South Africa travel report february 2002

Thursday 31 february

Woke up at 4am for the ride to Amsterdam and after an 11 hour flight in a full plane we arrived at the airport in Johannesburg. Went to the atm for money and called the airport backpackers hostel. After 10 minutes we were picked up and drank a few beers at the bar in the hostel. Surprisingly cold in J’burg considering that its summer. Went to bed at about 1 am.

Friday 1 february

Got up early at 8 am. Had a quick breakfast and headed for the airport again to pick up our rental car. Everything went perfect. The car pickup is well organised and efficient. We got the car 200 euros cheaper because of a euro calculation mistake. At 9.30 we were on the road in an almost brand new toyota corolla on the highway. The car even had an alarm and a cd player. Europcar gave us a good roadmap, good service ! We quickly found out that driving in South Africa is easy, the roads are great and there’s not much traffic. The signposts are clear and good so its like driving in Europe. What a difference with our last vacation in the Philippines where travelling around is such a pain. Went to a bottleshop to buy a case of beer, and found out that there’s still apartheid because I was helped first even though there were black people in front of me. Today we wanted to see blyde canyon and we arrived at the southhenmost point of the canyon at about 1 pm. To our horror we couldn’t see anything because of the thick fog. Luckily the fog cleared a few kilometers further and we had a good view of the spectacular canyon. Especially bourke’s potholes and the three sisters were breathtaking. Checked in at about 5pm at a holiday park and got a fantastic cottage for about 30 euros. Drank a few beers and enjoyed the terrace. Went to bed early because tomorrow is kruger day !

  

Saturday 2 february

On the road at about 7am and went back to the blyde canyon spots we missed yesterday because of the fog. Now we could see clearly and again had some spectacular views. Blyde canyon is the 3rd biggest canyon in the world and is a must see especially because it so close to Kruger.. At 9am we arrived at Kruger park. We went through the paul kruger gate and immediately saw impalas, warthogs, elephants, giraffes, turtles and baboons, we were quite lucky the first 2 hours. But after that our luck was gone. The rest of the day we didn’t see a lot of animals anymore. Of couse (as we found out later), game spotting between 11am and 4 pm is very hard because of the heat. And it was hot with an almost clear sky. We drove on until about 6pm and went to olifants restcamp. We stayed in a very nice cottage with aircon and a balcony with an incredible view across the elephant river. We saw hippos bathing in the river. We cooked our own food which was disgusting. Because of the clear skies the stars were stunning. Went to bed at about 9 (totally exhausted).

  

  

Sunday 3 february

Gamespotting is easier in the early morning so we woke up at 6 and were in the car at 7. We saw some very rare birds (even endangered as we heard later). Hippos, lots of buffalo, giraffes and elephants. In the afternoon driving around was again useless so we took a break in the camp and started riding again at 4.30. We saw lots of animals again and unfortunately missed a female lion. After 2 days we’ve seen a lot but not the big cats yet, which was dissapointing. Went to bed very early again (even children don’t go to bed that early !)

  

  

Monday 4 february

This was the day we were waiting for. Got up at 5am and in the car at 5.50am. We were finally rewarded. On the road we saw 4 hyenas (2 females and 2 pups). Ugly animals but fascinating to watch. They were hunting. In the afternoon we saw a leopard in a tree (lots of cars were parked there so we couldn’t miss it). In the late afternoon drive we saw a hyena again and hit the jackpot, a leopard lying on the road. We were the only one there. We watched the animal for 15 minutes before a tour bus arrived and the animal went away. We also saw 2 rhinos in the distance. So we’d seen 4 of the big 5 which is a good score. We slept at berg en dal camp in the south and went to bed early again because these days in Kruger are incredibly exhausting.

  

  

Tuesday 5 february

6 am the alarm clock rang (is this really a holiday ?) and we took 1 more short drive in Kruger. Saw a few animals (wildebeest, buffalo, elephant and some others) but no animals we didn’t see before. At 10 am we went through the gate and left Kruger. Fascinating wildpark and we have seen quite a variety of animals. But I have to say that we invested a lot of time in spotting the animals. We really had to work for it but that paid off well. The next thing on the agenda was Hluhluwe national park, a park like Kruger but smaller and less commercial. We took the road through Swaziland. Didn’t see much of the country. Would have loved to stay there but we had no time for that. At least we got some extra stamps in our passports. At about 3pm we arrived at hluhluwe and fortunately we could find accomodation in the park, but that didn’t come cheap. 500 rand for a night although that’s still cheap compared to Europe, especially when you see the cottage that contains all the luxury that you need. We went for a late afternoon drive and saw some different animals than in Kruger, but nothing special. Hluhluwe is more beautiful than Kruger. The landscape is fantastic and the roads are rougher and there’s even less traffic.

Wednesday 6 february

Yes, the same routine. Got up at 6 and before 7am in the car. After 2 hours we found what we were looking for, rhinos. The next hour we saw about 10 rhinos, some on the road, some sleeping. We saw black and white rhinos. Furthermore buffalos, wildebeest, countless zebras, warthogs and impalas. In the afternoon we saw huge elephants walking on the road towards us. Pretty scary sight to see a monster like that a few metres away. In the afternoon it got so hot (45 degrees) that it was impossible to see animals and it was even to hot to sit in the car with the airco turned on. So at 3 pm we left the park and went on the road as far as possible to Drakensbergen. We ended up in Dundee. As the hotels were full, we took a bed & breakfast. Very nice house with a swimming pool and at least 5 bedrooms. The owner told me that the house was for sale. Couldn’t believe that he was only asking 30.000 euros for it. In Holland a house like that would we 10 times as expensive. Walked into town for food (steakhouse) and something to drink but the place is dead. Went to bed very early again (9 pm) as it had been a long day again.

  

  

Note : This was the only place in South Africa where we were bothered by mosquitos. Strange enough we didn’t see any in the wildparks.

Thursday 7 february

From Dundee it’s only a short drive to Drakensbergen national park. We arrived there at about 10 am. Unfortunately is was raining and it was cold. No possibility to hike here today. As it’s was very depressing in the rain we decided to leave. We might have missed some of the most spectacular scenery in South Africa, but we didn’t come to South Africa for Dutch weather. We were in the car the rest of the day. The roads are really excellent in South Africa. We drove all the way to Colesberg. An important stopover according to the lonely planet. Well, it’s more like a depressing desert town. We checked in into a hostel (120 rand) and went into town. We could only find 1 pub which was empty. The restaurant was full of local rednecks. No fun so we went to bed early.

Friday 8 february

We were in the car at 8 am and drove to our last wildlife park. Addo elephant park. After Kruger and Hluhluwe this park was somehow dissapointing. It’s small and besides elephants and ostrich we saw few animals. The park is also very commercial as its relatively close to Capetown. I can imagine that this park is fantastic for tourists that fly into Capetown and only do the garden route. But we were spoiled with the northeastern parks. At about 4 pm we arrived at Jeffreys Bay, the party place. Beautiful town and we finally saw pubs which were full of people ! Very strong winds also but the waves were not really high. This is the surfers mecca of South Africa. At night we went to the pubs and a disco and partied all night long. Talked to a black girl who told me that she was not really welcome in the disco. Apartheid still exists. There were only 2 black persons there. The disco was full and I believe we were the only tourists. It was a fun place, we talked to a lot of people.

  

Saturday 9 february

Got up at 1 pm with a hangover. But we finally had our first party night. Didn’t do much the rest of the day, a restday. Rented boogy boards but the waves were not that great. In the evening we went to the pub again but only drank a few beers.

Sunday 10 february

Time for the next party place, Plettenberg Bay. We arrived there early but found that the place was very quiet. The beach however is beautiful and the weather perfect. We decided to go on to Knysna, a bigger place and very lively according to lonely planet. Almost checked into a hotel but at the last moment we decided to go back to Plettenberg. Knysna is a bit livelier than Plettenberg but the main street was not really attractive and there is no beach. In Plettenberg we took a hotel and walked to the beach and went for a swim. The beach is really excellent and the water warm. After dinner it was pub time again. However the town is dead. Absolutely nothing to do at night, we found 1 pub but it was empty. So we went to bed early again.

Monday 11 february

We decided to go to the karoo today, so inland again. Just outside oudtshoorn there is a cheetah ranch we wanted to visit. This is ostrich land, lots of farms and you can even ride an ostrich here. Also lots of souvenir stands with painted ostrich eggs. We arrived at the cheetah ranch at about noon and found out that it was more like a zoo. Cheetahs, lions, leopards and lots of crocodiles. But zoo’s are for old people so this was not a place for us. We left and headed for the cango caves. Well, these caves are really spectacular and well worth the visit. The only problem is that you must go with a guide and its very touristic, lots of klootjesvolk. It would be fantastic to walk in those caves alone. After that we drove the Swartberg pass, one of the most spectacular in the country. And indeed it is. The views are incredible and the road almost climbs up to the sky. This is truly one of the best drives in the world and not to be missed !!! Much better than the 200km garden route. At 18.30 we arrived at oudtshoorn and stayed in a b&b in the centre. We ate at a steakhouse (I had ostrich steak) and played cards until it was pubtime. Only one (not empty) pub in Oudtshoorn (a reasonably big town). Big beers for 50 eurocents and speedskating on tv ! We watched the 500m first run. At the end a local girl sent me notes via the bartender, she wanted to trade her phonenumber for my name. After the skating we went to the girls (sisters) and had a good time. They have good jobs and were good looking. We went with the girls and the pubowner to another club in a township. It was fun and we traded addresses.

  

Tuesday 12 february

Woke up at 11 with a minor hangover and checked out at 12. Decided to go further although I more or less promised the girl that we would stay another day, oh well… We shortly stopped in Mossel bay to see if the mosselman was there. We didn’t see him and were very surprised that nobody was dancing (they must have been tired from last night). We went all the way to Hermanus today and stopped at Gansbaai to ask about cage diving with sharks. We also stopped at cape agulhas, the southernmost point of Africa and this is where the indian and pacific ocean meet. At Hermanus we had an incredible apartment. A living room, kitchen and 2 bedrooms with 6 beds and an oceanview. And all that for 35 euro. We checked out town, it’s quite lively but we partied last night so we went to bed quite early.

Wednesday 13 february

A rest day, because we couldn’t go shark diving today we booked for tomorrow. So today we didn’t do anything. Getting things together and walked around town. It’s a beautiful town with a great setting. A rocky coast and big waves. Nice place to live I guess.

Thursday 14 february

Woke up early again (6 am) and were at 8.30 in Gansbaai. We got breakfast and at 9.30 we went to the boat. After about 1 hour on the boat we arrived at the spot where all the sharks are. The downfall was that we had 25 (!) people on the boat and only 1 cage. Besides that we were not the only boat out here… After about 4 hours waiting all the chum was gone and we saw a few dolphins but no sharks so we returned to shore where we got lunch. One big tourist trap and I doubt it would have been worthwhile if we did see a shark. How can you have a good view in the cage with 25 people on the boat ? Anyway because we didn’t see sharks we got a free voucher. We knew for sure that we were not gonna use that. So at 3 pm we were in the car again and drove to Stellenbosch, a place on the wineroute near Capetown. Incredibly busy town, especially compared to the rest of South Africa. This town is maybe the liveliest town in South Africa. We couldn’t find a hotel so we went rock bottom this time, a dorm in a hostel. The hostel played loud house music in the evening so we went out to town. Lots of pubs and discos here (and all very busy) so we checked a few out. This town feels like Groningen. We didn’t make it very late however because today was exhausting and tomorrow will be busy again.

Friday 15 february

The last day we could use the car and we had 1 thing left to do : the cape peninsula. We drove to all the interesting places. The cape is beautiful bacause of all the mountains and beaches.

A few highlights : Boulders beach, a beach with pinquins (!), unbelievable to see pinquins on a beach when its 35C. Cape of good hope nature reserve, mountains, beaches and incredible viewpoints, besides that historic sites like ‘kaap de goede hoop’. And besides the southernmost tip also very quiet. Funny to see the baboons walking over the parking lot scaring people. Chapman’s drive. Supposedly one of the most beautiful stretches of road in the world and I can only agree. Clifton beach, a beautiful beach close to the city centre. We delivered the car at the airport (after 5200 km) without problems and started looking for a hotel. Like last night all hotels in the centre were fully booked so we had to take one outside of the city centre. When we arrived there we were shocked to see that the hotel was painted pink. We almost turned around again but then we had to search another one which could take a long time so we stayed (but for 1 night only !). Walked throught the centre at night but went to bed early as the last few days were quite demanding.

  

Saturday 16 february

We immediately checked out today and went to a hotel in the centre. I picked up my photoroll at the postoffice (forgot it in the hotel at Jeffreys bay). And then we headed for tablemountain. When we arrived the cable car was not running because of strong winds. I asked if we could walk up but an offical said that she strongly adviced against that. We decided to try it anyway. The hike up is strenuous however. We could hardly follow the trail and as nobody else went up we couldn’t follow other people. The winds got stronger and stronger the more we got up and the trail didn’t get any easier. At 3.30 pm, after walking for 2,5 hours we decided to turn back, walking down in the dark is crazy. Climbing down is as hard as climbing up so after another 2 hours we were at the cablestation again. Exhausted we took a taxi, had something to eat and took a shower. After that we went to the waterfront. A tourist area like fishermans wharf in San Fransisco. Lots of thing to do there and we went to a german beer bar and to an english beer bar. Pretty intoxicated we went to the centre again at 11.30 pm and checked out the pubs there. Anyway we got drunk and I left the pub at 3am. Luc wanted to stay so I went to the hotel alone. I dod go to 1 more pub but I wanted to sleep so I went back. Luc arrived at the hotel at 5 am and he got robbed ! When he left the pub he was suddenly surrounded by 5 robbers and they stole his money, mobile and creditcard. Even worse, they cut his hand with a knife and bit him.

Sunday 17 february

Went to the hospital in the morning to take care of the wounds. A bandage and tetanus injection did the trick. In the afternoon we went to the police station and after that we went to the waterfront again. Walked around, went to the aquarium and the imax and had a few beers at the english bar again. After that we went to the cinema to see ocean’s eleven.

Monday 18 february

Finally the cable car was open so we headed for the tablemountain again. Going up by cablecar is a lot faster than walking, in 6 minutes we were on the top. Enjoyed the stunning views and stayed there for about 3 hours. We walked back to the centre which was quite a lomg walk. At the end of the afternoon we went top the waterfront again for souvenir hunting (we couldn’t find anything decent and took it easy the rest of the evening.

Tuesday 19 february

The last day unfortunately. Well on a day like that you do nothing. Went to the airport at 1 pm and at 4 pm we were in the plane for 15 hours and arrived in Amsterdam at 5.30 am the next day. Played our last game of klaverjassen in the train and the final score was 3-3.