So having spent a peaceful night in Stellenbosch it was time to set off for the Cape of Good Hope and Paula and I's last full day together in the car. Breakfast turned into a disaster as the night before I had picked up some bread in the supermarket and that morning we soon learned why it was the only bread left on the shelves as it was as solid and heavy as a rock and after one slice it was settled in the stomach like a layer of cement. Needless to say it was decided that the rest of the loaf could be donated to any other travel who dared eat it! With a rough idea of which way we were heading (which involved driving through the centre of Cape Town we set off). The ... read more

Having fed and watered ourselves Paula and I jumped into the Corsa and headed for Hermanus. This was going to be our chilled out and relaxing time. We arrived into Hermanus without incident and checked into the hostel. We decided to walk into town and stretch our legs and also see if we could spot any Whales however they weren't playing afternoon. That evening we headed out into the town and searched for food and we ended up at a really nice Italian. Here in South Africa it is funny as often if you park in the streets you will find parking attendants both official and unofficial who will “look after you car” whilst you are away in return you usually pay them between R2 and R5 (16p to 40p). Having eaten we returned to our ... read more

So Thursday morning we set off heading for the small village in the Karoo called Nieu Bethesda. I had been told about the place by Andrea in Pietermaritzberg and during a conversation he had told me that the Karoo is his favourite place in all of South Africa and that if I headed that way I should stay at the Owl House Backpackers in Nieu Bethesda. So when I met up with Paula I told her that we were going to be doing a diversion for a couple of days but she was more than happy to join me for the ride. Initially our route took us north and we motored through Somerset East where we witnessed what seemed to be a peaceful protest outside the local butchers. There was a gathering of people holding up ... read more

Having left the Sani Lodge I was safely deposited at my hostel in Pietermaritzburg. Once again it was time to say goodbye to a fellow traveller however tentative arrangements were made for Paula and I to meet up again in South Africa. I was shown around the hostel and introduced to the owners two gorgeous and very placid Afghan Hounds. I soon fell in love with the hostel since I had a large double room to myself for a cheap price. The large bed, thick and pristine white bedding and comfortable pillows were enough to make me decide to stay longer than my intended one night. Also the fact that it was only a small place and was actually Andre's home that he had opened up made it all the more nicer and it showed by ... read more

On arriving in Durban I soon settled into my dorm room and got chatting to various people in the hostel and made arrangements to spend the next day with Jean, a Dutch guy. So Wednesday morning I got up and enjoyed the delectable breakfast on offer - muesli, plain yoghurt followed by marmalade on toast.... a fantastic change from fried eggs on toast! I then got my swimming stuff together and Jean and I headed out for the day with the intention of walking down to the beach and along the promenade and then visit the aquarium at uShaka Marine World. Having reached the promenade it was clear that Durban is preparing itself for the 2010 World Cup and there were extensive renovation works going on. Having walked down onto the beach Jean started taking photos ... read more