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26/2/2011
Woke Jack up early and we hit the road to fit in an epic day. I drove into the town so we could hit a cashpoint, jumping out of the people carrier with just a pair of shorts and no shorts, proper Bura style! The weather was absolutely scorching, supposedly reaching 47 degrees and I loved it! It gets so hot because of all the surrounding mountains and there's hardly any wind or rain all year!
Drove through some incredible, hot, almost desert-like mountainous region up to the Cango Caves, passing dozens of ostrich farms on the way. That's what the town is renowned for, though I ate ostrich in other places and not here!
Smashed a burger and chips in our hungover state before entering the really impressive caves. Guided around with a group for about an hour, there were huge cave rooms with stalagmites, tites and nites everywhere, some of which actually looked like they made faces. The flowing stone and dripping stones were phenomenal formations in each of the six compartments we were taken to.
The guide was a bit loco, over-emphasising everything and giving crazy names to all the formations because of what they looked like, if you used your imagination'. Jack was zombified as a result of the heavy night, so once it was over we left the caves.
But the day just kept getting better. Hot girls giving out free red bull shots so I took advantage, and then, after forcing Jack to fetch me one the girls walked us back to their car asking us loads of questions and were really jealous of us travelling. But at the car, instead of one shot, they gave us a crate of 24 redbull for free! I was gobsmacked, and asked what it was for and they just said because what we were doing was cool! Winner!
The coloured car-park guy came over and asked how the hell we just got a crate, and I guess it's just because we were nice and polite. So I gave him some little change and then felt bad so we gave him a redbull to liven up his day!
The next stop was the ostrich farm. We learnt plenty about the birds, their eggs, the meat and leather that is used from them before meeting a few of them. I've never ridden a horse but riding an ostrich was insane! The bird was blindfolded, put into a pen and I jumped on wrapping my legs around it and holding on to the wings and leaning back for balance! Managed to stay on a while as well! So fast and powerful and considering I had a warning because I was too heavy to get on one, I did ok. other than coming out with a filthy grazed foot.
They are such weird creatures but tasty and their red meat is low in cholesterol. They have two toes which can slice you open (Emus there too had three toes) and can lay up to 150 eggs in a season. Got up close and personal to a few and I just can't stress how weird they are. I know most people have seen them in the safari park but close-up, just so weird! And what's the point in giving a bird wings and not being able to fly?!
Stood on a load of eggs after that which was funny, so strong they take your weight easily! After that Jack was dying some more but we went on our next adventure, at the Cango Wildlife Ranch.
It was good fun, with a crazy, OTT guide playing pranks on people (tickling my head as if a spider was there and shoving a croc head in an unsuspecting chap's face). Saw meerkats digging and then doing their 'thing', standing on two legs looking adorable (awwwwwwww), huge birds like vultures, flamingoes, eagles etc, monitor lizards, exotic fish, wild types of pigs, crocs, the smallest deer, baby hippo, otter, white lions, tigers, cheetahs, jaguars, tortoise and more!
Then came the moment I pretty much came to Oudtshoorn for, Crocodile Cage Diving. It was unreal. Warned that I may not get much time in the water and that the crocs may not even get close to the cage, I gambled.
And it sure paid off. Levered into the pool of three adult Nile crocs with a small crane, it was like something from a fear factor show. And the crocs immediately investigated. The woman turned ou to be ace and allowed me to be in the water for 30 minutes instead of 5-10! The huge 3.5-metre crocs (looked like 5-6 metres underwater), were hard-skinned and monstrous up close. They actually both got their heads in the cage and the only thing saving me was keeping my hands by my sides as they couldnt make a very big snap (unless I popped my arm into their mouths). It definitely isn't as safe as you think but that adds to the experience! Loved it and really sketched out at one point when one jumped in the air to get some meat someone threw in when I thought it was because I made a sudden movement. The look on their eyes though when you are a mere 10-15 centimetres from one of the most powerful jaws in the animal kingdom, was something else. It was pretty much saying, if you were this side me and Mary would tear you to shreds!
Got a free photo, ate some food and watched more Cricket World Cup before a much needed sleep!
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