Bartholomew Diaz & Ostrich Farm

We stopped at the Alcare Aloe Factory and then proceeded on to see the Gouritz Bridge which was closed but is the highest bungee Jumpng Bridge in the world.    Our next stop was the Bartholomew Diaz Museum in Mossel Bay.  Here they have an exact replica of the boat used by Bartolomeu Diaz when he sailed from Portugal in 1847 to find the sea passage to India around the tip of Africa.   18 men sailed the replica on his route to Mossel Bay from Portugal. We also checked out the post office tree where mail was left to be picked up by ships going in the opposite direction...

We proceeded to the Safari Ostrich Farm in Oudtshoorn for lunch including Ostrich steaks and then a tour of the farm. We learned the different kinds of Ostrich.  This area became a boon town in the late 1860’s when Ostrich plume adorned all fashionable headgear around the world. Now the Ostrich leather is very valuable for purses etc.  Some people sat upon an Ostrich.

  We stopped for the night at Kleinplaas Caravan Park.

Bontebok Nat Park

We continued driving today thru high mountain passes and narrow roads and then thru farm land with warning signs to watch out for cows in the road.  Have seen lots of sheep, cows and wineries today.  We drove within the Bontebok National Park where the herd has gone from 30 to over 1500^rd oldest city in SA. Saw my credit card bill on line.  Lunch cost $3.73. Eating out is very delicious but cheap here.  We saw an Old Dutch reform church from the 1800’s. We camped at Takkieskloof Caravan Park.

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  Besides the Bontebok we saw a family of baboons and one lone zebra. There was a great picnic area in the park but we opted not to use the swimming hole in the river in the park.   We stopped for lunch in Stellendam, the 3

First full driving motorhome in SA

Today’s adventure took us up Lowry’s pass, another narrow winding road where we had spectacular views of Gordon’s Bay.

When we arrived at Betty’s Bay, the penguin colony was closed to the public as there had been a ship wreck of a tanker and the emergency response team was there rescuing the penguins from the oil spill.  We then continued on to Cape Agulhas which is the most southerly tip of Africa.  It is where the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean meet.

  This has a very rocky coast and very large waves.  We camped right by the lighthouse at L’Aguilhas Caravan Park.

interesting observations

you see people hitchhiking over here like we saw in the 60's. Even saw a woman with a baby hitchhiking. Interesting thing is that most are holding up money.  they will pay for a ride.  Everything is very clean including the public bathrooms.  It is explained that people are looking for any kind of work and thus companies and government agencies will create menial jobs so those less fortunate have a way of earning some money.  They hire people here to hold up flags near the beaches with different colors with shark reports.  It there is road construction there are many people guiding traffic - all with a smile and a greeting. Completely different attitude here.

Leaving Cape Town

This morning when we were leaving the city, the wind had quieted and thus we were able to take the cable car ride to the top of Table Mountain with its spectacular views.  We could see parts of the coastal road and the many mountains as well as the waterfront of the city.

The bus then drove us out to pick up our motorhomes.  We received full instructions on the way they worked and then we were released to drive on the wrong side of the road. A death defying experience.   The adventure had really begun.  Our first stop was the mall where we spent over an hour in pic n pay after eating in Wimpys.  We also checked out the groceries in Woolworths.  We drove a total of 22 miles to the Mountain Breeze Camping Park in Stellenbosch. We spent the evening unpacking and visiting around the campfire.

Robben Island

On our second full day, we took the boat to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was held for 18 years.  We toured the island and then the prison itself guided by one of its former political prisoners.  It was all very moving. Some families live and work on the island.  The former political prisoner we spoke to said he leaves the island and goes home every night!!  On our return to the city we had a group lunch on the waterfront at the Quay 4.  Throughout our contact with the people of this city, I was affected by the effect of Mandela.  There is no sign visible to me of any racial strife or fear.   I felt very comfortable and everyone gives the appearance of being color blind etc

continuation of Capetpwn

From the airport we had a two hour bus tour of the city.  We visited the Bo-Kaap section of the city, originally settled by the emancipated slaves in the 1830’s. It has very colorful small homes and neighborhood businesses.

There is a lot of distinctive Victorian and Dutch architecture in the city. There were very high winds the first two days we were here so we could not take the cable car to the top of the famous table mountain but the cloud formations around it were spectacular.  We went up to signal hill which gave us a good view of the city.

On our last day in the city the winds died down and then we were able to take the cable car ride to the top for amazing views for miles.

On our first full day, we had a bus tour of the Cape of Good Hope which is part of the city.  The mountains are huge around the city and go straight down to the sea, so we rode on a very narrow road carved out of the mountains on the edge of the sea.  Wherever there was a bay or break in the mountains, there were typical resort towns.

The surf was too rough for swimming, but people were doing the other beach activities and there were places where you could go horseback riding on the beach.  We saw wild Antelope, baboons, and Ostrich.
We visited a colony of 1500 penguins and they were so cute.  Many were nesting while others were swimming and then waddling out of the sea and onto the beach.

  We visited the most southwesterly point of the African continent.  It was very windy but we got beautiful surf pictures.  We had a unique private wine tasting at Steenberg Winery.

  We finished with a funicular ride up to the Cape of Good Hope lighthouse for a great view and a great lobster dinner.