A Wet Cape You begin to appreciate the size of South Africa when the news reports talk about 38,000 people flooded out in Cape Town informal settlements after days of torrential rain whilst 19 people die in forest fires in the north east of the country following prolonged drought. Having had our brush with fire in Howick we have had more than our fair share of rain and wind on our way to the Cape along the coast. On our last night in Hermanus we were forced t...

Hermanupietersfontein Hermanus, fortunately shortened in name since the founder arrived here with his cattle and discovered a fresh water spring in the early 1800s, is reputed to be the best shore based place in the world to see whales. The town even has a whale crier walking the cliff path blowing a kelp horn alerting visitors to the whereabouts of the whales. Why then were we paying R450 each to go out on a boat to see them? The answer is simple; we were t...

Whales at De Hoop, Western Cape I'm often accused of talking a load of b*ll*cks and this is one of the times where it is true. According to Smithers' Mammals of Southern Africa, the testes of the Southern Right whale weigh 500 kilograms each. It is just as well that whales live in the sea, imagine carrying (dragging!) those around on land. The reason for such largesse on behalf of nature is that females mate with more than one male, so the best chance fo...

Wet on the Wild Coast After nearly being burnt to death in Howick it was almost a pleasant feeling standing in snow with an air temperature of 4C, just north of Umtata in the Eastern Cape. Umtata wouldn't merit a second glance except that it is home to the excellent Nelson Mandela museum. Mandela was born in a small village nearby and you can stop alongside his current home, a modest (and ugly) country house where he spends his holidays and has family re-un...

Hi All A quick update from the Indian Ocean coast south of Durban. The fire that nearly toasted us and most of Howick turned out to be the worst in living memory, killing several people and loads of livestock and destroying houses, farms, forests and settlements across the KwaZulu Natal Midlands. The day after, it poured down with rain and everyone breathed a sigh of relief as the fire risk was downgraded. We got soaked packing the car and trailer as the rain ...