Blogs from Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa, Africa - page 17

After jumping off a mountain yesterday, we decided to keep our feet on the ground today. Our friend, Liezl, drove us to the Cape wine region of Stellenbosch/Paarl. Fisrt stop was the Fairview winery for some wine and cheese tasting. Fairview had a very wide selection of wines to choose from, including an award winning Shiraz. We both tasted a wide variety of whites and reds and found them all distintive and tasty. Next it was on to the cheeses - we gorged ourselves. Need we say more? One of the more unique aspects of the winery was the goat tower. No explanation - please see the photo below. From there, it was a stunning drive into Stellenbosch, with the mountains forming a dramatic backdrop to this rural area. We stopped at a strawberry farm but ... read more

Ever so rarely, you just have one of those soul-shaking days. You go to bed full of excitement, yet you sleep like a rock. The next day, you wake up and you feel as light as a feather. Such days are few and far between, some people even go months or years without one…I was fortunate enough to have one this week. Wednesday I started my tutoring at a school in the nearby township Kayamundi. As a handful of international students piled onto the bus, I was a bit anxious as to how the session would go. You know that feeling the first day of class or a new job, the nagging of the unknown that you ignore until you’re just about to head into it face on? Yeah. So, within minutes we traveled through time ... read more

Well im back here in die bos. Its good to be back.Now its time to get back to work.Have to save up enough for my next trip, probably England.But im in no rush. Having a good time here with my family and friends. Still missing everyone in Oz.Thanx for all the emails.Sorry im so quiet, connections are not always that good and many times i just hve a short time. I would like to inform you that i did get a job as restaurant manager which I am thrilled about. Very nice little place so Ill try and post some fotos of it soon.... read more

Well after being very disheartened at not being able to get the Carolina game on tv we decided to drown our sorrows with a cask of wine and some springbok shots; this did not make for a very good morning! So after getting up and rushing out of our hostel we drove the 40 k to gainsbay and did the pre dive briefing, had some breakfast, our gravol pills and felt quite confident heading out to view the sharks. We boarded the boat late because one women came from Cape Town and missed her bus. We head out into the mighty Atlantic; the sea was angry today!! Immediatly started fighting 10 foot swells and rainy weather. We arrived at Shark Alley and right away saw a shark attacking bait from another boat. We dropped anchor and ... read more

We last left you in Cape St. Francis on one of the southern peninsulas of S. Africa....and a beautiful little beach. From there we entered the Garden Route, a stretch of the coast that runs east from Mossel Bay all the way to Port Elizabeth, along the N2 highway. From Cape St. Francis it was a short drive (compared with our 6-hour marathons in the northern Free State) to Tsitsikamma National Park and the Storms River Mouth. We stayed in a backpackers hostel, Rainbow Lodge -- a Baz Bus stop -- in Storms River Village (not to be confused with S.R. Mouth), approximately 15 km from the National Park gate. It costs a whopping 40 Rand per person to enter for the day, so staying overnight in the park wasn't an option for us....especially since we ... read more