On To Our Last Stop-Cape Town

We were off fairly early to take the short trip to Cape Town.  The official tour portion of our travels would end in two days and we wanted to take full advantage of the pampered lifestyle we had grown accustomed to! We were not disappointed as we found our guesthouse The Blackheath Lodge was beautifully appointed and also ideally located for exploring in Sea Point.

We walked along the promenade and enjoyed the sound and smell of the sea and to marvel at Table Mountain which towers above the city and can be seen from all four corners.

The next day we took a tour of the city.  This allowed us to get oriented and to prepare for the next two weeks when we would be on our own.

Our first stop took us to the downtown area.  Unfortunately the attractions were all closed as the President was scheduled to give his "state of the union address" and security was very tight.

We did visit the old archive building which has very beautiful  architecture and is used today to promote literacy programs.

Along the way we came across relics from the apartheid era and not far away, a piece of the berlin wall; both reminders of times of forced segregation.

This theme continued with a quick visit to the area known as district 6.  This was once occupied by more than 50,000 coloured people who were forcably moved in 1966 to make way for a white community. The outcry was so great that development never occured and the land stands vacant to thus day and  land titles continue to be in dispute and legal challenges continue even now.

As noon approached we made our way to Signal Hill where the views are magnificent. In addition the navy fires a noon day gun, using the oldest working cannons in the world.  These have been fired every day, excepting Sundays and National holidays since 1806.  The total number of continuous firings is noted on the site and we witnesses number 66,116.

Our next visit was to the Bo Kaap neighbourhood of the city.  This neighbourhood was originally started by slaves.  We learned that slaves were imported in the 16th and 17th centuries,  from  Indonesia  and the Phillipines as well as India, Madagascar and Africa. The slaves were valued for their skilled labour and their descendants now occupy this area of the city.  They are predominantly Muslims and are fiercley proud of their heritage.  The brightly coloured buildings are a celebration of their freedom from slavery.

The Day In Stellenbosch

It was soon clear that Stellenbosch is all about the wineries, which failed to interest us much.  We looked for alternative activities, and stumbled across the most lovely botanical gardens which are attached to the university.  We spent some time there enjoying the tranquil locale and reading our books.

We also explored the older part of the city, looking at the original dutch architecture.  

We ventured into one of the many local churches  where we couldn't help but think 

about the parishioners and their wonderful view from the church window.

Stellenbosch

At every stop we have had throughout our trip, we have not wanted to leave when the time came.  This was so true again as we packed up for a five hour drive to Stellenbosch.  We really wished that we could have stayed and explored further, but it was not to be.

We started out early as we knew our day would be long and hot in the car.  We also knew that we were headed to an area fairly close to Capetown and so, much more crowded.  We were anticipating things like rush hour traffic, and so we left in time to avoid any potential traffic.

The scenery leaving the valley was spectacular.  We travelled through mountain passes and one huge,  long tunnel which went clear through one of the mountains...we think it is the longest we have ever been in! 

We came across one very curious spot...Ronnie's Sex Shop...which is shown on the map as a tourist attraction.  We were intrigued to say the least.  When we arrived, it was a run down kind of place in the middle of nowhere!  Moreover, there was not even a pair of underwear to be seen...strange for a sex shop.  It turns out that this is actually the oldest pub in South Africa.  Originally Ronnie painted the words Ronnie's Shop on an out building as he intended to sell fresh produce...some friends added the word sex as a joke.  This then became a stopping spot and eventually a pub for travellers on the very dusty road!

Once we were out of the desert area we hit lush greenery again...fruit orchards and grapes.  Wineries soon started appearing and it was clear that we had hit wine country.  We were soon in Stellenbosch and we settled in to our guest house in the old city centre.

Caves and Ostriches

We reluctantly left Knysna's idyllic setting.  We were really wishing we could have stayed longer...but Oudtshoorn was calling so we left for the two hour drive.

The drive was very interesting as we travelled through a pass in the mountains we had been admiring all along the coast.  It was raining all the way through the pass but when we crested  the mountain a huge semi-desert stretched out below us.  The sun was up and hot and the scenery was beautiful.

We found ourselves in a flat valley trapped between two mountain ranges, with rich reddish soil and desert like plants growing.  It was such a surprise to see this after the rainy conditions a few short miles away.

We soon arrived at our accomodations, a working ostrich farm called La Plume.  We were amazed to find a large and rambling main building, furnished with beautiful antiques and equipped with several cottage style outbuildings.  It was spectacular and very like stepping back in time. 

We spent a quiet afternoon and evening watching the Ostriches in their enclosures running to and fro as they were startled by the odd motorbike zooming by.

Our next day started early with a visit to the farm with the owner.  He explained the economics of the farm and raising ostriches through time up to the present.  He explained that in the past thw feathers had been very popular in women's hats but today are proved for use in entertainment for costumes, in parade floats, and for the manufacture of feather dusters.  The most lucrative part of his business is the production of ostrich meat, exported mainly to Europe, and finally leather production for the high end leather market, purses and boots mostly.  He showed us the Ostriches and explained that they were sporting their bikini look, having just had some of their feathers removed...a painless process he claimed was like cutting finger nails.  It was very interesting as these curious birds came right up to the fence to check us out!

In the afternoon we went to the local Cango Caves...a vast cavern system which has been carved out of the limestone caves.

Finally, we stopped at a local restaurant in a nature reserve and as we were eating  our meal we saw elephants being led by on their way to the watering hole.

The mountains were spectacular and the scenery breathtaking as we made our way back to the tranquility of La Plume.

Next Stop Knynsa

After Paul had a quick dip in the ocean we were off again to our next destination, Knysna about 40 minutes away.  It is also a beach town, but is situated on a lagoon fed through a straight letting sea water in.  We found that our accomodations were on an island in the lagoon, another boutique hotel right in the beach.  It was very lovely with big spacious areas where we could relax and read. 

We no sooner arrived but Paul was off to find a fishing guide to try and catch some bass.  He was not successful, but had fun trying. 

As the sea water floods in and out with the tide, swimming is possible while at other times one can walk right across the lagoon.

We spent the day enjoying the water front and the beautiful scenery.  Paul got out for the first time to fly his kite as the wind was quite strong.  

We took one detour to The Heads to look out at the ocean.

Port Elizabeth and onwards to Plettensburg Bay

We said goodbye to Johannesburg and boarded our flight to Port Elizabeth, the start point for our drive on the Garden Route.  This is a portion of the highway which basically  parallels the coast of the Indian Ocean towards Cape Town.  It is very beautiful with mountains thrusting up to our north and the ocean crashing in to the south as we drove in our rented Audi A4 to our first stop, Plettensburg Bay.

We found our accomodations on Robburg Beach and were delighted to find ourselves at a quaint beach house with access to a woderful beach just across the road.  We spent some time just soaking in the beach atmosphere, and Paul had an opportunity to dip his feet in the Indian ocean.  The last time he had done so was 20 years ago, in Indonesia.

The following day we backtracked a little and went to a national park, Tsitsikamma which is the largest existing indiginous forest area in South Africa.

We went for a hike to a suspension bridge which spans the Storms River estuary.  The coast is riddled wih very deep gorges with lovely rivers running through them.  This area was beautiful and the walk was very pleasant, if somewhat busy.

After a short break we decided to tackle another hike which took us through the forest and where we were able to see some of the trees which are native to the area.  There was quite a climb up at the beginning, which was strenuous, but it soon leveled off and gave us a nice shady walk on a very hot day.

On our way back we made a quick stop to view the location of the highest bungee drop from a bridge.  It was closing so no one was jumping...but the sheer height of it made the prospect terrifying.

Johannesburg

We flew into Johannesburg in the afternoon and discovered that our hotel was attached to a casino, close to the airport.  We were surprised but when we saw the size of Johannesburg we understood.  The city is huge and is not easy to negotiate when one is wanting to catch a plane, which we would have to do a full day later.  The casino is fashioned after Las Vegas, with no windows or clocks and with a Venitian theme.  We found a restaurant within sight of a copy of Michaelangelo's David, under a fake blue sky painted ceiling, with the dragon dance taking plgace to mark the chinese new year!    Strange indeed!

The next morning we were met by our guide Lucky for a one day tour of Soweto and ending with a visit to the apartheid museum.  It was pouring rain and this made it difficult to see as much as we might have otherwise. 

Soweto is a black neighbourhood steming from the apartheid years.  Its name is a contraction of 'southwest township' and is an area which was set aside during the gold rush years to house the black workers from the mines.  These workers were housed in hostels, some of which are still occupied to thus day, with no plumbing or electricity.  They were gender specific and families were seperated as a result.  Over time homes were built by the hovernment tfor residents, but these were small and sqalid.  With legal changes, residents were permitted to possess their homes (previous laws prohibited blacks from owning).   We saw the new homes in Soweto, owned by tgeh wealthy, as well as those owned by tbe emerging middle class and also some of the hostels which are still standing, and occupied.  We also saw shanty towns, corregated iron sheds pressed together in muddy fields with no sewage and electricity stollen from nearby streetlights.  Pelting rains made pictures difficult.

We also visited freedom square.  This is the location where the 10 principles behind  the current constitution were originally developed in 1954.  The "X" could be seen in many of the symbols constructed in tge square, this being the symbol for voting, a right now granted to all citizens, and one for which there has been a long and controversial fight.

We finished our tour with a visit to The Apartheid Museum.  This was a moving experience.   Visitors are randomly split into white and non-white at the entrance and must enter through seperate entrances and experience the initial exhibits seperately.  A sobering experience indeed.