An African Odyssey

For my final day in Cape Town had arranged a 3 hour spa treatment at the posh Table Bay Hotel at the Waterfront. Turned up with Suzanne, who’d also booked in for the same time but different treatments. Firstly I had my two hour Bali Spa Ritual which involved a massage, body scrub then yoghurt on top of that (smelly but nice!!), then a spa bath complete with orchids and petals followed by moisturiser… wow, it was amazing and skin felt really soft. Then my final hour was a pedicure which was very much needed and about 6 weeks overdue, as feet were really in a dire state. The poor woman didn’t complain about my manky feet (thought I might have to pay more for anyone to touch them with a barge pole) and did the most amazing pedicure so my feet actually came out clean and pretty!!!! Was sure that she’d swapped my feet for someone else’s as feet that nice couldn’t be attached to anyone who’d been camping for 10 weeks and completely neglecting feet!! Was just superb experience and will definitely go for longer treatments at home now as felt so relaxed that I almost floated home (well almost, I took a bus!).

Had my final dinner in Africa – a very tasty curry from next door to the hostel and then back to pack my bags. Threw out a lot of old clothes which will be donated to an orphanage and also all the unused drugs and prescriptions in my medical kit which gets redistributed to a centre for needy kids. Basically donated pretty much everything I had with me as stayed very healthy the whole way round other than a few snivels back in Uganda. The result was that everything fit in my backpack too easily (in fact only weighed 15kg!!) and had the sudden realization that could have bought a lot more souvenirs…. Oh well, there is only so many giraffes a girl can buy!

The following morning had a few hours to kill before my flight and had planned to head over to Camps Bay for brunch however our good run on the weather had run out and it was really foggy. Since enjoying the lovely sea views was the entire point of going to the Bays, decided to go into town to a place called Arnold’s that a Rikki’s driver had recommended. It was definitely the most fitting place for my final breakfast, indeed final meal in Africa. The fog had lifted in town so had a fab view of Table Mountain as I chomped on a full breakfast that included warthog ribs!!

Then it was to the airport, waiting at the gate, through to Jo’burg (hi Gabi!) for a few hours and then heading to Dubai, leaving the most amazing continent I’ve had the pleasure to visit.

Dah nah, dah nah, dah nah, dah nah, dah nah, dah nah, dah nah… (for musical philistines out there who don’t get my genius this is supposed to represent the Jaws music!).

Yes, I went cage diving with non-mechanical relatives of the silver screen superstar – up so close and personal that I could have given them a very good dental check up had I the skills. While I am not sure if the experience has cured my fear of sharks it certainly has given me a new appreciation for these sleek and majestic creatures.

Am not quite sure how I ended up agreeing to go diving with great whites, especially given my deep seated (and I think quite reasonable) fear of sharks. It was more a feel-the-fear-and-do-it-anyway spur of the moment decision. So there I was sitting in a minibus hurtling towards meeting the kings of the big blue, questioning my sanity and trying to squash feelings of dread. Thankfully there were three other brave souls from our truck to keep me company - Yak, Nerine and Karl – though they all seemed a little more composed than I did.

The bus ride was a good 2 hours away from Cape Town, heading along the start of the garden route towards Hermanus and then to our launch point at Kleinbaai Harbour. We had a safety briefing first where they informed us that yes, sharks are dangerous (really???) but that they hadn’t lost any passengers (even annoying ones) or limbs as yet and to completely reassure us they made us sign a lengthy and legally obtuse liability form – just in case. Suitably reassured we clambered aboard the 11m catamaran and headed out to sea. Disturbingly the boat ride was only 15minutes long to a point known as ‘shark alley’ and in sight of shore. The good news is that this spot is a regulated conservation area and geographically unique which is why it provides such a good location to view sharks. Interestingly the sharks don’t hang around this spot for long, usually only 4-5 days and then move on to other regions to terrorise fish and people. In fact it is common to see completely different sharks in the morning to the afternoon or even not at all. This was quite comforting as I had been a little concerned about the cage diving encouraging unnatural numbers of sharks to a populated area. Even my ideas about the feeding and chumming the water were turned around when it was explained that the amount of bait is regulated to 25kg per trip and they don’t actually want the sharks to eat any of it as then their natural curiosity is sated and they swim away. In fact the other smaller fish and seagulls probably get a better feed than any shark. The tour told us quite a lot of other really interesting facts about the great whites in a bid that education might start to reduce the general ‘jaws’ perception.

Despite having seen the shadows beneath circling beneath us and even a fin break the surface, in a grand show of bravado I leapt into my wetsuit and was going to go first into the cage… then my courage fled so I pushed Yak ahead of me as he is a criminal defense lawyer and felt it right that he greeted his kin first. So I was in second then followed by 3 others until we were squeezed in tight against the cage edges. The cage itself is open top and sits on the surface right next to the boat and occupants are no more than 1 metre below the surface. We only had masks on, not snorkels and/or scuba – no snorkels as the visibility was fairly poor so no point being down there for longer than you could hold your breath and no scuba as the great whites apparently don’t like the sound of the scuba (comforting knowledge for further dive expeditions) and also bubbles obscure vis even further. The shallowness surprised me but as the great whites are surface feeders that is where all the action happens.

So there we were suspended in a small steel cage in 15 degree Atlantic water waiting for the spotters above us to yell whereabouts of incoming sharks – highly technical things like “on your left, down, down, down!!”. Waiting for a large shadowy creature with a lot of teeth to appear through the murk. First time was so quick that only caught a glimpse of the tail. Second time I didn’t see anything but glad as the shark actually banged itself against the cage several times and this one was just a small one – only about 3 metres or so!! Strangely enough it wasn’t as scary as I’d anticipated in fact it was just really exciting to get the first glimpse of a shark cruise by the cage, so close that you could make eye contact and poke it. However we sensibly kept all our fingers and toes carefully inside the cage as the shark doesn’t register the cage or the people inside it (thinks it is all part of the boat) as long as it doesn’t get any gentle prods and become aware of the live bait inside!!

We got two turns in the cage, about 15 minutes apiece and second time was even better as knew what to expect and had a couple of really good close encounters. Came up both times exclaiming and grinning like an idiot. Back on the surface was still a spectacular sight and offered a completely different perspective as you could see their approach, agile maneuvering, thrashing the bait about and coming right up beside the boat. In the cage you had no reference point and literally couldn’t see anything until it was right in front of your face. During our few hours out there we saw 5 different sharks, ranging from the ‘baby’ at only 1.5m to the big ones at around 4m. Apparently it is really lucky to be able to view so many sharks and have them be there right from the start of the trip to the end.

Overall this was definitely one of the highlights of my trip, especially as I was expecting to be just hideously frightened by the entire experience. Instead it was simply incredible and none of us could stop raving about it for hours afterward. To top the day off we also spotted a whale in the water and then sat on the shore for a good half hour doing some land based whale watching as the lowering sun bathed the surrounding hills in a cosy glow. This time of year offers some of the best land based whale watching in the world as the whales come into to the bays. Then we returned to the lights and bustle of Cape Town in quiet contemplation of such a magical experience

Stellenbosch is only 70kms away from Cape Town so our last drive day was really only a drive hour or so.. The weather was decidedly average when we arrived and played ‘When it rains down in Africa’ as our very appropriate last truck song. We were staying in a hostel, called Aardvarks in Sea Point about 15 mins away from the central city but very close to the coastline. It was a public holiday (Heritage Day which no-one really knew about when we asked about – just a day off!) so nothing much was going to be open or happening. Went for a walk along the foreshore and ended up at the Waterfront area in Table Bay which is large, sprawling area with several very large shopping malls, lots of restaurants, a marina and a few hotels. The mall was open (and I had no money or credit card on me!!) and spent an hour or so goggling at the array of nice shops and things on display. Made it out the other side (quite an effort given the enormity of the mall) to stumble onto a free Heritage Day concert and listened to some music by a local band called the Finklesteins. Decided that it was too far to walk back and it was getting on dusk, so got a bus back to Sea Point and was very proud of myself for getting off at the exact right spot on the seafront and ending up on the doorstep of the hostel.

That night was the last official night of the trip, so we all went out for dinner at a place called Cantina Mexicana. Was a relatively quiet night for our group and said our goodbyes there and over a pint at the pub in the hostel (scarily the place actually had two bars!!). The group pretty much scattered from this night on, some staying at the hostel for a few extra nights, others moving to a different one closer in town getting ready to head off for further adventures in South Africa or beyond, either back home or to Asia, Australia or South America. Only two were staying on in Africa for an extended period, CJ to work and travel and Phil to head back to Jinja in Uganda to meet up with Tom the rafting guide!! Most of us will go back to Africa at some stage though as it is such an amazing and varied continent.

Next day undertook the arduous task of packaging up our larger items (for me, Malawi chairs and a large giraffe) to post home. What a mission, down to get some bubble wrap, raid supermarket for boxes to wrap in, wrap up everything, hope that it will all hold together and then cart it down to the post shop. Only good thing was all the said places were in very close proximity to the hostel but I would have struggled if it wasn’t for Jeremy’s help in wrapping and carrying!! I traded the carting of my parcel down the post office for his and Suzanne’s – a good 5kgs lighter than mine. That and arranging washing took up the better portion of my morning.

In the afternoon decided to go up Table mountain as it was a warm, cloudless blue sky day and the weather could apparently change quite quickly. Arranged to go up with Nerine and we caught a Rikki’s cab up the hill. Basically Rikki’s are small tuk-tuk style yellow taxis which were really good fun and lots cheaper than your traditional cab. We thought it was hilarious that we’d traded in the big yellow truck for a small yellow one! Up the mountain we saw the queue for the cable car curl for a long way around the corner, however we took one look up at the towering cliffs above us and joined it nonetheless. Moved quickly and soon we were in the cable car, a large gondola with over 60 people in it that rotates on the way up so that everyone gets a good view of Cape Town below and a sense of the sheer cliff faces along the way. Didn’t have high expectations of Table Mountain, really was just one of those tourist sites that you have to tick off the list when in Cape Town. So it really surprised me that it was fantastic – not just a small viewing platform to look out from but winding walkways to walk along and enjoy the views from every angle. Also we met some fun groups of people, two hilarious guys from the US and then a crazy lot of Chinese people who were there as part of the Homeless Soccer World Cup (South Africa is hosting this year). They not only got us on camera, we were also videoed as part of their documentary and I rescued a cap from the ‘star’ of their team when it blew just over the edge. After such adventures we stopped in for a drink at the café then down the cable car again. Quite a few people from our trip had walked up the hill earlier in the day – a good hour or two hike up steep face and all had burning sore legs. We just smiled.

That night Nerine and I headed out for dinner at Panama Jack’s, a famous seafood restaurant that had been recommended to me by some Australian tourists in Vic Falls. True to their word, it was out of the way in the actual working dock area of the port and nothing much to look at décor wise, however the food was superb and large portioned. Started off with some sashimi and then had the seafood platter which they had generously added on a lobster and a half that we hadn’t ordered. The bonus lobster was going spare and while we hated having to help like that, we did the best we could in demolishing it along with the other tasty treats of kinplin (or something like that) fish, prawns, mussels and melt-in-your mouth calamari. Washed it all down with a Goats-Do-Roam-in-Villages white wine. Was definitely the best meal of the entire trip. Rolled into the taxi and then back to the hostel bar, where had to put in brief appearance as several people were leaving us the next day including my tent buddy Phil.

Ahhh, felt like coming home when we entered into the wine country, passing vineyard after vineyard… and my palate tingled with the mere thought of all the fabulous wine to be drunk instead of the staple standard fare of beer.

We stopped in Stellenbosch, the second oldest town in South Africa with gorgeous old buildings and tree lined streets. Excitingly we also had free upgrades (courtesy of driver Jase) in dorms at a hostel called Stumble Inn. Unfortunately we arrived here on a Saturday midday so only had a few hours to explore the shops which were numerous and very cool. Also had the best coffee I’d had all trip at a funky deli – the smell was enough to pull me in! Then with the shops all closed for the afternoon, we had to settle for what we did best and go to the pub for a drink or two. Turned into a large and drunken evening with several pubs and clubs featuring on the agenda before heading back to the very aptly named Stumble Inn (apparently it has a reputation for being a hard core drinkers hostel, so what could we do???).

The next day was our full day Easy Rider wine tour… just what I felt like with large amounts of alcohol still coursing through my veins!! Straggled out of bed in time for the 10.00am departure and was unsure if I would be able to handle the prospect of more wine, yet alone taste anything when remarkably started to feel better and by the time we arrived at the first winery was back on form. The tour covered the entire scenic mountain region, taking in Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek and promised to give us the chance to savour a variety of styles and vintages. First stop was Seidelburg Wine Estate and we had some good pointers on wine tasting (fill glass, drink… oh and involve senses for those who wanted to do it the proper way). Then into the wines, my favourites here being the pinotage and the shiraz. The whites were not anything to write home about and not really comparable to NZ whites in my humble opinion. One of the group who couldn’t be described as a wine snob (or even enthusiast) came up with some brilliant taste descriptions, my favourite being that one tasted of a sweaty Arab sandal!!

Onto the next winery Fairview which is amazing and had the added bonus of having a cheesery as well, so got to taste loads and loads of yummy cheese and olives. Outside the winery entrance is a stone tower with a bunch of goats that climb the tower via the planks circling the exterior which was hilarious. Needless to say, some of Fairview’s most famous cheeses are goat’s cheese and they even have a range of wines under ‘Goats Do Roam’ label. We were only supposed to have 6 tastings here but if you went further along the counter to a different person it was possible to try quite a lot more. Of course being the wine connoisseurs we are, most of us quaffed 10 or more!! The reds which dominated the range were fabulous – if you ever see SMV, Sangiovese or Barbera wines on the shelf at home buy them!!

Then it was to lunch, which we’d already phoned ahead our orders and glass of wine (Chargrilled vege pasta and red wine for me) and then on to the next two wineries in the afternoon. I’m ashamed to say that while I remember the look of the wineries and the scenery in the afternoon, I can not for the life of me remember the names of the wineries (even checked the net and was not prompted by the hundreds listed!) or much of what I drank. Lost the tasting notes as well. But I can assure you that it was all very nice and mostly coloured red. And there was quite a nice bubbly somewhere in there as well. And a cake for Jason’s birthday. Afterward we somehow had dinner out, a few more quiet drinks and then actually an early-ish night for me as enough was enough!!

Had a lazy start to the day and headed from our bushcamp to Fish River Canyon, one of Africa’s natural wonders. It is the largest canyon in Africa, third largest in the world measuring 160 kilometres in length, 27 km at widest point and 550m deep. We hiked along the ridge, an easy 1km walk and were overwhelmed by the size of the gorge below us. Didn’t get a chance to hike into the canyon as we had missed the season by a few days and hiking was now prohibited due to high temperatures and risk of flooding. Given that it was very hot was quite pleased to have the restriction imposed!!

The mercury was still easily pushing 30 degrees when we arrived at our camp for the night, the fabulous Ai-Ais Hot Springs (translates as scalding hot!). We all groaned when we realized that there were really only hot springs and no cold pool available. Still threw on the bikini and headed in to the pools to sweat it out, then discovered the shallow kiddie’s pool offered some respite. In the evening, after our wine and cheese we could more enjoy the inviting indoor and outdoor pools and soak our bodies from the outside for a change.

Was nice to have a relaxing environment as the strains of having been on the road and living in each others pockets was beginning to take its toll on some within the group – apparently a very common occurrence in the last two weeks of this length trip.

From here we headed a few hours south and left my favourite country of Namibia. Was slightly nostalgic passing through our last land border crossing of the trip. Still can’t get my head around driving over an invisible line, getting a stamp in my passport and then being in a new country with the other one still in sight! Must be something about coming from a small island nation where leaving the country involves getting on a plane or boat.

We stopped at a camp near the border where across the flowing Orange River you could see the hills of Namibia!! Was uneventful day, mostly spent crowding under a mosquito net with beer in hand to try and avoid swallowing mouthfuls of the pesky little insects everywhere. Dipped my feet into the river but it was incredibly fast flowing and really quite muddy (coloured brown, not orange in my opinion) so skipped on the swimming option. Night finished with more alcohol and antics involving the infamous muumuu (leftover remnant from our fancy dress party).