Apr 12 - Best winter away ever (per Ted...)

 Ted has declared this was the best trip we have ever taken over the winter in his opinion. I wasn’t quite so strong because I think we have had many wonderful trips, but this was good for being a new continent.

  South Africa is the most beautiful country geographically and very interesting culturally. We visited so many lovely places and found them not overrun with tourists. In fact, in the whole 2+months we did not meet another Canadian! That was weird. Some Americans, not a lot, but many many German and Dutch visitors.

  Many South Africans have retained homes there but virtually live elsewhere. They would love to sell and get their asset out but it’s not possible. Young white people are having difficulty getting jobs, as 80% must now be filled by non-whites, so opportunities for recent grads are drying up. But isn’t that true a lot of places now.

  We were not prepared for the sheer magnitude of the black township problems and terrible abject poverty there. It is only 30 years since apartheid tore the country apart and it will not recover from that for a long time to come.

  First really free elections will take place in May this year and it will be interesting to see the results. They have had a very corrupt regime recently and people are rebelling against that big time. We experienced some rioting/burning nearby. But people living there are hopeful for their future and their kids’ futures too.

  Inflation has run at 8.5% for the last 4 years so it is squeezing a lot of people. Tourism, once a huge part of their economy is down 40% but accommodation prices are pretty high. We tried to aim for $100 a night accommodation but rarely achieved it. Having said that, value for money was high, the owners of the places we stayed mostly gave 110% to make their guests happy and comfortable. Everyone wants you to get on Trip Advisor and give them full marks. 

  Once over the long journey there and jet lag, we had a wonderful time. 

April 11 - Home in a blizzard!

Calgary airport has really improved handling incoming international visitors. It’s an automated customs declaration and passport reading system. Ted insists on listing we are bringing in fruit. Some of our snacking dried fruit. They don’t care. 

  By the time we reach baggage, our bags are there. Dear friend Mark is almost there to meet us in a drizzle sleet. Once en route, it turns into honest to goodness big snow flakes and continues throughout the night.

  Ted made a quick foray out for break and milk and must have found something to eat I guess. I took a long bath, fell into bed and slept for 12 hours. Not so lucky for the next week, my brain kept on in its Cape Town timing mode.

April 11 Home - via Frankfurt - less than stellar experience

A lovely sunny day is dawning in Frankfurt but although we have 12 hours to kill, we are not inclined to go Ito Frankfurt to meet up with Canmore friend Christa staying in her home town then. It’s a massive airport, very confusing. We walked about 2km from one end of the airport to the other and a train ride into the bargain. 

  I have to say the food on Lufthansa was pretty awful but they sent us off with a Mars bar each, yeah!

  We returned to Cloud Hotel (going from Area A to Z to get there. We had a 10% discount from last time so settled into a nice comfy room for a shower and sleep. Ted had not slept on the plane but only rested for an hour before he went off on walkabout again!

  I’d made smoked salmon sandwiches before we left CapeTown. We had bought sandwiches in Frankfurt on the outbound trip and they were awful!.  We ate the sandwiches and I bought a nice mango yogurt, and that sustained us for the duration.

  The last leg - Air Canada Dreamliner direct Frankfurt over the pole to Calgary (only about 8 hours) was pretty comfortable.

  It was a full plane, calling standby passengers, and insisting you check everything except ONE onboard bag. Again very organized boarding from Frankfurt and Air Canada staff. On board, what a difference, nice friendly atttentive staff, our lovely Dreamliner plane (doncha love that window in the bathroom to see what’s going on outside!) And we are allowed to use our bathroom! Nevertheless my bladder feels the pressure from too much sitting and not enough water and walks to bathrooms, and it takes it a few days to settle down from that.

  Then we sit on the tarmac for over an hour. Huge winds have closed a runway and we wait for a slot at this really busy airport.

  I watch the movie “Girl in the Spiders Web.” I had just read the book. The movie is much different and I do lots of fast forwarding through blood-and-guts stuff. 

 There is also a wonderful documentary on the Okavango Delta, a popular wildlife area in Botswana, to watch.

  Bad news, we have an inveterate loud talker behind us and he talks the whole flight to some poor woman sitting beside him. Even with headphones or earplugs I could hear him droning on. Many beers later, we were on the approach for landing and he asked for another one - refused fortunately! 

April 10 The Longest Day

Fortunately, we have an easy start to this return trip as we have late checkout til 2pm and don’t fl til 5:30pm. 

  It’s sunny and cloudy and 19 in Cape Town but only going to be from 5-16 in Frankfurt, but clear and sunny. 

  Leaving at 1:30pm it’s an easy drive to the airport, 3 attempts at finding the right on-ramp to drop the Hertz rental car, and get help to get our bags to checkout with a cheery helpful porter.

  We’re flying Premium Economy which gives us priority check-in - 2 bags (we only have 3) - no lineup - and roomier seats in the 4 rows at the front of Economy which are quite good for sleeping.

  Unfortunately the German stewardesses guard the entrance to the hallway in front of us (first class only!!) and we are not allowed to use the washroom there! Also they have swapped out the Dreamliner for another plane which is in my opinion not so comfortable. I guess the walk to the back of the plane is good exercise and I’ve never seen so many washrooms in one hallway on another plane - maybe 7, so very few lineups, which is good.

  With plenty of time to spare, I wander around the duty fee area. The ostrich purses look nice but are incredibly expensive considering you see ostrich farms with masses of the beasts in fields all over the place. I do find a few nice souvenirs.

 It’s a 12 hour flight and the German Lufthansa staff and Cape Town airport staff are incredibly efficient at loading the plane. WE are airborne on time and I manage about 5 hours sleep, along with watching a couple of movies and reading to pass the half day.

  The more than efficient German staff wake us at 3:30pm when I am just into a deep sleep. They have prepared hot breakfast and muesli, which I eat because I don’t want to fly on an empty stomach. And we pull into Frankfurt right on time at 5:15 am.

  

Apr 9 Reunion!

 It’s sunny with clouds, cool an big winds today At 10am I empty the fridge of most of what’s left and we drive up the north shore with great views back of Table Mountain, to a huge beat and affluent suburbia. We get a bit lost trying to find the Secret Garden Guest House but are charmed when we find it is an interesting multi tier B&B with fascinating small gardens linked with pathways hidden in this nice suburban development. 

  Our good old friends Dave & Sylvia French’s lovely daughter Helen has come for a wedding with her husband Andy and 7 year old daughter Annelise. Their best man from Norwich  is getting married in his original home here in Cape Town and by chance, his parents run this guesat house. So 11 people have come over together for the wedding and are enjoying their home from home north of the big city.

  We take off for the day to the lively and fascinating V&A waterfront area and introduce them to some of our favourite places there. We stop off for an outdoor lunch but it is cold in the wind and shade, and we don’t linger. We take the little water ferry to and from the waterfront, which leaves conveniently from outside our apartment. 

  It’s great they have a kitchen to look after themselves beasue we have far too much food left over and happily donate it to them a we leave.

  Back to town e are fortunately going the opposite way tot he rush hour traffic.

  Something I ate today did’t agree with me. After it all came back out, I skipped supper, ate some yogurt drank lots of water and hope the pills will see me through the 34+ hour trip home tomorrow! Poor Ted snacked on fridge remains - not so bad really ham/melon, cheese, franks and champagne!With a somewhat uneasy truce in my gut, I had a good night’s sleep ready for the mammoth flights next day.

Apr 8 Filling in the gaps

With only 2 days left here, we are filling in gaps of what we have missed. We had not driven around the GreenPoint or down the west coast of Cape Town’s suburbs so its off on another cloudy/sunny 26 degree day.

  Trying to get ahead of jet lag, I get up at 7 and we are off by 10, early enough for us. WE enjoy a drive around the beautiful west coast of the peninsula below Cape Town, with massive expensive houses set up on the hills, down through Llandudno, where you can’t get anywhere near the shore for barbed wire and electrical fences and high protective walls around waterfront estate homes. WE drive past lonely beaches and rocky shores back to Hout Bay, where we buy fresh scallops on the shell - 10 for $5!

  We return to our lovely deck in the sun and I cook up seafood pasta, after which Ted goes off for a last walk around the area, Ok during the day, and I catch up with my blog. 

Apr 7 - Running down the schedule

 It’s forecast cloud then sun and 26 today so we are off to visit the historic Castle in the centre of Cape Town. A nice half hour stroll down through deserted business streets, past the busy railway station, we join a small group for a tour of the interesting but rather basic castle and learn about its significance in defending the city and also its use in WWI and WWII.

  then we wander through colorful African market at Greenmarket Square where I bargain for some small souvenirs with the small amount of cash we have on us at the time.

  By strange coincidence, we meet up with Nicole and her mother Natasha, the Germans we met on our BoKaap tour. They head home to Frankfurt Thursday too.

  Later that day we return to Waterfront for Ted’s local craft beer, a dozen Knysna oysters and a glass of bubbly for me. A group of nice German students join us at our table and by sheer chance they have been volunteering with the same group as Nicole! Small world.

  We finally take the little red boat which tours the canal area here to and from Waterfront, a rest for my weary feet and a view of some of the fancy apartments by the marina here.

  There is a huge Stellenbosch wine festival at the waterfront today, $15 gets you 20 tastings, live entertainment and probably some food too. We are definitely past that stage now.

Apr 6 Sunday at famed Vergelegen Estate

We have read and heard about the famed Vergelegen (unpronounceable in Afrikans!) and as it looks like a sunny warm day, we have booked to enjoy their picnic under the ancient camphor trees. (I tried to book for yesterday but 24 hours notice is required.)

  It’s supposed to be a 40 minute drive but it take us over an hour. We pass dreadful living conditions around and past the airport and people sit and stand around road and street corners seemingly for no reason at all. It’s huge dislocate from the life in other parts of the city and the lifestyle we enjoy.

  Somerset West is a nice outshoot from CApe Town with many lovely homes but we zigzag through town and finally come to a vast  estate where we pay to enter and park. Only $1 but keeps the other half out I guess.

  The gardens are absolutely lovely  and still in full bloom. Sitting at the tasting room, overlooking the herb garden is a treat. With perky Delano’s help, we try a tasting of 2 whites, 2 reds ($6) and then get to try the top of the line SB with a shot of Semillion in it. My opinion, the best.

  We wander through the rose garden to the shady spot where they have set up our table apart from any others. It is all very well thought out and a friendly waitress brings our picnic tray loaded with enough food for at least 4. You cannot order one between 2 because of the seating arrangement requirements. But you can take home what you don’t eat. Which in this environment with so many hungry people is a must. 

  The spread is huge: smoked salmon, pork and duck liver pates with chutney and pickles, slaw, Greek salad, teriyaki chicken, 3 cheeses with grapes and home made crackers, panna cotta dessert, 2 loaves of home made bread with truffle butter, bottle of their special reserve Sauvignon Blanc - all for $43 - fasting today! Maybe tomorrow too!

  Afterwards we wander some more through the lovely estate, which also houses a herd of special breed cattle just to preserve the genes. Huge old trees with enormous roots spread long and wide and walking through a bamboo forest, you would not believe you were here. We return to the tasting room for a shot of their dessert wine but it’s high in acid and too lacking in body to impress.

  It’s an easy drive through downtown on a Sunday and at 8pm we enjoy some leftover salad, pate and cheese. 

  On TV we catch a frivolous and fun “Mama Mia - here we go again” then a new series of Grantchester. Too tired to read, I hit the bed at 10:30 and alcohol takes over.

  

  

  

Apr 5 To Cape Point - or not...

  It’s sunny and 20 again so we head off south to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope. We return via Constantia then head west on a gorgeous coastal drive with long beaches and big surf for the adventurous kite surfers.

  We stop in at pretty community of Kommetjie then drive to the Cape Point National Park. Its gonna set non-nationals back $30 a pop and there’s a big lineup to just drive into the park 13k before the Point. We demur and decide to return and enjoy the coastal drive again. The bottom of the African world can wait.

  Back to the farm resort above Kommetjie, we find the Blue Water Cafe overlooking a lovely agricultural area (penned horses and ostriches) out to the ocean. We sit at wood picnic tables and enjoy beers and hake/prawns (me) and soup. Even tho I specify “nothing spicy” the lovely prawns come coated in a sweet chili sauce! Our waiter quickly replaces them with delicious big butter sautéed prawns and brings me a box to take the others home for Ted to enjoy later. Thoughtful. 

  After returning home, we take a long walk to a special African Art store down infamous Long Street. I find some nice souvenirs but we have an uneasy walk home though beggars, druggies and hard drinkers on this early Friday evening.

  Back home we enjoy salad, Ted to savor the spicy prawns and me to add prosciutto. We are still enjoying the chocolate pate/pecan pie and have finally drunk the late harvest wine we bought on our first Paarl visit and have carried everywhere since.

Apr 5 Constantia Wineries

  Our first rainy day starts cool and wet. But finally makes sun and 19 degrees.

  One area we have not yet visited is only an hour or so from the centre of Cape Town so its off south to this beautiful valley under the rocky extension of Table Mountain.

  Groot Constance is a beautiful 350 year old estate best seen not in the rain I’m sure. But we enjoy a brief tasting of some nice wines then late lunch of fish cakes and salad in their small cafe. 

  We take the $10 tour and tasting and they throw in the Spiegelau glass. Cheaper than washing them I guess. We meet some nice people also filling in time on a rainy day. You can take the tourist get on/get off bus there so it’s quite popular.

  We then visit Klein Constantia which is small and much classier and enjoy a tasting there in a very modern glass and steel tasting room. $10 for 5 tastes is enough. We get to try the Vin de Constance but at $109 a bottle, even if Napoleon ordered them by the case in exile, we pass on buying. In fact, it’s a special late harvest but no match for some of our BC wines. Or German for that matter.

  Back home, we have a quiet evening, cooking up the fish, nice veggies and pie again.

Apr 3 An anniversary...

  We reach Liz & Clive on Facebook to wish them happy anniversary  with our pink champagne here. We also have a half hour chat with Ali & Rob in Ronda, Spain. Isn’t the world a small place now?

  Today is asking day. We join a free walking tour of the historic colorful moslem quarter of Cape Town in BoKaap with guide Milo. Only two other Germans join us. We spend 1.5 hours learning about the historical importance of this region in the promotion of community efforts and Afrikans language. 

  We stop for lunch at a 30-year-old local resto to try the typical Cape food, bobotie, like Greek moussaka with different spices! We also stop into the well established spice shop for the spice mix to use when I try making this at home. 

  It’s not hard to all from a touristy area to a seedier end of town and we entrance our steps back to the neighborhoods we know. 

  Back home, we finish the bubbly and smoked trout with my own gaucamole and hake in lemon butter sauce.

  We are suffering from Brexit overload on the news channels here. They really concentrate on British news. And CNN of course only knows news in the US and the yellow idiot’s latest cockamamie ideas.

Table Mountain at last

 We have decided its a beautiful day to visit Table Mountain. I see rows of cars glinting in the sunlight up there. Maybe not such a good idea. 

  When we approach about a mile down the road, we’re told there is no parking higher up. Not hard to make a decision not to take the funicular up there. But we do take the road along the mountaintop to its end, before a huge gully stops the road - and we have splendid views of the city from all angles, over False Bay down the Cape Peninsula, Robben Island and the beaches.

  We take off for the scenic drive down the west side of the peninsula to Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope. We stop at Hout Bay and abandon lunch plans when we find the hake is frozen - and  we get a snotty response when we don’t order the most expensive fish on the menu. However, we do find the fresh fish market on the pretty and colorful fishing pier and buy lovely hake, which is boned and skinned for us on the spot. Also a bag of mussels. 

  Further south we find a nice deli and enjoy quiche, salads, buy a pear/almond pie from the great bakery.

 Back at 5, we enjoy our deck and read followed by smoked trout and champagne. Then mussels and CB and pie and ice cream. This resto is not so bad.

  Don & Kathy are heading home from California today, and missing us at the La Quinta hotel in Vegas. Poor them!

April 1 No fooling

 We came back so quickly we forgot to stop at a grocery store and get milk so no cereal this morning. Bread, cheese and jam is not so bad either. 

  Westjet put on a very funny spoof today but I missed it at first! About a jazz festival at 35,000 feet...no other foolishness.

  Now we have a car, it’s easy to drive to the waterfront free underground parking for the big PicknPay grocery store where we do a big shopping to last us the whole time we are here. I plan to cook in more often this time now we are settled til we go home.

  It’s nice to have lunch on our deck, prosciutto and melon, cheeses, olives and bread. Real peasant food that always pleases.

  AFter we enjoy our 25 minute walk to the Watershed, a collection of beautiful  and unusual stores and crafts where I buy some nice souvenirs and some interesting paper mache jewelry from Swaziland. 

  That evening I cook baby hake which has far too many bones but tastes good. I cook pasta, nice veggies and we eat the taste tatin with ice cream. All good.

  Helen French (now Code) is coming to Cape Town this week with husband Andy and daughter Annelise so we link up with them and make a date for next week. That will be so neat to see them here  instead of in England! So special to stay linked to Dave and Sylvia French’s daughter.

  I have finally found some programs on TV that we can watch. They are BBC shows or movies that we get through PBS in Calgary. But ahead of us as we have to wait for them to his US before we get them in Calgary via Seattle!

March 31 - out like a lamb?

 Sun cloud and 27. It’s like a winding record. But great. Although e read Calgary is finally warming up and our morning temps here are something like Calgary’s high for the day - 13.

  We  resist a large breakfast as we are booked to return to the fabulous Lanzerac Manor House restaurant for their weekly Sunday lunch today. I finally wear the one dress I brought with me!

  We say a sad goodbye to Shantall who has done our washing and sent us off with hugs and clean clothes too! We feel like one of the family here. And she has become our good friend in a very short space of time. We will not forget her warm and friendly care here.

  First we return to Fairview to buy about 9 of their wonderful cheeses, great bread and apple galette.

  We arrive at Lanzerac by 12:45 to enjoy a walk in the garden before our reservation at 1pm. Sadly the dining room is very empty. I wonder when they are full? We get the same attentive waitress and are amazed at the presentation of every plate here. I have a glass of their MCC (bubbly like champagne) then Shiraz. Ted has the CB. WE savor lamb stuffed mushrooms with sunroom dust! butternut squash soup, pork belly (Ted) and lamb (me), Creme Brûlée and Tiramisu. We finally stagger up a 3:30pm.

  It’s an easy one hour drive back up to Cape Town although we miss the quick turn into our area the first time and have a 2km drive to make a second run at it.

  It’s great to return to hour Home from Home, and we have a lovely executive serviced apartment on the 5th floor over the canal. I am not hungry but Ted tackles some cheese and bread later and a Kanonkop Rose. I had tea! I finish my book and download another from Calgary Library, the 4th on this trip. I still want to read Michener’s The Covenant about South Africa but I’m still not he waitlist.

March 30 return to beautiful Franschoek

  This is the area settled by the French and winemakers. Very upmarket now, many beautiful estates and simply splendid scenery over every hill and Mountain View.

  Its the end of the month and we need $$$ but there are long lineups at the banks so we put it off til later. Don’t want to run out of cash. Ted prefers to use big banks and not ATMs, too many negative stories about them.

  First we visit Lamotte, whose wines we have been drinking in restaurants. Gorgeous views, gardens, pond, bridge. Lovely tasting with Alex and buy $30 SB (artist rendering) Then slightly south to Grande Provence, another expensive spread with huge cultures and interesting art work. The $49 lunch is just too much to handle. 

  So its back north to Lust bistro/bakery in a nice outdoor cafe where we share a ploughmans lunch  and smoked haddock/kingfish fishcakes with half a loaf. I order the chocolate/pecan pie with rasps, it is divine but we can’t finish more than a quarter. We enjoy this in small slices for at least a week afterwards. The whole lunch with 2 SBs is $37. Value for food and wine here is amazing.

  Later we visit the tasting room, with fantastic views of the mountains. People go there and stay the afternoon just tasting! There are small plates to go with too. And a first class resto as well.

  We return to our peaceful garden to enjoy beer, wine and cheese on the patio. Even the neighbor’s cute cat thinks we are residents now!

March 29 Reunion!

We get sun and cloud again and at 28 its still stinking hot during the day. Ted’s pal Bob’s friend Nigel in SA has recommended some wineries to visit and reckons KWV (once Paarl) has the best tour and tasting. But we is it by half an hour and find Ted is not that interested in the list of tastes either.

  Despite GPS, I find the wrong road to the next winery via Franschoek the opposite direction. But it’s only a 3/4 hour drive back to small and classy Kanonkop, where you can smell the firsts press in the barn! Esbeth leads us through 6 lovely wines and knocks off the $7 tasting fee when we buy their Rose.

  WE make a short stop at Warwick for a glass of the Bordeaux type white (Professor Black) Ted rates their $38 Cab Franc as exceptional. It’s another resort destination with picnics by the lake.

  We must head home to finish the salad for lunch as we are expecting Don & Jill, our good friends from Knysna, who are staying the night in Paarl to have dinner together. 

   They join us by the pool and we are delighted to learn their 3 month abstention from alcohol is up that evening. We pull out the Kanonkop Rose, and olives for nibbles before we head out. We are thrilled to be able to share all the wonderful moment in this trip, largely because of their advice to us before we left Canada and here in SA.

  We return to Terre Mare which was really busy when last there. It is Friday night now and practically deserted. Too bad for them, nice for us. Great food and service and of course, the best of company over dinner. Very rich mussel and lobster soups and lamb chops to share, and a great Glen Carol Shiraz. They drop us home at 10 and head to their BnB for an early start back to Knysna next morning.

March 27 Gorgeous 300 year old Boschendahl Estate

There is a two page spread in our guide book about this estate and the manor house there so we make it our destination for the day. 

  But its a damping day and e take advantage of the shuttle between one end of the estate and the other. White hairs do have advantages.

  There are lovely restos, picnic sites under the trees. We forego the tasting to enjoy glasses of Sauvignon and Chenin Blancs over the beautiful herb garden, accompanied by a nibble board of prosciutto, carrot humus, seed crackers and picked figs and onions. We buy the CB for $13.

  The rose garden is still beautiful as are the major house furnishings. Lunches are $50+ and picnics for 2 are $57. You need to be really hungry to take on these lunches.

  Later we decide we can do another winery so off to Spier, another multi-facet destination. Restos, gardens, artwork, musical interactive stones, a craft market. NO tasting here but we buy their special CB for $20 to taste later as Ted knows it is on the best 10 list.

  That evening we get more clothes on to return to the lovely Under Oaks Farm for pizza and beer. It’s too cool to eat outdoors and the resto is packed solid this night. Home at 8:30 we read and are in bed early again Must be the alcohol level.

First shakedown...well an attempt..

We visit Wellington to search out Trish’s niece who runs a sort of health cafe there. We have our first and only bad experience in what appears to be a very nice little town of retirees! I pull into the kerb outside a line of shops and find a crowd of guys outside the window and one in particular gesticulating as if we have a flat tire. Yeah, right! I keep punching buttons on my phone, trying to find the address I am looking for. He keeps up the pointing and I make sure the doors are all locked and tell Ted to drive away. 

  We pull in a bit further on only to find the guy has jumped into his car and is following us! He is still pointing away. 

  We drive off again and are now heading out of town and I am serious worried that he is still following us. For what? Fortunately we come to a winery on the right and Ted pulls into the parking area. The guy parks outside, comes in and goes to Ted’s window. He winds it down a tiny bit to hear this guy shouting about “you tourists” haven’t paid your parking, etc. etc. etc. A shakedown of sorts of course. We ignore him, don’t reply as he may take it into his mind to do something worse than yell. He shows us he is taking a photo of our number plate. I could easily take a photo of him but we don’t.

  We close the window and head back into town, he follows for a bit but we have shaken him off and have no desire to stay in this town any longer. 

  Turns out as we returned past the church, if we had turned right not left, we would have seen the store and I would have recognized its name from Trish’s instructions! Oh well.

  We did have a similar minor situation in Paarl when Ted left me briefly parked on the street outside a bank, and a guy tried to take our number plate photo there too. I always lock the doors in these circumstances and we have not had any 

Paarl area wineries - again!

  All that rich food last night has taken its toll on my stomach again but the handy wee pills fix that. 

  After a nice last breakfast with Ushi at 9, we putter til 11 settling in once again for a 5 day stay, then off first to Spice Route, multi artisan centre. It’s not for us so we carry on down the road to Fairview, whose wines we have in Canada (remember Goats Do Roam...) It’s fascinating that they do have a goat enclosure and they do climb up a sort of windmill with a ramp into the trees for them to much on leaves. Hilarious really. 

  they have a wonderful spread of cheeses, both goat and cow. A tasting of 5 wines matched to 5 cheeses is $4.50! The a nice long lunch on the shaded patio with a huge tasting tray of meats, 10 (yes, 10) cheeses and wonderful breads. Also a carmelized whole orange served with it. I buy a jar of this to take home. 

  We waddle out of there and down to Simonsig, one of host Andy’s favorites. We are not disappointed. We called in here when we in Paarl before but it was late in the day. There are few visitors so we have the full attention of marvelous sommelier Toby? He fairly loved trotting out all his knowledge to Ted, who was able to hone his skills somewhat too. We buy a Pinotage (Ted has said he was not keen on them so his taste buds were challenged here!) and a Chenin Blanc, as Ted has been concentrating on this grape on this trip.

  Home to rest by the pool, we then have supper at dusk, made up of all the scrumptious leftovers. It is also a sad farewell to hosts Andy & Ushi as they leave at 8pm on their trip.

  We were to be the only guests but we are joined by a couple of businessmen from Joburg. From Adolph,we hear very scary stories about life up there and the citadel type mentality it takes to call it home!/

March 26 Return to Paarl

 It’s cloudy at first but the sun arrives and we get another hot 27 degree day. It’s really quiet here but we are up at 7:30, the only people for breakfast, and pack and off.

  The harvest is really down this year due to the drought so small wineries are closed and crop yields (e.g. apricots) are 40% of normal. Packers are out of work and it’s obvious thee will be a lot of very needy people in this area in the near future too.

  As it is, Calitzdorp seems to be a town that dies from April to September after the busy season. 

  We stop to buy ripe figs on the way out of town and drop down the scenic pass by 10.30am. Colorful hills line the horizon and light clouds on top make for a pretty drive. Down through Hisriver Pass reminds us of parts of Utah. There is a huge variety of terrain in a relatively small area in this part of South Africa. Beautiful driving. 

  Green, organs, gold rocks, low bush (fynbos) occasional trees give way to rolling green hills and vineyards. We pass Ronnie’s Sex Shop, miles from anywhere. Who the hell goes here? But there are trucks outside. 

  We stop off at Barrydale, a typical tourist stop on the R62 but it is dad. We snack in front of the pretty white rose-covered church, Ted gets a short walk, then we are off through vast fruit, grape fields between 2 scenic mountain ranges.

  Early afternoon we hit Montagu and another Kogmans Kloof scenic Pass. Huge road worlds. Big lines of traffic waiting to pass.

  Ted has read about the MCC (champagne by any other name) maker Graham Beck Wines. We stop off for a tasting and it’s seniors da on Tuesday. Get 15% off if you buy two. We buy two. Elementary! And a fancy pink stopper.

  A quick stop at Romberg winery tells us it is jug wine so we pass. It’s a lovely drive down through the Hugenaut Tunnel again ( we came this way first time to Paarl).

  We get a very warm welcome back form hosts Andy and Ushi and Shantell. The owners are off on an exciting trip to Zanzibar next day  but we are in good hands with Shantell who looks after our every need - and more!

 We return to casual eatery Becks onthe main road and enjoy sangria/wine with fish & chips/salad and pork belly, cafe gourmand (heavenly bakery here) and tea, all for $50. Home at 9 to write, we are off to bed early after long but fascinating day on the road.

March 25 Rating the ports...

  We wake to a lovely breakfast spread for 4, us and the French couple from Toulouse. Pierrre tells us he and Marina (the town lawyer) have sold the property and will move in 18 months to build their own very self-sufficient property where power outages won’t bother them! Ambitious. 

 We take the dirt road out to their reservoir which is sadly low. They have 6 months water supply left at this location. People are walking along the road from nowhere to nowhere. One a mother with bay on her back? They disappear by the time we return. Where do they go?? What is listed as a neat dirt road circular tour is dead, dead, dead. Wine harvest is over so no wineries are open and there is no sign of all the arty workshops or cafes en route. 

  The area is famous for its fruit and dried fruits so we call by the big site on the highway to stock up on dried grapes, apricots, peaches, pears and wonderful fresh figs.

  We go first to DeKrans winery, with multiple awards for its ports, which do not disappoint. We buy a 20 year Port Cape Reserve (not allowed to call it port..) to take back to Calgary. It may be good to put down for 20 years but it sure won’t last that long at 159. 

 WE return to shower in a warmer room, cool this morning, no need for A/C here. Then finish what’s left from yesterday’s cheese board.

  It’s a nice wee walk along the vineyards to BoPlaas, where $6 gets you a tasting of 5 port-like wines. They have discontinued the white, no market here. But are producing a pink, hoping it will catch on I guess.  They also make famous whiskey but we are not up to tasting that. Despite all their awards and platinum stickers, we resist buying here.

  Back to doze at the pool and read, we than walk back to town before dark for an excellent ostrich steak, bakes potato and salad at a small unassuming little resto on the main road. All the people hanging out on the corners have disappeared as we walk back in the dark (past the police station) but we are glad there are streetlights all along the way. Jackets on tonight as it’s cooling down quickly now.

March 24 Calitzdorp: Port Capital of SA

  My sister Liz’s birthday so we send her nice notes as they are in Brittany for the week, driving compliments of son Nick. How kind.

  It’s 30 degrees by 10:45 so we are off to the famous Swartzberg Pass.  An amazing climb up through a narrow river/stream gorge, up 200m to On Tol Creasy by 11:45am. It is a tortuous, narrow road and we were warned our vehicle could not make it. But Ted drives slowly and sure enough, we meet only one other small sedan. Not a lot of traffic as it’s a dirt road for 40km, mostly trucks and SUVs and 4 wheel drives. Around every corner another gorgeous view of the colored folded rocks that make up this range. 

  It’s scary passing other cars as we are on the mountain side going up. The cyclists are fearless too. Vans can take them and bikes up and they can just cycle down but a few are lone doing both up and down.

  Ted does the descent for half an hour in first gear. AFter 1.5 hours we meet tarmac again. Into a fertile valley between this and another range, miles of vines and into the festival town of Oudtshoorn, where the whole Main Street is closed for a huge culture festival. used ot be jazz, got out of hand, and now reined in apparently. WE are looking for gas and after several attempts to get where the GPS says they have it, we drive out of town and easily find a good gas station.

  This is the centre of the ostrich farming, you can visit one, ride one, buy decorated eggs, all things ostrich. The whole tourist thing. We pass.

  Heading west again, we drive into the sleepy village of Calitzdorp, the port capital of SA. It has a passé feeling, mostly closed after the season, and surrounded by vast ugly townships. We can walk in the dark to the nearest resto, few open now, with few clients. We settle for the funky general store cum cafe and enjoy beers and good lab shanks and are home at 7:30 to the huge deserted and austere Port Wine Guest House. Owner Pierre is attentive enough but we feel out of place in this vast historic house and garden, even when two other guests appear for the night.

Lovely Prince Albert

  Yesterday was 21 so the 34 up here in the centre of Karoo is ramping up the heat again. 

  WE are having a more or less non driving day, only venturing a few KMs out to the OforOlive olive grove and cafe. Home of great oil and olives. We buy 3 jars, one enormous one of big pink “black” juicy ones, also mixed herb and garlic-stuffed. I wonder when we are going to consume all these...

  We have an olive tasting board, much more food than we can cope with at this time in this heat. And cold beers!

  It’s market day here and all the locals are gathered at the little market where the lineup for typical Dutch pancakes is long! I buy some ostrich fat salve that will cure everything! Unfortunately the dairy up the road is closed when we get there but we enjoy the homes and gardens along the way. And small boutiques with expensive clothes, gift items, etc.

  PA is famous for its merino wool but knitted ware is very expensive. Not tempted here. But the yarns are beautiful so I buy some for a friend back home who is an avid knitter. I visit the weaving shop where accomplished weavers make cotton carpets and fabrics.  

  After out big olive tasting we visit the food store for bread, cheese, chocolate and another Pinot Noir for leftover supper at home on our little patio. Heavenly.

  After a cool dip in the pool I talk for a while with Janine, a visitor, past resident of PA but now living in Natal up north. She regales me with all the problems of SA, raising kids here, lack of opportunity for them, disintegration of society. 

  There are a few mosquitoes here and we use our net to sleep. And the Peaceful Sleep repellant that smells so much nicer than Deet and Off.

  It’s a long weekend here and people are still on holidays from school so there are lots of kids around but not at our hotel. Most other guests are cyclists here to prove themselves on the famous vertical passes! They are gone early before the sun gets high. 

  One other (German SA resident) guest tells us of an experience where his drink was spiked at a bar and his computer stolen. Further detail tells us he was an idiot, going to a local gay bar often to use his computer, but accepting a free beer from someone after 2 beers of his own! Duh. 

  We have not experienced any discomfort or scary circumstances but we are not in bars after dark either.

Meiringspoort Pass to Prince Alberta, SA

  We have been told countless times to make sure we approach the lovely town of Prince Alberta through the pass north of DeRust. We are rewarded with a spectacular drive up over the pass with colorful folded geomorphic rocks covered with green lichen. Out on to the broad expanse of the Karoo, as it is known, we drive into the nice neat Prince Alberta at 5.30pm.

  Neat whitewashed Cape Dutch houses with thatched roofs abound in this well kept haven of civilization. Somehow they have retained their character while many other area of SA are giving way to dense, ugly, overcrowded African townships and regions, and old Dutch/Afrikans names are being replaced y unpronounceable African ones. Obviously a stop between Johannesburg and the Knysna area for the wealthy too.

  Its a one-Main Street town where we turn into the Victorian Saxe Coburg Guest House, and a warm welcome from Carmen and dog Cleo. There are 6 units facing a lovely tropical garden and cold!) pool. Its season end here and no heated pools. Refreshing to say the least.

  The Victorian - type room has a modern bathroom coffee/tea tray with cookies, milk in your fridge, port and glasses. Big fluffy towels, comfy duvet beds. And a nice private patio. Breakfast is a lovely spread with full English cooked when you want it too!

  Carmen books us into the nearby Gallery Cafe that we have heard lots about. We have a nice dinner of carpaccio of ostrich/steenbok and lamb shanks, washed down with a nice Pinot Noir. It is totally safe to walk home in the dark after this, but you need a flashlight to not trip on the uneven, sometimes nonexistant sidewalk.

  There’s a beautiful red sunset and we retire to bed where Ted gets to finally rest his sore bony bum!

March 22 Tedious drive to spectacular scenery

Once we leave the park, we see lots of vervet monkeys on poles along the road and also baboons on the river valleys. Tiny baby baboons are fearless, crossing the road on their own and staring at us from the edge. 

  We head west and north first through rolling hills between 2 mountain ranges. Scrubland abounds. Despite GPS and a map, I get a bit lost and we retrace our drive only to find we are on the right road. Who knew this was a highway. It’s got a highway number on the map. For 40k it is single lane, when you meet a car, you both head to the gravel edge and pass oh so carefully with two wheels on the road still! The GPS still tells us the speed limit is 100! Crazy. 

  Later we drive a road with absolutely no shoulder, limit 120kph. The notice says, “Yield left to oncoming traffic.” Yeah, right.

  We are told many SA drivers don’t have a license, and we have only gone through one police check the whole time here. But there are many crazy crazy drivers, speeding past us on no-pass zones, blind corners, etc. Ted is fearless behind the wheel, nothing fazes him and he rarely swears at any of them!

  We pass many game reserves and are told later than farmers have given up in the drought, not growing crops, letting vineyards die, not raising goats and sheep and letting people come hunt on their lands. Not god for their wildlife I am sure. 

 At times we pass stands of agave, obviously introduced here and learn they used to make sisal for rope with them. I am sure it’s not for tequila here! There are also prickly pear farms.

  It’s long tedious drive across bare stretches. It’a all Afrikans and road signs and are in this one difficult language. Through a neat AFrican market town we meet up with Route 62, the SA version of Route 66 but sadly lacking in any facilities most of the way.

  We stop off at DeRust for gas and a friendly station attendant insists on totally cleaning our filthy car while they pump gas. We pay $1 for this service everywhere. 

  Today we pas many rad blocks and road construction. It seems all SA is undergoing road works. But their roads are generally really good and you can make good time on them.

  

March 22 Goodbye to Addo

  We are so pleased we decided to stay right in the centre here at Addo Rest Camp. Also for 2 nights, 3 days which is enough but certainly not too much.

  It’s a crisp clear morning and soon 21. Our yellow birds are there to sing us off.

  We take advantage of our 11am checkout to take an early drive, which is very rewarding. 

  Back at 10:45am we quickly gas up and take off for another adventure north of here.

  We’ve been lucky with the power outages. We didn’t need the candle they provided. However, I’ve discovered my iphone light is bright enough to light our whole room here. Those smartphones really pack a big punch, even if they are heavy to carry.

  Also my special travel purse has a small LED light on a tape which can be easily accessed and with Ted’s small flashlight we have been OK here in the dark. Don’t need any more falls on uneven surfaces.

 

Addo Drive 4 and off north

  We take off around Nupondo Loop and Hapoor Dam. We spot many waterfowl and warthogs, then big Cape buffalo and a huge statuesque kudu. At Hapoor there are over 100 elephants, an amazing site, lots of families and wee ones being supported to get their drink and a wallow too. Females carefully guard the babies between them all the time. Lions take note.

  Mornings are a lovely way to see the animals up and around 

Drive 3: 4:30-6.16pm Splendid Drive

We venture to the south side of the park that goes all the way south to the Garden Route. WE entered from the north so have not seen this area. 

  There are lots of elephants on the move. If they are on the road, you are stuck there till they clear the way. Some drivers at selfishly ignoring the speed limitations and we get annoyed at that.  There are kudu everywhere too. 

  At Carol’s Rest we come across lots of rough vegetation and a small waterhole but nobody’s home.There are lots of raucous “go away” birds (whose call Trish says sounds Ike “I’m scared!!”) Also a goshawk, one lone vervet monkey who takes off when we approach, a pair of beautiful brown sleek jackals. 

  And another amazing sunset when we return.

Drive 2 10-3:30pm Elephant ‘Jam’

First off we see several millipedes slithering across the road. A reminder that I thought one was the tail of a black mamba in the loo on our safari! Hahaha. We see a fat pregnant warthog grazing away by the roadside, unperturbed by our presence.

  There are huge termite mounds everywhere in this country, both up north and also here. Other animals dig into them to eat the ants but we never spot them.

  The lions have been spotted several places and the cap guides at the entrance tell us where, but we are never lucky enough to spot them. Yo stand a better chance up high on the safari trucks I think.

  The kudu is the most beautiful elegant beast, the males with their long slender horns especially. We are told they are cylindrical and the angle from the tip to the eye is a straight line, hence why they lower their heads to charge and aim straight for the jugular. Nature is wonderful. The coat is also the most beautiful sable colors. The males are very protective of their herd, which they are amassing now before mating season. Lone younger males beware!

  We come across a total elephant jam at Hapoor Dam, which is kept flowing from pumped solar powered water. Can’t get near so give it a miss today but we saw a good breeding herd there yesterday.

  In the middle of this vast park there is only one fenced picnic area - Jack’s Picnic Site - where you can get out of your car, apart from overlooks. And no toilet facilities in the whole park apart from that! It’s a problem! We stop off for banana/yogurt for me and crackers for Ted. And a pee! He can go all day without eating, but I am sure it has a negative effect on his blood sugar and his resultant snarly mood.

  On our return trip, we drive into Hapoor dam and are rewarded by a huge mass of different elephant groups, watching the care and attention they pay to their tiny youngsters.

  

Communicating in the wild

 I have bought lots of data and more phone time than I think we will ever use here (cost for 2 months, 2G data, 80 minutes phone: $44!) so it’s good to tether my IPad to my phone to use it. Shaw is often an issue for some reason, Ted often can’t download attachments. And we get lots of spam from it too. But we have good wifi here.

  We go off from 10-3:30 n a second drive, from cloud to sun. WE return to check out the bird and below surface observation area but it’s pretty quiet. E restock here, crackers and tomatoes, all good here. 

 Back to shower while it’s hot (it’s quite cool and fresh here in the mornings) then off to another drive 4-6pm. Evening is splendid for drives and seeing the animals up and grazing again. 

  We had had very sad news from UK that our good family friend and amazing artist Jason Bowyer died. HIs funeral was yesterday and Liz has written me a nice message talking me all about it. We hope they passed on our condolences as we don’t have Claire’s email. A big hole in the lives of many people, but we have lovely memories of him on our walls.

  We have power this evening so it’s lamb and wild boar pie tonight with salad and chocolate, lots of chocolate. I check emails and we are again off to bed early.

Self catering at last

  At 6:30 the power goes off for ‘load shedding’. But I have made guacamole with the great Avon’s and tomatoes here, so we enjoy beers and dip til the power comes back on at 7:30pm. Not so bad. We heat our pies with their melt-in-yourmouth puff pastry, full of lots of delicious meat. With salad and baby tomatoes and a Perdeberg Cab Sauvignon, we are cosy here in our wee cabin. There is a TV up on the wall, but its not operational - yet! I make mango/passionfruit for dessert and we are both bushed. Ted passes out to bed at 9pm and I read til 10.

  For whatever reason my stomach is acting up so I am glad I have bought some pills before we left for our safari. Somehow I left them out of my first aid kit. The pills work well and don’t interfere with our plans for the day.

  It’s not a great sunrise, an owl is hooting somewhere and an elephant calls somewhere. 

  We are up with questions. Do we have power? For how long? WE get the coffee on and enjoy it with the honey/almond tusks we picked up. This is a very fav thing to eat here - risks. In UK we only gave risks to babies to teethe on and they are unheard of in NA. You dip them like biscotti here.

  We are warned not to feed baboons and watch out for the vervet monkeys that steal your food. We keep our door closed all the time.

  I make up another fruit salad. My notes tell me the mangoes are fibre-free from Lesotho. 

  It has been really hot again here (26). so I am wearing my arm sleeve again for my swollen arm and lymphedema. Very effective but hot. 

Dung Beetle Heaven

The park store is very well equipped so we find milk, yogurt and beer at good prices (not like buying in Banff National Park where prices are inflated to death!) I had only brought one Tshirt with me so I invest in an orange shirt with a nice elephant design.

  Drive 1: We are off to explore this huge park which has a lot more to offer than just elephants, although there are 600 of them here, happily wandering around in healthy breeding groups, all les by a wise matriarch. And single bull and young bull elephants all over the place too. 

  What is amazing is how they walk right past your car, you could reach out and touch them, but we don’t. They are so used to all the vehicles, they just do their thing. 

  This is also heaven for dung beetles. they have right of way on the road so the driver is hard pressed to keep missing them. About 2 inches long, they fearlessly gather elephant poo into small balls and roll them around. They lay their eggs in them too. 

  We see several big male kudu and warthogs, which are all over the place. A mama nurses her sweet wee baby elephant. Latter at a waterhole we see an elephant, kudu, many birds and the colorful Egyptian geese calling across the water.

  It is gorgeous hilly and thicket terrain and some fo the overlooks range way across the plain to the Karoo lands. This is wooded and bushy terrain with the famous fynbos vegetation. 

  You can either take a tour on a safari truck, hire someone to ride with you or drive yourself around the park. We opt for the latter as we are now experienced on what to look for. Good decision.

  The gate closes at 6pm so we return to our cabin and find families have moved in both sides, having fun on what is the kids 2-week school break now. They light up their braais (BBQs all supplied here) and we see smoke coming up from the green patios. 

  Sitting on our patio we look ot over trees to the flatland beyond and amazing sunsets. But the only critter we see in front of our deck is a lone warthog one morning. Some other cabin/tent areas overlook a water hole where the elephants come, but not here.

  The birds are amazing. Lots of yellow and red feathered friends.

March 20 Off to Addo Elephant Park

  Everyone has been telling us about this marvelous national park just a few hours from Natures Valley so we are ready for a new experience with the pachyderms.

  We are the only people in the dining room for another one of Claudette’s excellent breakfasts again in the immaculate Victorian dining room, all white linens, white china and silver? Swerving pieces. Muffins and home made banana loaf are taken for the ride ahead. Once again, Claudette is full of great suggestions as to what to do on the way.
  We also have time to Facetime with Liz & Clive, who is really doing well on the mend from his very serious illness earlier this month. We are so relieved to see him and hear their news.
  We will have a fully equipped cabin - but we are not sure how equipped - and know there is a resto there. However, we stop off at the amazing farm store in tiny Nanaga near the park entrance. Everyone from miles around has driven here and the smell wafting out of the bakery/kitchen is amazing. They make the best pies this side of SA so we stock up on venison, wild boar and lamb pies, great bread, a box of stringy-free mangoes (6 for $7) from Swaziland (who knew they have figured that out...) and a box of passion fruits (8 for $3) - my absolute favorite - even though they play havoc with my sore mouth due to the high acid. The longer you keep them, the sweeter they get so I am getting better at that.
  I also stock up on We have some supplies from our stay in the apartment in Cape Town. We are all set for 3 days to battle hunger.   We take off at 10, first an easy romp out of busy Port Elizabeth, with its sulphuric fumes in the industrial zone (big car manufacturers here) and on to the fast N2 motorway. There is a flat grassy plain for miles to the west but we head straight north.  We stop in at the town nearest Addo for beer and milk. Big mistake. We pull onto what is listed as a beer source. Everyone in town looks like they are on speed, they gather around our car as we pull up and we get a very uneasy feeling about getting out of the car, taking out a wallet and buying anything here. We pull out again and hope we can buy things in the park.  We pull into Addo at 12:30 and checkin but cabins are not ready til 2 so we walk around and look at the rather poor info centre and take a drive to our cabin. It’s a nice big cabin with all the things you expect from a self-catered place. BUT they are expecting power outages, 3 today, and we don’t find this out til we plan to reheat our pies in the microwave! Dinner will be late.