Blogs from Western Cape, South Africa, Africa - page 264

Africa » South Africa » Western Cape » Oudtshoorn April 8th 2006

Friday we all got up bright and early so we could be out the door at 8am. It ended up being closer to 9am in the end, for all those reasons that sneak up on you when you least expect it. Nick came over, we picked up Morne, and the five of us were off on a car trip. First stop: McDonalds. This by request of Susie, but of course I didn’t object. There is no McDonalds in Plettenberg Bay, nor any closer than the one we ate at, so it was a special treat. (Weird to think that food I never eat at home for a reason becomes a special treat abroad). We had lunch there at 11am and we all ordered exactly the same enormous meal and proceeded onwards to Oudtshoorn, about an hour ... read more

Mr. Popper's Penguins

Africa » South Africa » Western Cape » Cape Town April 7th 2006

Table Mountain

jfreilich

My first day in Cape Town some kid tried to rob me at knife point. So I looked at him straight in the eyes and I said, "Do you have any idea who I am?" To which he replied, "No." So then I said, "I'm Chuck Norris". The name alone put the fear of God in his eyes and he ran away. No, in actuality I just ran across the street and ducked into the first restaurant that I found. Not a very good start to a new city. Things got better after that though. I spent most of the first day just walking around the city and getting a feel for things. It's an awesome city with lots to do. There's lots of hip young people sitting outside at cafes. But what really makes the ... read more

Carefree In Cape Town - 17th Mar - 4th Apr 06

Africa » South Africa » Western Cape » Cape Town April 4th 2006

All The Girls (and Jamie!)

Jo Whit

5am on the Big Brother truck and the girls had to be up and ready for a long journey on the road. This was easier for some than others as Whits had been 'kidnapped' by the barman and spent most of the night getting wasted with him and then trying to figure out where her tent was! She finally got Irish back for the first night in Tanzania by wandering aimlessly in and out of the tent, asking ridiculous questions, attempting to charge her phone without a charger and worrying that her Ipod was gonna get nicked when there were no humans other than us within an 1000 km radius! Quite amusing the next morning when Whitaker emerged with a headtorch on, crazy bouffant hair, one eye looking at you, one eye looking for you, generally ... read more

Cape Town, The Windy City

Africa » South Africa » Western Cape » Cape Town March 30th 2006

Jenni

Well, I arrived in Cape Town at 9am after a night of watching Shakespeare in Love continuously while trying to get some sleep at the same time. Had a nice chat with a South African guy seated next to me. Upon arrival I was almost denied entry to the entire country because I don't have an onward ticket. I have a ticket from Kenya to Egypt, but nothing showing how I will actually leave this country. Eventually they let me pass but it was an issue. Welcome to Africa, indeed. I phoned the hostel and they came to pick me up. Got checked in only to discover that I am $500 poorer - somewhere along the way I have had $500 stolen from me, and how or when I don't know. It is a very crippling ... read more

Mar 29, 2006

Africa » South Africa » Western Cape » Mossel Bay March 29th 2006

clauditheunicorn

Geo: -34.1822, 22.1342... read more

Natures Valley

Africa » South Africa » Western Cape » Nature's Valley March 28th 2006

Proteas

snozlington

Set within it's own assortment of micro climates on the Sunshine Coast, Natures Valley has been a little revelation. Off the beaten track enough so that it has escaped the rigors of continual tourist traffic NV offers miles of unspoilt beaches combined with numerous hikes thru rainforest, along cliffs and dry river beds, atop hills and thru fields of six foot tall wild grass(the real wild grass!) daisies and proteas. It is also the starting point for the Otter trail, a world reknowned five day hike to Storms River, our next stop. Our Backpackers, Hikers Haven is a large and very beautiful log and thatched cabin hidden away amongst the trees and although they much prefer real people as opposed to camping backpackers our stay was pleasant. Of all the hiking we've done so far NV ... read more

Sausage Party

Africa » South Africa » Western Cape » Cape Town March 27th 2006

Sausage Party

Weez n Wife

What a week! Cape Town and its dynamic surroundings continue to surprise us each day we remain here. The longer we stay the more we seem to be able to explore the cultural nooks and crannies in the socially complex South Africa - this of course is mainly due to the fact that we're being introduced to more of Allison's world here. The week started off with the two of us accompanying Allison and many of the Educo Africa staff to their "Base Camp" near Porterville (approximately 3 hours north of Cape Town). We keep mentioning Educo but haven't yet explained what it actually is. Here goes: Educo is an outdoor education organization - to quote their newsletter, "Educo provides leadership development through outdoor-based experiential learning". Through the use of the wilderness, challenge activities and group ... read more

Plett

Africa » South Africa » Western Cape » Plettenberg Bay March 26th 2006

Therapuetic

snozlington

Plettenburg Bay was another place we were looking forward to as we had heard that it was one of the most beautiful spots along the Garden Route. We dedicated the first day to washing, email postcards and journals etc so the fact that it was pissing down with rain didn't matter. Albergos was the backpackers we stayed in and it was well set up for wet weather with tv rooms, games room, bar and large kitchen. The only draw back of Albergos was that it was surrounded by several construction sites, once again, rich white mans town. You could imagine the reciprocal looks as we stumble out of our tent full of morning glory to be greeted by dozens of black workmen sitting high atop the scaffolding eating their brekky only ten yards from us. Thankfully ... read more

Mossel Bay

Africa » South Africa » Western Cape » Mossel Bay March 20th 2006

Spicy Kitchen

snozlington

Next stop from Hermanus is Mossel Bay. MB is quite a bland little fishing village with a European feel to it, but it is still nice to be out of the hustle and bustle of the city. We are starting to settle into our travelling routine of eating, walking, lunching, exploring, relaxing, eating, drinking and sleeping. Here we did 6 or 7 km of a 13 km cliff walk where we saw lots of native flowers and colourful birds plus a pod of dolphins frollicking just behind the breakers. We managed to get ourselves locked in a typical Saffa high fence, security estate when we tried to navigate our way back and just as I was about to jump the fence, someone came along to let us out. Skinny Mini Henderson didnt have to climb the ... read more

Reaching Wider Ground

Africa » South Africa » Western Cape » Cape Town March 19th 2006

Oscar Comes Home

Weez n Wife

Howzit. That's how they say "hi, how are you" here in South Africa. The first couple of weeks we thought people were speaking Afrikaans to us, and once we deciphered "howzit" we began to wait (in vain) for "howzit.....going?". Finally, in despair, we began to reply "howzit" back and this seemed to make people happy, so we stuck with it. Last Wednesday, while staying downtown, we finally managed to see the movie "Tsotsi" which is based in Soweto (a township outside of Johannesburg), and which recently won an Oscar for best foreign film. What an amazing movie - it really shows how many people actually live in the townships here in South Africa (though Allison says the houses in the movie are actually better than many). Having had no idea about the townships before we arrived ... read more

Brief history of South Africa

After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found their own republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred wealth and immigration and intensified the subjug...more history

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