We promised the kids that we would buy them a rubber dingy ages ago. I’m pretty sure we intended to get them one for the last birthday but we could never find the dingy and the oars together in the same shop.
In my mind, it was pointless to get the one without the other and that is how we found ourselves in Pick n Pay, Jeffrey’s Bay in May 2016. No, I didn’t specifically go and look for a rubber dingy, I actually went to get food but, after we saw the most glorious lagoon down the road from our accommodation, I suddenly remembered the plan to get a dingy and so we made a point of looking for one.
We went to Game, the toy shop, Crazy Store and CNA to look and found nothing. No, actually we found the 1 seater boat in Crazy Store but again, no oars. So, as a last resort, we headed down the outdoor aisle in Pick n Pay and found…NOTHING. It was only when we headed down the sweet aisle that we found the rubber dingies all piled on the top shelf. Why? I don’t know! But now where were the oars? None of the packers knew what we were talking about but as we looked down the outdoor aisle again, there they were, on top of some fridges. Anyone else find that weird? Ja, I know.
I’m surprised no one came running when the kids started dancing in the aisles and screaming in ecstacy.
This may be the weirdest, most unsurfing related post about Jeffrey’s Bay that has ever been written, but since we didn’t have a car, our options of places to see and things to do were very limited. In fact, we had to take a taxi to get to Pick n Pay but fortunately it cost a whole lot less than our Cape St Francis experience.
We spent a lot of time at the lagoon after we got the dingy and we became very popular with all the kids who came down to play while their parents sought fresh air and sunshine. There is something very special about how kids interact with one another. They barely take the time to find out each other’s names before they become best buddies.
Of course, it goes without saying that it was only a matter of time before the wind came up and the kids found themselves heading for deeper water. Of course Zoe simply got out of the boat and walked off, leaving Zac to paddle his little arms off trying to get back to shore. Thankfully Daddy came to the rescue and, after leaving all the valuables with me, headed out into the lagoon to rescue the dingy.
Can I just say, how friggen awesome are sunsets in J Bay? I mean really! Eat your heart out Cape Town!
Anyway, we were very fortunate to get the car back quite quickly (thanks to the VW social media team getting involved) and the minute we could, we headed to the Shell Museum.
We had found such awesome shells in Cape St Francis that we were curious to find out more about them. There are 2 whole cases dedicated to shells you can find on Jeffrey’s Bay beach! I couldn’t believe it. There is such a large variety displayed and, after asking the curator about when the best time to find some of these shells was, she mentioned that if you walk on the beach after a storm, you should find many of the shells displayed as the rough seas bring shells in from deeper water. I will definitely make a point of testing that theory the next time I’m in JBay.
It was well worth the R10 per adult and R5 per child to enter and I highly recommend that you pop in for a visit, the next time you’re in the area.
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