A Drive Across Southern Africa

The Baboons are attempting to break in
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Our flight to Cape Town was a little rough. There was some weather and we flew around and over that, but our pilot still believed he was in the military and we would all enjoy him making tight turns and rocking the plane back and forth. This was especially pronounce on the take off and landings. On take off we kept accelerating until we were at the end of the runway, then shot up in the air making the take-offs at Orange County seem routine. On landing we rocked left and right the entire way down, but had a surprisingly smooth landing. Unlike the ones in Australia where we tried to land a couple feet above the ground and just fell the last 4 or 5 feet. But I guess it was like getting a couple of free roller coaster rides at an amusement park with your plane ride. This free ride, caused Michelle's stomach to twist into knots and she was pretty sick the rest of the night.

Bill and Michelle in the mountains above False Bay
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Once in Cape Town we rented a car and tried to find a place to sleep for the night before heading out to the Garden Route the next morning. We circled around and tried a number of places before we ended up at the Cape Diamond Hotel. The room was nice and they provided parking which was nice because on every street there is someone their to help you park. Some of these people are paid by the goverment because they also function as parking meters. Others are just freelancers who expect a tip for running out in the street to tell you they have a parking spot and then watching your car while you are away.

The Baboons are rifling through the trash
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Our hotel said we could get our laundry done for $5 a bag, so we packed all of our clothes into one bag that was overflowing, then decided it would be easier in two so we dropped it off with the expectation that we could pick it up after breakfast the next morning. To make a long story short, they charge us for three bags because there was a weight limit per bag. Our laundry was also a couple hours late being returned, but at least we had clean clothes again.

We headed out along the coast to see the Garden Route, which is famous because of the wide variety of landscapes you find in such a short distance. We climbed up a pass out of Cape Town where we got some amazing views of False Bay all the way down to Cape Point. Unfortunately, at the lookout there was troupe of Baboons who were going around trying to intimidate tourists into providing them some free handouts.

Our accommodation with a view in Mossel Bay
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As we continued along the coast we passed through the edge of one of the largest wine regions in the world. We passed a number of vineyards and the region became dryer and the green fields turned into brown. Further down we started to climb back into the mountains and the area became more green again and started to be dotted with small lakes and rivers. And we finally arrived at Mossel Bay.

We found a lovely guesthouse where we got a room with an amazing view out over the water. Since Michelle had now recovered from not feeling well and was feeling famished from spending a long day in the car we headed out to find some pizza. Fortunately we were only a few blocks away and we were able to sit and relax,

The Point at Mossel Bay
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The next morning we got up and headed to the point, where we had some amazing views out over the Ocean. Here we walked along the tidal pools and climbed on the rocks, up to a cave that provided a great view down the coast. According to the signs we if it was during the whale season, they pass close enough to this point that you can seem them clearly from the point.

After spending the morning enjoying the sun and view we headed further down the coast. There were some points were were got views of the coast, but for the most part the road stayed well inland. So we decided to find a walking trail where we could take a hike and enjoy the views. We headed out to the Wilderness area, only to find that the road was closed (a common occurrence) and we could not make it to the park. So we just continued onto the large lagoon of Knysna where five rivers feed into a small protected bay.

Bill climbing to the top of the rocks
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Bill