Saturday, September 13, 2008
13th Sept. Pretoria
11th Sept Pietermaritzburg
The van went into the container yesterday. Lovely and clean and well tied down. We gave it a gentle pat before they closed the doors. Hope it gets to Sydney safely. They had made a mistake earlier and it was booked to go to Brisbane but we were able to change that in time. We had to ait for the customs inspection then longer for the container to arrive but managed to have it completed by 2pm. The staff at the warehouse who loaded it were very helpful and dropped us off at the Avis depot after .
We have hired a VW Polo to drive up to Joburg and will have a look at the Drakensburg Ranges on our way. They are meant to be spectacular. It is funny to be driving a small car after the van for so long.
South Africa is a very picturesque country where you cold spend months looking around nd the people are hospitable. Yet there is sch a divide etween the blacks and the whites with many of the whites still looking longingly back at the apartheid era. The problem is going to get bigger as time goes by.
13th Sept. Near Pretoria.
We met Ria & Len At Etosha NP and had a couple of good evenings together. During that time they insisted we visit them before we fly out. We arrived at their beautiful house yesterday, had a braai last night, visited one of these amazing shopping malls this country has in abundance this morning then spent the afternoon in the game reserve that borders their property. It was very fulfilling seeing many animals including a couple of meerkats, an animal we hadn’t seen up to now.
This will be the last post while in Africa but I want to do a final one back home giving a run down on the costs etc in doing a trip like this.
The van went into the container yesterday. Lovely and clean and well tied down. We gave it a gentle pat before they closed the doors. Hope it gets to Sydney safely. They had made a mistake earlier and it was booked to go to Brisbane but we were able to change that in time. We had to ait for the customs inspection then longer for the container to arrive but managed to have it completed by 2pm. The staff at the warehouse who loaded it were very helpful and dropped us off at the Avis depot after .
We have hired a VW Polo to drive up to Joburg and will have a look at the Drakensburg Ranges on our way. They are meant to be spectacular. It is funny to be driving a small car after the van for so long.
South Africa is a very picturesque country where you cold spend months looking around nd the people are hospitable. Yet there is sch a divide etween the blacks and the whites with many of the whites still looking longingly back at the apartheid era. The problem is going to get bigger as time goes by.
13th Sept. Near Pretoria.
We met Ria & Len At Etosha NP and had a couple of good evenings together. During that time they insisted we visit them before we fly out. We arrived at their beautiful house yesterday, had a braai last night, visited one of these amazing shopping malls this country has in abundance this morning then spent the afternoon in the game reserve that borders their property. It was very fulfilling seeing many animals including a couple of meerkats, an animal we hadn’t seen up to now.
This will be the last post while in Africa but I want to do a final one back home giving a run down on the costs etc in doing a trip like this.
8th Sept Salt Rocks
6th Sept.
There just happened to be a Mozambique restaurant over the road from our camp site. Apart from Hamburg’s Portuguese restaurant we haven’t eaten out for some time. It was a very nice meal, good service in nice surroundings. Good reward for a day cleaning the van. You have no idea where the dust has worked its way, fortunately we seem to have the inside beaten and there’s just the outside to do.
So it’s all coming to an end. This part of the trip has been difficult at times,. I knew Africa would put added pressure on both of us and that it has, but we seem to be reaching the end with a better attitude than some times over the last 6 months. It will be good getting home though this trip has been quite an experience for us both. We were discussing today how travel like this necessitates a certain type of person: looking back at the ones we met along the way they all lack pretensions, are prepared to accept whatever happens and get as much as they can out of the different countries and cultures they are passing through. At Hamburg we met a bloke who lives in East London (south of Durban). He was saying he had a large RV sitting in Belgium that he tours Europe in when he goes there. He had travelled widely but missed a companion to share it with. He said I was lucky to have someone who loved travelling like we did. That I am.
Travel like this is not easy. In fact it is hard and stressful at times. Yet the satisfactions we have along the way make up for all the hardships. We will be asked what were the highlights, looking back I can’t think of any one thing that stood out above the rest. There has been so many but then that is what you get travelling through Africa. An amazing continent. So full of life yet laden down with corruption, Aids and lack of infrastructure. Things are improving on the latter with foreign aid, Aids is being fought in some countries, but corruption seems to be an ongoing problem.
8th Sept. Salt Rocks.
As expected, this week has been mucky with most of the time taken with organising the van’s shipment. On Friday we headed north of Durban to find a camp site to clean the van. We found a good one and got the work done. Then we had a phone call to say the customs had to site the carnet papers before they would arrange inspection prior to shipping. So it was back to Durban, where we thought we would spend the last 2 nights. However of the 2 places we went to one was closed and we couldn’t find the other one. We decided to head back up the north coast and spend the last 2 nights somewhere on the coast. So here we are, metres from the water overlooking what must have been old salt works but is now a massive swimming pool that has the waves breaking over the outer wall on a regular basis. The sea mist is heavy, swirling around the spotlights and leaving all surfaces dripping.
There just happened to be a Mozambique restaurant over the road from our camp site. Apart from Hamburg’s Portuguese restaurant we haven’t eaten out for some time. It was a very nice meal, good service in nice surroundings. Good reward for a day cleaning the van. You have no idea where the dust has worked its way, fortunately we seem to have the inside beaten and there’s just the outside to do.
So it’s all coming to an end. This part of the trip has been difficult at times,. I knew Africa would put added pressure on both of us and that it has, but we seem to be reaching the end with a better attitude than some times over the last 6 months. It will be good getting home though this trip has been quite an experience for us both. We were discussing today how travel like this necessitates a certain type of person: looking back at the ones we met along the way they all lack pretensions, are prepared to accept whatever happens and get as much as they can out of the different countries and cultures they are passing through. At Hamburg we met a bloke who lives in East London (south of Durban). He was saying he had a large RV sitting in Belgium that he tours Europe in when he goes there. He had travelled widely but missed a companion to share it with. He said I was lucky to have someone who loved travelling like we did. That I am.
Travel like this is not easy. In fact it is hard and stressful at times. Yet the satisfactions we have along the way make up for all the hardships. We will be asked what were the highlights, looking back I can’t think of any one thing that stood out above the rest. There has been so many but then that is what you get travelling through Africa. An amazing continent. So full of life yet laden down with corruption, Aids and lack of infrastructure. Things are improving on the latter with foreign aid, Aids is being fought in some countries, but corruption seems to be an ongoing problem.
8th Sept. Salt Rocks.
As expected, this week has been mucky with most of the time taken with organising the van’s shipment. On Friday we headed north of Durban to find a camp site to clean the van. We found a good one and got the work done. Then we had a phone call to say the customs had to site the carnet papers before they would arrange inspection prior to shipping. So it was back to Durban, where we thought we would spend the last 2 nights. However of the 2 places we went to one was closed and we couldn’t find the other one. We decided to head back up the north coast and spend the last 2 nights somewhere on the coast. So here we are, metres from the water overlooking what must have been old salt works but is now a massive swimming pool that has the waves breaking over the outer wall on a regular basis. The sea mist is heavy, swirling around the spotlights and leaving all surfaces dripping.
Friday, September 5, 2008
5th Sept. Durban
Hamburg. 3rd Sept.
The storm that we experienced the day we left Cape Town has followed us along the coast with devastating results. Agulhas, Mossel Bay, the next night we spent at Storms River. The national park has some lovely chalets there some built above the road with a panoramic view, others built just above the normal sea level. The latter had been pulverised by the massive seas and a couple had been washed off their footings. The huge seas had closed the walk to the Storms River mouth as was the footbridge across the river. Froth from the huge waves was over a metre deep, boulders covered the parking area washed up from the sea.
Yesterday we travelled a further 450kms east and ended up at this place called Hamburg. A little hamlet overlooking an estuary. We had heard about a good campsite from one of the printouts we obtained while in Nairobi. On arriving we noticed debris strewn everywhere. There were a couple of vans but they were close to the back of the allotment, against a hill. Water covered the flat area, we were soon to discover that the previous night, with a spring tide and strong winds added to the enormous seas, the water had risen and covered the whole camp site with up to 1.5 metres of water. Vans had been There was no warning, it was7pm, pitch dark as the water had covered all the power points.
We parked our van on a higher level next to the Portuguese Restaurant & bar.. The owner of the camp is Portuguese who wanted to drop out. He couldn’t have picked a lovelier place. There is a short walk along the estuary to the ocean where the surf still roared in.
5th Sept. Port Edward
In fact we stayed a second night, in Hamburg, it was so tranquil. That meant a long drive the next day to get within striking distance of Durban the following day as we needed to see the shipping Coy before the weekend. We travelled over 600kms mainly through the Transkei, a highly populated area with townships peppered over many of the hills. It was just like being back in East Africa with people walking along the roads again, fetching water in containers, and carrying everything on their heads. Port Edward is 160kms from Durban, a short drive, this may have been our last night on the road. While in Hamburg we began to clean the van up, get rid of all the dust in it. Australian Customs are very strict and I am aware it will have to be steam cleaned when we get to Sydney but the inside is so full of dust it’s going to be a major job getting rid of it. I think it will take at least 3 days.
The storm that we experienced the day we left Cape Town has followed us along the coast with devastating results. Agulhas, Mossel Bay, the next night we spent at Storms River. The national park has some lovely chalets there some built above the road with a panoramic view, others built just above the normal sea level. The latter had been pulverised by the massive seas and a couple had been washed off their footings. The huge seas had closed the walk to the Storms River mouth as was the footbridge across the river. Froth from the huge waves was over a metre deep, boulders covered the parking area washed up from the sea.
Yesterday we travelled a further 450kms east and ended up at this place called Hamburg. A little hamlet overlooking an estuary. We had heard about a good campsite from one of the printouts we obtained while in Nairobi. On arriving we noticed debris strewn everywhere. There were a couple of vans but they were close to the back of the allotment, against a hill. Water covered the flat area, we were soon to discover that the previous night, with a spring tide and strong winds added to the enormous seas, the water had risen and covered the whole camp site with up to 1.5 metres of water. Vans had been There was no warning, it was7pm, pitch dark as the water had covered all the power points.
We parked our van on a higher level next to the Portuguese Restaurant & bar.. The owner of the camp is Portuguese who wanted to drop out. He couldn’t have picked a lovelier place. There is a short walk along the estuary to the ocean where the surf still roared in.
5th Sept. Port Edward
In fact we stayed a second night, in Hamburg, it was so tranquil. That meant a long drive the next day to get within striking distance of Durban the following day as we needed to see the shipping Coy before the weekend. We travelled over 600kms mainly through the Transkei, a highly populated area with townships peppered over many of the hills. It was just like being back in East Africa with people walking along the roads again, fetching water in containers, and carrying everything on their heads. Port Edward is 160kms from Durban, a short drive, this may have been our last night on the road. While in Hamburg we began to clean the van up, get rid of all the dust in it. Australian Customs are very strict and I am aware it will have to be steam cleaned when we get to Sydney but the inside is so full of dust it’s going to be a major job getting rid of it. I think it will take at least 3 days.
30th August Cape Agulhas
29th August. Stellenbosch
Stellenbosch is the centre of the Cape wine industry. A short distance from Cape Town it is also the 2nd oldest city in the country. We have been impressed with the SA wines, both in quality but also in price. In a supermarket not long after we entered SA they were selling off their ‘End of the line range’ for 10R a bottle. That’s $1.50AU. There is a wine shop a short distance from this camp site where excellent wines are going for $3-7 a bottle. What would you get for those prices in Australia? One has to control one’s self a bit with these prices, that as well as the good food here makes us think we won’t be bean stalks when we get back.
That’s another thing: the supermarkets here have a vast range of prepared foods on their shelves or in the warmers. I guess the Australian companies have looked into all this and deem the market isn’t there. I know it’s ideal if you’re living in a campervan.
I have always been a fan of Nelson Mandela and the struggle the ANC had to bring down apartheid, one of our must-dos was to go out to Robben Island where he was incarcerated for 18 years. While queuing up for tickets there was an announcement to say the sailings for today were cancelled. We thought it strange as the gale force winds of the day before had dissipated. Then we heard on the news tonight the catamaran hadn’t sailed the last week as there was a dispute with the builders of the sleek cat sitting next to the depot over the seaworthiness of the vehicle in rough weather. Slovenly building practises had caused the problem it seems. Perhaps it was a good thing we didn’t go.
Although the winds have dropped the rain is still hanging around and the forecast for Cape Town the next couple of days is for extreme conditions even talking about snow. If that happens overnight we will head on to Cape Agulhas, the most southern point on the continent and where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet.
We have finally picked an end date for this odyssey: The van goes on a ship bound for Sydney on 12th Sept out of Durban. We fly out on the 14th from Johannesburg. By that time we will have covered 50,000 kms since leaving Chennai over 15 months ago.
30th August. Cape Agulhas.
Whereas the Cape of God Hope gets al the glamour, Cape Agulhas IS the southern most point of the continent and the official point where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet. We are in the camp site 30 metres from the Agulhas Lighthouse having the van rocked by gale force winds and the rain hitting us almost vertically. The light from the lighthouse passes over us every 3 seconds. I was afraid to raise the roof but a leak in the zipper has made us lift it at least until we go to bed. This gale appears to be the worst for at least 14 years to have hit Cape Town and all shipping has been advised to stay in harbour. The lady at the fish & chip shop said that these conditions were unusual. The plumes of spray off the waves are quite incredible being forced back on itself. We went for a walk around the foreshore and fortunately made it back before the conditions changed.
There is a smile on the rugby followers in town with the Wallabies being walloped 50 something to 8. The Sth African cricketers have had a woeful time in the UK and their Olympic record was abysmal with one silver and a few bronze. At least the Springboks have saved them a bit of face.
Yes, we had fish and chips from the most southernmost fish and chip shop on the continent. The first ones since leaving Australia. They were delicious.
Stellenbosch is the centre of the Cape wine industry. A short distance from Cape Town it is also the 2nd oldest city in the country. We have been impressed with the SA wines, both in quality but also in price. In a supermarket not long after we entered SA they were selling off their ‘End of the line range’ for 10R a bottle. That’s $1.50AU. There is a wine shop a short distance from this camp site where excellent wines are going for $3-7 a bottle. What would you get for those prices in Australia? One has to control one’s self a bit with these prices, that as well as the good food here makes us think we won’t be bean stalks when we get back.
That’s another thing: the supermarkets here have a vast range of prepared foods on their shelves or in the warmers. I guess the Australian companies have looked into all this and deem the market isn’t there. I know it’s ideal if you’re living in a campervan.
I have always been a fan of Nelson Mandela and the struggle the ANC had to bring down apartheid, one of our must-dos was to go out to Robben Island where he was incarcerated for 18 years. While queuing up for tickets there was an announcement to say the sailings for today were cancelled. We thought it strange as the gale force winds of the day before had dissipated. Then we heard on the news tonight the catamaran hadn’t sailed the last week as there was a dispute with the builders of the sleek cat sitting next to the depot over the seaworthiness of the vehicle in rough weather. Slovenly building practises had caused the problem it seems. Perhaps it was a good thing we didn’t go.
Although the winds have dropped the rain is still hanging around and the forecast for Cape Town the next couple of days is for extreme conditions even talking about snow. If that happens overnight we will head on to Cape Agulhas, the most southern point on the continent and where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet.
We have finally picked an end date for this odyssey: The van goes on a ship bound for Sydney on 12th Sept out of Durban. We fly out on the 14th from Johannesburg. By that time we will have covered 50,000 kms since leaving Chennai over 15 months ago.
30th August. Cape Agulhas.
Whereas the Cape of God Hope gets al the glamour, Cape Agulhas IS the southern most point of the continent and the official point where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet. We are in the camp site 30 metres from the Agulhas Lighthouse having the van rocked by gale force winds and the rain hitting us almost vertically. The light from the lighthouse passes over us every 3 seconds. I was afraid to raise the roof but a leak in the zipper has made us lift it at least until we go to bed. This gale appears to be the worst for at least 14 years to have hit Cape Town and all shipping has been advised to stay in harbour. The lady at the fish & chip shop said that these conditions were unusual. The plumes of spray off the waves are quite incredible being forced back on itself. We went for a walk around the foreshore and fortunately made it back before the conditions changed.
There is a smile on the rugby followers in town with the Wallabies being walloped 50 something to 8. The Sth African cricketers have had a woeful time in the UK and their Olympic record was abysmal with one silver and a few bronze. At least the Springboks have saved them a bit of face.
Yes, we had fish and chips from the most southernmost fish and chip shop on the continent. The first ones since leaving Australia. They were delicious.
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