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.