South Africa and the end of Oasis Overland!

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Well everyone, now in South Africa which is the final destination for my trip. Crossed over the border into South Africa on the 16th and what a change in the scenery! Luscious green fields and mountains, beautiful flowers, meandering rivers and beautiful weather. SA is definately a very very beautiful place. Don't think the locals appreciate just how lucky they are to live here! We stayed at a Gekkos Backpackers for our last night in tents before upgrading to dorms for the rest of the trip. Hannah and I were sad to say goodbye to our 'Rhino' tent (got quite attached over the last 8 weeks!).

The following day we drive to Stellenbosch where we arrived at Stumble Inn, an aptly named hostel as that is where we began and finished our wine tour from! Stellenbosch is a lovely town - quite chic and trendy with some lovely eateries, bars and shops! The wine tour we had there is definately worth trying out. We visited 4 wine estates - Simonsig, Fairview, Pinehurst/Moreson and Boschendal where we learn to become wine connoisseurs and got to taste 5 or 6 different wines at each estate! By the end of a full day wine tasting, we were all a bit worse for wear! We learnt about how wine is made, where it is stored and plenty of other interesting facts. At one of the wineries we also got to sample different types of cheese which very very good! Just need to remember the names so I can sample it all again back in England. In the evening, Hannah and I relaxed at Stumble Inn, drinking more wine and playing pool with a couple of guys we had met on the wine tour.

We left Stellenbosch on 19th and travelled the short journey to Cape Town. It was our last day of driving on the truck, so a pretty sad day! The accommodation we stayed in though was fantastic. It was a lovely old Victorian house with wooden floors, stained glass windows and lovely rooms and bathrooms - very luxurious! In the evening, we all went down to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront for our last group meal together. We had Mexican, which went down very well with a bottle of rose! The waterfront is very beautiful at night when it is all lit up and all the boats are docked up.

The next morning, I did a bit of exploring down Long Street with Laura and Kate, where I did a little bit of retail therapy! In the afternoon, we took a cable car up Table Mountain. The views are stunning! Cape Town has everything - ocean, beaches, mountains, a harbour and a happening city! It was very peaceful at the top and its great to just walk around at the top and absorb the beautiful scenery. Laura and I sat up the top in a cafe with a muffin and tea just enjoying everything about being up there! Later on, explored the V & A Waterfront and did some more shopping and then had a gorgeous dinner at Quay 4. The food was exquisite!

During one of our days in Cape Town, 5 of us rented a car for the day and I drove us down to Cape Point, the southern most tip of SA. It was a fantastic day out. We had the freedom to stop when and where we wanted, so we got to explore some of the lovely bays along the coastal route and take in the beautiful scenery as we passed it. On the way back up, we drove up the other side of the coast and stopped at Simonstown and Boulders where we got to see lots of penguins and then in Muizenberg, we spotted some whales which appeared to be dancing in the water - am impressive sight!

Another day, the weather wasn't so good, so a group of us got a taxi to Canal Walk, the biggest shopping centre in the Southern Hemisphere! It was cool to wander around the shops and sit in the cafes. In the evening, I went to meet some friends that I had met on our travels in Camps Bay and watched the sunset. Went to a couple of groovy bars and then back to theirs for something to eat. The next day, had to say goodbye to Laura which was sad as have got really close to her. Four of us then had to move to another backpackers as there were no longer any rooms left in Mountain Manor. Hannah and I then spent the afternoon at the Waterfront enjoying the cafe culture and local people playing music, dancing and singing. It was a lovely way to spend such a lovely day - relaxing and chilling in the sunshine in a beautiful location!

Hannah and I had a bit of a culture day on the 25th. We had a wander around the Castle which is the oldest remaining building in SA. Afterwards, we looked around the District Six Museum which was really interesting and explained about the Apartheid. In the afternoon, we relaxed in the Company Gardens in town which are beautiful and relaxing and met up with Julie in the evening for her last meal. We had tapas which was lovely and the sticky toffee pudding was delicious!

Yesterday, the 26th, Hannah and I had our first ever surfing lesson. Sheldon, an Australian who works on reception at our backpackers is also a surf instructor so he took us out for a morning in his VW camper van. Had an ace morning. We donned our wetsuits, got acquainted with our surfboards and some of the lingo before heading out into the water. Took a few attempts, but we both managed to stand up on our boards and ride some of the waves, a great achievement! Definately got me interested in surfing! Felt great afterwards although aching today, although that may be from climbing Lions Head on the same day which is 669m high!

Not long left now, only 3 days till i fly home. Still got Robben Island to do and may climb Table Mountain before coming home. For the rest of the time, I thin we'll just see what takes our fancy!

Hope you've all enjoyed the blog (and maybe I have sold Africa to you as a destination to visit?). See you all when I get home.

Love and goodbye
Sarah x

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Comments

[Deborah Ellis]

Very envious
Wow Sarah, How much have you fitted in a small space of time and you seem to have done so much. Your S Africa blog reminded me of some of the places we visited. Boschendal is now one of my favourite wines cos we had such a good time when we went there. You've got to get mum and dad to go to Cape Town. Your blog has been great to read, I've become quite hooked. See you on your return. I know mum, dad and Emma can't wait to see you. Love D