Blogs from Cape of Good Hope, Western Cape, South Africa, Africa

Tuesday April 12th, 2011 Atlantic Ocean off the Western Cape of South Africa Latitude 33 degrees 38 minutes’ south- Longitude 18 degrees 07 minutes’ east We have left Cape Town and what a glorious two days we have experienced. The scenic beauty of this city is rivaled only by places like Vancouver, San Francisco and Rio de Janeiro. Table Mountain forms a stunning backdrop for this protected harbor. The surrounding landscape is an intoxicating mix of brilliant white sand beaches, winding mountain roads, panoramic vistas and upscale waterfront communities. The downtown central harbor front has been completely redeveloped into a pedestrian-friendly entertainment complex filled with restaurants, cafes and hotels. Now, there are still plenty of commercial and industrial concerns in the surrounding greater harbor area, but it makes for an interesting mix of fishing boats, cargo ... read more

Hello Africa!!! I arrived safely and relatively rested after my 24 hour Emerites journey. It was a thrill to fly with a full service airline after all those AirAsia flights. The free socks, eye mask, toothbrush and hearty meals (including wine) were not wasted on me! everything went to plan and I checked into my backpacker's with ease. The next morning after breakfast I decided to use the Hop On, Hop off bus and for about $20 I took in the sights of Cape town. It was a glorious day and the commentery onboard was really interesting. My favourite stop was Camp's Bay, a beach where all the action is... but where the water is like ice. Interestingly enough a young girl sat down next to me and we started chatting. Yes, of course the coincidences ... read more

Scenic Cape PeninsulaWednesday, August 18 we have a full-day, 140-mile, round-trip to Cape Point at the southern tip of the peninsula and although it rains off and on all day it’s amazing. On the way south, we follow the western coast. Seal-covered isletsAt Hout Bay we opt to take a boat out to see a seal colony. Great experience even though the boat is tossed around by ferocious waves and it looks as if we will crash right into the rocks. In fact the boat that's in front of us looks like a toy as it's flung around. None of us has life preservers. I don't even think we are told where they are. It has become apparent that liability is not an issue in Africa, at least not in southern Africa. A wild encounterAt the ... read more

TWO POSTS IN ONE What a wild week it has been since we left Durban. We drove the first day about 100 kilometers to a town called Umzumbe. It was a bit harrowing as we left Durban with more than ¼ tank of gas but on our approach to Umzumbe we were below the empty line with the fuel needed indicator on. To complicate matters people couldnt understand when we asked for the nearest fuel station. Our paper map wasnt being helpful either (we bought a 180 rand map instead of paying 80 rand per day for the navigation system that would have likely been stolen anyhow.) All worked out in the end as we arrived to a private teepee in a jungle hostel. Several of the accommodations were in treehouses (see fotos). It was wonderful! ... read more