Read
about Johannesburg first.
To soon
it was Thursday afternoon and time to go to Cape Town. It was
strange being back in a city after 3 nights in the bush. We
were cautious also as we weren't sure of our safety. Our guesthouse
was very comfortable and our host assured us we were safe to
walk around Greenpoint up until about 11pm. We ate at a Belgian
restaurant and then hurried back to our accommodation. Even
though she said we were safe, I didn't feel that safe the first
night, but then I never do in a new city. We spent the next
day walking around Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. It is a large
shopping complex with a craft market around a mariner. It was
a lot like Auckland is now. We also found out why finding accommodation
had been so hard. The former Whitbred-around-the-world-race,
now known as the Volvo-around-the-world-race had arrived the
day before us. We walked around the race village and saw the
boat that Grant Dalton is skipper of. No New Zealand entry though.
Then it was time to go out to Somerset West to have Rachel's
birthday dinner. After temporarily being lost due to Rachel's
dubious direction giving we found where we were supposed to
be and were only 40 mins late. Her house was beautiful. We were
shown in to the formal lounge and met the family and had nibbles
and champagne to celebrate Rachel's birthday. The people Rachel
stays with are wonderful. They were so hospitable the whole
time and made us feel very welcome. Rachel has been very lucky
to stay with them. Then we went out to a restaurant with views
over the bay. It was a very enjoyable night.
Saturday
was tourist day so after getting Rachel we went to Robben Island
then up Table Mountain. We were lucky enough to have an ex-political
prisoner guide us around the jail. There was a bus trip around
the island to see the lime quarry where Nelson Mandela and other
prisoners spent their days, and we saw the leper areas also.
Then into the prison. I have read Nelson Mandela's book so I
had some idea about conditions, but even when it says the cells
were small, you don't realise how small until you are there.
We saw Nelson Mandela's cell, but of course it was like all
the others. We also went into the famous courtyard where the
political prisoners were photographed wearing clothes that were
considerably better than normal just to appease the international
community. The guide made an interesting point that the government
thought they were right in their actions yet didn't have the
guts to stand up and say yes we are treating these people very
badly because what they stand for is wrong. For me the trip
just reinforced the book, but Gavin found it interesting and
learnt things from it.
It was a
lovely clear day so we had a pretty good view of Cape Town from
the top of Table Mountain. There were tracks that you could
follow but the weather was closing in from the east so we just
walked over to look at the other side of the mountain and surrounding
area. We also saw a Dussie, which is a bit like an overgrown
rabbit.
When we
dropped Rachel off we were invited to a brai with the family
(BBQ). It was funny as Rachel actually went out with friends,
so it was just Gavin and I and the family. But as I have already
mentioned they were so nice that it was a very pleasant evening.
On Sunday
we again got Rachel and went for a drive to Cape point. We drove
down the east side and returned via the west. It was a nice
drive through several fishing villages. The last part is a national
park and so it was unspoilt beauty all the way. We saw a lot
of Finbos, which is the wild vegetation in South Africa. Very
beautiful but dry. We walked out to the light house which is
as close to the point as I wanted to go. Unfortunately we did
not see any whales, but did see a baboon attacking a car. Well
he was sitting on it, and I'm not sure I would of wanted to
ask him to get off if it was our car.
A trip to
South Africa is not complete without visiting a winery or two
so that was our plan for Monday. Read
about that here.
After talking
with Brenda and Anton, they had suggested that we take 3 nights
instead of 2 along the garden route so we began our journey
on Tuesday with a completely revised plan. Read
about that here.
We arrived
back in Somerset West and went to Vergelegen for a cellar tour
and wine tasting. The cellar is on top of a hill and looks out
over the golf estate where Rachel is staying. It was truly magnificent.
The cellar makes use of gravity to produce its wine, which is
very nice I have to say. We saw the vats and then the barrels
in the cellar with a brief pass through the bottling plant.
From
the top of the winery
Click to
enlarge
So it was
time for our last dinner in South Africa and Rachel chose a
very cool restaurant, Portuguese I think. It was very laid back
trendy. It was just the tree of us and we had a fun time. Rachel
and I both had kebabs which arrived on skewers as long as my
fore arm that hung down from a circular stand and dripped over
the chips below. Yum I hear you say. It was.
It was a
bit sad to say goodbye to Rachel, but I was also sorry to be
leaving South Africa and the sun. We had a early morning flight
and we managed to make it all in one piece and didn't leave
anything behind. Well done us.
So that's
it, South Africa in a couple of nut shells. It's an amazing
place with beautiful and varied scenery, interesting people
and colourful past (no pun intended). I really think it should
be part of everyone's travel plans at some stage.
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