9 ACCOMMODATION

After a tiring day of driving and viewing beautiful scenery and places never visited before, we finally decided that it was time to look for somewhere to lay our weary heads! East London was one of the pre-planned destinations. Gonubie sounded like a beautiful holiday venue, and we proceeded to the place (using Blondie, our newly-acquired GPS). She was very helpful, and she took us along all the spooky routes to the long-anticipated Gonubie. Dusk settled terribly rapidly, and we once more consulted Blondie to help with locating suitable accommodation. By this time, we had decided that self-catering units in caravan parks suited our needs perfectly.
Among the many names from which we could make a selection, Gonubie Municipal Caravan Park seemed as if it could be just the place! Hubby phoned ahead and the key to our chalet was left at the gate!
Blondie took us along the highways and byeways to the Park. It was getting darker and darker (and I don’t mean the time of day!) We arrived at the gate and got our key. The guide walked ahead to direct us to our chalet. The little paths abounded with little chattering pikkanins, all excited about their holiday. The path went deeper and deeper into the dark unknown, and eventually … la-laaaaaaaa! Our little place.
A 6-bed chalet fully equipped. I saw the faded bedding and the well-used pillows, and started itching all over! I became quieter and quieter, and Hubby could see that something was bothering me … I stood at the door and just prayed that he wouldn’t say it was okay! We looked at each other, and after 40 years of married life, we just KNEW: This wasn’t for us!
Blondie had to navigate us to East London-proper! By then it was dark, and our search began once more. We thought that maybe we deserved a nice comfy hotel – alas! Not for us. We had a good idea how Mary and Joseph must have felt – no room for us … ANYWHERE! Craven week rugby teams booked all available accommodation! Eventually one of the hotels gave us the name of a guest house which provided rooms. This was an old hotel which was in the process of being renovated, and the fee was very low (to get the place on the map)! The OLD building looked fine at first – then we asked where safe parking for the car was. We were directed round the corner – a car which had an EC registration, had to be moved, and hey presto! A tandem garage yawned at us. We drove right into the dark cavern of this aforesaid tandem, and I quickly realized that there could be no possibility of making a quick get-away! Our luggage was man-handled up a little balcony, and we proceeded to the room via a narrow little passage in an even narrower kitchen! Our room was just round the corner. Our footsteps resounded noisily on the wooden floors. The room was quite nice-looking and had a bathroom and a table & chairs. We could prepare our own supper! The Ousie had a pikkanin on her back, and we heard bump-bump on the floors till LATE that night. I moved a chair under the doorknob (LIKE THE MOVIES) just in case!... Fanie was quite amused, needless to say!
Breakfast was to be at a nearby Wimpy. … Gud morneeng Mam, haw-a-yew! We were the only two lighter spots in an otherwise dark restaurant. I was beginning to think that perhaps I didn’t remove my sunglasses, but not so!
A lesson learnt that places aren’t necessarily what the names sound like …