The bottom of Africa

Agulhas, the Southernmost Tip of Africa is an absolute must. Apart from Guest Houses and a couple of local shops and restaurants, there is little else to do in Agulhas, but for us that was the whole point of staying there.

There is something amazing about standing at the bottom of Africa where the Indian and Atlantic Ocean meets.

 

 

The most exciting blog post in the world.

I've started this blog whilst waiting for the cable car to go Table Mountain. My plan was to check out the view and take some pictures, forgetting that I'm married to the most inquisitive man in the world and we are likely to be up there all day.

Half way up the mountain

At the top

My current view

So once I've taken some pics I will sit in the cafe and ask you 'where is the most exciting place you've ever blogged from?'

Mossel Bay on the Garden Route

In 1500 Pedro de Ataide left a letter in a shoe, under a large tree in Mossel Bay. In his letter he warned of troubles near Calcutta and a year later it was found by Joao da Nova on route to India, who took head of the letter and turned back. This was South Africa’s 1^st post box and is still in use today. You can find it in the Diaz Museum.

 

Mossel Bay is the half way point between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town, approximately 400kms between the 2 cities.

The approach into Mossel Bay isn’t the most endearing with gas towers on the approach, but you really can’t see them when you get to the beach.

 

This year we arrived a little earlier and it wasn’t as busy as last December. Near the lighthouse is a campsite which fills quickly, making parking and getting a table in a restaurant a little tricky.

We stayed slightly out of the town, but still in walking distance, visiting the Diaz and Shell Museum, exploring the side streets and a market. The town centre is currently undergoing modernisation and there are few main street shops there.

We spent time on the beach which is full with an array of shells and scrambled over the rocks, also climbing up to the caves under the Light House to learn more about the San people who originally lived there.

 

 

I cannot recommend highly enough the Kingfisher Restaurant, with amazing food and sea views and the occasional seal in the bay.

Tsistsikamma on the Garden Route

Tsistsikamma, place of abundant water, is approximately a two drive from Port Elizabeth on The Garden Route.  Managed by the SANParks and accessed with the annual Wild Card, a wonderful visit for walking, hiking, bird watching, relaxing on the beach with a selection of accommodation including camping. It features a well stocked gift and grocery shop and a restaurant.

 

15km inland is Storms River, which suits both young and old and the adventurous. We stay in the original hunting lodge built in 1840 which is now the Village Inn. Our room was in the old stables now converted to bedrooms, although small in size, good use of the space was made including an ensuite shower room and separate toilet. There are numerous places to stay and several restaurants in Storms River.

 

We stayed for 2 nights on route from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town, more than 2 nights is needed if you want to experience everything on offer. From Canopy Tree Top Tours, Falls adventure zip lines, segway trails, bungy jumping, tubing, and kayaking.

 

 

 

 

 

Fascinating facts about Penguins

In 2000 in Cape Town 19500 penguins were treated after the Treasure Oil Spill with a 90% survival rate and 19000 penguins were trucked some 800kms to Port Elizabeth and released back into the sea.

It took the penguins between 10-20 days to swim home just as the clean up crew had removed the oil spillage from the area.

Some more fascinating facts about penguins.

The yolk of a penguin egg is blue.

A baby penguin sheds it's down on the first 4 days of its life.

When a penguin twists it's head from side to side it's not being inquisitive, it's getting ready to give you a nasty bite.

Penguins have unique black spots on their chest, just like fingerprints are.

When a penguin sneezes it is to expel crystalized salt it has extracted from drinking sea water.

Life is one long holiday

I’m adjusting to holidays, strange, but with 5 kids in the past holidays have been a break. A break from family life, work and the norm.

Well now I’m on holiday and it doesn’t feel right. I’m on a permanent holiday right now. No kids at home and no daily grind to take a break from and I’m not really enjoying myself TBH.

I’m enjoying exploring new places and experiences, but I don’t actually feel like I’m on holiday.

Hubby says I need to take a break from the lap top and internet, but as I’m on holiday it’s a fantastic opportunity to blog, tweet, face book and instagram and share the experiences and any way internet is very limited, so I'm blogging at breakfast and after dinner, the times of the day when hubby wants to switch off and I start work.

I’m currently Mossel Bay on the Garden Route. I’m blogging about Penguins, ordering my mum and daughters xmas gifts online. I’m looking around at the families on holiday with large families with young kids and thinking ‘that was me 10 years ago’ I’m only 42 I don’t feel ready to be a grown up.

We meet people on our travels, who assume we’re on holiday and visiting from the UK. I’m not sure what is more glamorous, the fact that we are here on holiday or the fact we live here. I’m undecided. We drive around, doing normal things and then all of a sudden reality kicks in ‘we live in South Africa’ or ‘ we are on holiday in South Africa’ I guess both are outside our norms, but then again what is ‘normal’ anymore when you’re an expat.

I guess I’ll just have to accept that a holiday isn’t about taking a break anymore, it’s about exploring somewhere new. And I should just enjoy sitting back, relaxing and drinking as many cocktails as is medically possible.

The day Nelson Mandela died

We were awake until 2am last night listening to the news that Nelson Mandela died. It wasn't a shock, it was a matter of time.

Having lived in South Africa for 3 years, I've come to understand the legacy that Mandela has left behind. I read moving tributes on twitter and it was the one's from the South Africans, black and white that touched my heart.

It feels like every person is this country has lost someone close.

We were travelling in the Eastern Cape, we spent 4 days traveling the Wild Coast, driving through the Xhosa homelands. When I came down to breakfast this morning and I entered the room, there were around 50 people having their breakfast, chatting and you'd never know anything had happened. My MIL did not have the TV on this morning and she did not know that Mandela had died as no one was talking about it.

I wanted to ask 'have you heard the news?' 'Do you know Mandela is dead?' Where is the reaction, the expected out pouring of grief?

How will people respond when they return home, but I guess the people who work here are at home, how many people are actually oblivious to the news this morning?

We only have access to the Internet when we reach our hotel and the radio reception was poor today. We drove to Plettenburg Bay, no indication that Mandela was dead, we drove to Mossel Bay, ate out in a crowded and vibrant restaurant, again no indication that Mandela is dead. We put the TV on in the apartment and the BBC tell us that South Africa is in mourning, that flags are flying at half mast, that people are out in the street, celebrating his life.

That's not we are seeing on the South Coast of South Africa. Maybe news is till spreading, maybe we will feel that Mandela has died when we reach Cape Town in 4 days time. We travel north to Pretoria and home on the 15th, the day of his funeral.