Blogs from South Africa, Africa - page 679

Hi Guys For those of you just want a quick update of how we're doing, here's the RAG status!!! Finance = Green Fitness = Amber Relationship = Green Arguments = Zero Here we are in sunny Cape Town - we can say this today but it has been a little wet over the past couple of days! Not that is has stopped us doing anything (except getting up Table Mountain), we've still done all the other things we wanted to do. So what to say about Cape Town? We do really like it here. It took us a couple of days to find our feet and feel safe but so far we haven't had any problems (famous last words!). The appartment we are staying in is great although we have no lock on our patio door. ... read more

While every town has its nearby township where the locals live, apparently quite happily, in the most primitive conditions, so every backpackers hostel has it township tour. We have avoided these so far, hoping for the chance to meet local people in a natural setting rather than paying out 25 quid to be guided around their homesteads. We got the chance in Storms River where the local shebeen, or township tavern, was only 200 metres from the hostel, whose manager was a regular. The shebeen consisted of a rectangular brieze- block room large enough to accommodate a pool table and some distressed wooden benches and tables. There was a choice of five bottled beers all at about half the price charged in pubs in towns. Hip-hop beats thumped out of the jukebox as an old man ... read more

I'd been watching African wildlife specials on the telly, dear reader, and my desire to visit the dark continent was building to a crescendo. There's a famous song in Australia that goes ... football, meat pies, kangaroos and holden cars; but it seems that Africa can go one better. The prospect of spotting the big five and other spectacular wildlife amidst glorious African sunsets was very exciting, and the novels of the African writer Wilbur Smith helped fuel my passion. So I was full of anticipation as I boarded a westbound flight across the mighty Australian continent, over the Indian Ocean and onwards to South Africa. I wasn't excited to start my trip in Johannesburg, but I was aware of safety problems in the South African capital. So I thought it best to ease my way ... read more

The time I spent floating in the Orange River that sunny afternoon might better be measured in millilitres and ABV than in hours and minutes - three tall Windhoek’s and a stubby of Castle precisely. Initially the place was crowded with school kids swimming across the border to Namibia, and Kim bathed her wounds as we had a pleasant conversation with a South African couple, interested in the economics of overlanding (a common theme through Southern Africa). Kim had to leave for cook duty as did the schoolies so I was alone for at least one can, sitting in the water on the Namibian side, gazing at the desert hills and the strip of greenery around me. Bliss. Then a longish drive south through fairly dull scenery brought us to the Oliphants River valley, the Cedarburg ... read more

I got back from my (short) trip to Cape Town last week and had a great time when I was there. Cape Town, still recovering from the dark days of apartheid, is totally separated, culturally, racially and economically, which became apparent to me only when I took a guided tour of the townships. The townships were set up to "house" the non-whites during the Apartheid seperatism and are basically sprawling shantytowns. Seeing the township and meeting the people of the townships is something every visitor to Cape Town should do, rather than confining themselves to the expensive suburbs, beaches and wineries enjoyed largely by white people. Before I went, I thought of this tour as extreme tourism, but when I was there I realised that the people, despite being really poor and unemployed, have built a ... read more