On the way home I had an 8 hour stopover in Johanesburg. I used the time to drive around in one of the safe suburbs Sandton. Still you can t do much around, the only sight is the Nelson Mandela square.
Except than shopping in the Mall and look around the square you can not do much here.
Nelson Mandela from a different perspective
When driving the streets, there is not much to see either. People live behind walls like in a prison.
This was my last day, before leaving Cape Town and South Africa. I wanted to make it special, so I booked a guide to show me the "other side" of Cape Town.
I started my day in Langa, which is a suburb found in Cape Town. It was established in 1927 in terms of the 1923 Urban Areas Act. Langa is one of the many areas in South Africa that were designated for Black Africans before the apartheid era. It is the oldest of such suburbs in Cape Town and was the location of much resistance to apartheid.
Like every village, Langa also has different social levels of living. We started straight in the middle. The ISO containers below are separated in the middle, each part accommodating a whole family, each of 4-6 people. There is no water only electricity in there.
An other type of living space are brick houses, with a communal area used by several families and small rooms like 8-10m2 attached to it, used mainly for sleeping, shared by 2-3 families!!!
There is also a kind of "Beverly Hills" of the township, where people live who got good education, good work and became financially successful. Because of their cultural background and personal relations, they feel comfortable in the township, they do not leave.
The other end are the shaky wooden huts like below. People, who seek privacy or do not get any space in the different accommodations above build these, to have a roof at least for themselves. Since it is usually made of wood and nylon it is very sensitive to fire. It happens often that several 1000 of these huts burn down, making people homeless.
The townships used to be the reservoir of South Africa for workers. Almost 50% are still unemployed and try to live on social benefits or if no other choice money coming from criminal acts. You can hear a lot of stories about gangs and crime in the townships, but I had the impression that the story is not about that. There are criminals, not because they have fun to do so, but because there is no choice...... Looking at the million worth villas just a few kms on, I can fully understand their motivation. Anyway most people living in the townships are against crime, they really trying to their best to survive.
I met a lot of friendly and especially happy people here. The most nice experience was, visiting a local kindergarden. I think people are still happier in their poverty as many of us in western cultures.
During the visit I also got some language lessons from my guide, who was a native Xhosa speaker.
Xhosa is spoken by approximately 7.9 million people, or about 18% of the South African population. Like most Bantu languages, Xhosa is a tonal language,
that is, the same sequence of consonants and vowels can have different
meanings when said with a rising or falling or high or low intonation.
One of the most distinctive features of the language is the prominence
of click consonants; the word "Xhosa" begins with a click. Anyway Nelson Mandela was a Xhosa speaker as well. Click to hear the first lesson:
I still had the whole afternoon free and drive out to see again the beaches and the coastline. Since it was very windy (100kmh), beaches were empty and quiet.
Tomorrow I'll leave early and fly in 30 hours via Johannesburg and Dubai to Amsterdam. Probably winter is waiting for me. If you liked my trip and would like to comment it or need help for custom made trips wherever in the world, write me:
My first stop this morning was Muizenberg, a small surfing village on the east coast of the Cape Peninsula, just some 20kms south from Cape Town.
Surfing girls in Muizenberg
Cape Town enjoys an ocean Mediterranean climate with mild, moderately wet winters and dry, warm summers. Winter months in the city average a maximum of 18.0 °C and minimum of 8.5 °C . Total annual rainfall in the city averages 515 millimetres.
Summer, is warm and dry with
an average maximum of 26.0 °C and minimum of 16.0 °C.
Cape Town's average amount of sunshine per year (3,100 hours) compares favourably with that of Los Angeles (3,300 hours) and exceeds that of Athens and Madrid (2,900 hours). Sounds good???
Cape Town was originally developed by the Dutch East India Company as
a victualling (supply) station for Dutch ships sailing to Eastern
Africa, India, and the Far East. Jan van Riebeeck's arrival on 6 April
1652 established the first permanent European settlement in South
Africa.
Cape Town today is a 3.7 million city, wherein touristic areas are concentrated around the harbour, the City Bowl and the beaches on the west cost of the peninsula.
The most famous beach is the beach around Clifton, which has been chosen several times as one of the TOP10 beaches in the world. Although water temperatures never exceed 16C and shark attacks are not rare either, a lot of surfers are out there all year round. The density of luxury villas and sports cars is comparable to California as well.
On of the best beaches on the world
with white sand
and
chocolate crumbs
The biggest attraction of Cape Town is the Table Mountain, which main feature is the level plateau approximately 3
kilometres from side to side, edged by impressive cliffs. The
plateau, flanked by Devil's Peak to the east and by Lion's Head to the west, forms a dramatic backdrop to Cape Town. This broad sweep of mountainous heights, together with Signal Hill, forms the natural amphitheatre of the City Bowl and Table Bay
harbour. The highest point on Table Mountain is 1,086 metres above sea level.
Cape Town
Clifton Beach
The harbour was rebuilt recently, actually for the soccer world championship some years ago and became a very popular part of the city both for locals and tourists. Numerous restaurants, shops and attractions can keep you busy even for a whole day.
Today I left behind the wine regions and drove along coastline of the Cape Peninsula to the most south-western point of South Africa; the Cape of Good Hope. To get there from the direction of Cape Town, you have to pass the scenic Chapman's Peak drive built between 1915-22. It is also part of the route of two of South Africa's biggest mass-participation races, the Cape Argus Cycle Race and the Two Oceans Marathon.
Along the road you ve got amazing views of the ocean and white sand beaches. The landscape and also the lifestyle people live here remembered me to the one in California. You ve got luxury villas everywhere with sweeping views over the ocean, selling in the 1million+ EUR range.
At the very tip of the Cape Peninsula is the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve accommodating more than 250 species including ostriches, lizards and African penguins.
And there it is the border of two oceans, although "wiki" says something else.(Read further down.)
According to wiki:
there is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip
of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between
the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the southernmost point is Cape Agulhas, about 150 kilometres (90 mi) to the east-southeast. The currents of the two oceans meet at the point where the warm-water Agulhas current meets the cold water Benguela current and turns back on itself—a point that fluctuates between Cape Agulhas and Cape Point (about 1.2 kilometres east of the Cape of Good Hope).
The first European to reach the cape was the Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias in 1488, who named it the "Cape of Storms" (Cabo das Tormentas). It was later renamed by John II of Portugal as "Cape of Good Hope" (Cabo da Boa Esperança) because of the great optimism engendered by the opening of a sea route to India and the East.
Today I ll stay for the night in the picturesque Simon's Town, close to the biggest African Penguin colony of the Peninsula, which I visited earlier today.
It is a shame, but because of mass tourism you can not really approach them. In that sense Argentina and the Magellan Penguins were a better experience....
See it here:
Today I made only 150kms, since my next destination Stellenbosch and the surrounding Wine Estates were really nearby. According to wiki: The Stellenbosch district is the second oldest wine region in South Africa, after Constantia, and is responsible for around 14% of the country's annual wine production. First planted in 1679, Stellenbosch is located 45 kilometres east of Cape Town. The region is surrounded by the Helderberg, Simonsberg and Stellenbosch Mountains and receives some climatic influences from nearby False Bay. The bay tempers the climate and keep average temperatures during the summer growing season to around 20 °C, just slightly warmer than Bordeaux. Vineyard soil types range from decomposed granite on the hillside near the mountains to sandyalluvial loam in the valleys near the rivers.
I started my day in the Bergkelder, one of the biggest wine producers here, situated directly in the village of Stellenbosch. The tour costs ca. 3EUR and you are guided through the whole production, finishing in the wine cellar, where you can taste 9 different wines, including the proud of the cellar, the "Fleur du Cap" Laszlo 2004 signature blend.
Concerning "Laszlo" I refer again to wiki:
In the 1970’s, with Dr Julius Laszlo as visionary Cellarmaster, Die Bergkelder played a pivotal role in changing the face of the South African wine industry. Determined to produce world-class wines, he was one of the key protagonists in finding new plant material and encouraging grape-growers to introduce classic noble varietals to their vineyards such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.
During the day I visited several Estates, including De Laire Graff, Tokara, Zorgvliet, Avontuur, Rupert & Rothschild, Asara, Rust en Vrede.
Although I had my accommodation in Stellenbosch, I returned for dinner to Rust en Vrede. I found the place advertised in a tourist brochure. The flyer said: "one of the Top 100 restaurants in the world..." I knew that the surrounding of Stellenbosch is famous for fine dining, still I thought it was advertised like that, only to attract the tourists.
Things started to get interesting, when I was asked at the gate of the Estate, if I have a reservation. I had not, but managed to convince the guard to let me in. After entering the Estate I was driving an other 10 minutes in the valley to arrive at the restaurant. I was the first at 7 pm. and got luckilly the last table close to the open kitchen. I realised, that I am slightly underdressed, when other guests started to arrive in suits and cocktail dresses. I ve got really curious, what is the whole show off for....
The4 course tasting menu was as follows: First course Scallops, Parsnip, Pig Tail, Apple, Pecan, Ras el Hanout Second Course Monkfish, Scallop Mousse,Beluga lentils, “Tartare” Beurre Blanc, Pork Skin Third Course Crown Roasted Duck, Red Cabbage Purée, Duck Sausage, Baby Turnips, Pine Nut Fourth Course Lemon Thyme and Walnut Panna Cotta, Parsnip, Pistachio, Honeycomb
Actually it was really a great dinner... After I arrived back to my B&B, I went on the internet to figure out, where I spent the evening. I was tonight really in of the best resturants of the world... For more pics: https://picasaweb.google.com/szaipandras/SouthAfrica
For the two days I am spending here in Gans Bai, by chance I ve got a perfect accomodation again. I am the only guest in the whole B&B, I ve got the best room and my hosts are handling me as a family member.
I wake up early today, to catch the speed boat, leaving every day for Shark Alley. The boat itself was really impressive for me. It has a catamaran body, a stainless steel diving cage for people and 4X500HP Volvo penta. On calm waters it can do 70-80 kmh easily. On windy days like the one it was today they drive only 50kmh, jumping over or in the 1.5m waves.
Shark Alley is out on the sea 10-15km from the harbour. It is the passage, where sharks enter the bay hunting for seals. Cage diving with the Great White Sharks became very popular here since the mid 90s. The number of companies operating here, has been limited recently to protect somehow the sharks. They say, they do not feed the sharks in order to attract them to the boat.
Still I think the big tuna on the pic below is some kind of food, even for a shark....
Anyway after 30 mins the first sharks arrived.....
According to wiki:
The great white shark is mainly known for its size, with the largest individuals known to have approached or exceeded 6 m (20 ft) in length,[3] and 2,268 kg (5,000 lb) in weight. This shark reaches its maturity around 15 years of age and can have a life span of over 30 years.
The great white shark is arguably the world's largest known extant macropredatory fish, and is one of the primary predators ofmarine mammals. It is also known to prey upon a variety of other marine animals, including fish and seabirds. It is the only known surviving species of its genusCarcharodon, and is ranked first in having the most attacks on humans.
That was the time, when the first 6 of us could get into the cage. By the time more and more sharks came...
After 4 hours the wind grew stronger and some of the people including me got slightly sea sick, so we went back to harbour.
Of course, the village also has a cape, which also has a light tower: "Danger Point", which I visited after arriving back from the shark encounter.
Leaving Wilderness backpackers, the cheapest accomodation with the best view that far I had big plans for today.
The plan was to test my allergy for cat fur. Sounds weird, but I have allergy for normal domestic cat fur. In Oudtshoorn, there is a Natural Preserve, where day have not only domestic cats, but some other kinds as well. It is rather like a Zoo and its main attraction is that you can get really close to the animals.
I ve got the chance to play with an adult male cheetah. Cheetahs are the fastest mammals on earth, able to reach 120kmh for a short time. Their accelaration is even more impressive 0-80kmh in just 2 seconds. They are really like cats, but you have to be very carefull with them. You do not see on the photos, but there were 3 employes the park all the time close by to warranty my safety. Time to time accidents still happen... See the video:
My test was succesfull with the conclusion, that I have also allergy for cheetah fur...
Next destination today was the Swartberg Pass UNESCO World Heritage. The Swartberg pass was built between 1881 and 1888 by Thomas Bain.The dry-stone retaining walls are still in place and almost 120 years old. Having already 4000km s in my right leg it was not a difficult exercise to drive my Nissan Tida to the top.
Thereafter I still had quite a long stretch to drive till Gans Bai, where I am going to spend the whole next day. The village is famous about its cage diving tourism. See you tomorrow... Maybe I ll show you some Great White Sharks, if they do not eat me...
Along the coast to Wilderness i.e. the Garden Route
After the long drive yesterday I slept really long and enjoyed my luxury chalet just about 100m from the pier in a suburb -Summer Strand- of Port Elisabeth.
I had a really nice breakfast and started the day in Cape Recife national reserve. There is a light house built in 1851 and its light is visible from around 40km distance. Despite the light house in the storms of the past centuries, several ships sank around the bay and wreck diving is quite popular here.
Leaving Port Elisabeth and the cape I drove through several surfing villages like Jeffreys Bay which is one of the five most famous surfing destinations in the world and hosts the annual Billabong ProASP World Toursurfing event at Supertubes during July. "Supertubes", are wave, which break for about 300m or more and is regarded as the best part of the wave. By chance it was of season, so there was not much to see.
Driving on an hour I reached the Titsikama NP, which is famous about its coastal hiking trails and the Storm s river suspension bridges. The best hike supposed to be the Otter trail, which is around 40kms long crossing the whole park. Since I did not had that much time I just visited the suspension bridges and the bay around.
Not far from here, you have also the highest bungy jump of the country, with a breathtaking 216m height. It is nice to look at it, but I don t think I would ever try it.
You jump from the bridge of the main road and if everything is fine, after 216m s of free fall you can touch the water in the creek down in the valley.
For nice pics visit their website: http://www.faceadrenalin.com/
The next stop was Plattenberg Bay, which supposed to be one of the most expensive villages of the country. You can easily find villas to rent for 20000EUR a month. It is true, you have nice views on the ocean, but it is rather a prestige only, to live or to have a weekend house here. For some nice offer visit: http://www.sothebysrealty.co.za/property/plettenberg-bay
Looking at these villas you realise, how big it is the gap between the people in South Africa. Just 2km s further on the road, whole families live in huts of 6m2 and have 100 EUR for the whole month.
Next stop was Knysna a very touristic village next to a lagoon. They call this part of the country as the Lake District of South Africa. Several dozens of sweet and salt water lakes changing each other closed in a hilly landscape.
Arriving in Wilderness a picturesque village I found my cheapest accommodation that far. I will pay 11EUR s for a dorm bed in a backpackers hotel, having this view from the room.
I think it worth the money. The same applies for the restaurant I had my diner today. Calamari stripes, shrimps from the grill with sweet potatoes and cheesecake.
