Day 434 South Africa 10/01/2012, Storm's River – Albergo backpackers, Plettenberg Bay. 40.27miles/65.13km, 3hr24minutes, Av 11.8mph.

Debs was feeling a little better this morning, so we packed our gear and got ready to leave. We said our goodbyes to Roger and our guide from yesterday, Tate and set off for Plettenberg Bay. With a shorter day ahead of us we were in no rush, the flat terrain meant that we certainly weren't moving slowly though.

Having been on the road for an hour we reached Bloukran's bridge, the largest in South Africa, and home of the world's highest commercial bungee jump. We turned off the main road and headed down to the viewing area to have a look. Any likelihood of me jumping off the bridge has been ended simply by expenditure; as it is, I am undecided about whether I wanted to or not. Should I come back on holiday then I would say definitely yes. But as it stands, we still have a way to go and plenty of other things that I would rather spend our money on. We had to wait a while to watch some people jump, at 216m it is certainly high, but there was no shortage of people queuing up.

Leaving the jumpers behind, we set off back to the main road and across the bridge. From there on it was a straightforward ride to our destination. A steep valley crossing, that bikeroutetoaster had predicted never materialised, so the terrain remained fairly flat.

Making the most of the shorter day, we made a few stops and encountered some interested locals along the way. There is no shortage of friendly people to have a chat to in South Africa.

Plettenberg Bay town centre is nicely situated up a hill; a pretty steep hill at that. After the gentle morning, our legs were certainly feeling it after we made it to Albergo's Backpackers; which was of course up another hill! Thankfully we are situated in the thick of the action, with all the shops and restaurants close by. The camp-site is unshaded which isn't ideal but there are plenty of hammocks around to escape from the sun in.

Having done some shopping we headed back to the hostel so that Debs could have a rest. While she had a nap, I took her front wheel, which has been making some noise, to the local bike shop to try and get the bearings replaced. Plett Cycles, when I found them after a considerable walk, were very helpful. They didn't have the exact bearings that I needed, but have replaced them with similar ones, which should last until we get home. The owner wouldn't accept any payment, which was very nice of him and I was soon heading back to the hostel.

Returning to Albergo's, I spent a while looking for Debs until I found her fast asleep on one of the hammocks. She slept through most of the afternoon and we did little more than eat, watch a bit of TV and then head to the tent for the night. We will go and have a look at the beach tomorrow and have a better look round the rather upmarket town.