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Published: January 25th 2007
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Cape of Good Hope
Also know as Cape of Storm. The weather can change from sunny to rainy in a few minutes.
South Africa is supposed to have lots of things in common with Brazil. Both of us are third world countries, but at the same time we have a big industry, agriculture, technology development, health care and we are of major importance in our continents. So we was really exited to see if all this were true.
In the way to cape town we decided to stop in a small town close by the road
(I will not write down the name of the town because until know I can't pronounce it or worse would be having to remember how it is written), as the town was small and our guide books didn't mention nothing about it, we visited the tourist information center
(yes, SA has a great support for tourism) For our luck that town was the beginning of the Oliphants River Wine route and next day, with all the information in hand, we drove to the first Wine cellar (Luderitz). We where welcome buy a very lovely lady that spend a few ours giving us wine and explaining all about it, and more to that, she organized two more visits to different small wine boutiques. We bought a
Wine Tasting
In the Seal Breeze Cellar, trying the 2004 Shiraz champion. From left to right: Rebbekka, Joan, Claudio
delicious wine bottle and went on. The second wine cellar, Keukenhof, was in the front of the farm main house, the owners where a friendly couple that conduced us in an great two hour wine talks. As they where new in the business of wine making (five years since the first vintage) they could explain all the process in a easy way. We left taking with us two bottles of delicious wine. The third, and not less interesting was a wine cellar called Seal Breeze. Everything Organic and made by hand. On the first year, beside the no experience in wine making, the cellar got the price for the best Shiraz in the region. Compliments aside, the first rule the owner gave us when we enter her cellar was: "Nobody can spit out the wine they try and we use big glasses". Well as you can imagine after a few great hours of wine tasting (direct from the barrel) we ended up almost drunk and taking away four bottles of excellent wines
(Yes, Claudio had to drive home. Drunk driving laws in wine route should be suspended!).
Everybody know about Stellenbosh and it's famous wineries, but visit the Olifans
Jamaka Organic Farm
The farm where we met Juli and Dana.
River can be much more enjoyable. There are not so many tourists, so you won't pay for tasting the wines, and can have a nice chat with the owners.
Next day, we drove down to a organic farm in the Cederberg Mountains. Juli and Dana that we met in Windhoek where working there and invited us to visit them. The time in the farm was great. After long time in the road we could feel home for some days, helping a little with the work of the farm
(including counting orange trees for Juli college research... hehehe). After five days with night braais and birthday parties and lake swims, we had to go back to the road. Next destination, Cape town.
Cape Town is one amazing place, the next day of our arrival we booked the Robben Island tour (to the prison where Nelson Mandela spent most of his sentence) that would take place in almost a week. In the mean time we did other amazing stuff, like visit the Cape of Good Hope, hike down the Table Mountain
(we were to lazy to hike up, but we were ashamed when we saw a group of 60 year Robben Island
This is the cell where Nelson Mandela spend most of his time as a prisioner.
old ladies hiking up) and visit the Botanical Gardens. Also after many months of local dishes we ate lots of western junk food!!!
We left Cape Town with Antonela and Chis, the Chile/Aussie couple and Kathrina a US girl in our crasymobile.
The first stop was Stellenbosh
(Of course, wine is never too much!!). And beside the wine, we visited a conservation project for the cheetah that are situated in the region.
From there, taking the garden route, we joined the adventure of the country. Shark Cage Diving. The sea around Cape Agulhas is full of Great Whites Sharks and our adventure was put a cage in the water and go inside to see the big
"fishes" swimming around us!!
We were very lucky, as we could see 4 sharks in a time that's considered out of season.
After the diving we went on through the Garden Route to see the southern most point of Africa, Cape Agulhas. Here is also the division of the Atlantic and Indian Ocean.
Just after the Garden Route, start the sunshine coast, and our next few stops were always in great beaches with great hostels run mostly by crazy surfers.
Shark Cage Diving
Recipe: One cage, four tasty divers and four great white sharks.
From left to right: Fernando, Chris, Claudio.
People that decided to leave their ordinary life to enjoy the best waves as a profession… not a bad idea!!
Between Jeffrey’s Bay and Port Elisabeth the crasymobile broke down. This time seriously. The bearing from the fan broke, causing the fan to hit the radiator. Because the radiator leaked, the water was gone and the engine cooked. This cost us 14 days sitting in PE around Christmas time, waiting for a new engine to arrive from Johannesburg. At least we meet great people there, Waldo the manager of the Hostel and Neil who kept us always entertained. By this time Amandine arrived from France to join us again. We were very happy to have her there, but she was very unlucky, she joined us for a month of promised great travels and had been stuck with us for the two first weeks. Sorry for that!
Carrying a
"spare" engine in the back of the car we headed to Coffee Bay. Where is considered a backpacker paradise and a great new year’s eve party was planed. But we left in the 31st for the Drakensberg expecting something similar. But for our surprise, no party was going on there.
Cape Agulhas
Southern most point of Africa and also the division of the Indian and Atlantic ocean
We were tired and was cold and rainy. Ended up that we went to bed before midnight. No new year’s party for us this year.
After the Drakensberg we went to Jo’burg to drop of the engine that was traveling with us. Jo’burg wasn’t a big stop. Beside the engine bureaucracy, we just visited the Apartheid museum and left to Swaziland. Because of the engine soap opera, we lost Durban and the wild coast. But this will for be the next time.
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Samantha Pow
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Question
What is the name for the southernmost point of Africa?