ROBBEN ISLAND, CAPE TOWN AND THANKS

Our last busy day around Cape Town – Jean and Ross packed in a hectic tour around the town and outskirts – including a close up look at Table Mountain and a misty coastline, great views from Signal Hill and on to the Waterfront, via Camp Bay and coffee.

Then on to Robben Island and the tour of the prison where Nelson Mandela was kept for 14 years in this cell – all the guides and bus drivers working there now, are ex-prisoners themselves, so it is a very personal experience. Especially reflecting back on my own anti-apartheid activities as a student, with sit-ins and marches in the late sixties – I would never have guessed then, that I would one day visit South Africa - and it gave a tiny glimpse of what we were actually fighting for.

Permission for the garden in the courtyard was fought for by Mandela and in his words: “To plant a seed, watch it grow, to tend it and then harvest it, offered a simple but enduring satisfaction. The sense of being the custodian of this small patch of earth offered a small taste of freedom.”

Then back to the present with a bang - the Waterfront certainly lived up to its billing as the main attraction after TM – and reportedly more multi millions to be spent on it, after a recent takeover. Great shops, cafes and bars around a busy harbour and we had lunch, beers and a last meal at the Thai restaurant, with speccie views of TM and the Cape Town “Eye”. Busy and buzzy all day and night and a super place to end the holiday.

THANKS

THANKS ONCE AGAIN TO ALL THOSE WHO GAVE US BOOKS AND INFORMATION BEFORE WE LEFT, AND ESPECIALLY TO JEAN AND ROSS FOR A GREAT FEW WEEKS OF GOOD COMPANY, THRILLING SIGHTS AND HOME COMFORTS.

WE HOPE IT HAS BROUGHT BACK HAPPY MEMORIES FOR THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN BEFORE US AND INSPIRED THOSE WHO HAVEN’T YET VISITED, THAT SOUTH AFRICA IS A PLACE WITH WONDERFUL SIGHTS AND EXPERIENCES.

AND NOT FORGETTING

THANKS TO OUR FAITHFUL READERS!

COMPARE THE MEERKAT.COM, COMPARE THE HONEYBONE BLOG.COM

A last day on the Garden Route and full of animal highlights again. These meerkats were at a Wild Cat Sanctuary (Tenikwa - outside Plettenberg Bay) where we had a delightful personal guided tour of the various cats that are hard to see in the wild – leopard, cheetah, crakals, African wildcat, Cerval.

These 2 cheetahs were purring away and we were right up close, a few feet from them, inside their enclosure. They were, of course, used to people and there for educational purposes. Animals for rehabilitation were kept away from visitors.

Another couple of scenic stops and we retraced our steps along the coastal Garden Route and detoured off into the mountains – leaving behind cloud and drizzle and into 32 degrees F at the Dutch town of Oudtshoom. Graham had picked a gem of a place for our final B&B, La Pension. A gorgeous old place surrounded by gardens and all lifes little luxuries including this pool

that we sat by and swam in for the rest of the day and had breakfast by the next morning. Ostrich feathers (big Ostrich area) on the pillow, flowers by the side plates, top quality bed linen and tableware, huge room and bathroom, brilliant host – a big competitor for best B&B with our first night in SA at Goble Palms.

And to round off another great mini holiday within a holiday, we had a great meal at a local game lodge – overlooking the waterhole, as the sun went down, with hippos, water buck and wildebeest wandering around.

Tough to leave the place but drove 5 hours back to Somerset West via the mountains, gorges and deserts and then a bit more boring bit of farmland for the final 2 hours.

1 day to go and “do” Cape Town.

THE GARDEN ROUTE AND SOME SA DOWNSIDES

Spent our last week on the famous Garden Route that extends eastwards along the coastline from Cape Town.

Not quite what we expected, as the end of the summer meant the end of most of the flowers. The fynbos is the generic name for the bush, all along the area between coast and mountains, with the many proteus plants and others, giving wonderful springtime displays. So, will have to come back for that – and to see the whales that can be seen in droves from many parts of the coastline here – sounds like they would be amazing July to November when they migrate.

It was a long drive from Cape Town area to reach the different towns and villages- not helped by the N2 main road being full of roadworks, with 20 minute delays if you miss the convoy in your direction. We also found that as strangers still to South Africa, we are still nervous of leaving the main roads and paths and going walkabout, as we would elsewhere in the developed world. A strange mixture all along the coast of posh holiday homes, retirement communities, black townships and the newer affordable homes springing up to replace the old shacks. The towns were also a mixture of “safe”, but sanitised, marina areas (like anywhere else in the world, full of tourist/chain shops and cafes – nice, but can be enjoyed elsewhere) and the cheaper areas for the local black communities.

As outsiders we find the security problems a constant niggle at the back of our minds – gated housing estates, barricaded houses, barred windows, barred gates to many shops (how offputting is that to customers!), warning signs and guards everywhere, paying car park guards every time you park anywhere.

But, despite the negatives, we have visited some great places and stayed in some excellent B&B’s – outstanding was Lilies an Leopards at Dana Bay (near Mossel Bay, which we weren’t impressed with)– this is the room with towels tied in ribbon and flowers and a wonderful sea view from the balcony – the small touches, such as fresh herbs in the napkin rings, were worthy of a 5 star hotel and more.

Then a bush hideaway, Badgers Lodge at Knysna, with a pool and nice bar area, a short drive from the main town. Some great walks on the Headlands overlooking the town and lagoon and lots of nice shops that I wasn’t allowed to study – only Mugg and Bean cafe for the free wifi!

Picked M&B up again at Plettenberg Bay, a bit further along the coast and had 2 nights self catering at 113 Robberg. Cheaper than the other B&B’s, but the s/c was nice, after eating out so much, and we spent a few hours sitting in the garden as change from “doing”. Unfortunately the main Robberg Nature Reserve was closed, as there was a plane crash in misty conditions, a few days before and 9 people died, so no entry whilst they investigated.

However, the area is surrounded by other reserves on the spectacular coast or the massive mountains just inland – we chose to go to Tsitikamma National Park and were well rewarded by crashing waves, steep gorges and several suspension bridges.

For anyone going to this area we would recommend looking into the chalets here – right on the rocky shore and pretty new with some memorable hikes to do. Also worth short stops on the N2, if you are passing through, at the Big Tree and the Storms River Bridge.

On our way back via the mountains tomorrow (Sunday 13th Feb) – last blogs back at Somerset West before fly back on Wednesday.

CAPE COASTS , MOUNTAINS AND FYNBOS

A busy few days at Jean and Ross’s lovely home in Somerset West (half an hour to the east of Cape Town) – they were relentless tourist hosts, getting their own back for busy days in the Lakes on Honeybone Tours. So, no time for blogging for a while.

This is the beach a few minutes drive from their place in the hills, a bit different to walking up Whitbarrow Scar in the morning. The coastline is just endless beaches backed up by the mountains, so we had several day trips around the area. Never actually made Cape Town but we will have a day there before we fly out. Not that we feel we have missed out as the scenery and sights we have done are probably more up our street than city streets – however beautiful the setting.

For those in the know, who have travelled the road before us – these are the places we went:

• Day 1 -over the mountain passes to Stellenbosch (bit pricey and designerish) and preferred our lunch stop at Franschoek, which was a bit more laid back. Took in a couple of wineries, just to look around, and, as in NZ, many trying to outdo each other in the upmarket restaurant stakes, with extensive views and gardens. Just how much wine are we going to have to drink to keep them all going, I wonder? If Margaret River is anything to go by – over supply is already hitting profits.

• Day 2 – Bettys Bay for more fantastic coastline
• and a visit to the wonderful Stoney Point penguin colony. Just a small shack taking a few Rand and 15 minutes of boardwalk over the rocks – but there were loads of them waddling around between the sea and their burrows – all just few yards from the holiday houses that are rapidly filling the area. Then on to the lovely Harold Porter Botanic Gardens where we did a hike up the forested gorge, via paths and ladders, to a lovely waterfall. The evening was spent at an open air jazz concert set in the bush near to home. Very different to Gawsworth Hall events and about 100th of the size of those in Kings Park, Perth with Niki. But great music in a perfect setting after another perfect day.
• Day 3 – J&R finally got rid of us for a day and we picked up the next hire car and headed out to Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope. Pretty misty a lot of the day, but that’ s what you get at the end of Africa. When we did get the views it felt very like those “end of the world” peninsulas in last years blog at the northern tips of NZ, North and South Island, and the tip of Western Australia’s large bay near Dunsborough. And I guess if you look on the atlas – there is just large Indian Ocean separating them all.

Rocky coastlines, sand dunes, amazing ocean views and just low scrubland (called fynbos over here) –trying to survive the elements.

• Day 4 – say goodbye, for a week, to Jean and Ross and let them get on with their lives – picking out new bathrooms, wood burning stoves and catching up with their many friends. Hopefully, Ross will be back on track with the golf and both with their yoga classes. Off to the Garden Route and looking out for wifi spots to download this – probably Mugg and Bean coffee shop Knysnia to those in the know!

MOUNTAIN RETREAT

Seem to be gradually moving up the accommodation scale – from lodges and tents in the bush to this retreat in the Drakensberg mountains – Cavern Drakensberg Resort and Spa.

We had 2 rooms next to each other overlooking the bush (and bowling green, putting lawn and tennis courts) and the lovely hidden valley tucked away in the mountains.

We went on several short walks from the hotel into the surrounding hills and Graham and Ross did a challenging day hike.

We were on full board for 3 days, so made the most of hanging around the base with all facilities to hand. I got my usual holiday cold from somewhere, so demolished several toilet rolls in my need for tissues. Now disappearing fast in the dry heat of Cape Town and hopefully not passed on to the other guys. A lovely spot to chill out at, with plenty of colourful birds and activities to suit everyone.

Left early on Thursday morning drove back to Durban airport to catch the flight back to Cape Town. Got diverted from the main N2 motorway due to an accident and had to use the lovely Midlands Meander route. This had been recommended by Jen and Rich and then Claire last week and it was certainly a lovely route – think we even passed the highly recommended Rawdons Hotel that Lorraine and Chris stayed at – looks brilliant and definitely an area to come back to.

So – next stop Somerset West at Jean and Ross’s new home in the sun.

ANIMAL CURIOS

Along the way – the good, the bad and the ugly

Aaaah!

Baboons taking in the view!

The dung beetle gets it rolling – they lay their eggs in a chamber in the ball after using their special spade shaped horns to roll dung into balls

X-rated!

Pinky and Perky the Hippos

Yum Yum!! Baby impala

A Zebra Crossing!!

(Sorry, couldn’t resist)

Tarzan in his favourite chair

DRAKENSBERG MOUNTAINS (and little known facts)

Saturday 29th Jan - Eventually met up with long standing friends, Jean and Ross, from Cape Town, ex-Cheshire, and now living there, on Thursday. Their flight was delayed, but Durban Airport is better than most for hanging around in. Once we had picked up car, we went to stay the first night with their step-niece Claire and fiancee Lee, at a wonderful farm Guest House(Dalmore Farm), where they currently live, and will be getting married in the fields there in a couple of months.

Pippa and Andrew fully deserve their 5 star rating on TripAdviser and we had a great stay, with a personally guided early morning safari with Lee, who is a qualified guide, at nearby little used but great Spioenkop Nature Reserve. Loads of giraffes, zebra and various antelopes. And a

favourite bird – the goliath heron – just enormous

For those into quizzes and well known little known facts – the answer to “where does the name “Kop” come from as per Liverpool FC?” – see here

Then on to Ardmore Farm and a lovely surprise upgrade to this house in the midst of rolling fields and views of the mountains.

Tough not to loll around on the veranda, by the pool or in the main house balconies, but today we went for a hot walk in the nearby Drakensburg mountains –

for those in the know it was up to the Sphinx in the Monks Cowl and Champagne Castle area.

As for tomorrow -the boys are hoping the afternoon thunderstorms come early – Murray in the Aussie Final!!! Maybe, just maybe, ??????

POSTCRIPT SUNDAY - Oh dear!!!!

CAREFREE CAMPING

We spent 3 nights in Imfolozi Park and this was our home

The tent was pretty rugged, but had great shower, plus proper loo and the separate kitchen had all s/c stuff. Just no electric between 10 pm and 7 am and had to keep the kitchen door locked (see Graham at the gate), plus the fridge and all cupboards, to keep the monkeys out. So basic, but not basic.

We were right in the bush, wart hogs in garden

– plus impala, guinea fowl and unfortunately (fortunately!) missed 4 lions in the camp one morning whilst we were out eyeballing an elephant and watching roadside giraffe, rhino, zebra and impala.

We had to bring all our own food and drink in for 3 days and cooked on the braai each night – fortunately, still no sign of mossies, but did take advantage of the mossie nets at night just in case and to give us the feeling of Africa even more. As if we could forget!

Giraffe and baby, bee eater, roller

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS

Adrenaline rush time – after watching 2 stampeding rhinos cross the road just in front of us (we decided to give way to them as they rushed down the hill towards us) we watched this elephant from the other side of the bridge

then watched these 2 new species of swallow on the bridge

and went on our way – until we passed the bush behind where jumbo is, and he had decided to turn around and cross the road again. We were a few feet from him – decided not to hang around for more photos of a full frontal, and moved swiftly on!

Then a last drive out on the last afternoon in the Parks and caught up with these amazing creatures – watched them laze and stroll about for half an hour just a few yards from the road.

There was one male and 6 females or fully grown young ones – but just as our adrenaline was subsiding, Graham saw this in his rear view mirror

Never realised hyenas were so large – he wasn’t interested in us, but had good nosey at the lions, before wandering off again. It’s amazing how one minute all the animals are there and just as suddenly they completely disappear and vice versa just appear out of nowhere.

An amazing African safari experience for 10 days – all we could have hoped for and thank you to Gareth and Kate for recommending the area instead of the more obvious Kruger – it couldn’t have been any better. (PS We are back in your honeymoon suite at Goble Palms in Durban to post all these blog after being away from wifi for 4 days)

IN THE DARK, PLUS CROCS,HIPPOS AND FOOTBALL

NOTE: 22/1/2011 FLOODS NEWS PER BBC NOT AFFECTED US – RAIN FORECAST BUT SHOULD BE OK IN OUR AREA.

Life gets more amazing by the hour – after the excitement of the walk in the Park (read open bushland with wildlife around every blade of grass) on our ownsome, we went on a 3 hour night safari, with a Zulu guide, who could spot and ID animals by their eyes (we had 2 huge lamps as well as headlights) half a mile away.

We met fighting buffalos, 5 types of deer/antelope, several gorgeous chamaeleons, including this baby one (the only photos you can get in the dark!)

bush pig, bush babies in the trees and various night birds. And all down rough, grassy, disappearing tracks in the middle of nowhere (well, I guess he knew) under the full moon and stars (which he also knew). Has to be one of the major highlights of this trip and many other trips.

And thank goodness for DEET is all I can say.

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On Saturday we followed the Moody family suggestion and did the hippo and croc cruise. Some of their piccies were much better, but think we managed most of the important ones. Hippos, crocs, fish eagle, giant kingfisher, pied kingfishers and other wetland birds. Later on on the way to our meal, a family of mongoose crossed the road as well as the ubiquitous monkeys.

And finally for our last night at St Lucia, Graham found his perfect bar, watching United win 5-0, ice cold beer in hand, whilst looking out of the window (dark specs) at hippos and other wildlife on the river! Bliss!