Rain, wind, wine & friends – South Africa! (Namibia - South Africa)
11th November – 4th December
20th November 2007 (my mum’s birthday & we remembered)
It’s a clear sunny day & we are cruising south down the N7. The road is smooth, its tarmac & not a pot hole in sight; nobody is driving down the wrong side & we are being overtaken by Audi’s & BMW’S, there is hardly a 4 x 4 or Matartu (African taxi – of sorts) in sight!! We stop at a set of traffic lights, not only are they working but everyone is obeying them……then we see a BP garage with a Wild Bean Café……I knew it, it has all been a dream & we are really on our way to the office! Then we spo
t a few ‘differences’ - the sun is shining, the fields are full of vines, the majority of pedestrians are black or colored (though this could still be High Wycombe) & then suddenly rising up in front of us is Table Mountain…..it is not a dream after all & we have finally made it - Cape town, South Africa!! Windsor to Cape (via Cairo & a few other places) – 26,100 miles, 20 countries & 305 days on the road – a lifetimes ambition completed! Emotions mixed – euphoria, relief, excitement, satisfaction, sadness & many more – it was certainly a memorable & emotional moment! We stop at Bloubergstrand & sit on the pristine white sandy beach to savior the moment & take in the incredible view of Table Mountain & Cape Town …..What a fantastic trip!
It’s a clear sunny day & we are cruising south down the N7. The road is smooth, its tarmac & not a pot hole in sight; nobody is driving down the wrong side & we are being overtaken by Audi’s & BMW’S, there is hardly a 4 x 4 or Matartu (African taxi – of sorts) in sight!! We stop at a set of traffic lights, not only are they working but everyone is obeying them……then we see a BP garage with a Wild Bean Café……I knew it, it has all been a dream & we are really on our way to the office! Then we spo
t a few ‘differences’ - the sun is shining, the fields are full of vines, the majority of pedestrians are black or colored (though this could still be High Wycombe) & then suddenly rising up in front of us is Table Mountain…..it is not a dream after all & we have finally made it - Cape town, South Africa!! Windsor to Cape (via Cairo & a few other places) – 26,100 miles, 20 countries & 305 days on the road – a lifetimes ambition completed! Emotions mixed – euphoria, relief, excitement, satisfaction, sadness & many more – it was certainly a memorable & emotional moment! We stop at Bloubergstrand & sit on the pristine white sandy beach to savior the moment & take in the incredible view of Table Mountain & Cape Town …..What a fantastic trip!But it was not over yet & we had a rendezvous with Sally &
Susan who were flying in from the UK to be with us for the ‘final leg’ to Cape Point; particularly apt as they were 2 of the last people to wave us off from Gloucester Place, Windsor, England (Susan’s house)on that chilly January 14th morning. They duly arrived the following morning with a ‘little’surprise of there own….. Juliet had also turned up! Wow, what an amazing surprise and for once both Clare and I were absolutely speechless, this really was an unbelievable and fantastic bonus! I now had 4 of my favorite girls (poor show from the lads, where were you??) to help Bula and me down the final stretch. Unfortunately the Cape weather was living up to its reputation and it was peeing with rain and blowing a gale but that did not stop us celebrating over lunch in Camps Bay.
As usual I’ve started with the end (or somewhere in the middle) so back for a quick update on the last few weeks since we last left you in Luderitz. After an impromptu night out at Luderitzs’ ‘top’ (only) bar - Barrels - we decided to stay an extra day (hang over from hell!). We did eventually leave on the Monday and managed to see Kelmanshoop, a diamond ghost town, and the famous desert wild horses. Unfortunately, the day ended in a garage in the small mining town of Rosh Pinar when Bula’s rear half shaft hub decided to sheer but luckily we had a spare and were only a few miles from a garage so were soon back on the road.
Susan who were flying in from the UK to be with us for the ‘final leg’ to Cape Point; particularly apt as they were 2 of the last people to wave us off from Gloucester Place, Windsor, England (Susan’s house)on that chilly January 14th morning. They duly arrived the following morning with a ‘little’surprise of there own….. Juliet had also turned up! Wow, what an amazing surprise and for once both Clare and I were absolutely speechless, this really was an unbelievable and fantastic bonus! I now had 4 of my favorite girls (poor show from the lads, where were you??) to help Bula and me down the final stretch. Unfortunately the Cape weather was living up to its reputation and it was peeing with rain and blowing a gale but that did not stop us celebrating over lunch in Camps Bay.
As usual I’ve started with the end (or somewhere in the middle) so back for a quick update on the last few weeks since we last left you in Luderitz. After an impromptu night out at Luderitzs’ ‘top’ (only) bar - Barrels - we decided to stay an extra day (hang over from hell!). We did eventually leave on the Monday and managed to see Kelmanshoop, a diamond ghost town, and the famous desert wild horses. Unfortunately, the day ended in a garage in the small mining town of Rosh Pinar when Bula’s rear half shaft hub decided to sheer but luckily we had a spare and were only a few miles from a garage so were soon back on the road.From Rosh Pinar we had our final off road section – a fabulous 160 km route through the mountainous & rocky terrain of the Ais-Ais Reserve, following the famous Orange River. We found ourselves a great camp site right on the river bank and then managed to get ourselves booked onto a 4 day / 3 night canoe safari along the Orange R
iver! Our party consisted of the guide, 4 young SA lads from Pretoria and a young couple from Cape Town and we spent a very tranquil (if hot - over 40 degrees) time drifting and paddling down river in our Canadian style two man canoes; however, we did encounter the odd class 2 rapid, one of which was particularly tricky and decided to unceremoniously dump us into the river resulting in a few bruises and a very wet tent! Once safely back on dry land and reunited with ‘comfy’ Bula (roof tents are certainly more comfortable than sleeping on the ground) we quickly headed into South Africa legally - we had ‘illegally’ crossed into SA several days earlier during the canoe trip, as we camped each night on the SA side of the Orange River - and our rendezvous with the girls.
iver! Our party consisted of the guide, 4 young SA lads from Pretoria and a young couple from Cape Town and we spent a very tranquil (if hot - over 40 degrees) time drifting and paddling down river in our Canadian style two man canoes; however, we did encounter the odd class 2 rapid, one of which was particularly tricky and decided to unceremoniously dump us into the river resulting in a few bruises and a very wet tent! Once safely back on dry land and reunited with ‘comfy’ Bula (roof tents are certainly more comfortable than sleeping on the ground) we quickly headed into South Africa legally - we had ‘illegally’ crossed into SA several days earlier during the canoe trip, as we camped each night on the SA side of the Orange River - and our rendezvous with the girls. So, back to our week with the ‘gang’ and despite a poor start on the weather front we still managed to cram in a whole bunch of 
activities which included Cape Towns ‘Big Six’ – Table Mountain, Cape Point and the Penguins, the V & A Waterfront (way too much shopping!), Robben Island, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and of course a few Wineries! Add in a few great restaurants (plus more shopping), hooking up with Degs & pal
s, I think we truly ‘did’ Cape Town! It really was fabulous to have the girls with us and ensured it was a top week to celebrate the culmination of our trip! Big thanks to you all for making such an effort at such a busy time of year & also for your incredible generosity.
activities which included Cape Towns ‘Big Six’ – Table Mountain, Cape Point and the Penguins, the V & A Waterfront (way too much shopping!), Robben Island, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and of course a few Wineries! Add in a few great restaurants (plus more shopping), hooking up with Degs & pal
s, I think we truly ‘did’ Cape Town! It really was fabulous to have the girls with us and ensured it was a top week to celebrate the culmination of our trip! Big thanks to you all for making such an effort at such a busy time of year & also for your incredible generosity.Unfortunately, all good things have to come to an end, and on Tuesday we waved the girls off, so once again it was just Clare, Bula and I. In order to cheer ourselves up we quickly headed to Franschhoek and the Wine lands, which we fully explored over the next 3 days incorporating a number of excellent drinking establishments, including Boschendal, Fairview, Graham Beck and 
Rickety Bridge to name just a few! The settings were fantastic, the tours interesting and the wines superb and the only thing that prevented us going on longer was the collapse of our livers……after so long on ‘meager’ rations in the African bush this fine living was now taking its toll!!! However, there was to be no reprieve as we then spent the weekend back in Cape Town with Bob, Jill, Scott and Kate who don’t know the meaning of No - fantastic hospitality and overly generous, thanks. We finally made our escape on Sunday (2nd December) and sought sanctuary in the sleepy retirement town of Stanford a few hours along the East Coast. From Stanford we drove the last 100 miles south to L’Agulhas which is the ‘true’ most southerly point of Africa and the meeting place of the mighty Atlantic and In
dian Oceans (Cape Point is generally easier for tourists and sounds better!). We celebrated this momentous moment with take away fish and chips…….our livers couldn’t face the bubbly!. From here we then spent 2 ‘alcohol free’ days in the remote De Hoop Nature Reserve, Whale watching and Hiking – much needed after the excesses of Cape Town and good preparation for what lies ahead in Durban!!
So that pretty much brings us up to date and from here we head along the Southern Coast (Garden Route) for the long anticipated Rendezvous with the Spark Clan (mum & dad arrive on 14th Dec) – that won’t involve much drinking will it!! And if the reunion wasn’t enough my Big Brother, aged 47, finally did the decent thing and married Veronica – what a result! Congratulations Mike and Vronsie, fantastic news & about bloody time!!
Rickety Bridge to name just a few! The settings were fantastic, the tours interesting and the wines superb and the only thing that prevented us going on longer was the collapse of our livers……after so long on ‘meager’ rations in the African bush this fine living was now taking its toll!!! However, there was to be no reprieve as we then spent the weekend back in Cape Town with Bob, Jill, Scott and Kate who don’t know the meaning of No - fantastic hospitality and overly generous, thanks. We finally made our escape on Sunday (2nd December) and sought sanctuary in the sleepy retirement town of Stanford a few hours along the East Coast. From Stanford we drove the last 100 miles south to L’Agulhas which is the ‘true’ most southerly point of Africa and the meeting place of the mighty Atlantic and In
dian Oceans (Cape Point is generally easier for tourists and sounds better!). We celebrated this momentous moment with take away fish and chips…….our livers couldn’t face the bubbly!. From here we then spent 2 ‘alcohol free’ days in the remote De Hoop Nature Reserve, Whale watching and Hiking – much needed after the excesses of Cape Town and good preparation for what lies ahead in Durban!!So that pretty much brings us up to date and from here we head along the Southern Coast (Garden Route) for the long anticipated Rendezvous with the Spark Clan (mum & dad arrive on 14th Dec) – that won’t involve much drinking will it!! And if the reunion wasn’t enough my Big Brother, aged 47, finally did the decent thing and married Veronica – what a result! Congratulations Mike and Vronsie, fantastic news & about bloody time!!
Probably only one more Blog update from Durban & then you can all breathe a sigh of relief – no more bloody African stories from Sparky and Clare! Unless of course you are stupid enough to invite us over for dinner……until Durban!
P.S. Sorry Lord still no blood, guts, gore or hardship unless you can count the sewage drains getting blocked at the house in Camps Bay that the girls rented…..not a pleasant experience or smell!!
posted by Clare & Graham at 9:48 am
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