30am (high tide). I felt much more at ease in the ocean (no jellyfish sightings) although Gordon and Brian saw a seal sunbathing on his back in the water. It was a nice swim in our wetsuits and I felt a bit better in the water compared to the day prior. During our walk on the way back from the swim, we stopped at Uncle Barry’s for soft serve ice cream. It was the best soft serve we have ever had. 

In all of our travels to Europe and now South Africa, it’s always surprising to taste sweets that aren’t overly sweet compared to the US. For some reason, in the US, everything is overly sweet. We enjoyed our soft serve on the walk back to the Airbnb. We then enjoyed some real food before heading back to the Elgin Valley Country Club to pre-ride the rock garden again. 

Instead of riding the entire course we went on the green to red line to make our way to the black rock garden. Karel wanted to do the 1.2 mile rock garden in one clean run (without stopping) so we each did our own thing. I was able to get through most of it but struggled in one switchback where my wheel got stuck in the sand and I fell into a bush. I wanted to make sure I knew the right line so I went back up the trail and rode it again, taking a different line over the rock instead. The rock was at a weird angle so it doesn’t look like the obvious line but this time I didn’t fall. I had a few gentle falls in the sandy switchbacks as it still feels so unnatural for me. I’m looking forward to working on it back at home as I know I am losing a lot of time in those type of trail sections. We also scooped out some of the run course until we got to a deep puddle of water and decided to turn around.

After our ride, we did a quick change and got our packets at the race venue (which was open from 4-7pm). I met Liezel and Conrad as I had been communicating with Liezel via IG Messenger and What’s App and gave Conrad a nice supply of Clif Bars (as requested before we left). He used to be sponsored by Clif bar and hasn’t been able to enjoy the bars since they don’t have access to them in South Africa. 

During the drive back home, we were reminded once again of the difference in lifestyles here in South Africa. 

Our Airbnb hosts wanted to make us dinner tonight. We were looking forward to getting to know them better and sampling some local recipes. After we got cleaned up at the Airbnb, we walked to the grocery store for a few items and then walked upstairs to our Airbnb for dinner. While the sun was setting, we talked with Hester and Thys and around 7:30pm, Thys started the grill (braai) to prepare the assortment of meats. I hardboiled some eggs for my protein (and to share). We had dinner around 8pm and it was incredible. We had fresh homemade bread, grits with sauce, two different salads and Karel enjoyed the meat selection. Around 9pm we left and went to bed around 10pm. It was a special evening to enjoy a homemade meal with our Airbnb hosts. Even though my vegetarian diet limits my protein choices, I really enjoy trying new foods, cuisines and dishes when we travel. It's one of the best ways to get to know a country.