Zebra's in Windhoek, Namibia

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Group at Joe's Beerhouse

Windhoek was our last stop on this section of the overland tour and we celebrated our last night at Joe's Beer House (complete with a Safari Mini Cooper on the roof!).  We decided to try something new, a delicious zebra steak - super tender and cooked to perfection. The others along with the truck were going on all the way to Nairobi in Kenya. We would now have two weeks to explore a little more of Namibia by ourselves before picking up another overland truck for our onward journey to Botswana and Victoria Falls.

Windhoek is Namibia's capital but there's not a lot going on and not much to see. We basically chilled for a couple of days doing chores and researching our options for getting around the country. Namibia has only limited public transport between major towns, so we settled on renting a car for 10 days.   *Mush

Night Owls at Etosha National Park, Namibia

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Giraffe and male lion

Etosha National Park is the biggest wildlife park in Namibia covering more than 20,000 square km. Heading in to our camp for the night we were amazed by the number and variety of animals as we passed a large watering hole with kudus, zebra, oryx (gemsbok) and  springbok all together. It was pretty cool as we hadn't really seen too many species mixing together so far in Africa's parks. After the usual setting up of camp (tents and kitchen) we went off to check the camps own watering hole. And there were a herd a elephant and zebra refreshing themselves. It was cool.

Martin in Etosha Pan (salt)

Later in the day when it was much cooler (around 4pm) we did a game drive in our overland truck and unlike the little cars that we hired though south Africa, we had a great view from the height advantage of our truck. Some great game viewing, the highlight being seven lions (incl 2 males with extensive, bushy manes) chilling out at a waterhole with four giraffe carefully watching them from (surprisingly) not that far! Again, we were amazed at the mix of animals, and especially this time - predators and prey in close proximity out in the open! Our guide Emma, reckoned that the lion (note correct technical game-speak for multiple lions is 'lion', not 'lions') were just seeing how close they could get without cover.

Drinking Giraffes at waterhole

Back at camp there was time for a bit more animal watching before dinner just in time to see several giraffe rather cautiously approaching the water. Then still checking left and right, one by one they dipped their heads and spread their front legs wide to get a stable stance as they bowed down to the water. We loved watching them as not only did they look cute and clumsy, they had a comical way of getting back up: a synchronised kind-of hop so that the legs would scooche back together to normal standing position. Leaving them to quench their thirst, we went to fill our tummies. Dinner over, back to the waterhole to find not one animal around. It was dark now but we were prepared to see just how long we could stay up waiting. It seemed like we waited ages, but eventually we were rewarded: about 10 -11 giraffe - again with the super-cautious approach and precarious stance down to the water), and six black rhino (there are no white Rhino in Etosha). 

Black Rhino at waterhole

Valiantly staying up till 1.30am (Martin or Lori would nudge me if anything exciting came along), we were rewarded with a lonesome lion quietly coming down to the water's edge and then skulking off.

An early start the next day for a long day of game driving in our big truck high above the ground. A great day with game galore. Emma or guide-lady as she became known, was great because she wouldn't rush us away from a site if it was interesting. We sat for a long while watching the behaviour of a huge herd of elephant as  another herd approached. Hoping for a bit of excitement, it seemed that the two herds were friendly. Highlights were: lion (of course) just sitting cooling off in the shade, and herd of zebra with one black zebra in its midst - apparently a local anomaly noted to be similar in colouring to the now-extinct quagga. To top off a great day, we stayed up at our camp watering hole that night and saw a total of 16 rhino, a large herd of nervous giraffe and later a male lion. An excellent day! * Mush

A Quagga???  Strange coloured zebra

Namibia's Uluru?? Spitzkoppe, Namibia

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It was North we headed from Swakop, up the Skeleton Coast - so named for all the shipwrecks along the shore.  Apparently there is a reef out there, that so many ships fail to see!!  Cape Cross, up the coast, is not only famous for being the place where the Portuguese first set foot in Namibia, but also for it's colony of seals!  About 80000 of the smelly mammals in low season, and up to 260000 in breeding season.  Luckily we hit low 'smell' season, as I can't imagine how bad it would be with 260000 of them.  Lots of "barking" and moaning as they clambered all over each other.

Next stop, the formation known as Spitzkoppe, which reminded me of Uluru (Ayer's Rock) in central Australia.  A bizarre chunk of rock in the middle of the plains, that towers sky high.  It is nicknamed the Matterhorn of Africa, because of it's shape.  It is a granite inselberg, and there are other massif's in the area.  It's pretty hot and dry here, but a walk to the top of our little rock 'massif' was enough.  Very steep, flowing rounded sides, and fingers that seem to reach into the ground.  We were set to camp beneath one of the rocks, and hopefully watch the stars as there is very little light pollution here. The bush camp sites are run by the local community, a nice change

The other interesting sights here are some bushman art, and a large natural arch, that we all posed under in various ways.  Nick's 'porn star' pose was probably the most thought provoking!!
Before dinner, we had a great interaction with one of the locals, Stephen (and his little brother Rian).  Stephen lived with his grandparents, and went to school up North.  He was trying to help out by making some crafts and selling to the tourists.  He was a super nice character, and Michelle really liked him.  She bought a nice necklace from him, created simply from seed.  We wished him luck in his future.
That night, we attempted to sleep out under the stars, but just past midnight came the winds, then the rain.  We had to hurriedly erect a tent, and of course the rains stopped shortly after that.  I think we were now committed to the tent, just in case.  I thought this was supposed to be a desert, what's with the rain!!   *  Stub

Martin in Spitzkoppe

The Matterhorn of Africa - and our overland truck

Adrenaline Junkies, Swakopmund, Namibia

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On to the adrenaline capital of Namibia - Swakopmund.  Here you can skydive, quad-bike the dunes, sandboard on the big dunes, dolphin watch, and many other things.  I was looking forward to Swakop as it sounds like my type of place. 

Martin ready to conquer the dune behind

We had about 6 people in our group planning to skydive, and for us, it was not in the budget (one day I will)!!  We did, however, head out into the desert with the group, to the landing strip, and watched them all skydive - while having a few drinks.  Seeing their different reactions was quite interesting.  Charlotte and Hannah were buzzing.  Nick seemed a little in a daze after, not sure what he had just done.  Lori was excited, and possibly the first flying minister they have ever had.  Antti seemed a little green and apparently "didn't like the whirlys".  And poor Emma, being her 10th tandem skydive was supposed to go naked.  To her credit, she went topless and will be fine for her 11th one!!  It was a bit of a party at the airstrip, and the guys seem to have a lot of fun in their jobs.  It was a harrowingly, fast drive through the desert home, and a delicious meal at Napolitanas with the group later.  Michelle and I enjoyed a tasty Oryx (Gemsbok antelope) pizza, and we had a fun time with the group before going out for a little dance later on.
Next morning was my turn to play.  I went out sandboarding with six of our group.  It was to be stand-up sandboarding and they supplied the board and proper snowboarding boots.  The first time climbing up the dune is the worst, like skiing, after the trail has been broken, the next steps get easier.  But, it also gets hotter!!!

The aftermath of sandboarding

I surprised myself by actually being quite proficient at it.  The others were all learning, and they let me just go ahead by myself because I had snowboarding experience.  By the 3rd run, I was hitting the big jump at the top, but also hitting the sand hard on the landing.  I had good turns the rest of the way down, and was hustling back up excitedly for another run.  6 runs in all, 2 landed jumps, and a heck of a lot of sand in places sand shouldn't be.  I will be cleaning it out for weeks.
They let us have a go at the lay-down boarding too, on the fastest run.  Apparently, the record is 83 km/h, but our guide Emma had one 75 -so that was also a goal.  First run, only 70, second 72, so I was a little distraught coming back up.  A change of board, and a speedy 75 km/h ensued, so I was happy to tie her record.  Quite a rush to be speeding along on the sand like that, being careful not to turn sideways as a crash would result.
That evening, was drinks and dinner with the group, but everyone was feeling tired from their adrenaline fix, and crashed early.  Only the driver Shyrod went out dancing.  *Stub

The True Bushman, Cha-Re, Namibia

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After leaving the dunes, we headed through more grasslands, that are usually just sandy desert.  A quick stop in the smallest town in Namibia called Solitaire, famous for it's apple pie.  And, Boy, did it deliver!!  Very tasty.

A true bushman - Franz

We were destined for a bush camp at Cha-Re, and a guided bush walk/drive by a very knowledgable and animated bushman named Franz.  Apparently, Franz used to work in the Sossusvlei dunes, but the government decided they could make some money of their own, and put in their own guides.  We have heard that these guys are nowhere near as good, and Franz has moved out to his own area, where he still does his bushwalks and information sessions. 
This guy Franz was a fun, and crazy character.  His actions and motions were hilarious, which included tongue clicks, finger flicks, snapping fingers, and other actions. I managed to snag a spot at the back of the safari Landcruiser with Aussie Nick, but this meant I could stand up and get great views 360deg around the landscape.  It was truly beautiful landscape and hard to imagine it just being sand.  The wildlife was sparse, but eventually we saw tons of mountain zebra.  Also, Franz made us look between the lines and see all the small animals, like barking geckos, trap door spiders, and different tracks of animals. 
Franz is a real bushman.  Apparently he did a walk from the dunes to the ocean, just to go for a swim.  That's 55km, and he talked about how to preserve water in buried ostrich eggs, and how to eat food from the land.  Very interesting stuff, and like I said, quite a character.
We arrived home after sunset to another delicious Emma meal - this time kudu stroganoff.  Shyrod built us a fire and we all slept out under the stars, by the fire.  A chorus of snoring ensued apparently, from all sides.   *Stub
Martin

Tallest Dunes in the World, Sossusvlei, Namibia

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On top of Dune 45 at Sunrise

In all the pamphlets and advertisements for Namibia, you see BIG, red sand dunes.  In fact, some of the biggest dunes in the world.  This area was the place I most wanted to visit in Namibia, and turns out to be a place called Sossusvlei, about 55 km from the coast.  It is hot and barren!!  Sossusvlei is a series of 300m high sand dunes of the Namib desert. They have, however, had a crazy amount of rain this year compared to most years, and instead of sand dunes everywhere, there are some large grassland areas too.

Upon arrival in the late afternoon, after our longest drive of 650km, it was too hot to do anything but chill at the bar, and lounge around the pool.  It would be an early morning to catch sunrise high on one of the dunes.

Dune 45 overlooking more dunes

Our group is very organized, and all willing to help each other, so we managed to hit the road very early and were second to the gate into the park (at 6AM).  Dune 45 is the dune that people are allowed to climb, which is good that they limit the human impact to just one area.   We had arrived to try to catch sunrise on the top of the dune.  There was a challenge set out by our guide Emma, as she said that the fastest person from any of her groups, made it up the dune in around 14 minutes.  I'm always up for a challenge, so after hustling past some slow people on the ridge, I had my sights set on the only person ahead of me.  I was, however, also enjoying the view, but realizing that the sun was getting very close to rising over the hills in the distance.  No one made it to the top before sunrise, which was very disappointing, as the park staff were very confident about the time the gate would open to allow us to see the sunrise.  I never passed the girl in front, but still made it up in 14 and a half minutes, hopefully close enough to the record - but paid for it the rest of the day!!

Groups climbing up Dune 45

It was quite the sight, up on top of these monsters.  Red dunes in all directions, sand as far as the eye could see.  Michelle and most of our overland group made it to the top, and we enjoyed the scene together.  Then, of course, I can't climb UP a dune without running down, and this was a long one!!!  Even Michelle got into the act, running down the side.

Emma met us at the bottom with a nice fry-up breakfast, then we were back on the road to Deadvlei.  A bit of a tourist rip-off, as we had to pay $100 Namibian dollars to catch a Land Rover to the site, after paying entry to the park.  But, this was THE place I wanted to see - the area of stark, dried up lake bed, with dunes all around and the remnants of trees (camel thorn-acacia trees) scattered throughout, carbon dated to 900 years old.

Deadvlei landscape

About 2 million years ago the dunes on the Atlantic Ocean started slowly moving inland by wind action and river action eventually pushing them 55km inland where they are now relatively stabilised. Apparently, a dune built up and blocked the flow of the river to the ocean, creating a pool on one side of the dunes.  This pool created some vegetation life, and trees grew within the area.  As another dune developed upstream and blocked the flow of water to this area, the trees died.  Since it was so dry, they did not decay, but have remained in a dead state for approx. 900 years.  This area is called Deadvlei (meaning ??).  The dunes keep developing upstream and there are various stages of this evolution evident in the area.

Group Photo at Deadvlei

It was very interesting, and a photographers dream.  Too bad it was a little busy, and as with all tours, not enough time in the area.  We managed to take many interesting and creative photos with the dried up mud patterns, spindly trees, and the smooth dunes.  I also took some funky group shots with us all scattered throughout the trees.

A highlight on the drive out was seeing a family of ostrich, Mum and Dad with about 18 little baby ostrich chicks.  With the dunes behind, very cool.  There were also tons of Springbok, Oryx, and other antelope around.
It was an area well worth visiting, and we may return on our 2 week break if we can find a way there - there is no public transport to Sossusvlei and it's a long way out-of-the-way!!   *Stub

Fish River Canyon, Namibia

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Us, dwarfed by Fish River Canyon

We had a little issue at the South Africa/Namibia border.  Martin's Canadian passport was due to expire on Oct 19th, so we could not use it to enter Namibia.  But we had to use it to EXIT South Africa.  When Martin tried to ENTER Namibia on his UK passport, they customs guys didn't like the switch  because there was no way to track between the two (or so they said).   Looks like they were looking for a bit of a bribe, and we held up our overland truck for over half an hour.  It got a little dicey at one pint as the officer said at one point to refuse him entry in to Namibia. We certainly didn't want that! In the end, they just gave in and stamped my UK passport - maybe they got tired of arguing with us and our guide Emma!!

Overland Truck and Michelle above Fish River Canyon

All good now though, and it was off to Ai-Ais National Park for an overland-truck lunch at the hot springs of the posh Ai-Ais Lodge and Spa. Their outdoor swimming pool was delicious and warm, though it didn't need to be as it was stinky hot in the gathering afternoon heat!  Along the drive there were some fabulous specimens of the Quiver Tree that look so interesting amongst the desert-like scenery.
As you can imagine, the Fish River Canyon was pretty impressive.  It looked similar to the Grand Canyon, but on a much smaller scale as far as depth. Second to the Grand Canyon it is 550m deep and 160km (100miles) long and 27km wide in places. We walked along top of the massive, steep canyon walls with great views over the length of the canyon.

Sundowners overlooking Fish River Canyon

Whilst we were out enjoying some time at the canyon, our guide Emma was cooking away, so we came back to a delicious meal and some sundowners (wine), while sitting at the edge of the canyon.

We realised we were a little sauced as Michelle (always loving information) dragged poor Martin and Lori (no-one else was persuaded) to read the message boards about the Fish River. I don't think we've ever had so much fun reading random info and in record time too!  *Stub/Mush

Martin and Lori reading the Message Boards

Overlanding Through South Africa

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Girls will be girls: comparing hairstyles in Langa township

The morning of our overland tour we said our goodbyes to Lee as he dropped us off on his motorbike one by one laden with our gear. Taking a tour of any kind is not really our thing, but embark on an Acacia Africa Overland tour from Cape Town deep in to Namibia, we did! Independent travel is not the easiest in the desert of south-western Africa, so a large 24-person 4x4 tour-truck was our carriage. 

On our way out of town we drove by what used to be District Six where mixed race, coloureds, blacks, asians, used to live in harmony, but then got sequentially re-distributed by the government in the 60s, 70s, 80s to shanty towns outside of the city to make way for a white suburb. Terrible! Next, onto the townships where these people were moved to. We get uncomfortable with 'fish-bowl' tours and don't like the feeling of invading peoples' privacy. By getting stuck-in meeting and interacting with the locals, we hope that we make the idea more tolerable to them and the experience more comfortable for us.  I got the distinct impression that the people appreciate that there are benefits to allowing tourists to visit and educate the world to the challenges of their lives and their country. Sitting in the street, some young teens were lengthening their hair and so I went over and started to compare my hair length and style with theirs. They absolutely loved it! Martin and I found ourselves holding up the tour because we just kept saying hello and chatting to everyone.  South Africa had literally just won the Rugby against Fiji that morning and people were in very good spirits.

Locals outside the Sheebeen

There a number of townships outside CT and this township, Langa, a medium-sized one, has a population of 70,000 people, all living in a variety of conditions - some more affluent in decent houses, and others still living in tin shacks. We were welcomed in and visited a 'shebeen' - a pub where homemade beer is shared and passed around in a big gallon bucket. It had an unusual flavour to say the least! Eeeww!

 

High Five!

South African Rugby Fan

Succulent Quiver Tree

As we left CT we left the lush and green behind as the landscape turned dry and rocky heading north. At times it was pretty flat and then rolling hills with the last of the wild flowers. Occasionally we would pass a lonesome Quiver Tree - a funky succulent tree with thick leaves that seemed to glow in the afternoon sun.

Our first overland stop at the foot of the Cederberg Mountains is where Roibus tea is grown in South Africa. In the reddish sandstone rock formations important primitive fish fossils have been dated in recent years  - back 450 million years. Crazy! As we enjoyed fresh fish cooked on the braii (BBQ) everyone chatted, but it was a quiet night and the majority of our group turned in at about 9pm.

An early start the following day for our journey heading north to the Orange River at the Namibian border.  After a fairly long day of driving passing through the nondescript town of Springbok, we were glad to get to our camp at the Orange River looking straight at Namibia. I was still very much hurting from our Table Mountain climb two days ago (!), so I didn't go with Martin for the climb up the hill above camp for sunset. *Mush

Getting Up on the Table, Cape Town, South Africa

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Michelle on the India Venster Trail

Lee on the climb

On our last day in Cape Town, the weather Gods came through, and we woke up to nothing but blue skies!!  Another good-bye into our books, as we bid farewell to our fantastic hosts Lionel and Elmara - thanks so much for letting us base ourselves at your fabulous place, we really enjoyed our time with you both.
We took all our gear to Lee's apartment in Sea Point (see Lee from Swaziland), as he graciously agreed to let us sleep on the floor before we meet our overland group on the Saturday.  We were also lucky, as Lee had the day off and was keen to climb Table Mountain and 'guide' us up one of the less traveled routes.






We tackled the India Venster trail, which zig-zags up the mountain pretty much directly underneath the cable car.

Scrambling up the trail

It is not an easy climb, as it's pretty much STRAIGHT UP!!  This was a more interesting route than the well traveled Platteklip Gorge, and it even had some tougher scrambles with chains provided.  The scenery was amazing, looking over the city and ocean, with peaks popping out in different directions.  The route circled around the point, and south of the cable car - we had people calling out to us from the cable car on the steep stuff!! There is actually an abseil/rappel from an overhang at the top, which would pretty nuts considering the height you are at over the city.  We walked beneath the site, but no one was screaming their way down.
It is quite amazing how flat it actually IS on top.  After a long hike up, with very few people, we were suddenly inundated with tourists all over the place, having taken the cable car up.  We climbed out onto a ledge for views over the city and beaches for lunch, only to be told we weren't allowed!!  We were in far more dangerous spots on the way up!!!

Michelle and Lee overlooking Camps Bay for lunch

After a brief stay on top, we started the descent, and I have to say......this was so much more difficult than the climb up.  It was steep steps all the way down the Platteklip Gorge, and our knees ached tremendously.  We will be sore for a few days after this.  We hitched a ride to town with a nice Swedish girl, as Lee had to pick up his wife on the motorcycle, but he made it back in time for us to treat him to a delicious Eastern Food Bazaar dinner - our last of our stay in Cape Town.  We'll miss that place, and couldn't think of a better way to thank Lee for his 'guiding' - as he loves EFB as much as we do!!!  *Stub

On the Table just above Cape Town

Flowers of West Coast National Park, South Africa

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Bay in West Coast National Park

Wildflowers in the park

Since we missed out on a few beautiful days at the start of our Cape Town experience, we've been waiting for a good one to climb Table Mountain.  It's getting down to the last 2 days, and we woke up this morning to horrible rain and heavy cloud.  Now,  what to do???   The weather did seem to be breaking a little, but we could not see the top of the mountain.  Seeing as it is Spring in South Africa, apparently, the wild flowers are in full bloom up the coast in the West Coast National Park.  We hopped in our rental and buzzed up to the park.  Having a SA National Parks 'Wild Card' has really given us the flexibility to go into the parks whenever we want, and this was no exception. 
An interesting park right on the coast with a large, sandy bay with huge tidal sands.  And a little bit of wildlife thrown in.  It was interesting to see the zebras, wildebeest and antelope all amongst the colourful wildflowers.  Unfortunately, I think we missed the peak of the fields of flowers, but they were still a colourful sight for our eyes nonetheless.
As our luck would have it, the rain went away and the sun came out.  All day, we kept thinking about Table Mountain, and had we missed our chance to finally get up on top in good weather.  We hustled back to Cape Town in the late afternoon, but didn't have enough time to go up.  Fingers crossed for good weather on tomorrow on our last day in Cape Town. 
It was home to our last night with Lionel and Elmara, for a dinner and drinks, enjoying their company.  *Stub

Wildebeest and wildflowers

Dinner with Lionel and Elmara

Stellenbosch

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Tasting at Muratie with Lianda

We couldn't spend 2 weeks in Cape Town without going to WINE country - Stellenbosch and Franschoek.  Besides, we had a standing invite from two Canadian and German students, studying at the University there.  We met Jeff and Tim in a bakkie (back of a pick-up truck), from Tofo to Inhambane in Mozambique.  They live in a converted barn in Stellenbosch, so what a great opportunity.
We hit rains on the first day out, but no worries - apparently you can still wine taste in the rain!!  Delicious vineyards of Delheim and Muratie started our day.  These winery buildings date back to the late 1600's.  Both places were generous with the pours, and we were having such a good time, that we were late to meet the boys after class!!  No

Tasting with Jeff and Tim

worries though, they took us to a winery open later (Peter Falk), and we enjoyed a tasting with them at a pretty posh place!
Back at the Barn with their roommate Ingrid, we cooked a filling meal and drank more wine.  After some inventive photography, with long exposures and sky writing, we were shocked to see the time was 4AM!!!  Not a really good idea, when we planned on going out touring the area and probably doing some more wine tasting!!  Great times with the guys, and we hadn't drank that much in ages!!
So, arriving in the rain and clouds, we had no idea how stunning the scenery was!  As we drove around in beautiful sunshine, the mountains reached up sharply into the blue, with the scenic lines of grape vines providing some interesting lines for photos.

Stunning vineyard views

There are some absolute palaces for winery buildings, including tasting rooms, restaurants, and even spas.  Let me tell you, there is some money out there!!!  Beautiful buildings, both old Cape Dutch, and new VERY modern.  It was great to drive around and just view the buildings and vineyards - not to mention our poorly heads didn't feel like any tastings.  We did get tempted though, when we found a freebie!!

Martin with the African Penguins at Betty's Bay

 Since we had the use of the car, and we were relatively close, we decided to go to the African penguin colony at Betty's Bay - somehow we
missed this on our first pass through, and we hoped we could get down with the animals a little more.  Arriving late, we found that the beach is no longer open to the public and you have to pay entry to go on a boardwalk.  A little dejected, we started walking away with our tails between our legs, but then we noticed a lot of penguins walking around the bushes and houses outside the fencing.  Turns out they all come out to their nests, so we had the flightless birds all to ourselves, as they waddled all around us.  Very cool, but as the daylight left us, we cruised the curvy coast road and back to our Blaauberg Beach residence!!   *Stub

Cape Point Capers, South Africa

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Cape Poin

Warren, was an interesting and friendly young guy we met in Tofo, Mozambique about 3 months ago, and we were welcomed into his home in Hout Bay with his mum (Bev), dad (Keith) and brother (Bradley). Yet again South African hospitality - UBUNTU - abounded. Fantastic! Their lovely home backs onto Table Mountain National Park, and we enjoyed some home time with the family who were all really down-to-earth and easy to talk to.  Warren rearranged his time to take us around Cape Point. After a brief stop at his work at the life saving club in ritzy Llandudno he took us along the coast and through Chapman's Peak road. It was a super-scenic drive as we travelled around the most south-western point of SA, with beaches and mountains all around. Highlights were the beautiful bays and lighthouse at the Point, which we hiked down to and walked along the cliffs.
And then of course, the African Penguin colony at Boulders Beach, Simonstown. It is now a national park with a boardwalk installed to protect the penguins' habitat. At the second location further down, we were able to walk down onto the beach and beside the penguins (with the few that were there). But they were pretty cute and comical.  Not sure how much they liked us imitating there waddle.  Apparently these endangered African penguins will actually walk up into town!!

Martin with African penguin in Simonstown

African Penguin footprints

We cruised back along the coast through scenic fishing towns and stopped at Muzenberg to watch the surfers!
After a long day out it was nice to come home to Bev's cooking. She made a traditional dish of the local Malay,  called Baboutie...it was yummy. We had two nights at Warren's in their guest cabin, deep in the lush garden shrouded by mountains, and then it was onto more attractions....namely wine country and one of the most famous wine regions in the world - Stellenbosch.  *Mush

The Witte's - with Warren in middle

Captivating Cape Town, South Africa

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Colourful Bo Kaap area of Cape Town

So, we have finally made it to Cape Town! Quite a milestone it's turned out to be as we had assumed we would get here a lot sooner - seeing as we originally entered South Africa over 4 and a half months ago back in April! We seemed to get waylaid by Swaziland, Mozambique, Lesotho and the rest of South Africa in the mean time.

We were lucky that we were also able to synchronize with our Cape Town hosts Elmara and Lionel - a lovely retired (but super busy) couple that we met in the Columbia Icefields near Banff about year ago while they were holidaying in Canada!  We had been communicating back and forth over the last few months about our arrival to CT so I think they were excited to hear about all our adventures as soon as we walked in the door.

View from across the road in Blaauwberg Strand

It was so nice to feel welcomed and special. They also have a great place 15km north of Cape Town centre in Blaauwberg Strand, their large house being right on Beachfront Road overlooking Table Bay and majestic Table Mountain. What a treat!


First chore in CT was to get our onward plans sorted. Namibia is our next port of call and we are considering taking an Overland Tour (on a big 4x4 truck with about 20 other people). Not usually our thing - big tours - but Namibia has little in the way of public transport, not super-great roads and is expensive for car hire (just like SA really). After lots of debating we decided that we would do the tour - 19 days through Namibia, Botswana ending in Zambia at Victoria Falls. I had a great brain wave (even though I do say so myself!): a working compromise for us. This was to split the trip into two parts: after 10 days, we'd get off the tour in Windhoek, then pick up the next one from cape Town two weeks later. Our tour agent, Shawn at Detour Africa, managed to work it with the tour operator.

V & A Waterfront

Brilliant! This would mean that we would have time to explore more of Namibia on our own (and not have to rush around with a tour group). Phew! A big worry off our shoulders. But still a big chunk of $$ out of our pockets!

Now that we had sorted that out we could relax and enjoy Cape Town. Robben Island was our first attraction - Nelson Mandela spent 18 years or so in prison here, at this now Unesco World Heritage Site. The boat over to the island was great as we got some spectacular views of Cape Town and Table Mountain from the water. The tour was a little unusual as we were mostly on a bus touring the island. Our guide, Yasif Mohammed, was very entertaining though. He'd pretty much toured every VIP that comes to the island including Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela himself (once he was freed). He talked us through the various buildings and the quarry where Nelson Mandela and the other political prisoners would discuss plans whilst the guards would try to demoralise them by making them take the stones from one side to the other of the quarry for no good reason. We then toured the prison itself with an ex-inmate which must have been painful for him as he shared memories and described the conditions that they had to endure. We saw the pretty small cell that Mandela lived in all those years - approx 7x7ft. Our guide also described how different prisoners got treated differently. 'Blacks' and 'coloureds' were supposed to carry IDs that were famously burnt in protest. They also had less food to eat which was also less nutritious!

Michelle making ostrich omelettes with Table Mtn behind

The great thing about staying at someone's home is that you have a whole kitchen open to you (if they don't mind you taking it over) and Elmara certainly didn't. I was very excited to start work on my ostrich Spanish omelette (or 10!) which I had been dreaming about for a few days now. As Marika (the cook at Oudtshoorn backpackers who had started the hole in the shell for me) had shown me, I shook the egg (carefully) to mix the yolk and white together, burst the inner membranes and about 24 chicken eggs-worth of egg drained out. A 'cholesterol bomb' as our guide in Oudtshoorn had called it!  The omelettes fed us for the next few days and were delicious!

The delicious Eastern Food Bazaar

The weather was beautiful the first three days that we were in Cape Town and we just assumed that it was like that all the time. Wrongggg! The rain came and we realised at this time of year the window of opportunity to climb Table Mountain is tenuous. The next few days we sheltered in museums and the planetarium. I think our most important discovery was the Eastern Food Bazaar in the city centre: a food complex with various counters serving the best and cheapest Indian food we'd eaten since England. For 35 Rand ($5 or 3.50 quid) we could eat like Kings. Over the course of the next 10 days we found ourselves there at least 6 times! So, when we weren't eating Ostrich omelette, we were at the Food Bazaar. It was bloody marvellous!

The day the weather turned to beautiful and sunny, we had pre-organised to do a small hike with friends, so we weren't able to hike Table Mountain. It would have to wait.
That morning (about three days into the Rugby World Cup) was South Africa's first game - and they are Rugby crazy down here. Where better place to watch than amongst Capetonians at their famous Victoria and Albert Waterfront Amphitheatre on the big screen.

Springbok rugby game at Waterfront

There was a great atmosphere and everyone was in good spirits. Luckily for South Africa, Wales missed a few kicks/conversions at the end, and it was a close game ending at 17-16 to SA. Wales should really have won!

With Maquinna on Lion's Head

Right after the game, we met up with Lee and Maquinna, a young couple we met in Swaziland (at our most favourite backpackers - if you remember our raves about that). They picked us up in a borrowed car for a short hike up Lion's Head, a small but nevertheless impressively-shaped peak beside Table Mountain. Great to see them and catch up with stories of both ours and their recent travels. And because the day was clear, we had stunning views up at Table Mountain and down towards Camp Bay and our next Cape Town destination - Hout Bay.  *Mush

Only One Way to Go From Here, Cape Agulhas, South Africa

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NORTH, as Cape Agulhas is the southernmost point in South Africa, and therefore Africa in general. 
Leaving Oudtshoorn after our ostrich experiences, I must say that it was a very scenic drive.  Through rolling hills and fields, all the while with the mountains to one side.  Lunch was in a scenic road stop above Barrydale, and we took a quick tour of Swelledam, with all it's exquisite historic buildings, most in the Cape Dutch style.  Swellendam dates back to 1776 and is situated right below the picturesque 1600m Langeberg Range.  The stunning  Dutch Reformed Church, smack in the centre of town, is apparently the third most photographed sight in the Southern Hemisphere, if you ask the locals.  Can't imagine what the other two that beat it are, but I'm not sure about that claim!!
Dropping down off the plateau, we found ourselves back by the ocean and eventually at Cape Agulhas.  Not a lot here, but in addition to being the southernmost point, it is also the meeting of the two oceans, Atlantic and Indian.  The seas are rough and I can imagine the storms this place has seen.
As you might imagine, there is a lighthouse here and it dates back to 1848.  The design is based on the lighthouse in Alexandria, Egypt and we know this because in the morning, there was a crew of three brand-spanking new vehicles, fully equipped and heading overland to Egypt, in particular, Alexandria.  A largish crowd had gathered, and we joked that "they didn't have to all come out to see US off, but was nice of them".  We also thought about asking the participants for a lift to Egypt, but I think it was far too luxurious for us!!
The night before, we had taken our photos down at the south point, and in front of the lighthouse, then drove to the hill overlooking town for views at sunset.  On the way back to town, we found a little fish and chip shop to return to, and were both very excited and salivating over the prospect of eating out, and fish and chips at that.  We set up our tent quickly in the very blustery conditions, and wandered back, only to find that the fish and chip shop closed 10 minutes before we got there.  We were 'gutted' and couldn't believe our misfortune.  Who would have thought a restaurant would close at 7PM!!  However, we did find a good substitute, having a bar meal of calamari, and drinking beers with a few locals!!
From Agulhas, it was a one day drive to Cape Town, which was an exciting prospect!  We were really glad we chose the coast route, as it was exceptionally scenic.  We watched the great white shark diving boats go out from Gansbaii.  It was too expensive for our budget, but we were not really sure on the ethical nature of the cage dives, considering they attract the sharks with food, and that means that sharks now relate humans to food.  Not great for the surfing community.
We really liked Hermanus although it was very touristy, especially on a Sunday.  There is a great cliff walk, and we spotted whales from shore.  Also, in town we came across a bunch of vintage vehicles that  were just completing a safari rally from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to Cape Town.  These cars must be worth a pretty penny, but they still get driven in some harsh terrain!!
The rest of the coast was cruised slowly, with many stops for whales and beaches.  Betty's Bay in particular, was a great location, with the mountains rising quickly out of the sea, and looming over the white sand beaches.  And then, Table Mountain came into view across False Bay and we were almost there.  Another leg of our adventure complete, and where we would say goodbye to Figaro, our car.  An eye opening drive into Cape Town, through many of the shanty towns, and townships that we've all heard about.  But, once again we were in for some more good fortune, as we had arranged to stay with a couple named Elmara and Lionel, whom we met in the Rocky Mountains of Canada, almost a year earlier at the beginning of our trip.  To say the location was spectacular, would be an understatement, as their place was located on the beach in Blouberg just north of Cape Town, and had views looking towards Table Mountain and downtown.  *Stub