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Visiting Philippines? Try this dessert

  My #1 Philippine dessert is not traditionally filipino. The day I arrived was grey and wet, yet humid. The traffic was a cluttered mess going from the airport. But the start of an authentic Asian experience. It was in September. I am however not reminiscing about my stay, but the smell of caramalized sugar when I entered the kitchen that following morning. The Philippines have its traditional dessert like Halo-Halo and Buku salad that is both delectable, must try frozen desserts. But it is neither of the two that made an impression on me during my visit to the Philippines. I originally began writing this post to share a great delicacy of my first visit to the Philippines.  Being passed off as a filipino dessert, I soon realised that this is not a filipino dessert but, the filipino version rather. It is still the filipino version I prefer, since I had travelled to Mexico, France and South Africa. My finding is that the filipino version referred to as Leche Flan is tastier,...
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Camping - Tsitsikamma National Park Part 1

Part 1



Garden Route - the route along the coast of South Africa between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth

The tent made our suitcase heavy, but there was no way we were travelling to South Africa without it. We had camped in South Africa before during a one week road trip along the garden route, February 2020. We fell in love with it and our camping gear began to grow. We prefer camping as it does not feel to close to home. The purpose of camping should be to feel closer to nature.

List of things you need before you go:

Tent
Matress - blowup saves space
Gas
Gas Burner
Battery light
Electrical light
Cooking set
Cooler

It is 2022 and we are back in South Africa. This time we had decided to stay one week at our most favorite spot from our previous trip. The Tsikama National Park (SANPARK) South African National Park.

Tsikama National Park is nestled halfway between Port Elizabeth and Goerge. About 19km (22min) from the petroport it lays tapered along the tranquil coast.

First tip for you, should you decide to go there, if you had never been there before. Make sure you arrive during daylight hours as once it is dark, it can be a challenge to find the turn off. The road there is dark. There is no lights. If it rains, best you go slow. 

Camping at the SANPARKS is a good choice because of the conditions. All these we visited in 2020 had good housekeeping. Something that we noticed was not the case with other camping grounds. Tsikama is our favorite because of where it is situated. The hiking trials. Scenery. And it is in immaculate condition. Camping at the SANPARKS is clean and safe. At a cost of course.

Back in 2020 when we went to camp there, was during the summer. This time around was during the winter. Personally I find camping during the winter more satisfying. At night there is no mosquitos and in the morning you can sleep in without the sun waking you as early as 7am. For the cold, you can just add extra layers of clothing. It is afterall perfect weather for a crepe and a coffee or marshmallows on the fire. We would turn in early and watch a movie before bed and because it is so cold you even get to sleep closer to each other.

Tsikama National Park has many different accomodation options with a long list of adventure activities.

Tent
Caravan
Forest hut
Forest cabin
Chalet
Family cottages
Guest cottage
Oceanette
Honeymoon cottage
Cottage

If you are lucky you might spot...

Dolphins and Porpoises ( I have learned something cause I have not known of an animal called a porpoise. I thought it was tortoise being misspelled – keeping vigil on the ocean will produce sightings of schools of dolphins and porpoises frolicking in the waves.

African Black Oystercatcher – this red data species is one of South Africa’s most threatened bird species. Several pairs nest along the park’s rocky coastline. We spotted these occasionally as our tent site was right next to the rocks.

Knysna Lourie – these beautiful birds with a gruff call are common in the forest. We have done several hiking trials but did not see any Louries (Loerie in afrikaans) but could hear them in the distance.

Cape Clawless Otter – the source of the name of the Otter Trail, this shy and elusive species hunts crabs along the park’s coastline and rivers alike. They are definitely shy as we did not manage to see one during our five day stay.

Blue Duiker – this miniature antelope is found in the forests. We were lucky to have one wander outside of the forest to graze the greenery close to the ocean. He spotted us. Lift his head. For a minute. Made sure we were not a danger to him and continued his grazing peacefully.

Klip dassies. If you are in caravans or tent stands that are alongside the ocean right next to the rocks. You will be greeted every morning by a family of dassies outside your tent as they lay basking in the sun.

Do the suspension bridge.
Kayaking
Hiking
Restaurant

Not so far west from here is Plettenberg bay. The trip towards Plettenberg bay is packed with activities and sightings. (Make a link in a second post.

To be continued...

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