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South Africa seems to be flying past us in a whirl wind. It seems crazy that our 6 weeks here are nearly up and Indo is just around the corner. I have had so many experiences in the last couple of months that I feel I could write a book and this is just the beginning.
After much hype we managed to get a glimpse of the sardines in the middle of June. It was just as spectacular as expected with Whales popping up all over the place, pods of dolphins jumping around in their hundreds and even a couple of sharks made an appearance. We decided to go down to Margate pier to get a better look and just as we arrived one of the fisherman had caught a Ragged tooth shark. It took him about half an hour and several extra people to get the shark out the water by which point the shark was so exhausted he had given up. Once the guy had his picture taken with the shark it was let back in the water to make its way back out through the surf.
We headed down to Cape Town at the end of June to stay with one of Trevor's old Diving friends. He had the most beautiful house with an indoor BBQ and a drinks cabinet which would put most cocktail bars to shame. I was fed authentic Afrikaans food for the week which I was super impressed with but would probably end up the size of a house if I carried on eating. I swear those guys could eat meat until it comes out of their ears.
Whesley was kind enough to act as out tour guide whilst in Cape Town so we had four action packed days which didn't even seem to break the seams of what Cape Town has to offer. He took us all round the coastal roads through Kommetjie, Scarborough, Fish Hoek, Bouldes beach, Kalk Bay, Muizenberg, Gordons Bay, Hout Bay and Old Chapmans peak. The views were out of this world!!! We tried to capture as much as we could on camera but it never does it justice.
Trev and Whes took me round their old Navy Barracks which was great to see. I felt a bit out of place as the only white female on the premises but it gave me an idea of some of the things they got up too whilst they were there. I think it was quite therapeutic for them to go back and visit again after so many years have passed. We stopped off for battered Snoek and chips (apparently the local delicacy in the area) and I experienced meeting Cape Coloured's for the first time. They are hilarious. We had one waitress who was offering Trevor Viagra by the end of our lunch. I hate to think what happens at dinner time.
I was really keen to do some of the classic touristy things whilst in Cape Town so we went to visit Robben Island. After a very choppy boat ride we had a beautiful tour of the island and the prison where Nelson Mandella was kept. The tour was conducted by one of the ex prisoners so we managed to get as close an idea as to what it was like in there as possible. It was very informative and highlighted the complex history and problems that South Africa has been through and in some cases, is still going though.
Trev decided to take Whes and me for a surfing lesson at Muizenberg in the freezing cold Atlantic waters. We all had super thick wet suits and boards that were far too big for us. It must have been quite a sight!! Trevor was amazing as expected whilst Whes and I just about got the hang of standing. I was just starting to get the hang of it when Trev thought he'd let me know that we were currently in the Great White Shark breeding ground!! Thanks!!! I stayed a little closer to shore after that. The bay was closed the next day due to shark spotting's. It has definitely given me the bug so I now have the painful decision as to whether I learn to body board or surf in Indo. It's a hard life J
My favourite part of the Cape Town trip was hiking up Table Mountain. We were lucky to get the opportunity to go up as the Cape weather is extremely unpredictable with sudden down pours and powerful winds. It took about 90 mins to get to the top where we discovered that the mountain was completely immersed in cloud. We were looking out over the sea when the clouds suddenly parted revealing the most breath taking views over Cape Town and the bay. We were very lucky. It was soooo cold up there that after 15 mins we had to start making our way back down the mountain to warm up.
Rather than flying again we chose to drive back from Cape Town to Durban. With hindsight this probably wasn't the best idea as its 24 hours of non-stop driving. We spread it over 3 days but it was still extremely exhausting. The garden route was beautiful and we saw such diverse terrain but much of the journey was monotonous with one road pretty much taking us the whole way. We didn't plan where we were going to stay so we just stopped when we were tired. Fortunately both places were great. The first place was a backpackers in Tsistikama and the second one was a random B'n'B in the middle of nowhere. It was great experience doing the drive but we were both relieved to be back in Margate in a warm bed with a hot shower.
We're now back on the coast for the next few day so we can get ourselves ready for the next leg of the trip.
I'm not sure when I'll get a chance to email people so just wanted to say a massive congratulations to Mum for passing your degree. You're amazing. I also wanted to say happy Birthday to Beth Ann. I hope you had an amazing Birthday and I promise to take you out for a celebratory drink when you come and visit J Happy Birthday to Rach as well and happy first anniversary. Can't believe it has already been a year x
Lots of love to everybody. I miss you loads. Please keep in touch and let me know what's going on at home JJJ x x x x x x xx x x x x
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