Dear Blog: I have missed you. I have neglected you. I have lost motivation to add to you. I have been very busy becoming South African and, finally, I am ready to report!!!! We have been in South Africa since November 1st. We have driven thousands of miles all over this country and, still, we know we will need to come back. Our days are numbered now and we will be returning home for a holiday visit on December 17. I will be honest and admit that I am counting the days to our return. With that said, here is the African report ( as much as I can remember, anyway). First, to truly enjoy the South African experience, one must become South African!!! Here’s How:
- Learn a few keys words in Afrikaans. Then, get really good with those words and just throw them into your English sentences randomly and you are doing it!!!! Totally Lekker (awesome, cool, very nice)
- Go on Safari and see The Big Five (or at least know what they are) We got this one!
- Eat Ostrich fillet and Bobotie. Yes, obsessed with both. Ostrich….so healthy.
- Taste at least 100 different kinds of wine. At least…….
- Drink Rooibis tea with hot milk and sugar AND have a scone with whipped cream. Comfort food in Clanwilliam the Rooibos capital of the world!
- Have a Sundowner on top of Lions Head and Table Mountain, after hiking/ summiting both on the same day (Haha…some South Africans will actually do this) Yes, we did both but NOT on the same day…does that still count?
- Learn how to tie and wear the African headscarf. I have mastered this…Will, not so much.
- Buy and wear traditional African fabric in whatever form pleases you. Of course. A no brainer.
- Hike a major peak in flip flops or heels (yes, we have seen this) How about to the trailhead in my Birkenstocks?
- Capetonians are WAY laid back…..take a CHILL PILL. UMMMMMMMMM….to be continued.
Africa, Part 1: The Drakensberg
“The morning mists swirl around the dramatic mountain peaks and through the cool yellowwood forests. In summer, dramatic mountain storms crash around the mountain peaks and in winter, the snow-capped heights are a sight to enjoy from the cosy warmth of your mountain chalet fireside. It is wonderful just to sit and take in the views of herds of eland, and other smaller antelope making their way across the sandstone-flanked valleys. Baboons bark in the distance while black eagles and bearded vultures soar between the towering basalt cliffs. Abseiling, rock climbing and ice climbing in winter, are also popular, and safety is assured by the mountain rescue registers which need to be filled in at every entry point.”
The Champagne Valley of this wilderness area is stunning. We stayed in a fantastic backpacker lodge called The Inkosana. It was the “full Monty”. Spectacular views, great people, awesome location, clean and comfortable lodging. We did our own cooking in the shared cooking space, but they insisted that we NEVER do the dishes….we loved that. Every day hike was different from the next. Varied landscapes, degree of difficulty and all kinds of weather made each hike interesting and challenging. As has become the “new normal” for us….few to no other people on the trails. Wild and deserted, austere and, sometimes, intimidating.
Two special treats in The Drakensberg: A beautiful country bakery on the outskirts of the valley set on the perimeter of a wine farm was a sweet treat. A special place to enjoy the comforts of home with incredible specialty baked items and REAL coffee ( not Nescafe). Decorated with stunning paintings by local artists and painting instruction happening in the bakery yard all day everyday….ohhhhh, we just didn’t have time to test our inner painting instincts AND drink our REAL coffee at the same time. Another favorite was visiting the school and attending the concert of the famed (2nd only to the Vienna Boys Choir) Drakensberg Boys Choir. Visiting the school and taking the tour was fascinating for us. We thought about how interesting it might be to teach at an institution such as this. Extremely robust curriculum, very competitive to get into the school and in addition to the rigorous academic schedule, these boys sing and rehearse 6 hours a day. They travel the world, compete and perform…and did perform with The Tabernacle Choir in Salt Lake in 2011. Their performance here at the school was so delightful and the choreography was notable!!!! I might have loved this more than Will…….
Africa, Part 2: Waterval Boven (over the waterfall)
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Gorgeous Jacaranda trees in bloom.
“To look at the slumbering little settlement of Waterval Boven these days, it’s hard to imagine that once more than 600 children attended the local primary school, and steam-puffing locomotives stopped here for maintenance and coal. Modern-day Waterval Boven – now renamed Emgwenya – is an adventure traveller’s getaway,an angler’s delight and an international climbing area with some 450 sport climbing and 150 traditional routes. A lodge with mountain chalets provides accommodation for climbers and visitors, and a comprehensive guide exists to climbs in the area.”
Will has been dreaming about Waterval Boven for some thirty years. After seeing a photo on the front cover of Climbing magazine in the 90’s, he set his sites on climbing here at some point in his travels. The climbing in this area was beyond my climbing potential, so I was apprehensive from the beginning. Perhaps it was that apprehension that pushed my “dislike” button for Waterval Boven, itself. Therefore, it will go down as one of my least favorite places. The town is small and completely asleep. Not one coffee shop, a very sparse market (pasta but no sauce, napkins but no paper towels) and the most “unbustling” town ever. Not a scenic town except for the incredible Jacaranda trees that were in full bloom. A very depressed economy, not much to do except fish or climb and a little on the edgy, scary side if you walk alone or at night. I didn’t. It sits uncomfortably close to the township. Jobs are scarce as are children, restaurants, pubs and shopping. It was out of my comfort zone for sure. However, there were some stunning panoramic views of The Elands River Gorge at the base of the escarpment. Spectacular scenery at the crag walls on the outskirts of town and, according to Will, awesome climbing. I was able to belay him a few days and he got out for a full day with the local climbing guru, Gustav. Gustav and wife Alex are a lovely couple who have created and maintained this international climbing destination. They own the climbers’ lodge and rent a couple of nice houses as well. We rented one of the houses and it was spacious, clean, well stocked and super reasonable. If it hadn’t been for the gorgeous scenery at the crags, I might have put up a fight. I am not sure I would recommend as a “must see” African destination, UNLESS you are a climber and that is ALL you want to do. SIDENOTE: Some pretty great mountain biking trails and nice lodge, if you are so inclined. Enough said. The photos will speak for themselves.
Africa, Part 3: Kruger National Park and Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga:
“THE PLACE WHERE THE SUN RISES!’ Formally known as Eastern Transvaal, Mpumalanga is considered to be one of the most geographically diverse and unbelievably beautiful places in South Africa.
Mpumalanga lies in the east of South Africa, north of KwaZulu-Natal and bordering Swaziland and Mozambique. In the northeast, the land rises towards mountain peaks and then terminates in an immense escarpment. In some places, this escarpment plunges hundreds of metres down to the low-lying area known as the Lowveld.”
On our way to Kruger National Park, we passed through some spectacular areas of the Mpumalanga. Hazyview, Graskop, Bleyde River Canyon, and Bourkes Potholes to mention a few. This is a very popular tourist area while enroute to Kruger. Hazy view was chock full of accommodations for those waiting to enter Kruger. We splurged and stayed one night in a lovely B&B away from the park and up in the peaceful mountains.
Kruger National Park:
“The Kruger National Park is the second-largest game reserve in Africa and the largest in South Africa. We make many Kruger National Park reservations each year for this, the flagship of South African National Parks. Spanning 360km, North to South, and 65km from East to West, the scenic beauty of Limpopo is situated to the west, the lush Mpumalanga to the south and with Zimbabwe to the North. It has nine entrance gates and is home to the famous Big Five, the Little Five and the birding Big Six, in addition to a range of fauna and flora unique to the area.”
Unlike Etosha Game Park (we visited there on our first trip to South Africa), we reserved accommodations in the park at rest camps. Here, we cooked, slept and self drove the park to see animals. We also took the safari tour at 4:15 in the morning for possible sunrise sitings. We stayed two days in the Olifants Rest Camp and 2 days in the Satara Rest Camp. We slept in a small rondeval, and had access to groceries, a restaraunt, safari tours, night braiis(bbqs) and, of course, animals!!! Self drive is the way to go, but it is highly addictive and we found that we were exhausted by the end of the week and, sadly, realized that we had burned fewer calories than watching TV for 5 days. We were a little stir crazy when we left the park, but our animal photos were worth the pounds we gained. I’ll let the animals do the talking!
Africa, Part 4: The Cederberg Wilderness Area
“The Cederberg Wilderness Reserve, stretching from the Pakhuis Pass in the north to the Grootrivier in the south, is loved for its rugged beauty and solitude. Rich with San rock art and endemic flora and fauna, it’s a wilderness so remote and wild there are places yet to be explored. The reserve forms part of the Cape Floral Kingdom, a World Heritage Site, and is host to numerous rare and indigenous plant, animal and fish species, including the rare Clanwilliam Cedar tree, after which the region is named.”
Like The Drakensberg, the Cederberg did not disappoint. A remote and wild slice of heaven, this gem provided us with climbing options, hiking options, prime swimming holes, and an onsite winery/brewery to whet our whistles. We loved exploring this stunning wilderness and our accommodations were cozy and a rich part of the Cederberg history. We stayed at The Sandrift Holiday Resort situated at the farm Dwarvesrivier and home to the Sandrift Private Cellar and Brewery. It sits at the edge of spectacular rock formations, expansive vistas, rock art and fynbos. The dwellings are original buildings that were offered to climbers and hikers for a casual overnight stay….back in the day. We were in what used to be the Post Office and,now, is redone as a self catering unit. It was quite nice!!!! We climbed at both the Sandrift crag and nearby Truitjieskraal crag near the Krom River Resort. Our day hikes at the Rocklands (world class bouldering area near Clanwilliams), through the Wolfberg Cracks to Wolfberg Arch and to the Maltese Cross were fantastic, challenging and very peaceful. As we have come to expect, we were alone and enjoyed the solitude. We did meet a young German student who studies at Stellenbosch and quickly became friends. We took David on his first climbing experience and made plans to see him again in Capetown while his girlfriend was in town. We,also, briefly met a couple at the Truitjieskraal crag from Tasmania of all places and made plans to meet them in Capetown as well. Will and Toby have been climbing a couple of times since we arrived in Camps Bay. Toby and Kay (who is a Capetonian) currently live in Hobart, Tasmania and have been giving us a great beta for the Australian portion of our trip.
Exploring the Cederberg was very satisfying for us. We had been there briefly on our first SA trip. We knew we wanted to return to climb and hike more. The photographs only begin to capture the beauty of this very special, private, rugged place.
Africa, Part 5: The Klein Karoo (little desert)
“The Klein Karoo may initially appear bleak, but it not only supports the biggest variety of succulent plants in the world, it also produces some of the best wines. This fascinating part of South Africa is where you’ll find the Cango Caves, a truly spectacular natural wonder. The Klein or Little Karoo in the Western Cape is a long valley that lies between the Swartberg and Langeberg mountain ranges. As it’s name suggests, this area is the smaller sibling of the Great Karoo, to its north.”
After a week of the Cederberg, we were on the road again. Headed to the desert, wine country, the Cango Caves, ostrich farms, meer cat shows and the wild,wild west of South Africa. We did everything tourist here and we had a blast. Much to the dismay of Will, we skipped the climbing area for touristy attractions we might otherwise forego. Will was just getting over a head cold and I was just getting it from him. So, neither of us were up to par and that might have been why we were willing to pay to go where everyone else was going….hmmmmm. The Cango Caves were stunning and crawling through tight spaces was interesting and maybe a little too close to other tourists than I wanted to be. We were glad we did the tour, though. We had some firsts in this “reminded us of the wild west” town of Outdshoorn. We had our first ostrich fillet and LOVED it. We had our first ostrich burger and LOVED it. Ostrich is quite healthy and equally as tasty. We had memorable ostrich encounters here including: me riding an ostrich like a horse only different; me getting an ostrich neck massage that was really disturbing now that I remember it and; us driving into head on traffic with an ostrich flock. First, ostrich farming is BIG business here and ostrich show farms are plentiful. So, it isn’t unusual to see flocks of ostrich…even coming at you in traffic. We paid to go to the ostrich show and, again, did not regret spending money to do such a weird thing. We learned a lot and we have new respect for this big bird. They are actually quite dangerous, so we did not run them over in the road…we let them pass. I wanted to buy something ostrich but WAY expensive and these ostrich farmers make a good living from the leather, the feathers and the meat….in that order.
We did a little bit of hiking and a really awesome drive over The Swartberg pass to Prince Albert (Park City-ish town with fantastic art galleries, boutique bakeries and such). On the last day here in this dirty, dusty kudu ranching, ostrich farming community, we rose at 4:30 in the morning to pay to see meer cats wake up and pop out of their holes…what the hell?????? Yeah, but it was fascinating and we learned a lot of very important facts about meer cats and they are SO cute SO smart. Wow….kind of a different experience for us, but we embraced it and enjoyed it, but ready to move on to The Garden Route.
Thomas Bain worked on the Swartberg Pass with 200 convicts and lots of gunpowder. He eventually finished ahead of time and under-budget. But his real accomplishment lies in the fact that even today, more than a century after it was built, the Swartberg Pass has stood the test of time.
Africa, Part 6: The Garden Route
“The Garden Route (Afrikaans: Tuinroete) is a stretch of the south-eastern coast of South Africa which extends from Mossel Bay in the Western Cape to the Storms River in the Eastern Cape. The name comes from the verdant and ecologically diverse vegetation encountered here and the numerous lagoons and lakes dotted along the coast. It includes towns such as Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, Mossel Bay, Little Brak River and Nature’s Valley; with George, the Garden Route’s largest city and main administrative centre.”
We drove out of the dirty, dusty wild west and headed to the coast just over the mountains. The Garden Route was going to be green, wet, wild and lush. This was a very spontaneous couple of days. We hd no accommodations, no set plans but we were dreaming of rugged coastlines, spectacular forests, rivers, lakes, paragliding, hiking and relaxing….well, scratch relax because we always dream about that and it never happens. The drive was luxurious as we went in and out of coastal towns that were very hip and trendy OR very sleepy, quiet with a wilderness, outdoorsy-ish feel. The small towns of Wilderness and Natures Valley were everything that their name suggested. Will was over his head cold and I was in the throes of mine so we agreed on a 2 night splurge at a spa in the forest. Just what the doctor ordered. The room was romantic and therapeutic and our windows all looked out into a stunning forest. The food was really fantastic and the place was very secluded and hidden and quiet. There were only a few other guests whom we enjoyed chatting with by the fire at dinner each night. It was chilly there but our room was warm and cozy and we loved being pampered. When we left, we drove up the road a mile and checked into Monkey World. Sounds cheesy, but we loved it. Again, we learned alot about all different kinds of monkeys and we saw great monkey action. There are hundreds of monkeys here just freely swinging around, and living completely harmoniously, sharing food and space. We humans could take a few notes here. This is a monkey refuge/rehab center and it really was fantastic. We left this lovely area of the Garden Route called The Crags and drove further down towards the National Parks. We parked and walked around the beautiful Tsitsikama reserve where the river meets the ocean with a peaceful, lovely estuary in between. White sand beaches and rugged coastline. Sunny and warm, but very comfortable. We made our way to the stunning Storms River Mouth and were blown away by the hordes of tourists. We loved the scenery, but we just had to get out of there.
We opted to head west towards Cape Town and the bigger beach towns of the Garden Route. We arrived at our very nice airbnb in Plettenberg and immediately knew we could rest and relax here (hahahahaha). The town was so quiet and we quickly learned that we were a week ahead of the millions of teens and families that would hit this place for Christmas and School holiday. It is THE PLACE right now in South Africa for beach vacation. So, we enjoyed the quiet energy, had some great food (we had ostrich on Thanksgiving and loved it) and did the Robberg Wilderness hike. This was one of our favorite hikes of the trip so far. Nine miles up and down and around the peninsula to a stunning white sand beach and only a few people. The hike was dramatic, challenging and incredibly beautiful. The prize was to sink our toes in the luscious beach sand and enjoy the solitude for our picnic lunch. We decided we had to go back to Storms River just for a day to figure out what the allure was……we did a short but fantastic hike to an overlook and discovered that the Storms River mouth is impressive and wild. The hike included walking over three swinging, suspension bridges, and up a bunch of rock steps to the overlook. We also did a NOT so impressive hike to a waterfall. The waterfall was “meh”. The hike was really beautiful along the coastline through the forest and up and over rock gardens. We were glad we went back for a day. Now that we are both feeling better, we are ready to take on the Winelands and Cape Town. Goodbye to the REAL Africa and hello to Chardonnay, Pinotage and Shiraz!!!
