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Today was a day trip out of Knysna to Oudtshoorn. Over the Outeniqua Pass through some magnificent country. We crossed a valley with a specific micro-climate that is the source of all the hops produced in South Africa. As we approached Oudtshoorn we began seeing Ostrich farms. They have been a major presence here since the late 1800s. In the early days, the major product was ostrich feathers. It is claimed that a pound of ostrich feathers was worth as much as a pound of gold. Today, the major product is meat and leather with feathers a by-product with some value.
We next visited the Cango caves north of Oudtshoorn. The caves are over 5 km. long but our tour was 600 meters. Lorne was not at all interested in the adventure tour which would have involved crawling through some narrow passages. The stalagmites and stalactites are quite spectacular. Our cave guide had a great voice and entertained us with the South African national anthem demonstrating the great acoustics in the caverns.
Next stop was an ostrich farm where we learned all about these birds, including hands on demonstrations. Phyllis fed, hugged and rode an Ostrich (see photos). We ended the day with dinner at a seaside restaurant which allowed us to see the sunset over the Indian Ocean. This was another great day led by our "Superguide", Andre.
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