The Mother City

The infamous Table Mountain
see all photos »

Twenty-two hours, five movies and six meals after leaving Athens we kissed the tarmac as we arrived in Cape Town. The beginning of South Africa as we knew it started here and the beginning of the end of our trip aswell. In three days time we will begin another overland tour taking us through four countries over a month.

Soon after leaving the confines of the airport and onto the motorway you are given an immediate slice of what this country is all about. Townships of corrugated iron and timber dot the Cape Flats leading into the beautiful suburbs and modern city nestled at the bottom of Table Mountain. South Africa is a country of contrasts and in Cape Town there is no more better example of it.

View form the top
see all photos »

We must say we were apprehensive at the safety of the major cities in South Africa. Everybody has heard the horror stories but preferring not to believe we ventured into the centre for dinner. We found a homely Mexican joint where the proprietor latched onto us because we were Kiwis. Him and his family are emigrating to Hamilton soon and not soon enough from the sounds of his voice. He happily told tales of drive-bys and hostage situations plaguing the city and making us feel right at home. Must say we were cagey heading home but all was well.

Its a tough life in Stellenbosch
see all photos »

Given we had only two days in Cape Town we made a decision to bar heading to Newlands to watch the 20/20 World Cup. New Zealand wasn't playing so in true Kiwi fashion we weren't interested. Instead we decided to hire ourselves a car for two days and take in the top attractions. First on the menu was Table Mountain. I threw Emma into the cable car heading up the 1km rock face that gives an amazing perspective on the surrounding area. The mountain itself is a photographic treat and up top the camera was going full tilt. A native to Table Mountain is the 'Rock Dassie'. A small gopher looking thing with a lions mane which is apparently the closest living relative to the elephant. Apparently the mountain is teeming with them, naturally we saw none.

Some friends at Boulders Beach
see all photos »

Next we scorched the Opel Corsa into the Winelands. Preferring out of the expensive guided tour we took to it ourselves. The drive through the estates reminded us of home and the weather was almost identical. As we lunched and tasted through the beautiful vineyards we sensed a world away from the shanties and rundown townships we passed through yesterday. That was until knock off time when all the black workers cram into pickup trucks, buses and cars and head back to the townships. The poor few with no rides hitchhike or jog down the motorways.

At the very south of Africa
see all photos »

We ended the day at Hermanus. What we thought was a short drive away turned out to be an epic cross mountain divide special which took us to the edge of dusk. Hermanus is famous for whales and the ability to see them from land. En route I was cussing the luck of our last wildlife adventure and claiming we would see no whales. Right on cue as we pulled into the carpark a pod of Sperm whales were in full flight putting on an amazing spectacle for the few hardy spectators on shore.

The next morning we took to the car again and headed around the Cape Peninsula. After some early morning navigational disagreements we embarked on visiting the Cape of Good Hope. Our original route was vetoed early by a road closure and turning around tragedy struck. Our hub cap flew off the tyre and skittled into the middle of a crop of village shacks. We debated the scenarios. Turn around and be robbed, gun-downed and lost forever. Or keep going and claim negligence. Instead we turned around and tracked down the hub cap. When we arrived back to the shacks we were shocked to see a couple of African kids standing there having just picked our hubcap up and posted it on a fence post. They then saw us, grabbed it and hurried over to our car to give it back. We felt guilty for doubting them.

The picturesque Bo Kaap District
see all photos »

The day took us through some beautiful towns and dazzling coastal scenery. We even managed to find a fish and chip shop to have lunch in. By mid afternoon we were both standing at the south western most point of Africa at the Cape of Good Hope. That evening we met the participants of our final overland truck safari tour. Twenty-two of them in all with a fair share of fruit loops. Us being the only Kiwis would have to wave the flag vigourously.

Morning one of our tour took in a Township Tour. Having only had fleeting glimpses the heart of these townshiups was intriguing. A city the size of Christchurch can live in land the size of Hagley Park. Its all divided neatly into shacks, one-bedroom apartments and the fortunate few who have well-paying respecting jobs and houses and refuse to leave. The atmosphere was electric and as we walked the kids would throw themselves over you to play and feel our hair and skin. To top it off we went to a traditional pub in one of the corrugated iron shacks. Here we were served up a broth of maize and water. Surprisingly it tasted OK but the proprietor wasn't too keen on me taking too big of a sip.

Some smily faces in the Townships
see all photos »

As we finished the tour we headed out of the magic Cape Town region into the vast expanses of Africa.

Photos to come