South-Africa and Lesotho

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Thursday 4 August: Ester and me arrived at 7.35 am at O.R.Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. There we got picked up by someone from Mbizi Backpackers Lodge in Boksburg. When we arrived at the hostel we were shocked. The hostel was surrounded by high fences like all the other houses in the neighbourhood. This is because Johannesburg is one of the world’s most dangerous cities. We went inside the hostel and dropped our bags in our room. A black lady showed us around and after that we walked with our driver to an ATM to pay him. We walked back to the hostel and met a German guy, called Christof, who was staying in the hostel too. We had toast with Nutella and tea for breakfast and decided to go to the Apartheid Museum in Soweto together. Christof rented a car and I would be the one navigating. We had not the best maps and got lost a couple of times, but in the end we reached the Apartheid Museum and it was really amazing. We got to know much more about the history of South-Africa, about Apartheid and the influence of Nelson Mandela. We had a beef burger with French fries for lunch and after spending some hours in the museum we drove home to be back before darkness. Everybody recommended us to be home before darkness, because it’s dangerous to be outside when it’s dark in South-Africa. When we came back in the hostel we met Patrick, the owner of the hostel. His friend came and brought some biltong for us (dry meat/South-African food). He showed us some movies of crime in Johannesburg and about lions attacking buffalo’s in Kruger National Park. We ordered some pizza’s and went to bed early.

Friday 5 August: we woke up, paid our bill, had toast with Nutella and tea for breakfast and took some biltong, that was left over from last night, for on the road. The Baz Bus picked us up at 9.15 am and we drove to our hostel called Amphitheatre in Northern Drakensberg. We checked in around 1.15 pm, had a banana and orange for lunch, dropped our bags in our dorm and went for a walk around the beautiful area. We passed a dam, a river, grasslands and came back just before sunset. We went in a jacuzzi, then in a cold swimming pool and finally in a sauna. We had eggs on bread for dinner and in the evening I went on the internet and read the Lonely Planet.

Saturday 6 August: I had eggs on toast and tea for breakfast and after that Ester and me rented mountain bikes for a half day. We wanted to cycle to a shop and an ATM, but we didn’t find them. We enjoyed the beautiful view of the Drakensberg Mountains, rivers and a dam when we cycled around. When we came back, we booked two different tours for the next days, had sandwiches with cheese and juice for lunch and played table tennis after. After that we played pool and went in the jacuzzi again. We took a 3 course meal (salad, Porterhouse steak with French fries and vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce) in the hostel and after dinner I packed my day pack for the next day, worked on my photos and read a nice book I got from my mother about cave diving in South-Africa called “De diepte in”.

Sunday 7 August: we woke up at 6.30 am, had yoghurt with muesli, fruit and tea for breakfast at 7 am and our tour to Tugela Falls left at 7.30 am. First we grabbed a lunch box (4 sandwiched with cheese, tomato and salad, an egg and an orange) and then our group (about 20-30 people) was divided into 2 vans. We drove in to the mountains (Drakensberg) and hiked in the mist to “the Sentinel”. We walked around this big rock, through snow and reached the second highest waterfall in the world called “Tugela Falls”. At this point we also had a great view over “the Amphitheatre”, a round open area surrounded by mountains (looks like an amphitheatre). Our hostel was named after this area. We drove back to the hostel, but were stuck in traffic and that’s why we arrived around 7.15 pm. We made hamburgers for dinner and went in the jacuzzi after. I worked on my photos again, took a shower and went to bed.

Monday 8 August: we woke up at 6.30 am, had scrambled eggs on toast and tea for breakfast and went on a tour to Lesotho. Lesotho is the third poorest and the highest country in the world. We got a lunch box again (same contents as the day before) and were divided into 2 vans again. We stopped at a petrol station on our way for a toilet and coffee break (like the day before). After that we continued our way to Lesotho. We had to show our passports at the border and came in to Lesotho on a very bad road. We stopped at a school, where we first had a look inside and after that a local guy explained us how the school system works and how a little bit of the money we spend on the tour is used to build new buildings for the school. Then we hiked through Lesotho to see some paintings on walls in the mountains. We had lunch there and our guide explained about religion, tradition and culture in Lesotho. Then we went to see a “sangoma”, a spiritual healer and she explained how she made people and animals better. After that we tasted some Lesotho beer and ate some maize porridge with spinach. We had to be out of the country at 4 pm and drove back to the hostel, where we arrived just before dinner. I went on the internet for half an hour and then we made penne with minced meat and tomato sauce. After that I read the Lonely Planet, made a plan for the next days in South-Africa and read my book “De diepte in”.

Tuesday 9 August: Ester and me slept till 8.30 am, we packed our bags, checked out, paid our bill and had bread, croissants and juice for breakfast. Then I went on the internet for an hour and worked on my travel blog. We had croissants and water for lunch and waited in front of the hostel until the Baz Bus picked us up around 2 pm to bring us to Tekweni Backpackers Hostel in Durban. We arrived around 5.30 pm, checked in, dropped our bags in the 10-bed dorm, went for groceries at the Spar-supermarket (same as in Holland) in the same street and came back in the hostel. I watched tennis on TV, used the free Wi-Fi and then we had a BBQ with the other people from the hostel. Salad and rolls were provided by the hostel, so we only had to buy chicken drum sticks. We talked with some American guys from California and after dinner I worked on my travel blog and finally we went to bed.

Wednesday 10 August: we had 2 ham and cheese croissants and toast for breakfast and booked the Baz Bus from Durban to Umkomaas and 3 more nights in the hostel. Then we walked from Tekweni to uSkaha Seaworld. It was about a 1 hour and 20 minute walk and on our walk we saw the Rugby stadium and the beachfront. At uShaka we saw a dolphin show, a seal pantomime, a penguin presentation and many sea creatures like sharks, rays, turtles and moray eels. We bought ice cream and walked back the same way for 1 hour and 20 minutes. We went for dinner at Florida Road, a street next to our hostel, famous for its pubs and restaurants. We went to a restaurant called Cubana, where I took a sirloin steak with brie, salad, honey soya sauce and chips and Ester took vegetarian burritos. We walked back to the hostel, where I did my training in the room (sit-ups and push-ups) and before I went to bed I read my book.

Thursday 11 August: we had 4 sandwiches with omelette, ham and cheese for breakfast, booked our flight from Cape town to Johannesburg, brought our laundry to a Laundromat nearby and then we walked to the beachfront. We went to a beach called Bay of Plenty, where we got some tan and I went for a swim. The sea was quite rough and cold so I didn’t stay in too long. There are shark nets along the coast, because there are quite a few dangerous sharks around like tiger- and bull-sharks. I read a bit in the Lonely Planet and my other book and finally we walked back to our hostel. There I got my ATM-card and then we picked up our laundry, got cash out and did grocery shopping at the Spar supermarket. Things we bought were: fruit, water, eggs, bread, ham, cheese, carrots, potatoes, spinach, broccoli, chicken schnitzels and sausages. When we came back to the hostel we booked a tour to the Valley of 1000 hills and had sausages, potatoes and broccoli for dinner. After dinner I watched tennis in Montreal, drunk a few Namibian beers (Windhoek) and went on the internet. Finally I read in my book and went to bed.

Friday 12 August: we had toast and orange juice for breakfast and then we went to home affairs (about 20 minute walk from our hostel) to make 12 photos for my visa in Dubai. With those photos we walked to the post-office and I posted them to Dubai. We walked back to Tekweni, had toast and juice for lunch and got picked up by a lovely lady called Melody Verbaan (South-African,but with Dutch family) at 1.30 pm for our tour to the Valley 0f 1000 hills, about a 45 minute drive by car from Durban. The name Valley of 1000 hills comes from the fact that it really looks like there are 1000 hills in a valley. On our way we passed the beautiful village called Hillcrest and we arrived at Phe-Zulu on top of a mountain. First we visited a crocodile-(Nile-crocodiles) and snake-farm (inculding the black mamba that lives in South-Africa), then we went into a Zulu-village, where we went into a traditional Zulu-hut. A Zulu-man explained about life in the Zulu-culture and then he brought us to a Zulu- kitchen and the chief’s hut. Then he told us how sangoma’s work (spiritual healers), how men and women get married and finally we got to see some Zulu-dancing. It was a very interesting day and we were brought home by car by Melody and arrived in our hostel at 5 pm. We prepared dinner (chicken schnitzel, boiled potatoes and crème spinach). I went on the internet, watched tennis in Montreal, packed my bag and went to bed early as we had to leave with the Baz Bus the next day at 6.55 am. That night we didn’t sleep a lot, because first at 3.40 am a German and Austrian girl came back from their night out and later 2 English guys at 5.30 am.

Saturday 13 August: our alarm woke us up at 6 am, I took a shower, we took our bags, had breakfast, checked out, paid our bills and got picked up by Baz Bus at 6.55 am. We arrived in Umkomaas around 8.30 am and were dropped at a place called Umkomaas Backpackers. We checked in and found out that the hostel was not open yet and there were still a lot of renovations to be done. But the lovely old ladies that worked there tried to help us out as good as possible and we got the room for a good price. We went to the small village of Umkomaas, because I wanted to go diving at Aliwal Shoal, known as one of the top 10 dive sites in the world. You can see sharks, ray’s, turtles, moray earls, soft coral and 2 ship wrecks: the Nebo and the Projuice. We walked around and compared different dive centres, hostels and sport bars where we could watch the tennis. We stopped for a coke at a hostel and sports bar called Sea Fever Lodge where we watched the highlights of the quarterfinals of the tennis in Montreal. Then we did grocery shopping at the Spar and walked back to our hostel. We slept for 3 hours from 3-6 pm and when we woke up we made pizza for dinner. After that we went to a sports bar downstairs called Shark Alley, where we watched the first semi-final at 9.30 pm between Fish and Tipsarevic. We wanted to watch the second match there as well, but the owner wanted to see something else and said he would record the match for us. We went back to our hostel, read our books and went to bed.

Sunday 14 August: Ester and me woke up at 9 am, took a shower, had eggs with ham and cheese for breakfast and checked out before 11 am. We booked our seats on the Baz Bus for Tuesday to Coffee Bay and booked a hostel in Coffee Bay for 2 nights called the Coffee Shack. Then we went downstairs to the sports bar Shark Alley, where we didn’t watch the second semi-final between Djokovic and Tsonga, but instead we watched highlights from a first round match between Murray and Anderson. After that we walked to Sea Fever Lodge, where we only had to pay 5 Rand more a night, but now we had a full apartment (self-catering) for ourselves. Prices were low and it was not busy, because it was low season. We tried to find out if there was tennis on TV in the bar next door, but there wasn’t. We paid for our 2 nights and then walked to Oceanworx, where I signed up for my dives for the next day. I wanted to do 1 reef dive and depending on the conditions 1 wreck dive if it was possible. We walked back to our room, had toast with cheese and 2 sandwiches with chicken fillet and orange juice for lunch. We went for a walk over the beach. It was raining, very windy and the waves were high. When we came back we watched some photos and movies from my world trip on my laptop and then Ester made us penne with chicken, crème fraiche and pesto for dinner. So far we cooked together every day, but this time she was preparing it for us and I was going to cook for us the next day. After dinner we did the dishes together like every day and I worked on my travel blog. At 9.30 pm we went to the bar to watch the final of the Master Series 1000 ATP in Montreal between Djokovic and Fish and then I went to bed.

Monday 15 August: I woke up at 6 am, had 4 sandwiches with ham and cheese and orange juice for breakfast and had to be at Oceanworx diving at 7 am. We sorted out my gear (BCD, wetsuit, fins, mask, weight belt) and they made a call to see if I could do a wreck dive as well. This was possible and the owner of the company drove me to the beach. There I met the other divers and dive master from a company called Blue Vision (also called Blurred Vision by other companies😊). We loaded our gear into a boat and made our way to Aliwal Shoal. Aliwal Shoal is 4,5 km of the shore and the plan was to do a wreck dive first to 26 meters and then we would go to Raggie’s Cave, where we would go to 18 meters and would have the chance to see Ragged tooth sharks. We had to find a gap in the waves to go out from shore, but we punched a wave too hard and the inflatable part of the boat came loose, so we had to turn back to shore to change boats. Moreover we lost a lot of equipment and one of the dive masters jumped in the water to get it. When we loaded our stuff in the other boat we went out the second time and this time we were able to find the gap in the waves. The sea was really rough and for the for the first time in 7 months I felt seasick. The skipper dropped us above the wreck, but the current was too strong and drifted us off so we missed the wreck. We came back on the boat, decided to skip the wreck dive (because of the bad conditions: current, surge, visibility) and went to our second spot, Raggie’s Cave. We went down and it was very difficult to dive here as well. The current and the surge were really strong, the visibility was 10 meters max and the water was very cold. I saw 2 ragged tooth sharks and when we came back to shore I took a hot shower. One guy who worked at Oceanworx gave me 2 teeth from ragged tooth sharks. I went back to have 4 sandwiched with ham and cheese and juice for lunch at our apartment and came back to Oceanworx, because they had free Wi-Fi there. At 4 pm I came back in Sea Fever Lodge and went for a nap. Ester made us chicken, rice and sweet and sour sauce for dinner and we watched some photos and movies form Dubai on my laptop after. Then we went to see tennis on TV in the bar of Sea Fever Lodge and left at 10 pm when the bar closed. I read a chapter of “De diepte in” and went to bed.

Tuesday 16 August: Ester and me woke up at 7 am, took a shower, packed our bags, had breakfast and had to be at the reception of Sea Fever Lodge at 8 am. We would get a lift to a hostel called Black Mamba, where the Baz Bus would pick us up at 8.30 am. We couldn’t stay at Black Mamba, because it was under major renovations. First we drove to a place called Mthatha and from there we got picked up by a shuttle which brought us to the Coffee Shack in Coffee Bay for 60 Rand per person. We had a lot of road works along the way and that’s why we arrived around 5.30 pm in Coffee Bay. A lady gave us a tour around the hostel and we ended in the bar, where we enjoyed a free drink. We signed up for dinner and I signed up for a surf lesson on Thursday morning. We had chicken, rice, courgette, broccoli and caramel cake for dinner and made costumes from leafs of trees for our jungle-party later that evening. We met some cool people, a guy from New Zealand called Sam, a couple from Wales (Sarah and John) and 2 girls from Austria (Laura) and Germany (Anna). We partied till late and went to bed.

Wednesday 17 August: we woke up around 9.30 am, ordered scrambled eggs on toast for breakfast and went on a tour called: Hole in the wall. Our guide took us over the hills and along the wild coast, where we saw dolphins, whales, Ufobia trees, Aloe Vera plants and villages. Finally we arrived at a big hole in a wall, called: Hole in the wall. We had cheese and tomato on toast for lunch there and went for a swim. We drove back to the Coffee Shack by car and I walked to the beach to take some photos. I also took some photos of the hostel and after that we had beef burgers, potatoes, garden salad and fruit pancake for dinner. After dinner I went to bed early. The night before I couldn’t sleep well, because there were two guys snoring. I read a chapter from my book “De diepte in” and finally fell asleep. That night as well I couldn’t sleep that well, because people came in our dorm in the middle of the night and started snoring.

Thursday 18 August: I woke up at 7 am, had 4 sandwiches with ham and tea for breakfast and had a 2-hour surf lesson including board hire and wetsuit for 40 Rand. The waves were not great and I really struggled, cause I didn’t surf since half May. I took a hot shower and changed clothes when I came back, packed my bags and checked out before 11 am. I read my book and finally the shuttle left at noon towards Port Elizabeth, where we arrived at out hostel called Lungile at 10.30 pm in the evening. We always stopped at petrol stations on long trips with the Baz Bus to refill the petrol, to go to the toilet, get some food and to get money out of an ATM. We had 3 stops that day: Chintsa, East London and a stop for dinner at Port Alfred. I had a chicken mushroom burger with fries and coke for lunch and a bacon and egg sandwich for dinner. Finally we arrived at Lungile in Port Elizabeth where we went to bed early, because we were going on a tour to Addo Elephant Park at 6 am the next morning.

Friday 19 August: we woke up at 5.30 am, were picked up by Calabash Tours at 6 am at our hostel to go to a wildlife park called Addo Elephant Park, where we hoped to see the Big 5 (elephant, black rino, lion, leopard and buffalo). Sam, Ester and me enjoyed the fruit, water, muesli bars, water and juice we had on board, but weren’t able to see all of the big 5 that day. We saw black-backed jackals, Burchells zebra’s, red hartebeast’s, elephants, meerkats, kudu’s, warthog’s, eland’s and ostriches that day, but missed 4 of the big 5, because there were only small numbers of them around in this huge park. We came back around 2 pm, went grocery shopping and when we came back Ester cooked rice, chicken and sweet and sour sauce for us for dinner and we watched the quarter finals of the tennis in Cincinnati on TV. The hostel was fully booked, because there would be a big rugby match between South-Africa and New Zealand the next day. The rugby fans that stayed in our hostel, were drinking the whole day and making a lot of noise, that’s why we couldn’t sleep very well.

Saturday 20 August: Ester, Sam and me woke up at 5.45 am, had scrambled eggs on toast with ham and cheese and juice for breakfast, packed our bags, checked out and went on the Baz Bus around 6.45 am. We arrived at the most popular surf spot of South-Africa: Jeffrey’s Bay. We checked in, left our luggage in the storage room, I went on the internet and Ester brought the laundry away. At 10 am we brought our bags to our room and after having 4 sandwiched with ham for breakfast I went to sleep between 11 am and 2 pm. When I woke up, I checked the waves, but it was not ideal so I watched premier league football (Liverpool-Arsenal) and went for a run for an hour on the beach. When I came back I took some photos of the hostel and the beach and watched the rugby match between South-Africa and New Zealand. Ester prepared pasta with crème fraiche, chicken and pesto for dinner and I did the dishes after. We watched the 2 semi-finals of the tennis in Cincinnati live and went to bed. We were staying in a smaller 4 bed-dorm that night and caught up on the sleep we missed in the Coffee Shack and Lungile.

Sunday 21 August: we woke up at 7.30 am, had 4 sandwiched with ham and juice for breakfast, packed our bags, checked out and went on the Baz Bus at 8.30 am to Stormsriver. We checked in at Dijembe Backpackers, where Ester booked the second highest bungee jump in the world (216 meter/ from the Bloukrans Bridge). While she did that I booked our Baz Bus all the way to Cape town and hostels in Hermanus and Stellenbosch. I went on the internet, read my book in the sun, made some photos of the hostel, did my push-ups and sit-ups and took a shower. After that shower Ester came back from her bungee and we went out for dinner. I ordered kudu steak with baked potato and when we came back to Dijembe, we watched the final of Cincinatti and went to bed.

Monday 22 August: I had toast with cheese and juice for breakfast, we packed our bags and checked out before 10 am. The Baz Bus picked us up from our hostel at 10.15 am and drove us to a place called Plettenberg Bay. On that day a surfer would be killed by a shark in that town. We picked up some more backpackers and Ester and me did grocery shopping at Checkers. Then we continued our way to George. We waited at Mc Donalds till our shuttle would arrive and I ordered a Milkshake strawberry and chicken mc nuggets. Our shuttle brought us to the Ostrich capital of the world, Oudtshoorn. A lovely town, with a population of around 80.000 people and where a lot of people retire. We checked in in a hostel called Backpackers in Paradise. We put our bags in a 10 bed dorm and walked towards the centre of town. We bought ice cream and when we came back we booked tours for the next day. We made schnitzel, potatoes and mixed vergetables for dinner and after dinner I went on internet. Then I read another chapter from my book: "De diepte in" and finally went to bed.

Tuesday 23 August: we woke up at 7.15 am, had toast with juice for breakfast and were brought to the Cango Caves with a bus at 8.15 am. Ester wanted to do the Standard Tour, because she was a bit claustrophobic, but I wanted to do the Adventure Tour, where you have to crawl into very narrow spaces. The caves where the most amazing I had ever seen, so big, beautiful and still in such great condition. After the Cango Caves we went to the Cango Ostrich farm, but because of the rain it was not possible to ride an ostrich. We were told that we din't have to pay and could just join in with a tour group who had just started. We were able to feed ostriches and stand on ostrich eggs. Our guide told us which parts of the animals are used (feathers, meat, eggs, skin) and we ended in the shop were we could buy souvenirs (all ostrich products). When we came back in the hostel we stayed inside as it was raining really hard. I had 2 sandwiches with roast beef and 2 with cheese for lunch, read my book and went on the internet. We signed up for an ostrich meal in the hostel: ostrich steak kebabs, ostrich sausage, potatoes, salad and bread. After dinner I read the Lonely Planet and went to bed.

Wednesday 24 August: we woke up at 9 am, I had 4 sandwiches with roast beef and juice for breakfast and checked out at 10 am. We put our bags in front of the reception and I went for a run. I took my Ipod and ran for 1 hour around the beautiful area of Oudtshoorn. While I was running I saw a wild meerkat and when I came back I took a shower. I had the same for lunch as I had for breakfast and then at 1 pm a shuttle brought us to Mossel Bay first and from there we were picked up by a shuttle which brought us to Hermanus. Hermanus is the best place in the world to watch whales from the shore and there was a hostel called Hermanus Backpackers, where I wanted to book my shark cage diving. When we arrived at the hostel, we checked in our dorm, I booked my shark cage dive for the next day and we had rice with chicken and sweet and sour sauce for dinner. After dinner we had a few beers and I met a Dutch guy called Alex who offered me a ride to Gansbaai the next day so we could do the Shark Cage Dive together. I thought it was a good idea so said yes and went to bed.

Thursday 25 August: I checked out before 10 am, put my bags in the luggage storage, had toast with jam and milk for breakfast (included with accommodation) and then Alex and me drove to Kleinbaai where we were supposed to be at 11 am. When we arrived we got another breakfast, which included: rolls with ham, cheese, tomato, egg and tea. Then we went on a 20 minute boat ride to Gansbaai. We were with 20 people and everytime a maximum of 5 people could go in the cage. I wasn't one of the first 5, but went in after the first 5 people. The water was freezing cold (11 degrees) so I needed a thick wet suit. The operators trew a rope with 2 tunaheads in the water and as soon as they saw a white shark coming closer they pulled the bait towards the cage and told us to go down in te cage to be able to watch the shark up close. In the beginning when I was in the water there wasn't much happening and they were just pulling the bait back in, but all of a sudden a 4 meter shark wanted to grab the bait, but missed and bit in the cage and shaked his head around for about 5 seconds. Unbelievable and probably the craziest thing I saw in my whole life. This white shark was less then a meter away from me and I could have touched it. In total we saw about 6 sharks that day varying in length from 2,5-4 meters. We had some drinks and snacks on board and when we came back to shore after another 20 minute boat ride we got lasagne, salad and a beer for dinner, while we were watching a DVD of the day. Our guide explained some final things about shark cage diving (about some rules and regulations/chumming/using bait and so on) and then we drove back to Hermanus. This was one of the best days of my life and on our way back we stopped in Hermanus to see if we could watch whales from the shore, but we were unlucky. We packed our bags and took a shuttle at 7.30 pm to Stellenbosch where we arrived around 8.45 pm.
We checked in in a hostel called Banghoek, where a lovely lady told us that we got an upgrade from a dorm to a double room. We watched some tennis and went to bed.

Friday 26 August: we had toast with ham and cheese and juice for breakfast and we decided not to go on the Easy Rider Wine Tour that day, because it was raining. The weather was supposed to be better the next day so we booked the tour for the next day. We already booked the Baz Bus and a hostel for that day, so we rescheduled both to one day later. Stellenbosch is famous for it's vineyards and also as the biggest student city in South Africa. We went for a walk and saw the beautiful architecture of the university buildings. We already checked out some bars, because we decided to go out that evening. When we came back in the hostel we watched some nature shows on National Geographic Wild and I watched our Dutch tennis star Robin Haase playing his semi-final in Winston-Salem as a preparation of the US Open. We had penne, bolognaise with bacon for dinner and went out after that to a bar called Bohemia, where we saw lots of students getting drunk. Ofcourse I wanted to taste the local beer in South-Africa so I took a few Black Labels and then we walked home.

Saturday 27 August: we woke up at 8.30 am, packed our bags, checked out, had toast with omelet and juice for breakfast and were picked up at 10 am by a bus from the Easy Rider Wine Tour, which took us to 4 wineries that day. We started at Simonsig in Stellenbosch, then to Fairview in Paarl, where we also had lunch, then to Dieu Donne in Franschhoek and finally to Boschendal in Stellenbosch. At every place we tasted delicious wines, varying from Viognier (white) to Merlot, Chiraz and Caubernet Sauvignon (red). At every place we were given 5 or 6 glasses to taste the difference between the wines. At Fairview we also tasted lost of cheeses, like goat feta, gorgonzola and feta with garlic and herbs. It was absolutely a fantastic day, because we really enjoyed the wines, the cheeses and the beautiful scenery of the vineyards. We had lunch in Paarl and I took a traditional South-African course: boboti, yellow rice and raisins. When we came back in Banghoek we had rice with chicken and sweet and sour sauce for dinner, packed our bags and took a shuttle at 7.30 pm. The shuttle took us to the Baz Bus and the Baz Bus brought us to Capetown to our hostel "the Backpack", where we arrived around 9 pm. We already booked our hostel in advance, like we did with all our hostels in South-Africa and it was situated near Long Street, which is the main street were all the restaurants and bars are in Capetown. We checked in, dropped our bags in our room and met up with Sarah and John, a Welsh couple we met in Coffee Bay. We went out to Long Street together and went to 3 different bars. in the last bar, a guy kept staring at Sarah and Ester and pushed John away all of a sudden. This was the moment we decided to be smart and go home.

Sunday 28 August: we asked the night before if we could extend our stay, but they were not sure if people were checking out the next day, so we had to come back this morning. It seemed that there were no beds left for us, so we had sandwiches with ham and cheese for breakfast, packed our bags, checked out and looked for another hostel. Some other backpackers recommended us a hostel in the same street called Capetown Backpackers so that is were we went. After checking in there we took a taxi to Table Mountain. Then we took the cable car up and hiked on top of Table Mountain for about 4 hours. We wanted to be home before darkness, so we took the cable car down and walked back to our hostel. On the way back we stopped in Long Street at KFC for dinner (5 pieces of chicken, fries and coke). When we came back in the hostel we booked another 2 nights in the hostel and a tour to Robben Island for the next day. I went on the internet and read a book before I went to bed.

Monday 29 August: in the morning we went to do groceries at Checkers near our hostel. Then we walked to Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, where we took the ferry at 1 pm towards Robben Island (World Heritage Site). This is a very unique place as it used to be the prison were Nelson Mandela spend 27 years in prison. It started with a beautiful half an hour ferry ride where you could see Capetown, Table Mountain and Robben Island from Table Bay. When we arrived at the island we were divided into busses and were driven around the island. A guide showed us different things, like a guard tower, thumb stones, the cell of Robert Sobukwe, a gun emplacement, a church and the prison. Robben Island is home to 132 bird species and a breeding ground for the African Penguin. After our guided bus tour we went inside the prison, where we were given a guided tour by an ex-political prisoner. He showed us the different sections, the courtyard, the showers and toilets and also the cell where Mandela was kept. We took the ferry back to Capetown and walked back to our hostel. On the way back I bought a doner kebab and when we came back in the hostel I went on the internet. I read my book and went to bed.

Tuesday 30 August: we were picked up at 8 am for a Cape Peninsula Tour, which we booked before with the Baz Bus. We had a guide and a driver and there were 19 people coming along. Our driver drove along the Atlantic Seaboard to Hout Bay harbour, where we checked out the Twelve Apostles Mountains in the background. Once in Hout Bay, we didn't do the optional boat cruise to visit the Cape Fur Seal colony on Duiker Island, because I had already seen plenty of seals during my world trip. We browsed around the harbour and the beach and checked out the local crafts. We enjoyed some cookies and juice and took in the breathtaking views along Chapman's Peak drive. We visited the endangered (and very entertaining) penguins at Boulders Beach in Simons Town, where the South-African navy is situated.The exhilarating downhill cycle (mountain biking) through the free roaming wildlife of the Cape Point Nature Reserve gave us a healthy appetite. A healthy, energy boosting picnic lunch (rolls with ham, cheese, egg, lettuce, tomato and juice) was served at a lunch stop in the reserve. After the picnic we went to the spectacular Cape Point Nature Reserve, where we hiked up to the lighthouse and to Cape of Good Hope. We saw lots of wildlife like: whales, mongoose, eland, baboons and ostriches. We came back home around dinner time and had rice, chicken and vegetables. In the evening I went on the internet and worked on my photos.

Wednesday 31 August: today we decided to do a combination of the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, the Greenpoint Stadium and a Lonely Planet walking tour. First we walked to the V/A Waterfront, where we strolled around the harbour watching the boats, the clock tower and some musicians. We bought some ice cream and continued our way to the Greenpoint Stadium, a football stadium with a capacity of 64.000 and used during the World Cup in 2010. After taking some photos we walked to the Castle of Good Hope, where the Lonely Planet Walking Tour started. Then we crossed the road and stopped at the Grand Parade, which is the main public square in Capetown. The square is generally used as a market place and parking area but has also been the venue of major political rallies. It was the first place where Nelson Mandela addressed South Africans following his release from prison in 1990 and also following his election as president on 9 May 1994. The Grand parade was surrounded buy some beautiful buildings and one of them was the Old City Hall. We continued our way to the District Six Museum, the slave tree, Groote Kerk, slave Lodge, Company Gardens, St. George Cathedral, Owal Mosque, Bokaap Museum, Monkeybizz, Longmarketstreet, Shortmarketstreet, Streetwires, van Riebeeck Square, St Stephen's Church and the Birds Cafe. We walked back to the hostel and I said goodbye to Ester after having a great month together. After dinner I went to Tommy's Sportsbar to watch the US Open.

Thursday 1 September: I packed my bags, checked out of the hostel, went on internet, ordered a taxi and the taxi brought me at 12.40 pm from Capetown Backpackers to the bus terminal. From there I took an airport bus and arrived at Capetown International Airport around 1.40 pm. My flight from Capetown to O.R. Tambo Johannesburg left at 3.40 pm, so I used the time on the airport to but some souvenirs for my family. I didn't find anything I liked so I decided to but the souvenirs at O.R. Tambo. I flew with 1Time and arrived in Johannesburg at 5.40 pm. I bought some souvenirs and had a chicken/bacon wrap, salad and fresh orange juice for dinner. My flight to Cairo with Egypt Air left at 21.45 pm and I arrived in Cairo at 5.40 am. From there I took my last flight with Egypt Air to Brussels National Airport leaving at 10 am and arriving at 2.45 pm. My dad picked me up and we drove back to Middelburg.

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Comments

[Joella]

Hey Bram... Wat een avontuur weer :) ..Super foto\'s!! Prachtig land.. Spreek je snel weer.. X