As this will be my last blog entry in Africa I feel that I should be writing something deep and meaningful about my time here. Before I think about that though, an update on what I've been up to over the past few days.
After transferring to a backpackers hostel in the centre of the city, Friday in Cape Town was spent lunching on the waterfront and then taking a ferry to Robben Island. Did the touristy tour of the island including a visit to the cell where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for thirty odd years. Not massively impressed with the tour but the ferry ride across to the island gives you a fantastic view of Cape Town and Table Mountain so worth it for that alone.
On Saturday, Rogan, Claire and I went for a beautiful drive along the coast out to Camps Bay and beyond - simply stunning scenery. On returning to Cape Town, we decided to climb up Lions Head which is like a mini version of Table Mountain that still affords spectacular views over the city but its free. It's fair to say that the climb was somewhat tougher than anticipated especially in the midday heat with no water! It was a spontaneous idea so we hadn't really prepared ourselves for a hike. However, it was well worth the effort and it's a fun walk / climb with quite a few ladders and clambering over rocks to actually reach the summit.
Sad times on Saturday night as it was a final dinner with friends from the trip. We went to a Kurdish restaurant which was fantastic, great atmosphere - sitting on cushions, belly dancers and shisha. Since we have spent so many nights around the campfire smoking shisha on this trip, it was only fitting that we went to a restaurant that sold shisha. Cherie, Jase, Claire and Jon - thanks for making this trip awesome - it would not have been the same without you guys..
The past few days have been spent in Kynsna, five hours out of Cape Town. Kynsna is a great place on the coast (we visited it earlier on the trip) that has been voted South Africa's favourite holiday town and one of the world's top 100 destinations. Rogan's family have a holiday home here in a spectacular location overlooking the lagoon. It has been so lovely to spend a few days living in a house after 20 weeks on the road. Have done very little other than go to the beach and walk along the coast.
So it is hard to believe that in just two days time I will be in Australia. I have loved being in Africa and in many ways don't want this section of my travels to come to an end. Africa is an amazing place. I would like to try and record my highlights at this point but there are so many it is hard to know where to start. I probably need to read my own blog to actually remember them all! Beautiful sunsets, starry nights and happy people all stand out. Africa definitely teaches you that you don't need lots of material possessions to be content. It also makes me ashamed of our throwaway society in the UK - nothing ever gets wasted in Africa as someone will have a use for items that you or I might consider worthless.
Well, my next blog post will be from Australia. Next stop - Perth....
Western Sahara 2016
Wednesday 28 September 2011
Friday 23 September 2011
The rest of South Africa
I will need to backtrack slightly from my previous blog as I got so carried away with the bungee that I missed a few days before that.
From the Wild Coast, we went to Addo Elephant Park. Amazingly enough, we saw lots of elephants! The most exciting creature that we saw was actually in our campsite and appeared whilst we were cooking chicken. It was a spotted genet (not something that I had heard of before). It looks like a tabby cat with very striking silver and black markings and the longest thickest tail ever. A very cool creature - check out the Odyssey Overland official trip blog if you want to see a picture of one.
From Addo, it was on to the Storms River / Tsitsikamma National Park area where the coastline is rugged and beautiful. Did a good walk along the coast and saw dolphins playing in the surf. Then it was bungee day (see previous post) and after that excitement on to Knysna for a couple of days relaxation. Kynsna is a great holiday town on the coast where we enjoyed meals out and a game of golf (I was shockingly bad but it was fun anyway). We camped just outside of town near The Heads where the cliffs overlook a large lagoon.
Then on to Cape Algulhas which is the southern most point of Africa and where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet. Cape Point is not the most southern point as many people believe. Cape Algulhas was windy and wet. We took the obligatory picture of us all and then sought refuge in the pub. Frankly there is little else to do in this town which was borne out by the number of drunk locals in the pub. I imagine the town has a high suicide rate as it would be a depressing place to actually live. Still the locals were so drunk that they kept buying us shots and Man Utd v Chelsea was on the TV so it wasn't all bad!
Next stop was the town of Hermanus which is famed for whale watching and Great White Shark cage diving. As I did the shark experience on my last visit to South Africa, I just enjoyed wandering around Hermanus, shopping and getting my hair cut (in desperate need after over four months on the road). There are so many whales (mostly Southern Right Whales) in the bay of Hermanus and it is an impressive sight, but having just seen so many in Mozambique I think we were not perhaps appreciating them to the extent that we should.
Final stop before Cape Town was the Stellenbosch area - home to numerous vineyards. I should also mention that the drives for the final few days have been incredibly beautiful. Winding ocean roads with huge mountains coming right down to the sea. In Stellenbosch, we visited a couple of vineyards and did some wine tasting followed by a group dinner out - a nice penultimate day to the trip.
Thursday 22nd Sept - the final day. Mixed emotions - obviously sad that this epic journey through Africa has come to an end, but also looking forward to some time out from group travel and truck life. It is over ten years since I last came to South Africa. Cape Town is a very modern city and clearly lots of work was done as a result of them hosting the World Cup last year. However, the shanty towns remain and the startling divide between rich and poor is still there. That said, what a beautiful location for a city right on the edge of the ocean with Table Mountain dominating the background. After checking into our hotel, most of us headed up the cable car to the top of Table Mountain - the view from the top is truly spectacular and we were fortunate that it was a very clear sunny day. Final drinks and goodbyes with everyone last night, although there are a few of us that will be hanging out a little longer together in Cape Town before we go our separate ways..
From the Wild Coast, we went to Addo Elephant Park. Amazingly enough, we saw lots of elephants! The most exciting creature that we saw was actually in our campsite and appeared whilst we were cooking chicken. It was a spotted genet (not something that I had heard of before). It looks like a tabby cat with very striking silver and black markings and the longest thickest tail ever. A very cool creature - check out the Odyssey Overland official trip blog if you want to see a picture of one.
From Addo, it was on to the Storms River / Tsitsikamma National Park area where the coastline is rugged and beautiful. Did a good walk along the coast and saw dolphins playing in the surf. Then it was bungee day (see previous post) and after that excitement on to Knysna for a couple of days relaxation. Kynsna is a great holiday town on the coast where we enjoyed meals out and a game of golf (I was shockingly bad but it was fun anyway). We camped just outside of town near The Heads where the cliffs overlook a large lagoon.
Then on to Cape Algulhas which is the southern most point of Africa and where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet. Cape Point is not the most southern point as many people believe. Cape Algulhas was windy and wet. We took the obligatory picture of us all and then sought refuge in the pub. Frankly there is little else to do in this town which was borne out by the number of drunk locals in the pub. I imagine the town has a high suicide rate as it would be a depressing place to actually live. Still the locals were so drunk that they kept buying us shots and Man Utd v Chelsea was on the TV so it wasn't all bad!
Next stop was the town of Hermanus which is famed for whale watching and Great White Shark cage diving. As I did the shark experience on my last visit to South Africa, I just enjoyed wandering around Hermanus, shopping and getting my hair cut (in desperate need after over four months on the road). There are so many whales (mostly Southern Right Whales) in the bay of Hermanus and it is an impressive sight, but having just seen so many in Mozambique I think we were not perhaps appreciating them to the extent that we should.
Final stop before Cape Town was the Stellenbosch area - home to numerous vineyards. I should also mention that the drives for the final few days have been incredibly beautiful. Winding ocean roads with huge mountains coming right down to the sea. In Stellenbosch, we visited a couple of vineyards and did some wine tasting followed by a group dinner out - a nice penultimate day to the trip.
Thursday 22nd Sept - the final day. Mixed emotions - obviously sad that this epic journey through Africa has come to an end, but also looking forward to some time out from group travel and truck life. It is over ten years since I last came to South Africa. Cape Town is a very modern city and clearly lots of work was done as a result of them hosting the World Cup last year. However, the shanty towns remain and the startling divide between rich and poor is still there. That said, what a beautiful location for a city right on the edge of the ocean with Table Mountain dominating the background. After checking into our hotel, most of us headed up the cable car to the top of Table Mountain - the view from the top is truly spectacular and we were fortunate that it was a very clear sunny day. Final drinks and goodbyes with everyone last night, although there are a few of us that will be hanging out a little longer together in Cape Town before we go our separate ways..
Saturday 17 September 2011
5,4,3,2,1 bungee!
Friday 16th Sept was a special day. My best friend gave birth to a baby girl and I decided to mark the occasion by doing the highest bungee jump in the world - Bloukrans Bridge, South Africa, 216 metres high. Terrifying and awesome all at the same time.
For months now, I have kind of intended to do this jump but never fully committed to it. As the day drew nearer, I began to seriously regret telling people on the trip that I would do it as it meant I couldn't really back out. Our camp site the night before was on the stunning Garden Route in Tsitsikamma National Park on the coast. The waves were crashing on the rocks and it was quite wet and wild. I secretly hoped that perhaps it would be too windy and the bungee jump would not be operating. Sadly, I awoke to clear blue skies and sunshine...it was going to happen..I would have to jump. I have bungeed before but nothing like this high and it was about 10 years ago when frankly I was much braver than I am now..something to do with getting old I think.
So with legs like jelly, we arrived at Bloukrans Bridge and Jason and I headed to the registration point (note that only two people from the truck are crazy enough to do this bungee). We then found out that we would have to wait 45 minutes so more nail biting. You then get harnessed up and led along a caged walkway under the bridge. This is the worst walk of your life - do not look down, do not look sideways, just look straight ahead. I knew if I even got a glimpse of how high I was, I might not be able to do it. Once you get to the platform area, you get briefed and advised to dive as far out as you can when you jump. If you hesitate, they will push you, you might end up going feet first and you won't get a smooth jump, etc, etc. Too much information to process when you are in a blind panic. Luckily, I was first up which was just as well - best to get it over and done with. The jump guys have the music pumping and start dancing. This is good - it does distract you from what it about to happen but at the same time you are kind of thinking I hope they are paying attention when they strap you up.
With your ankles strapped together, you hop / get carried to the edge. I imagine this is how it feels to be led to your execution (perhaps a slight exaggeration but you get the idea). At this point, I was looking resolutely ahead and slightly up (as instructed) - I was definitely not going to look down. There really is no backing out now so I just went for it. I don't think my dive was very impressive but I definitely did jump and screamed. Note that even men scream when they bungee - I think it is impossible not to. This jump is about 5-7 seconds of freefall depending on your weight. About half way down, there is this incredible moment of weightlessness when you really feel like you are flying. The jump was very smooth and there wasn't a massive jolt when you reach the end. The worst thing is probably hanging upside down for ages afterwards whilst you wait for the guy to come down to you and get pulled back up. You kind of feel like your feet may slip out of the ankle holds. In reality this isn't going to happen, plus you have a second attachment to your waist so there is a back up!
I have to say that you do feel amazing after doing bungee. It is such an adrenalin rush. Plus now I never need to bungee again in my life. I've done the highest one and there is no need to do another one ever again.
For months now, I have kind of intended to do this jump but never fully committed to it. As the day drew nearer, I began to seriously regret telling people on the trip that I would do it as it meant I couldn't really back out. Our camp site the night before was on the stunning Garden Route in Tsitsikamma National Park on the coast. The waves were crashing on the rocks and it was quite wet and wild. I secretly hoped that perhaps it would be too windy and the bungee jump would not be operating. Sadly, I awoke to clear blue skies and sunshine...it was going to happen..I would have to jump. I have bungeed before but nothing like this high and it was about 10 years ago when frankly I was much braver than I am now..something to do with getting old I think.
So with legs like jelly, we arrived at Bloukrans Bridge and Jason and I headed to the registration point (note that only two people from the truck are crazy enough to do this bungee). We then found out that we would have to wait 45 minutes so more nail biting. You then get harnessed up and led along a caged walkway under the bridge. This is the worst walk of your life - do not look down, do not look sideways, just look straight ahead. I knew if I even got a glimpse of how high I was, I might not be able to do it. Once you get to the platform area, you get briefed and advised to dive as far out as you can when you jump. If you hesitate, they will push you, you might end up going feet first and you won't get a smooth jump, etc, etc. Too much information to process when you are in a blind panic. Luckily, I was first up which was just as well - best to get it over and done with. The jump guys have the music pumping and start dancing. This is good - it does distract you from what it about to happen but at the same time you are kind of thinking I hope they are paying attention when they strap you up.
With your ankles strapped together, you hop / get carried to the edge. I imagine this is how it feels to be led to your execution (perhaps a slight exaggeration but you get the idea). At this point, I was looking resolutely ahead and slightly up (as instructed) - I was definitely not going to look down. There really is no backing out now so I just went for it. I don't think my dive was very impressive but I definitely did jump and screamed. Note that even men scream when they bungee - I think it is impossible not to. This jump is about 5-7 seconds of freefall depending on your weight. About half way down, there is this incredible moment of weightlessness when you really feel like you are flying. The jump was very smooth and there wasn't a massive jolt when you reach the end. The worst thing is probably hanging upside down for ages afterwards whilst you wait for the guy to come down to you and get pulled back up. You kind of feel like your feet may slip out of the ankle holds. In reality this isn't going to happen, plus you have a second attachment to your waist so there is a back up!
I have to say that you do feel amazing after doing bungee. It is such an adrenalin rush. Plus now I never need to bungee again in my life. I've done the highest one and there is no need to do another one ever again.
Tuesday 13 September 2011
The Wild Coast, South Africa
After a long busy day visiting Lesotho, our last day at Sani Lodge was a bit more relaxed. Most people opted to watch the rugby at the hotel down the road from our campsite in the morning, then a few of us took a walk to a nearby waterfall. There is something very special about swimming in a waterfall, especially when you've had to trek and clamber over boulders to actually reach it. The water was invigorating (a.k.a freezing!) but so beautiful and clear. It's just a shame we didn't get there earlier in the day when the sun was still out and we would have had more time to relax on the rocks.
Sunday was essentially a transit day but with a lunchtime stop in Mtatha to visit the Nelson Mandela museum and enjoy our first McDonalds meal since Egypt! It is strange being in South Africa as it is so westernised in comparison to most of Africa. Good motorway type roads and service stations rather than bush toilets. However, as an outsider looking in, one of the most striking elements is the massive divide between rich and poor, and whites and blacks. Definitely a country of contrasts.
From Mthata we headed to the Wild Coast and a place called Coffee Bay. Rolling green hills, rugged coastline and brightly painted round huts (rondavels). Coffee Bay was a strange place in that it almost seemed to be stuck in a time warp - quite hippyish. Nice backpackers though - it even had hairdryers in the toilets. A blow dry for the first time since leaving the UK over four months ago rates as an exciting event!
From Coffee Bay, we continued along the coast to Cintsa Beach where we are for two nights. Last night turned into an inpromptu party night - that's what happens when you start drinking at 4.30pm - so some sore heads today. Luckily for myself, Claire and Cherie we had booked to go horse riding so we definitely blew away the cobwebs galloping along the beach this morning. The horses loved to go fast and race each other so it was really good fun. Our last ride in Africa but one of the best..
Sunday was essentially a transit day but with a lunchtime stop in Mtatha to visit the Nelson Mandela museum and enjoy our first McDonalds meal since Egypt! It is strange being in South Africa as it is so westernised in comparison to most of Africa. Good motorway type roads and service stations rather than bush toilets. However, as an outsider looking in, one of the most striking elements is the massive divide between rich and poor, and whites and blacks. Definitely a country of contrasts.
From Mthata we headed to the Wild Coast and a place called Coffee Bay. Rolling green hills, rugged coastline and brightly painted round huts (rondavels). Coffee Bay was a strange place in that it almost seemed to be stuck in a time warp - quite hippyish. Nice backpackers though - it even had hairdryers in the toilets. A blow dry for the first time since leaving the UK over four months ago rates as an exciting event!
From Coffee Bay, we continued along the coast to Cintsa Beach where we are for two nights. Last night turned into an inpromptu party night - that's what happens when you start drinking at 4.30pm - so some sore heads today. Luckily for myself, Claire and Cherie we had booked to go horse riding so we definitely blew away the cobwebs galloping along the beach this morning. The horses loved to go fast and race each other so it was really good fun. Our last ride in Africa but one of the best..
Saturday 10 September 2011
Mozambique to Swaziland to South Africa (not forgetting Lesotho)
Four countries in one blog post must be a record, so here goes..
From beach life in Mozambique, we headed to the capital city of Maputo. As always, it was nice to have some city time, a break from truck life, a hotel bed and the novelty of eating out and choosing off a menu.
From Maputo, we crossed the border into Swaziland. Swaziland is a tiny country which meant nice short driving distances. Unlike most African countries, it has a king. Our first stop was at a community camp where all the profits are fed back into the community. Here we visited the local school for orphans. At the school, they had lists of the children and their family situation. It is staggering how many children have only one or neither parent still living due to AIDS. This is true of much of Africa, not just Swaziland - it is not uncommon for HIV infection rates to be around 25% of the population of any one country. Aside from visiting the local community, we also went to a traditional healer, watched traditional dancing and did some hiking.
Next stop was Mlilwane game park. It is sad to say but we have all become quite blase about game viewing because we have seen so much already. Mlilwane doesn't have any of the big 5 so you can walk safely without fear of being eaten by a lion or charged by an elephant. Rather than walk, Claire, Cherie and I chose our preferred mode of transport - horse back. Really loving all the horse riding that I am getting to do on this trip - such a relaxing and fun way to see the scenery and animals. Tried out impala steak and wildebeest wors (sausages) at the camp restaurant - certainly made a change from a cheese sandwich from the truck!
Final stop in Swaziland was at Sundowners Backpackers where we spent quite a bit of time just waiting...and waiting.. for our new truck to arrive. As you may recall from previous blog posts, we cannot take Athena into South Africa because she is registered in the UK and South Africa now only allow SA registered trucks in with passengers, hence our need to change to a SA truck. So our time at this backpackers was spent cleaning Athena and packing up our stuff (although I was smart enough to book an adventure caving trip and miss the worst of the cleaning - that's not why I went but it was a happy coincidence). Everyone was sad to say goodbye to Athena as she really has been our home for the past four months. Apart from a few tough times in Ethiopia when we seemed to have breakdown problems every day, she has served us well. It would have been lovely to finish in Cape Town with her but sadly that is not to be. As all the other overland trucks we see seem to be newer than Athena, we had high hopes for the new truck. Well, yes it is newer but that it about the only positive. In terms of storage and space, it is very poorly designed so we now appreciate Athena and the thought that went into designing her more than ever. Whoever designed the new truck really didn't think things through. The kitchen equipment is stored in shelves at the back but you have to climb up to reach anything above the first shelf and there is no ladder. So we now have a new job role - the kitchen monkeys - whose responsibility it is to get out and put away the equipment each day. In fairness, it is a fun job and makes a change from roof crew that I have been doing for the past two sections of the trip. Roof crew involves getting the tents down from the roof and hauling them back up, along with firewood, charcoal and anything else we store up there. It is definitely a good work out, but you end up filthy most of the time. Still, I can't really complain given that I asked for the job. At the start of the trip, it was deemed that only men could be roof crew. Naturally, some of us girls thought this was somewhat sexist and reckoned we could do the job too. Slowly, Alison was persuaded that girls could be roof crew and at least it has kept me fit.
We are now in South Africa (our final country) where we have visited St Lucia wetlands game reserve and are now based at Sani Lodge in the Drakensberg Mountains. Sani Lodge is at the foot of the Sani Pass which leads up to the mountain kingdom of Lesotho. Lesotho is a separate landlocked country within South Africa (Prince Harry has a charity in Lesotho so you may have heard of it). The Sani Pass is accessible only with four wheel drive and even then it is pretty hairy. We took a trip up there yesterday and crossed the border into Lesotho (more passport stamps!). The views were truly spectacular - probably the best of the trip. I wouldn't want to live there though. At almost 3000m the winds are constant and it really is desolate landscape once you reach the mountain plateau. Had a drink in the highest pub in Africa - mulled wine which went down a treat given how cold it is up there.
Less than two weeks of the trip left now.. sad times.
From beach life in Mozambique, we headed to the capital city of Maputo. As always, it was nice to have some city time, a break from truck life, a hotel bed and the novelty of eating out and choosing off a menu.
From Maputo, we crossed the border into Swaziland. Swaziland is a tiny country which meant nice short driving distances. Unlike most African countries, it has a king. Our first stop was at a community camp where all the profits are fed back into the community. Here we visited the local school for orphans. At the school, they had lists of the children and their family situation. It is staggering how many children have only one or neither parent still living due to AIDS. This is true of much of Africa, not just Swaziland - it is not uncommon for HIV infection rates to be around 25% of the population of any one country. Aside from visiting the local community, we also went to a traditional healer, watched traditional dancing and did some hiking.
Next stop was Mlilwane game park. It is sad to say but we have all become quite blase about game viewing because we have seen so much already. Mlilwane doesn't have any of the big 5 so you can walk safely without fear of being eaten by a lion or charged by an elephant. Rather than walk, Claire, Cherie and I chose our preferred mode of transport - horse back. Really loving all the horse riding that I am getting to do on this trip - such a relaxing and fun way to see the scenery and animals. Tried out impala steak and wildebeest wors (sausages) at the camp restaurant - certainly made a change from a cheese sandwich from the truck!
Final stop in Swaziland was at Sundowners Backpackers where we spent quite a bit of time just waiting...and waiting.. for our new truck to arrive. As you may recall from previous blog posts, we cannot take Athena into South Africa because she is registered in the UK and South Africa now only allow SA registered trucks in with passengers, hence our need to change to a SA truck. So our time at this backpackers was spent cleaning Athena and packing up our stuff (although I was smart enough to book an adventure caving trip and miss the worst of the cleaning - that's not why I went but it was a happy coincidence). Everyone was sad to say goodbye to Athena as she really has been our home for the past four months. Apart from a few tough times in Ethiopia when we seemed to have breakdown problems every day, she has served us well. It would have been lovely to finish in Cape Town with her but sadly that is not to be. As all the other overland trucks we see seem to be newer than Athena, we had high hopes for the new truck. Well, yes it is newer but that it about the only positive. In terms of storage and space, it is very poorly designed so we now appreciate Athena and the thought that went into designing her more than ever. Whoever designed the new truck really didn't think things through. The kitchen equipment is stored in shelves at the back but you have to climb up to reach anything above the first shelf and there is no ladder. So we now have a new job role - the kitchen monkeys - whose responsibility it is to get out and put away the equipment each day. In fairness, it is a fun job and makes a change from roof crew that I have been doing for the past two sections of the trip. Roof crew involves getting the tents down from the roof and hauling them back up, along with firewood, charcoal and anything else we store up there. It is definitely a good work out, but you end up filthy most of the time. Still, I can't really complain given that I asked for the job. At the start of the trip, it was deemed that only men could be roof crew. Naturally, some of us girls thought this was somewhat sexist and reckoned we could do the job too. Slowly, Alison was persuaded that girls could be roof crew and at least it has kept me fit.
We are now in South Africa (our final country) where we have visited St Lucia wetlands game reserve and are now based at Sani Lodge in the Drakensberg Mountains. Sani Lodge is at the foot of the Sani Pass which leads up to the mountain kingdom of Lesotho. Lesotho is a separate landlocked country within South Africa (Prince Harry has a charity in Lesotho so you may have heard of it). The Sani Pass is accessible only with four wheel drive and even then it is pretty hairy. We took a trip up there yesterday and crossed the border into Lesotho (more passport stamps!). The views were truly spectacular - probably the best of the trip. I wouldn't want to live there though. At almost 3000m the winds are constant and it really is desolate landscape once you reach the mountain plateau. Had a drink in the highest pub in Africa - mulled wine which went down a treat given how cold it is up there.
Less than two weeks of the trip left now.. sad times.
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