End of nine weeks on truck!

Plans for the near future are:\r

5-21 December - hire a car and drive the West Coast toward the Cederberg Wilderness Area!\r

21-22 December - overnite train from Cape Town to Johannesburg (www.seat61.com). Backpackers in Pretoria or Holiday Inn at the Joburg Airport.\r

23 December - SA flight to Beira Mozambique with return to Joburg scheduled for 18 January\r

next may be Madagascar before flying to Paris to visit my sister\r

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27 November - Last day on truck....arrived in Cape Town around 11am! \r

We departed Stellenbosch at 9:30 but then got stuck in traffic due to an accident on the N1. An armored vehicle had turned over....or maybe it was a hijack for the money?\r

We arrived at the Lions Head Lodge before 11am and checked into our rooms; many folks had booked at other hotels so they were off in taxis. We are about half hour walk from downtown so walked and enjoyed being back in CT again. I stopped at a few hotels/guest houses to suss out other accommodation but many are booked or are too expensive. December is the busiest time of the year due to the holidays so may opt for a rental car and do a bit of driving. Visited the Green Market and District 6 Museum and around the Parliament Building which was closed then down to the Waterfront which just keeps getting more buildings each time that I visit, especially more hotels. We all met at 7 for drinks at the bar to say our goodbyes and some folks went to dinner at Africa Cafe but our reservation was at 9pm which is too late for me to be eating warthog etc.\r

My home for the next week:\r

http://www.lions-head-lodge.co.za/\r

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28 November - Another gorgeous day in South Africa.....and a walk to the waterfront for a mocha at the Mugg and Bean!\r

http://www.themugg.com/ (read the original story)\r

Afternoon matinee at the cinema to see the new Robert Redford film 'The Clearing'.\r

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29 November - A weekday again and time to do errands since all has been closed for the weekend.\r

I visited the train station and booked the train to JoBurg....the Blue Train was sitting at the station and I was really tempted to splurge but over $2000 US for a 25 hour trip was not worth it! Confirmed my rental car and then paid for my airline ticket at the South Africa Airways office for my trip to Beira Moz. Lunch at the Waterfront where I ran into Thomas and Amanda who were on their way to visit Robben Island...we do that on Wednesday. It is amazing that for a town this size, I keep running into people that I know from our truck journey!\r

The internet place is great as it is 24x7 so when I am up at first light, I can keep my self busy catching up with emails!\r

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30 November - Upgraded my room at the Lions Head Lodge to a self catering unit (from # 605 to #305) which also has a view of Table Mountain and Lions Head Mountain. Now I can microwave my macaroni and cheese dinners!!! Walk along the beach to the Waterfront. Stopped in at the Radisson where rooms are over 3000 rand per night and it is right on the water with gorgeous views. Perused the bookshops at the Waterfront looking for LP South Africa which was just issued November 2004 but has not made it here yet.\r

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First day of December and World Aids Day\r

Met folks for coffee this morning at the Mugg and Bean...started actually by Mr Mugg and Mr Bean in San Francisco! Their motto is 'Coffee Makes Civilized Life Possible in These Demanding Times' which was their motto over one hundred years ago. Then a tour of Robben Island, the prison where Nelson Mandela spent 27 years incarcerated, 18 of which were in a very tiny cell. An overcast day and the boat was close to half hour late in departing which means that our tour was that much less as you must return on the same boat three hours later. We definitely did not have enough time so was quite disappointed. We all wished that we had more time to spend in the individual cells which have audio recordings of the prisoners feelings and writings on the walls....and we were allowed less than three minutes to view the over fifty cells in that corridor!\r

http://www.robben-island.org.za/\r

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Everytime that you ask for something, instead of a thank you, they reply 'pleasure'!\r

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Rain showers in the evening!\r

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2 December - Overcast this morning but now the sun is shining so hoping for another sunny day...and it was so laid by the pool for a bit. \r

Taxis can be very expensive but a cheap alternative are matatus (at least that is what they are called in northern Africa) which are basically vans that drive by and yell where they are going so you stick your hand out for them to stop and pick you up (only about 3-4 rand per trip). Decided to head to Camp's Bay via the Clifton beaches and walk around the beach and shops there. Stopped at the Ritz Hotel on the way back which is near me here in Sea Point because at the top is a restaurant with a 360 degree view of the city....and also, the ladies loo has the same view...which I did not know until I visited!\r

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We did have one small tragedy in that Sally was getting money from the FNB ATM near the Pick and Pay supermarket (where there was also a guard) and just as she finished her transaction, some folks came up behind and grabbed her card and told her to reenter the pin number. This is a typical scam here where they pocket your card and put another card in the machine hoping that you will enter your pin and of course, it does not work. Sally refused to enter her pin but they ran off with her card anyway. She was able to telephone from the machine straightaway and cancel it. Another ploy is for men to watch ladies public toilets and when it looks like there is only one lady in there, they put up the cleaning sign to show that it is closed, go in and rob you and then make you strip so that you will not come running after them!\r

Fiona and Sally came by and we watched television but really not much on!\r

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3 December - \r

Most folks have left except for Fiona and Sally and Julian who fly out on Saturday to Joburg then Perth. Mike will fly later. Nigel and Jodie also fly on Saturday back to London and Thomas and Amanda fly back to Scotland tonite.\r

A very hot day in CT so decided to see the Manchurian Candidate which just opened here today....great remake of the film! I also walked to town to say goodbye to Julian and Mike this morning.\r

Had planned to have dinner with Hilde who is a DB2 specialist here but she was not feeling well so we had breakfast on Sunday!\r

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4 December - An overcast day that looked like rain but turned to sunshine!\r

Walked to Hilde's flat which is very near the Lion's Head Lodge and we chatted about folks that we knew in the DB2 world and she also provided great information on places to travel in the Western Cape and places to stay and visit. She dropped me off midday at the Waterfront where I perused the bookshops some more....I then realized that maybe I needed to get my Mozambique visa in advance and all the books and internet websites indicate that, so now another dilemna as to when I should drive or should I stay in CT another day to get it processed (or can you really get it at the border?)....oh well! The Lonely Planet postcard section does say that you can get visas at the airport...so I hope so! And Bob just wrote to say that I can get the visa at the airport in Beira...yea!\r

Spent the afternoon repacking stuff and doing some grocery shopping as I may not see the likes of Woolworths (the more upmarket supermarket), PickandPay, Shoprite or Spar!\r

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5 December - On the road again (with my Ford Ikon from Hertz with no CD player but it does have a cassette player and of course no one sells cassette music anymore) so maybe not much access to internet until I return to Cape Town on 20 December...Hilde said that I could stay at her house! Plans are to drive up R27 on West Coast then head inland and hopefully do some hiking in the Cederberg Wilderness Area.\r

Drove north via Table View with great views of Table Mt then to Paternoster where I stayed at Ahoy Guesthouse and spent time enjoying Cape Columbine and the park and the big granite rocks.\r

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6 December - Early start back to Langebaan to enjoy the West Coast National Park. \r

http://www.parks-sa.co.za/parks/west_coast/\r

The West Coast National Park was a real treat located on the Langebaan Lagoon with heaps of bird life that you can view from bird hides and also sighted the Southern Right Whale on the Atlantic Ocean side of the park. The Postberg area is closed and only open for the wildflowers in Aug/Sept as it is really private property owned by the 'Post Box Syndicate' but one of the rangers at the gate invited me for a drive in his 4wd and we viewed heaps of critters: eland, bontebok, springbok, kudu, blue wildebeest, gemsbok (oryx) and a very big Cape Cobra crawling across the road....just wonderful. And then I lucked out and got the Abrahamskraal house for the evening which is a bunkhouse with 10 beds (in two bedrooms) with gas fridge and stove for only 60 rand per eve! And no people and no electricity!\r

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7 December - A visit to Veldrif and then back to the Abrahamskraal for late lunch and a wonderful hike out to the 16 mile beach where in 1978 a Japanese oil tanker Pantelis a lemos ran aground and spilled heaps of oil and the tanker is still sitting on the beach!\r

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8 December - Had to leave my paradise with no people and no electricity and headed north to Elands Bay (via dirt road along the coast that is owned by the railroad and therefore had to pay a 15 rand toll) and Lamberts Bay (home of the Bird Island full of gannets) and then inland to the Cederberg Mts where I visited a Roobois tea farm. It is the school holiday season so hoping that I can find places to stay....hoped by avoiding the busy areas of Garden Route and Wine Country, I would be successful. \r

I did find a quiet place on the Kleinkliphuis farm run by Joan and Jack. It is a room with a kitchen but the water and toilet are outside around the corner. Had a bite to eat and spent a few hours exploring what is described in the book Beyond the Cederberg by Peter Slingsby and Ed Coombe (http://www.themaps.co.za/beyondcederberg.asp). \r

Up over the Pakhuis pass after a stop at Leipoldt grave and then on through the beautiful rock formations to Travellers Rest before I decided to turn back before it got too dark. I had considered driving to Calvinia which is further north but many have told me that it will be very hot and and had also considered driving to Wuppertal but others have told me that the road is very rough, meaning very corrugated.\r

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9 December - Up with the sun and the roosters before 5 then down the hill to Clanwilliam for some food shopping at the Spar that opened at 7:15, as this is a farming community. I was not sure where the road would take me today but decided to take the non sealed/gravel one out of Clanwilliam through the Cederberg Mountains with some stupendous views! Stopped at the Clanwilliam Dam first and then up/down the road past the farms of Rietvlei, Keurbox, Grootkloof (that also has the Tante Emma Laden se Shop). They all have accommodation but the one that really enticed me, even though it was only 10am in the morning, was Jamaka (www.jamaka.co.za House Number 4) where the sign indicated camping, cottages and a pool. So I drove down the dirt road and almost got stuck in the 'bull dust' so turned around and went to the farm down the road to enquire. I ended up getting a small cabin next to a big bougenvillia bush with gorgeous views of the big rocks. The 'pool' is really a swimming hole in the Rondegat River that Jannie has dammed in the summer because the river flow is so low (and then lets it flow in the winter during the wet). And it is a wonderful swimming place with sand on the bottom and big rocks that you can climb onto. The only drawback is that fifty kids and twenty adults are camping here but actually far away as this is a big property. And they have let me use their computer/internet in their home as they are having a braai with friends. I do not want to stay on too long as I need to find my way down the road in the light before it gets too dark....long days here where the sun is up before 5 and sets about 8.\r

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10 December - Early start for the campsite at Algeria which is really in a beautiful setting and then on to Dwarvsrivier and Sanddrif. Stayed at a cottage at the Sanddrif Holiday Resort which is really a campsite with cottages because I wanted to do some early morning hiking (too hot to hike during the heat of the day).\r

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11 December - Up before 4 for drive at 4:30 for six km down the dirt road for the climb up to Maltese Cross rock formation...sure glad that I did it early as this was one of the hottest days here (over 40). Also met some of the boy scouts as I was descending....there are over 600 here on some kind of training mission...probably for badges of some sort! Then a very long drive down a very desolate road where I saw only one car for 50 km! But the Cederberg is beautiful. I did stop at the Cederberg Oasis which is a backpackers stop and chatted with the owner and also at Mount Ceder which is very up market accommodation (and they were full). Arrived in Ceres (known for its fruit growing) and found that there are several weddings in town plus it is a Saturday so did initially have trouble finding a place to stay...ended up at the Belmont Hotel in town with a discounted walkin rate. So I enjoyed having a pool and aircon and ice cubes and a television(amenities that I have not seen for several days in addition to the fact that now I am driving again on sealed roads)!\r

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12 December - The room included breakfast which was not served until 7:30 so spent time trying to finish my book Into Africa about Stanley finding Livingstone (very good read). I had just been thinking how nice it would be to have eggs and bacon and not just cereal for a change and there it was on the buffet. Headed for Tulbagh known for its Cape Dutch architecture and also looked at accommodation along the way. Have found a great cottage overlooking the mountains and valley at the Die Ster/Isle of Sky Farms owned by Andrew Moffat who quit the corporate world of Cape Town to pick peaches and loves it. Soon after I wrote this entry, the power was off for the rest of Sunday afternoon (about four hours) but I guess that is common around here on a Sunday.\r

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13 December - Would love to head for the coast where it is cooler but everyone else is there!\r

Instead I headed through more wine country for the famous village of Montagu. Unfortunately there was a cannery workers strike on the road in Ashton (only 9 km from Montagu) so I had to drive 50 kms around via Bonnievale to ensure that the windscreen on my car did not get broken by the angry workers who want a 5% raise and not a 3% raise. \r

Hilde had recommended staying at Mont Eco Nature Reserve (www.monteco-nature-reserve.com) but it is a 35 km drive down a dirt road and I did not have any reservations but took the chance anyway and arrived around 3 in the afternoon to meet Tom and Alison (Frik was working in Cape Town) and they had the Batis cottage available for the next two nights and then they are fully booked so I was quite a happy camper! A very peaceful setting with no one around except the critters on the 6400 hectare reserve. Hiked the Fossil Ridge trail to the Riverside campsite in the evening.\r

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14 December – and then up early for a 6am departure to hike the Fossil Ridge Trail, the Botterboomkloof Trail (where they have marked and identified fifty plants), and the Outspan Trail back to the Main House before it got to hot (over three hours). And I was luck as the morning was overcast. I visited with Alison then back to have a toasted sandwich and finish Into Africa by Martin Dugard.\r

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15 December – Unfortunately, I had to leave Mont Eco so decided to head to McGregor (again via Ashton where they were still striking but more orderly as they let us drive through town where there were many policeman). McGregor is a very small village of the artsy-fartsy type and also some very strange folks. I did enquire about accommodation at the Temenos Retreat but the cottages were too expensive and it was a very religious environment. I decided to drive out to Whipstock Farm where there just happened to be a self catering cottage in which I was the inaugural visitor as the owners have usually just let friends stay there….so for 120 rand, I was their first paying customer (and no electricity again which made for a beautiful starry sky).\r

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16 December - Day of Reconciliation (formerly Day of the Covenant) holiday in South Africa but not many people seem to know what holiday....just that they have the day off!\r

The holiday relates to the Battle at Blood River:\r

http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/chronology/thisday/1838-12-16.htm\r

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Returned to Tulbagh via the Brandvlei Dam and Rawsonville where there is the Goudini Spa (very very crowded with all the holiday goers and their rondavels are mostly in the sun so not a great place to stay). Heaps of traffic going the opposite direction as everyone is leaving Cape Town and heading to the beaches. Arrived back at the Isle of Sky Farm where Andrew was busy picking peaches (he also has apples and pears and grapes). He hopes to have his website ready soon (www.isleofskyfarms.com). Enjoyed the cottage for the afternoon reading Sahara by Michael Palin (www.palinstravels.com) and the newpaper Cape Times after cooking some hake fish and rice and salad for late lunch/early supper. The yard is full of fallen apricots from the tree outside the door.\r

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17 December - A quick visit to Ceres to do internet update, fill car with petrol, do some grocery shopping at Spar. I will do more internet this afternoon at the farm on which I am now staying called Die Ster/Isle of Sky farms with wonderful views of the mountains and valley of Tulbagh. Andrew has four dogs that really like to keep me company....one is a Scotty that reminds me of Linda and Mark's at the Alaska Capital Inn.\r

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18 December - Another early gorgeous sunrise and time to start repacking of stuff. My Ford Ikon hire car is a mess as I have been driving on many dirt/gravel roads and the door seal was broken, so there is more dust in the car than on the road....plus the outside of a royal blue car really does show the dirt!\r

Hopefully time for a swim in the pond \r

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19 December - This cottage sits at the back of the Tulbagh valley next to the mountains/cliffs so the sunrise/sunset colours on the rocks have been stupendous! Plus the sounds of the birds and the baboons howling up in the canyons are great...sometimes the baboons are running from the leopard that also lives up there. This cottage has been good fun because the birds want to fly in through the open windows and then they cannot figure out how to get out....also found a large lizard in the fireplace this morning...I initially thought that it was a snake as there are heaps of them around here, especially cobras.\r

Departed at 8am down the R44/R45 through Paarl and stopped at the Picardie Guest Farm where I had stayed ten years ago before getting on the N1 motorway...what a culture shock as I have stuck to all the back roads (mostly dirt/gravel/dust ones) for the past two weeks. Now in busy Cape Town! I will stay with Hilde Lippens (a woman that does DB2 work here and also worked for IBM in the past) for the next two nights before boarding the train on Tuesday morning for Johannesburg. We had a great chat and looked at her photos while having a salad for lunch and a great chicken veggie stirfry for supper.\r

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20 December - Up early to use Hilde's internet as it is cheaper on weekends and before 7am...still trying to book flights for the remainder of my journey. I cannot determine whether advance or lastminute purchase is better! \r

Elizabeth, the cleaning lady arrived at 9 so off to the V&A Waterfront to shop for stuff for Bob in Moz! Very hot day in Cape Town!\r

Joined Hilde to watch 7deLaan Afrikaans soapie with English subtitles at 6:30 before Sushi for dinner at Minato....delicious and very large slices of raw fish!\r

http://www.litnet.co.za/murray/murray02.asp