And so it begins

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Wed 16 September 2009
Week 1

Ok, so I have been in South Africa (or should I say Sith Ifrica) for over a week now and have not had time to start this blog, so I am playing catch up and will rattle over the first few days quickly.

The last few weeks have been pretty hectic. I thought I was going to have a gentle, lazy few weeks after leaving work to enjoy August and lie around in the sun. What actually happened was there was rain and cloud and a million jobs to do getting the house ready for the new tenants and getting my stuff into store. This retirement lark is tiring.

I was finally ready to start the 6 week “trial” trip to South Africa, where I intend to test out my kit and work out how much I really need to take with me when I go on my 12 month round the World tour. I am also going to use this as a test of my tolerance of backpacker buses, hostels etc.

Thanks to a swap with my brother, I got a premium economy return ticket to Cape Town on his airmiles, in return for the loan of my large HD flatscreen TV for the 13 months I am away - I think it was a fair deal.

So, after a really comfortable flight I arrived in Cape Town at 8am and was met in arrivals by Kyrt - he and RJ run the Seamore Express Tour company and Guest House www.seamore-express.com. The guest house is absolutely fabulous, with wonderful decor, THE most comfortable beds, loads of living, eating and chilling space and two of the best hosts you could ask for. Their offering of organised tours and relaxed accommodation is a real find. RJ’s artwork adorns the walls and he has an imaginative and colourful garden, full of unusual and exotic planting. There are fresh flower displays on every surface. Had dinner out with K, RJ & a nice couple from Manchester at a restaurant near the beach - big juicy steak and mash. Oh and a few bottles of wine.

Thurs 17
The breakfasts at Seamore Guest House are amazing, with a range of hot and cold dishes all beautifully laid out with flower blooms on each platter. Spent the day at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront area, with its wide range of shops, craft markets and places to eat There was a lot of different live music acts, ranging from a childrens steel band to a group performing on the main central stage who managed to sing in 5 different languages. Had a lovely back massage in the Wellness Centre. Bought a cute bracelet with silver beads set on elephant hair, which is really strong and looks like black thin leather. Needed an early night after tasting a few more of the excellent local wines with K and RJ.

Fri 18
Having drink my hosts wine, I needed to reciprocate and stock up, so K and I went round to the corner to a local bottle shop that stocks both good and premium quality for ridiculously cheap prices compared to UK. Dropped round and met artist neighbour Denny and opened several of the bottles while I admired the fabulous doors and panels she makes, some of which adorn the luxury game lodges. We went for dinner at local restaurant - had lamb shank and mash & returned to watch videos on the huge screen (about 8 foot square) in the guest living room. Room span when I finally hit the sack.

Sat 19
Huge hangover. Was meant to go to the botanical gardens but stayed home, sunbathed a bit and read another book and had a couple of much-needed naps and lots of cups of tea. Didn’t feel normal until tea time. RJ cooked for us all and we had a really nice evening.

Sun 20
Went around to the “backside” of Table Mountain, which is lush and green with many more trees due to its higher rainfall and moister climate. On the slopes of the mountain lie the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, where I spent a lovely day in the sunshine. The proteus where just starting to flower and they have a huge range on display. I had lunch in the Tea House restaurant and tried the dorado fish which was really tasty.

Another fun evening with my great hosts Kyrt and RJ and lots of wine.

Mon 21
Long tour all day today with another couple from the UK. First off we took the cable car to top of Table Mountain which was completely clear and bathed in sunlight when we started out. By the time we got to the top there was gentle cloud pouring over the top which was very atmospheric and made taking photos an interesting task. K warned us that some people rush into the cable car to try to bag the best view by the open windows, he said we should stand anywhere and watch and wait. Due to the high wind the windows were shut anyway, but he was correct and a virtual stampede ensued whilst we stood back and let the other people fight for their spot. You should have heard the shrieks and moans when they realised that the floor rotates and their hard-won viewing spot was moving away towards us, We did laugh. However the 4 minute trip allows the floor to rotate at least one full circuit, so everyone gets their fair share of the views.

On to Seal Island on a boat full of kids who were very excited and noisy but really well behaved. The trip from dock to island is around 30 minutes and you have the choice of sitting outside or in. There is also a third level downstairs with a couple of portholes that lie underwater, so you can view the seals swimming in the sea. Luckily the wind was in the other direction, so we enjoyed watching hundreds of seals without the normal stink. On the wharf we saw Petey-Boy, a huge male seal who was nursed back to health by a local man after Petey had been attacked by a shark. Even though he is still wild and swims out to socialise and mate on Seal Island, Petey keeps coming back to spend time with his rescuer on land. He is tame enough to hand feed with fish and to stroke and sit on, but even though the authorities have tried to stop him coming into contact with humans he keeps returning and is quite happy to be admired and petted, whilst he remains wild and free. Nice experience.

We next drove down to Cape Point where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet, through the National Park with wild scenery including rafts of wild pinhead proteus. There are troops of wild baboons here which you need to treat with caution. There have been instances of the clever creatures spying food left in peoples cars and throwing rocks through the windscreen to literally smash and grab. We got some great views of a small group by the side of the road, but sensibly stayed in our car.

We had a great lunch at the Two Oceans Restaurant at the Cape with spectacular views over the Atlantic ocean. I tried Kingclip fish for the first time which is incredibly tasty. At the actual Cape if you lent over the edge the wind was incredible and you can see from the photo that I suffered severe hair-whip.

On the way back we stopped at Boulders Beach and saw the colony of jackass penguins and a couple of dassies, which are furry animals abut the size of a cat. Apparently their nearest relatives are the elephants - I am promised this is not a wind up, so look it up for yourselves. We also stopped briefly in Simons Town to watch 4 whales playing in the shallow waters just off the beach. K told us the sad tale of how a local 77 year old lady who used to daily swim across the bay was taken by a great white shark last year.

Tue 22
Another full day with a tour to the wine region with K and two guys from the UK. First stop in Stellenbosch at De Bergkelder, a company that owns several labels and have a huge cellar built under the mountain - more of a big hill really but still impressive. Did a fairly standard tour of the production process and tasted several very nice wines down in the cellar, surrounded by millions of bottles and barrels, all in flickering candlelight - very nice setting.

Then on to Paarl and a “wine farm” as they are called here. We visited the Fairview Estate which is one I recognised as one of their outputs is the Goats do Roam label, which are available in some UK outlets. They had a nice restaurant called the Goat Shed where I tried Springbok steak for the first time, After lunch we started the “cheese and wine tasting” package which allowed us to choose 6 wines from a list of about 40. The staff poured the first glass and explained its characteristics. You then walked around the corner to where several pates of cheese were laid out to try with the wine. There was a wide choice of both goat and cow milk cheeses, including some really unusual ones. You then returned to the wine side and got your next glass and tasted it with all the cheeses again. After the sixth glass and lot of cheese, you really felt you had your moneys worth. The setting was lovely with great views of the mountains and rolling hills covered in vines.

The 2 British guys were staying in Camps Bay, so we stopped off there at Le Med Bar which was right on the beach for some sundowners. We had a couple of Hunters Dry cider as we really wanted a change from wine! We went climbing over the rocks at the ocean edge, where the guys stripped off their tops and sunbathed. Great view of the 12 Apostles from this beach. We saw whales blowing but they were too far out to really see properly.

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Comments

[karen smith]

wow
You look like you are having a fantastic time; I sincerely hope this goes beyond your wildest expectations :)

[angela]

looks fantastic, im so jealous...love Dassie...he looks so lovable...are you going to put him in your rucksack and bring back with you?!