Dancing With Vampires.

6 April 2012

We had planned to rise slowly today but this apparently fanciful notion was laid to waste once we were informed by the campsite authorities that the site the gatekeeper had given us was in fact reserved for a tough customer. Wiping the sleep from our eyes and shuffling our way through the morning chill we were made to move camp to another site, quietly cursing the gatekeeper all the while. Apparently Nature’s Valley is notoriously dis-organised, although their idyllic forested setting does make up for such flawed management and keeps their sites full.

A good breakfast and an all-encompassing dose of Peaceful Sleep left Luke dozing in his new hammock, myself lost in a book and Petro and Andrew on their way to the shops to stock up on supplies. Upon their return, we dedicated our afternoon to a forest trail that took us along a mountain side, up a mountain, down a mountain and through a swamp. I would have found such a walk through mystical trees and soft shadows the perfect opportunity to imagine myself lost in Fangorn Forest or some such fantastical place, had not a swarm of starving mosquitoes marked us out for starters, mains, and dessert! It’s difficult to mindlessly escape reality when you find yourself losing a vital pint of blood to vampires! We evolved a queer way of walking which involved constant movement (even if you were waiting in one spot) along the lines of a gumboot dance that extended to the arms, neck and face as well as the legs. For those of you who don’t know what a gumboot dance is, it involves a lot of slapping oneself rhythmically.

Escaping those terrible monsters, the family decided to saunter up the road to the Tsitsikamma beach and end our day off by strolling along the tide line  Kelsey pointed out some interesting sea snails, and we happened across a snake sinuating itself over the sand. The poor thing was claimed by the sea in the end I think. Weather wise, the oppressive heat of the day had been promising buckets of rain which never arrived.

Tourist Vibes and Tangled Hair

5 April 2012

Leaving Strandskloof a full two hours later than expected (9.30AM) we took an eight hour meander towards Nature’s Valley based near Tsitsikamma. The first place we visited along the way (sort of) was Cape Agulhas which is said to be the southernmost point of South Africa. We made the precarious trip up a series of steep ladders to reach the lighthouse top and take in the view, although I didn't see much due to the incredibly strong wind threatening to whip me all over the place just as it was doing to my hair. It was a pretty cool place with a little museum and coffee shop at the base of the lighthouse, but we didn't stay long enough for me to make a full appraisal of what they had to offer. All I can suggest is take a hair tie.

The next eventful moment of our long trip was when we arrived in Malgas. At this point we had to drive our Bantam onto a little ferry powered by the latest technology, i.e. the sweat of three men pulling chains from one side of the ferry to the other until the ferry reached the opposite side of the river. This emptied our pockets by R37.00 per car – an expensive toll I thought (please insert sarcasm here)!

Our final stop before reaching Nature’s Valley was at PortBeauford. A stupendously huge bay, this is where the whales come to calve. Again I was made to deal with peering through my hair as the wind physically bullied me all the way from the car and back into it again.

We made it to Nature’s Valley as twilight fell and unfortunately had to set up camp in the dark – never an easy task at the best of times. Before we could do this however, we had to wait for Andrew to chat to the gatekeeper and ask if we could be given another campsite due to our originally booked one being far too small for six people. The gatekeeper was more than happy to help and promptly pointed us towards the bigger site we were now set up on. Nature’s Valley campsites reside in a forested location, and so we had to keep multiple mosquitoes and such like at bay with layers of PeacefulSleep. Besides that, I was looking forward to shaded strolls through the forest and the next three days we were to spend here.

Hunting For Shells, Waiting For Coffee.

4 April 2012

Kelsey decided she did not have enough shells (she had tons already as far as I could see!) and so the family made an expedition down to a beach absolutely covered in kelp to rectify the situation by taking a long stroll whilst she darted here and there collecting only those things she deemed interesting. I have to admit that apart from the company there wasn't much to recommend this beach.

An hour long break for lunch back at camp and then we were off again on another walk along a different beach front minus James who had elected to remain back at camp. This trail wound its way through a designated fynbos conservation area and exposed us to the prettiest aspects of Gansbaai: Great sweeping mountain ranges blanketed in fynbos vegetation ending abruptly at the clear dark blue ocean edge. The sun made an effort to overcome its daily war with the clouds, and soon we were treated to a vision of blue skies and sunshine dancing upon the waves.

Back at camp we got a chance to take a quick dip in the heated pool before showering and heading out to dinner at a restaurant we had picked out earlier on our afternoon drive through town. At Oppidek Pub & Bistro Luke and I shared a seafood platter of calamari, hake, mussels, prawns and chips – all of which were superbly fresh and cooked to perfection. Dessert stuffed an already full tummy with malva pudding and custard on my part, and vanilla cheesecake for Luke. Although the food is to be recommended the service was ridiculously slow, and we were left to freeze out on the windy balcony for far too long before Andrew received his after dinner coffee. 

By the time it arrived I think Luke’s brain cells had gone into hibernation in response to the frigid conditions, and this explains why he decided to take his dad’s nearly empty milk jug and pour into it the remains of his dad’s filter coffee and sip away at it daintily, as if it were normal for a larger than normal man to drink out of a tiny milk jug. Needless to say we all erupted into hysterics, which were worsened by Petro staring at Luke in disbelief and Luke eagerly looking around for the person that so fascinated Petro when in fact that person was him! So if you go to Oppidek you can expect: Great food and terribly slow service.

Farewell Cape Town and Hello Gansbaai

3 April 2012

The day had arrived that we were to leave Cape Town and make our way east in the Bantam (I secretly call it Chicken) to meet up with Luke’s family in Gansbaai. Before we said goodbye to Simon though, the boys insisted on a Spur breakfast at the V&A Waterfront to start off our journey – as if Simon’s mum hadn't been stuffing us with enough food! Besides the millions of photos captured by Luke, Simon also created a GoPro video of our visit as well as his holiday spent working at the Aquarium with the footage he obsessive compulsively filmed (now we know where he gets that disorder from – his mum!). Share in our epic Cape Town experience by clicking here.

One last goodbye to our woolly haired host and we were off. By late lunchtime we had arrived in Gansbaai, whereupon we met with Andrew (Luke’s dad), Petro (his step mum) and Kelsey (his twelve year old mouse of a sister) at the docks. Sitting on the rocks just off the pier we learned that we were all waiting for James (Luke’s fifteen year old gangly brother) to return from a shark cage dive – an early sixteenth birthday present. Doing so, we caught each other up on our respective holidays thus far.

When James jumped from the huge boat with the broadest grin on his face he enthusiastically began to regale us with his momentous encounter with nature’s deep sea predators. There are several companies along the docks that take out the brave and stupid for shark cage diving, but this one in particular that James went with filmed their experiences. Once the ride is over they offer hot chocolate, tea and coffee etc. to the bedraggled heroes whilst giving them the opportunity to relive their experience through a viewing of the footage. They also have photos up on their wall of celebrities that have partaken in the adrenalin rush provided by shark cage diving. These included Jude Law, among other big names. The ride cost about R1400 for adults.

Following Andrew back to camp at Strandskloof, we set up our own tent for the first time that holiday and then made good use of the heated pool as the sky darkened and the air cooled. Winter was on its way and our days were noticeably getting both chillier and shorter. When Petro enlightened us as to the origins of the irritated red marks that peppered her skin, Luke and I quickly lathered up with Peaceful Sleep (every camper’s best friend) to avoid the “bloody buggers” that apparently crawl under your clothing and bite everywhere and anywhere incessantly.

Table Mountain: Breathless To Behold!

2 April 2012

Table Mountain is about a kilometre high. For people who on a regular occasion hike up the mountains of Kwa-Zulu Natal, Luke and I felt confident that we could conquer Table Mountain with ease. How wrong we were.

Simon’s dad is a seasoned hiker of Table Mountain and made the smart decision of starting us off up the back of the mountain before the sun had even risen. Starting off my spirits were high at finally getting the chance to stretch my legs as we meandered up the first little bit. Then we reached the steep rocks that make up the apostles’ faces, the first of a series of steep bits that require not only the legs but the arms and knees to get involved as well. Before long the pace was set with Simon’s sixty year old dad springing up the rock face as if he had boundless energy, followed by Simon with almost the same amount of vigor as his father… then Luke, a little slower and more out of breath than the others… and far behind Luke, me – huffing and puffing and cursing these Cape Tonians and their one and only steep mountain. See, hiking in Natal is different because the mountain trails curve back and forth across the land, gaining altitude at a respectable and gentle pace. The trail that tackles Table Mountain just goes straight up. No leniency allowed.

A brief respite was allowed half way up the apostles’, from which we could see Lion’s Head meeting with the ocean and the city languishing below it. Then more climbing until we reached the top of the apostle. A more gentle walk down the one side was short lived, as we were confronted with another almost vertical trail up the next side of the valley. Upon reaching the top of that next rise, my heart sank when I looked across and could see the point at which the cable cars arrived was now level with us and realised it would take another deep valley and another even steeper climb to reach that prayed for place. It wasn't all despair however, and we did get to do a little suprise spelunking in a tiny cave we came by.

Along the way Simon had frequently inquired after his father’s heart, to which the gruff reply every time was: “I’m fine.” I wish someone had thought to ask how my heart was doing! Up until that point we had been climbing in the mountain’s shadow, thank goodness, because we were sweating enough as it is at the exertion. However, the sun was up by now and extending its energy-sapping rays towards us. We called a halt at that time and sat under a shady rock to absorb the truly magnificent views that surrounded us and get some energy from Simon’s mum’s egg and mayo sammies (they certainly gave us wind fueled energy) and the other goodies she had packed.

Feeling better about our chances of surviving, we tackled the next valley. A shorter dip existed between that final rise and Table Mountain’s tourist destination, and we used the long steel ladders to finally get us to Table Mountain’s flat and rocky surface.


Hot, sticky and sweaty as I was, I became acutely aware of just how many freshly showered tourists had taken the cable car up to this place. There were hordes of them clogging up the trails across the roped off mountain, oohing and aahing at the view.  Having climbed Table Mountain over six hours, I appreciated the beauty and uniqueness of it far more than if I had simply taken the cable car. Every break we had taken on the trail had revealed to us a new aspect of the view from Table Mountain, and I was truly inspired by every panorama I had been exposed to. I would not have changed the experience for anything and the effort was indeed worth every minute of blood (ok, there was no blood), sweat and tears (there was a lot of the former, and a small portion of the latter was shed quietly I’m sure). If you wish to fully appreciate the majesty of Table Mountain take a walk up the apostles. It’s hard work but if a pensioner can do it, so can you! However, we did take the cable car down at the high price of R100 per person. There’s only so much appreciating a person can do before they pass out from dehydration.

Back at Simon’s house his mum made a late lunch for us. Now, I thought our sammies etc. were lunch so I wasn't hungry at all. Unfortunately Simon’s mum suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Feeding Disorder (O.C.F.D) which involves force feeding her guests until they are positively rotund. Not that one minds too much because her cooking is that amazing.

Our day’s experiences were not over yet though, and so we were able to digest our food bellies quietly on Clifton beach as afternoon slowly ebbed into evening and the sun set over the sea. Despite the ever present smell of decaying kelp, the scenery was idyllic and a few booze cruises pulled into the bay to watch the sun sink below the horizon along with those of us on the beach.

Soaking up the day’s last sunshine whilst Luke and Simon launched themselves from a rock into the freezing Atlantic waters, I felt my muscles and mind relax completely. Being quite a tense little person (Luke is constantly reminding me to “relax”) it takes a lot to make me stop worrying about anything and everything. Cape Town did the trick though, and one couldn't ask for better hosts than Simon and his family. Thank you!

Simon did a great GoPro video containing footage of both the Two Oceans Aquarium and our hike up Table Mountain. To see it click here (you know you want to*winks encouragingly*).

Fin! Noggin! Duuude....

1 April 2012

April Fool’s Day. Luke and I considered phoning my parents and informing them of my imminent pregnancy. We had to ditch that idea though because it would have broken my mum’s heart to hear that it was a joke. She’s desperate for grandchildren and she has been waiting in vain for my older sister to give her some despite her marriage of four years.

Luke and I were treated by Simon to a backstage tour of the Two Oceans Aquarium today. Because he worked there in his gap year and all the holidays since then, Simon knows all the ins and outs and it was fascinating to see not only the Aquarium itself but also the inner workings. Entering through a back door we were taken through empty corridors to see where the fish food was stored and prepared. We then moved onto the common room to meet some of the people he works with. Being quite a small aquarium, each employee is expected to perform a variety of duties from diving with the sharks, to rehabilitating the new specimens, to feeding, to cleaning the tanks. Simon then took us up a series of staircases to the roof. Once there we were given an informed tour of the room where they keep the specimens that have just arrived, and then the room where they grow jelly fish.

As incredible as these rooms were, they weren't quite as amazing as walking out onto the open –aired roof top and looking down into the aquarium tanks themselves. One contained a huge turtle that delighted in having her shell scratched. One of the interesting facts our educated tour guide imparted with us was that turtles actually have a layer of skin over their shells so she could in fact feel our touch through her scales. We had to carefully balance our way along a beam to get to the set of stairs leading down into the biggest tank, and from our vantage point we could watch the sting ray, kob, sharks and various other huge fish swirl the water just below us. From the platform we were standing on, the divers (like Simon) would enter the tank and feed the fish.

When Simon took us down into the actual aquarium to see the tanks as normal visitors would, we were just in time to see the sharks being fed as Simon had described. Two divers entered the enormous tank from where we had just been, and one medium sized turtle immediately headed for them in anticipation of the food. Simon described the turtle’s personality to us: he was a greedy little guy who just ate and ate, to the point of following a piece of fish down a shark’s throat much to the shark’s shock when it bit down on the turtle. The shark quickly released him, and the turtle not only got the fish but also a new scar on his shell. He also said that the divers don’t fear the sharks during feeding time but rather the kob, and he showed us a few scars on his hand that the kob had given him. Another huge turtle gave us a gorgeous display of herself as she danced along the vast window of the tank for at least an hour, reveling in all the attention she got from the crowded viewing area.

We were shown around the rest of the aquarium after that, stopping at each window whilst Simon patiently explained about each specimen within as well as the work that went into maintaining their tanks. He even took us behind one of the tanks through a hidden door and let me put my fingers in the water for the fish to nibble at gently. When we went to see the rockhopper penguins, they made the biggest fuss over Simon as if he were a long lost brother. Apparently when they first came in, they were his responsibility to initiate into the aquarium environment. It was both fascinating and heart-warming to see that they still remembered him even when he had been absent for two months.

I could go on and on about that afternoon, but all I can say is if you ever find yourself in Cape Town make the trip to the Aquarium. It is completely worthwhile and everything you see is well cared for, impeccably maintained and environmentally kosher.