We got down to breakfast at 8 AM as usual and were met by Francois and Karen Harrison, plus Archibald, the Scottie, and Rambo, small and fierce something dog. We had poached eggs, cooked cherry tomatoes with herbs and seed bread, and fresh-brewed decaf - the first I've seen in SA. With a map from Roger, we set off for the West Coast National Park that we had briefly visited back in 2002 with Hilary and Mary M. The park is only a couple of miles from Harrison's House, so we were at the entry gate right away. 
Archibald
Langebaan is situated at the mouth of a 5-mile long lagoon, and the park consists of a mile wide swath of land down the inland side of the water, continuing south about 4 miles, and a peninsula on the other side of the lagoon, facing the Atlantic. We stopped at the first bird hide and saw lots of flamingos, both greater with pink beaks and lesser with black beaks and generally pinker plumage, and many other shorebirds. The weather was clear and balmy, in the upper 60s. We stayed there about an hour enjoying the scene.
We continued around the bottom of the lagoon and up the ocean side and stopped at the Atlantic View Point where we could see Table Mountain sitting above Cape Town in the mist. We found a picnic table and had a semi-civilized lunch for a change, adding to our usual nuts and cookies, a banana and orange from our fruit bowl at our B&B and some delicious Iranian dates we had picked up in Springbok. We were also visited by a very cute animal that looked like a cross between a mouse and a chipmunk, a Striped Mouse, who kept running between the plants and seemed very tame as did most of the animals in the park.
Near the north end of the peninsula we entered the "Postberg" section of the park which is privately owned by some of the old families of the area. They have an arrangement with the government that they can keep their holdings, but have to let the public on their land for August & September, the flower months. We had to keep to the roads and couldn't get out of our cars, but could drive around the area looking at the flowers and the herds of animals that have been reintroduced in the last decade.
We figured that we had seen the best of the flowers at Namaqualand, but these were also very impressive, and different! Plus there were herds of Eland and Bontebok. And we saw about a dozen Angulate Tortoises crossing the road and rescued a couple. "Tortoises have the right of way" a sign said!
We returned down the peninsula and slowly worked our way back to Langebaan. We were nearly out of gas and Rands so we drove to a shopping center north of town, got Rands at an ATM, gas and looked at a Pick 'n' Pay for the great pretzels that we had found in Paarl...but to no avail. They only stocked revolting flavored pretzels! We may have to return to Paarl so we can import a crate of them!
We got back to our B&B, relaxed, and cleaned up before walking down to the Farmhouse once again for dinner. We had a very good Merlot, excellent curried shrimp, and a steak for Bob at less than half of what it would cost at home. South Africa is a wonderful place to visit and a real deal right now!
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