Cape Town Bliss

Four lovely days were spent around Cape Town and surrounds. Day 1 was a bit drizzly so we caught up on some sleep/recovery. Later in the day we discovered a coffee shop/bakery called Caramello's on Kloof Street, which was to become a daily destination. We met the owner and his wife and became quite friendly (they gave us a free milk tart!)

The second day we spent on the hop on-hop off bus tour of the city. It took us up to the cable car at Table mountain, which we made use of. A bit nippy at the top, but totally worth it. It is quite amazing how fast the weather changes here. We also went by Camps bay, then got dropped off at the Victoria and Alfred waterfront for lunch. Although mum had forgotten her credit card, we managed to scrape together 50 rand for lunch ($7 AU).

View from the top of Table Mountain.

On day three, we hired a car and escaped down to Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope. We had morning tea and Haut Bay and drove through a slightly nerve-wracking cut out on the side of the mountain known as Chapman's Peak Drive. Ocean views were fantastic. We also stopped off to see some African Penguins coming back from their day of fishing. The drive back along the coastal route was through peak hour and there was a power cut which made things interesting. When we got back to the city, we realised we didn't have an appropriate map, so followed our noses (in circles at some times) back to the B&B.

Chapman's Peak Drive

Our last day was spent looking around the Gold Museum (we want one of everything). Fortunately, Mum had forgotten her visa again (sigh) so we couldn't spend money. We also went to the castle (the fortification built in the 1800s) and got to observe the changing of the guard and the noon cannon firing. It housed the military museum and an antique furniture collection.

Later, we enjoyed some pampering followed by our last meal (for a while) at Caramello's. Coconut biscuits to die for.

l
R
x
and Judy

Minor Mishap #3

In which Mum says "Throw me a freakin' screwdriver!"

We flew from Vic Falls to Jo-burg and needed to get a connecting domestic flight to Cape Town. We had made it through immigration with no hassles and on the other side Mum disappeared. Knowing Mum, I immediately headed for the bathroom. Once in there I heard a feeble "Hello? Can someone help?"

To which I replied "Mum?"

It turned out that she had managed to lock herself in the cubicle by breaking the lock - so that it wouldn't turn back.

I trotted off to find help.

I decided to go up to a female attendant to save some embarrassment, however she called over her friend to come in and have a look as well. They tried turning from the outside with a coin to no avail.

Then, when Mum's weakening cries of "I just need a screwdriver... I only have 2 screws to undo" seemed to be ignored by the general company and I could fast see the scene turning into one of the beginning scenes from 'There's Something about Mary' Mum suggested I go and get my swiss army knife from our luggage, so I did.

When I came back from collecting the luggage, there was a guy trying to bash down the door with a broom handle. I quickly handed the knife to Mum and she undid one screw on the latch.

So after 20 minutes, we were finally on our way. And after we solved the problem, they wanted us to buy them a drink!

l
R
x
(and Judy)

I Love the Plains in South Africa

Our first two days before the Safari were spent in Johannesburg. Apart from the barbed/razor/electric fencing on all the houses, the city could be any average Australian city. The suburb we were in (Hyde Park) was very safe and we found a delicious bakery and a Mall down the road where I got the most amazing brownie.

We spent a day visiting the Apartheid museum - which was very eye opening. It is hard to believe it started in 1948 and went till 1994 (during both our lifetimes!).

We had three team members looking after us on tour: Peter our guide, Gift the cook and Dumi the driver. They were all locals from Zimbabwe and were a fantastic team who always kept us safe and happy. We were also very lucky with our tour group - everyone seemed to get along and help each other out.

Our Group

Our first stop was Kruger where we were spoiled because we didn't have to put up our own tents and there were cots to sleep on. We spent a day driving around the park and saw so many different animals... Just incredible. Key memories were of a waterhole where we saw essentially all the animals at once. Also, we had to stop on the road to wait for about 20 elephants to cross on their way down to the river for an afternoon swim. Then, as we were heading out of the park we saw a mother Hyena suckling two cubs just on the side of the road.

Elephants heading for a swim

We then headed up through Graskop (famous for pancakes but we didn't have any) to Blyde River Canyon. The canyon is the third largest in the world and we stopped at three viewing spots along the way.

Our final stop in South Africa was in Musina - the hottest town. It was about 36 deg C the day we got in. Consequently, we decided to make use of the hot spring swimming pools (the spring at the source was 65 deg C). It was refreshing... when we got out.

Thus concluded the SA section of the tour.

l
R
x
and Judy