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Published: December 31st 2008
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looks like scum
It looks like scum, but it has nothing to do with Liverpool FC. Its froth caused a cold weather front hitting the tempestuous ocean out at sea, the next land mass south of South Africa is Antartica so the sea is cool to cold. Back from the town of Wilderness to Stellenbosch on Christmas eve, 'The Banghoek Place' in Stellenbosch is the place we'd stayed when we first got to South Africa and being the most comfortable place we'd stayed in so far it was what was required for Christmas day. One or two of the bathrooms in other places we've stayed could have done with a good scrub and I didn't want any more of that over the xmas period.
The whole thing of staying at backpacker hostels took us a little time to get back into, Its was 7 years ago we were last in a Backpacker hostel. I thought that maybe as now we are a little older than most other people backpacking that we might get treated weirdly, and I remembered a couple of places we stayed in Australia 7 years ago that I didn't enjoy as they were too cliquey. But generally here its been almost always like minded people we've met along the way, and refreshingly all of differing ages to our own. But saying that we're looking forward to South East Asia where hotel/guesthouses will be so cheap there is no real need to use backpackers, I
Buffalo Bay
the sea here baton charges the beach don't even know if they exist in Thailand.
Christmas day lunch we went the 'Dieu Donne' vineyard in Francshoek that we'd been to before on a wine tour from Stellenbosch, mainly because of the views there. There was a 4 course Lunch on, my head works in South African currency now and it seemed expensive, but we talked ourselves into the indulgence (its just too easy) and (Lynn never puts the brakes on if she gets the chance to spend that's for sure) saying to ourselves that back home in a place for Xmas lunch with comparable views the price would be stupid. And we have sometimes cooked in the evenings here which saves a few quid for the odd treat.
Met a few people back at the Banghoek place after lunch including our friend from London Steve who came out from Cape Town to see us, there was more wine, and a pool. There's only really one way a situation involving alcohol and a pool can end up.
In cape town now staying at the 'Cape Town backpackers', not in the main building but in an annex off a little side street behind it. Cape town is
Christmas Day lunch
the first time I've worn any thing other than shorts since we got here very busy at Christmas and New Year.
Lynn has always been semi-pro when it comes to finding accommodation for us (or anyone else) over the internet, she could turn professional. She booked this place months ago, there is a balcony with view of table mountain, and a bath! (everywhere else we stay has showers) I don't think there will be many places like this in Cape Town at backpacker prices.
And now here since Boxing day, and all the way from the winner of the Britain in bloom competition 2008 'Manchester' its Crazy Eddie come to see us. There's also people here we've met over the last few weeks Cape town is great I like it here a lot, you can have it as cheap or expensive as you want. There's a main street called long street full of bars that Lynn thinks is a bit dirty, which it is, but I think its got character, a sort of dirty charm. The city is buzzing with diverse places to eat and drink so that's what we've been doing.
I took Lynn and Eds down to Cape Point yesterday. Cape point at the cape of good hope is
the furthest tip of the Africa continent and theoretically where the Indian ocean meets the Atlantic ocean. In 1998 I enjoyed coming here but this time because of the xmas/new year holidays it was tourist mayhem hell. The the weather crumbled and by the time we left it looked more like a view out over the Irish sea, I got a few really itchy sand fly bites on my legs to complete the afternoon. But that evening things got better, a businessman friend of some friends of ours invited us out for a meal at the top floor restaurant of a top hotel here in Cape Town with the understanding he was footing the bill for everyone, generous behaviour I was impressed, and not a place I would normally end up, great views over Cape Town lit up eating and drinking with someone else picking up the tab. nice.
Today we set off to take a cable car to the top of Table Mountain but the sight of the queue of cars looking for a parking spaces snaking all the way down the hill put an end to that. I heard its a one and a half hour wait
for a cable car to get up, and then the same to get down, so this won't be happening for us. Disapointing for Lynn and Eds because they've never been up, but Eds plans to do a helicopter trip over the cape after we leave on the 2nd so I'm sure that will be better than the cable car anyway.
We went to the Kirstenbosch botanical gardens. These are extensive and diverse botanical gardens at the base of one of the foothills around of table mountain. Unlike most enclosed city botanic gardens these don't really end but merge into the surrounding countryside. Walking trails leave the gardens so you don't really see where the tended plants and trees end and the rest begins, its a nice idea and fitting because South Africa is really just one big botanic garden anyway.
Had a very international new years eve meal with people we've hooked up with at a Portuguese African place. I don't think the waiting and kitchen staff had their hearts in working new years eve (who would) but no matter everyone had a good night.
From tomorrow we're going up the East coast to the Cederberg wilderness
area on a pre arranged trip with friends of our Just and Veren who we met on a trip in 2004 in Namibia. The Cederberg is supposed to be un commercial which sounds good to me after being around so many tourists here over xmas.
Cape flats:
Even with the concrete wall you can see the roof tops of Cape Flats on the drive from Cape Town airport to Cape Town, the concrete wall is obviously there to try and disguise the reality. I've never got a full idea of the scale of Cape Flats as I've always had my eye on the road driving. Lynn was driving the other day and I got a chance to get a good look, I was surprised at the scale of the place it spreads out over miles and miles. I found out there are 1.4 million people living there. That's 1.4 million people living packed like sardines in tin and wooden huts that are no bigger than garden sheds.
The official Un-Employment figure is 40% in South Africa.
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Ann
non-member comment
You both looked sun-tanned - I have to de-ice the car every morning!!!! See you soon