When my friend invited me to join a group for a weekend away, I was quite sceptical. I mean, I didn’t know the people I was going with and that almost resulted in me cancelling what would turn out to be a memorable getaway. 

To make me feel a bit more at ease around total strangers, I invited Busi along – my bestie. 

So, for those who don’t know, Hermanus is a little town on the southern coast of the Western Cape, about an hour-and-a-half’s drive from Cape Town. It’s known for whale watching and is thus always busy during whale watching season, which is from June to December every year. 

The drive to Hermanus

We were set to leave around 12:00 in the afternoon, however, we arrived at our Airbnb lodgings much later than initially planned. First, my friend, who is a YouTuber, decided that it would be a good idea to drive around Chapman’s Peak, the total opposite direction of Hermanus. So, we got quite delayed going to Hermanus, but the drive was amazing, I’ll concede.

The house

After what felt like ages of driving, we finally reached our destination. The house was big. I guess it had to be since we were nine people. 

Busi and I called dibs on a room at one end of the house so we could be close to a bathroom. The house itself was stunning. There was a fireplace and that made the whole drive seem worth it.

What we got up to

On the first night, we simply got acquainted with everyone. We play 30 Seconds, and boy were we loud. 

The next morning, we set off on an early hike to a place called, Die Drie Damme (The Three Dams). As you guessed, there are three dams that you can find further along your hike. It was quite a narrow path, but we managed to ascend and descend the mountain safely while taking in all the beauty around us. 

Everyone was starving by the time we got to the parking lot and so we made our way to a local farmer’s market in the area. The food was amazing. I remember Busi ordered a burger; can’t remember the meat, but it was simply divine. 

From there we went to the beach for some downtime. Later, in the evening, we went to a really nice restaurant for dinner. Here, we got to know a little bit more about one another. Like, what we did for a living, how old we were or if we were dating or not.

Sunday rolled around, and we were set to leave in the morning, after our early check-out. 

What I learned from this trip

I learnt patience, a lot of patience. People wanted to take photos every few minutes and I thought I’d die because it was annoying after the first few times. Like why couldn’t we enjoy the moment instead of snapping and taking videos? 

I learnt that one has to contend with different people’s personalities. Some people were quite outgoing whereas I’m not so much, so adjusting to their personality took some time. However, we all become friends in the end; we even still have a WhatsApp group chat.

I learned to let go. I was in such a tired state from all the activity, that all I wanted to do was to go home on Sunday. But funny enough, the last day of the trip I probably enjoyed most. We went to a beautiful wine farm; I had never seen a place so big and beautiful, all for the love of wine. We went to a pretty restaurant right on the water’s edge; the view was breathtaking! I learned that I should just go with the flow and be spontaneous. We ended up leaving Hermanus later than planned. But it meant that on the way home, we got to see the most gorgeous sunset I have ever seen. I’d even describe it as magical; the pretty colours of the evening sky were just mindblowing. 

I also learnt that despite it being a holiday, one should rest! Because of all the activity and exploring, I got home on Sunday night, more tired than when I left. Make time to rest; that’s the point of you going away, to see new things, but to also rest. 

Last word

Let’s be honest; not everyone can afford to go on weekend getaway trips. I mean, I used money I had saved up to go on the trip. The point is, just because you can’t do it now, doesn’t mean you won’t be able to in future. Find places you really want to explore, save as best as you can, and one day just go. 

South Africa is a beautiful country despite all the ugliness of the social issues. We should explore our country more, see the ocean and the mountains, or do whatever to get out of our bubble and see what life “out there” has to offer.

“Within our dreams and aspirations we find our opportunities.” – Sugar Ray Leonard

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