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Published: January 25th 2006
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Cintsa
A very long beach at Cintsa Hello Pilgrims!
I have touched down down under, having passed through Singapore but more on that in another journal entry ...for now - I shall go into the 2nd half of my SA trip.
I finished off a week and a half in South Africa experiencing some more cool places.
First stop after Coffee Bay, was Cintsa- a gorgeous bay area (see 1st photo). This was a short visit as I headed for 2 nights in the place they call the Hogsback - said to have inspired many a great book story and in particular (well ok, the only one), JR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Yea. I'd not heard of it either. But seriously, it's a beautiful place that does indeed resemble middle earth in places - small paths through dense forest tracks, with many waterfalls - just enough room for small hobbits to pass through in places. Wander as I did, I had to duck under some trees! To me, it felt more like what I think Norway looks like with the temperature of England, but no - this was in South Africa!
I then headed down into the "garden route" of South Africa, a short stop
in Knysna before I took my "backpacker bus" -the BazBus down to Cape Town, for I had planned to do stuff there that would take around a week. I foolishly left my passport, credit card, plane tickets and fluffy dice in the hostel safe in Knysna. So aboard my transport, after 20 mins, I realised I'd left it! Ooops. I kindly got lent some randies (or Rands) from fellow BazBuz traveller and hostel cohort Jana (thank you please!) and the Bazbus driver the following day was kind enough to pick up and drop off my fluffy slippers and passport (to the door of my Cape Town hostel!) how nice 😊 Only for me to be mugged of everything he brought back to me moments later when I walked to the.... nah only kidding.
So in
Cape Town - I found my time there was very interesting. I spent two nights in one hostel, before deciding I didn't like the area and moved to a hostel that sat with an amazing & clear view of table mountain. Later I hiked up Table M. (with my bare hands - and then the cable car back down!) - great stuff. A separate
Waterfalls
Some waterways within the Hogsback day was a mini bus tour of the Cape Peninsula. See photo #4, where we travelled, via dangerous Baboons (DO NOT feed the baboons!! - also they play with themselves willy nilly), to The Cape of Good Hope. Why so "The Cape of Good Hope" I hear you yell! Well, look it up for yourself!
No, ok - it's because a lot of ships are wrecked near the Peninsula but once past the Cape Point (at the most South Western point of Africa) you are home free into that large ocean that covers around Europe and India, sorry America, or whatever.
In the evening, a little group of us went to a Thai restaurant which was funny as we couldn't find it!! hehe - afterwards we went onto some bars and Pedro from L.A. ordered himself two shots of Absinth (or something) and then next minute - he's claiming he's just seen Jesus Christ in the bar - and continuingly repeating this all night!!! hmmm? My arse! Anyone care for a bloody mary?
anyway the next day I woke up (just as well) because that day I was scheduled to do a guided tour around Langra- a township in Cape
The Cape of Good Hope
From this point on - it's plain sailing! Town, where roughly 60,000 people live. Townships are defined as informal settlement areas I believe, but they are settled by "non-whites" There are "Black" and "Coloured" townships in Cape Town according to my tour guide. The latter townships were more affluent, however I would align my definition of townships to shanty towns or Slums, similar of what I have seen in Mexico City. Anyway, the distinction between, "Coloureds" and "Blacks", (and I don't like either of these terms, but it's just the English translation I guess), is that Coloureds are a mix of the San people (the oldest known people of the SA area I believe) and European settlers (mainly Dutch is it?) and they are lighter in skin tone than the Blacks. (and I thought it meant it was because they have multi-coloured skin😉 )
Some of the townships were created as the inhabitants had been forcefully removed by the White ruling authorities who decided to clear out entire neighbourhoods (smallpox and other diseases were used a scapegoat for this) eg. District 6, for demolishment and then rebuilding for a whites only area. Where the displaced people were to go was of no concern to the government. So slums
Shebeen
(local pub) within the Langra township out of town built up, such as Langra. Crazy stuff indeed.
I visited a shebeen (a township pub where I shared a bucket of local beer, see photo), a witchdoctor's shop, local housing and witnessed sheeps' heads being cooked on the side of the road..... In the housing we saw, one hostel houses 3 families (only the father sleeps in the hostel) and they share 1 cold water tap and one shared kitchen/living area....The government is funding new style hostels and seeing these, they were more modern and included things such as modern stoves. So that was all amazing to see and shocking at same time, alongside my plush hostel overlooking Table Mountain. Some parts of Cape Town seem like what Beverly Hills to me, so the contrast and simplicity comparison made the experience very surreal to me.
Later that evening, I went for a meal with Koraa and Katherine, Chris and Pedro from Norway, Norway, England, USA respectively. After which I had a glass of water (Pedro had a glass of milk) and I saw Jesus Christ (outside a church on a cross). (Ok, so maybe the memory is getting a bit milky, but I did have water)
Sheep Heads
Local lady in Langra chopping up some sheep heads On my final day in Cape Town, just as I was reading about the bombs in London in a web cafe and I decided to visit Robben Island where political activists were held, without reason along with other prisoners. The two leaders pushing for change in the apartheid regime - Robert Sobukwe (who first marched against the regime) and Nelson Mandela, where held here. Sobukwe's effect on anti-apartheid feeling was thought to be so potent, that he was held in solitary confinement.
A remarkable place, South Africa, indeed... Im just wondering how it was coined by the rather dull name - "South Africa". Maybe in the future this will change along with much else.
take cares all
Patrick..
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Morgan
non-member comment
ah, sweet south africa
Enjoyed your travel blog. Hoping you are enjoying your current travels! I am in Poland! V different from SA, for sure. Too bad you won't be back in england next week, as that is where I am headed. Take care.