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Published: March 10th 2007
Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
Fynbos plants are one of the endangered South African plant species.South Africa - Wine, Waves, and Wanderings
We are often asked by those we meet on our travels what our favorite place has been. This is a difficult question to answer, because each country has its own flavor. But we usually say there have been two countries that have struck a cord in our soul by their immense natural beauty. One is Switzerland, and we’ll hold our Swiss Alps hike as a forever favorite. The other is South Africa. Neither Bryan, nor I, was prepared for the rugged coastline, beautiful parks, soaring mountains, green valleys, and diverse culture.
Cape Town, dubbed by our guidebook as “…one of the world’s most beautiful cities”, was a welcome sight after our long bus ride from Windhoek, Namibia. We settled in the suburb of Sea Point, very near the coast, for over a week. Our days were spent: walking the Beach Road; visiting the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront to dine along the wharf and watch the boats come and go; window shopping at the mall that sits on the water‘s edge; visiting the aquarium with it‘s impressive shark tank and endearing penguins; taking in a couple movies and learning that you pick your
seat on a computer before entering and there is no way to get butter on your popcorn; riding along a double-decker for a city bus tour; tooling in a boat around Seal Island to see hundreds of seals basking in the sun; and our personal favorite… spending hours meandering through the beautiful Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens that display about 9000 native plants. The gardens were built along the steep eastern slopes of Table Mountain and offer a sweeping view of Cape Town and the bay.
South Africa is a huge country and we wanted to see as much of it as possible, so we booked a rental car and set off to follow the coastline north. Our first destination was the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. This is the most south-western point of the continent of Africa and a dramatic sight with its fearsome waves and wind. We hiked to the top of the peninsula for a view of the swirling ocean below and imagined the voyagers that first tried to sail around this point.
From the Cape we drove to Somerset for a two night stay in the beautiful Two Oaks B&B. Bryan and I had never
been wine tasting and since we had missed this opportunity in Italy and France, we decided we would definitely tour the wine-producing region of Stellenbosch. Not wanting to appear uncouth, we began a bit apprehensively at Boschendal vineyard, but they made it very easy on us by providing a laminated wine tasting guide and wine list. We simply checked off five wines to taste, Bryan choosing different ones than me, so that we sampled a total of 10. By the fifth taste we were having fun swirling the glass, holding it up to comment on the color, sniffing the aroma and imagining we smelled a bit of oak or berry, taking a ginger sip and then allowing it to rest on our palate before swallowing. This was followed by comments such as:
“Do you taste a hint of mango fruit, Darling?”
“Why, yes, Dear, I do believe I do. Quite perceptive of you, really.”
“Thank you, Darling. Would you care to try the Bordeaux, 2004?”
“I would love to, Dear. I do believe it is known for its full-flavored body.”
From Boschendal we continued on to J.C. Le Roux, known for its Cap Classique, a
Cape of Good Hope
Note that this is the most "south-westerly" point of the continent of Africa. sparkling white wine. We learned that they could not call it champagne, since that is a region in northeastern France and they are the only ones that can truly call their sparkling wine champagne. We were given a tour of the factory, taught how yeast is used in the making of Cap Classique, and tasted several varieties (this time we kept our antics to a minimum since we were accompanied by another couple).
When we returned to the B&B that night, we were asked by the owners if we would mind watching the place for the evening while they went out to dinner with friends. In return we were offered the use of their poolside bar-b-que, a bottle of wine, and a big screen TV. How could we say no? We enjoyed ourselves as we grilled ostrich and then sat on their comfortable couch watching movies.
The next morning we were given a private tour of Van Ryn’s Brandy Distillery. Here we were shown how they distill the fermented juice of grapes and also how the barrels are made. The man that repairs the oak barrels that the brandy is aged in gave a demonstration of how he
cuts the wood planks and weaves the seams with thin strips to seal any gaps. The barrels are very important in the flavoring of brandy because, unlike wine, brandy matures in its barrel and once bottled will remain the same until opened.
From Van Ryn’s we went to Bergkelder, where we were joined by about 8 retired couples. We watched a slide show, had a cellar tour, and tasted six varieties of white and red wines. This was a fun group and either everyone was a little happy from the wine or we hit it off really well (perhaps both).
Leaving the grape-lined mountain valley of Stellenbosch, Bryan and I drove to L’Agulhas where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. What we hadn’t known, until we visited the Cape of Good Hope, is that L’Agulhas is the true most southerly tip of Africa. The Cape is the most south-westerly point. Bryan and I dipped our toes in the cold Atlantic and then ran a few yards over to the Indian Ocean to see if it was any warmer. Guess what? It wasn’t.
It was near L’Agulhas, on the morning of our anniversary, that we spotted several whales
just meters from the shoreline. We were there during the tail end of the calving season and the southern right whales often come very close to shore. We considered this our anniversary present or at least a very good omen.
We drove to Mossel Bay were we stayed in a tiny berth on the Santos Express. This is a line of old railway carriages that are parked right on the beach. Our reason for stopping in this small town was to visit the Bartholomeu Dias museum. The museum holds a replica of the caravel, a small sturdy ship that Dias used to round the cape in 1488. The replica was built in Portugal and sailed to Mossel Bay in 1988 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Dias’ voyage. Ironically, Dias rounded the Cape without knowing it. He tacked offshore in a violent storm and made landfall in Mossel Bay. It was later that he confirmed his location.
We continued our journey up the coast to Jeffrey’s Bay with it‘s claim to fame being some of the best surfing in South Africa. We met a long-haired surfing instructor named Andrew whose favorite saying was “When in doubt, paddle out!”
We signed up for surfing lessons and Bryan and I, along with two teenage boys and a young girl, began by laying on our boards on the sand, pretending to paddle with a wave, then push ourselves up with our arms while bringing our legs up under us. Pretty simple in concept and on the beach, but quite different on moving water. It was very, very tiring to carry the board out after trying unsuccessfully to stand up and ride the waves, and I was amazed at how much upper body strength was required to push myself up. I considered it a welcome relief when I lost my contact inside my eyelid and had to sit out until it worked its way back down.
We left Jeffrey’s Bay on the Sunshine Coast for Coffee Bay on the Wild Coast but because most of the area along this ocean shore is largely undeveloped with no roads we traveled inland following the N2. This was a beautiful and interesting drive, with deep ravines and rolling grasslands interspersed with villages.
Unlike the cities of the Western Cape and the southern parts of the Eastern Cape, which have a large white South
African population with townships of black South Africans surrounding them, the cities north of Port Elizabeth were mostly black. The southern cities are very beautiful with a strong infrastructure, but ever since Windhoek, Bryan and I felt as though we were back in Europe. The further north we traveled, the more it was like reentering Africa with traditional huts, all black towns, and subsistence farming.
We also had noticed that throughout our travels through central Africa, the local people had been warm and open with us and we had not felt any animosity because of the color of our skin. However, upon entering Namibia (which had once been a part of South Africa) we both felt an underlying tension between the whites and blacks which seemed to grow stronger the closer to Johannesburg we traveled. We felt this was understandable considering the history of this area. Most South Africans alive today remember well the apartheid-era that only ended in the early 90’s.
Rampant crime remains the number one concern of white South Africans and the statistics are deplorable with Johannesburg having the worst crime rate in Africa. Bryan and I had been cautious on our journey, watching our
bags carefully and making sure we stayed aware of our surroundings, but for the first time we felt this may not be enough. On the other hand, for black South Africans economic inequality remains the biggest problem. We found it unsettling to see how the native people still seem to be used as cheap labor and are living in horrible conditions in townships established during a segregate government system. The Soweto township is one example. It is over 150 sq. km. and houses 3.5 million people. Most lack running water and electricity and many of the homes are merely one room shacks built of scrap material.
We arrived in the tiny town of Coffee Bay late at night and as we hiked up a dark hill to the hut we booked through the Coffee Shack hostel, we had no idea the view that awaited us the next morning. This thatched little adobe became a favorite spot, with the ocean crashing on the rocks below, a grill in the yard, and a fridge to keep our drinks cold. We were a short walk to two secluded bays and Bryan rented a surfboard to practice what he had learned. I happily
Learning how to make oak barrels.
This man was very talented and fixes all the oak barrels using hand tools and measures purely by sight. watched from my sandy towel accompanied by a dog that had adopted us in trade for food.
We continued on to Durban two days later and couldn’t believe our luck when we found a corner hotel room on the fourth floor with wrap around windows showing 180 degree views of the long surf beach below. The water and weather was warm and we watched world class surfers ride the waves. Durban is known as a holiday get-away but it also has the largest Indian descendent population in the country, about 800,000. Bryan and I have come to love Indian food and we visited the Spice Emporium to learn more about curries. Somehow, we attracted the attention of the owners who spent a long time answering our questions and explaining the different spice terminology and combinations. We purchased several packets of saffron and went in search of a good Indian restaurant. We were not disappointed as there turned out to be great curry dishes just down the road from our hotel.
It was time for us to turn in our rental car to the Johannesburg dealer and so we made the long drive from Durban to Pretoria. Bryan had
Bryan's shirt with all the South African flags stirred...
a political discussion since our wine tasting guide was a Political Science major. a flight to Kuala Lumpur and I had a flight to Tucson for a much needed visit with my daughter, Marina, and the rest of my family. Bryan would investigate Indonesia and I would join up with him again shortly.
When people had asked in the past “If you could go any where in the world, where would it be?” I had always answered, Africa. My dream had been fulfilled and it was bittersweet to leave this beautiful continent with it’s many hardships and happy memories now a part of me.
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Sam Turner
non-member comment
Coffee and you guys
Hi Bryan and Sara! I fixed another cup of coffee before I started this last journal. What a pleasure to sip coffee and read of your travels! We love every line of your experiences. And now you are flying to Tucson. When? I wonder if you have been here already and we don't know it? Please contact us if you are still in the states. We'll shower you with flowers, hugs and well wishes. Love, Sam and Phyllis