LET’S GET TO THE COAST!
T
o the cool breeze and the fresh smell of ocean. The thought of crashing waves and soft grey sand to burrow your toes in and run your fingers through is irresistible. Long barefoot walks on the beach as thousands of cormorants fly past in never ending lines and Damara Terns lift off as you get closer. The freezing temperature of the water catching you unawares when the surf covers your footprint. Bliss.
There is nothing like the hazy, pastel-coloured, seemingly nothingness of the Atlantic coast to heal an overstimulated, overworked and over-worried body and soul in the year of Corona. The image of a cooler box under the multi-coloured umbrella, beach bats and small bodies covered in sand against a half-built sand castle, keeps popping up from my subconscious mind. A striped windshield creating a protective circle under a gazebo tied to the Combi and the portable braai contraption completes my picture of many summer days at Langstrand. As the holiday season progresses you are bound to lose some of the space to more sun seekers. At the height of the holiday season between Christmas and New Year, the perfect protection is to gather your own crowd and create your private little beach village in the sand. Just be aware of the high water mark. You may have to move to the second row if you pitch your village too close to the water at low tide. A sunny day at the beach is never a given along the southwestern Atlantic coast. But after a hot, dry summer inland those soothing cool foggy days are a welcome respite. The fog seldom lasts an entire day, granting you some reward in a beautiful sunset, a midday sojourn and even a sunrise over the dunes.
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