Port Elizabeth to East London

We left the hotel promptly at 8am to head for Addo Elephant National Park. As the name implies, Port Elizabeth is a major port on the east coast and has a strong industrial hinterland. We followed the N2 for a short distance before heading north west to the Park. I don't think there was enough said to prepare us for the Park as it is the 3rd largest in South Africa with an area of 1640 square kilometres. We were surprised that the whole tour in the Park was in the bus so photographic opportunities were compromised to some degree. The park boasts over 600 elephants and many other species of local fauna including lions, but unfortunately today was not a day for either to be spotted. In the hour we drove around, we spotted a herd of zebra, a few giraffe, many kudu, wart hogs, water buffalo and large leopard tortoises. I also spotted dung beetles on the road as well giant land snails and millipedes. The dung beetles have right of way on the road and they are needed to break down the huge "prairie scones" left by the elephants.

We left the main highway and took the scenic coastal route via Port Alfred to head towards East London. The vegetation was a coastal shrub land with occasional taller trees but there were also significant tracts of lush farming land supporting cattle primarily and some sheep. It was interesting to see the groups of shanties in many of the farms and I am assuming these housed the farm workers. Poverty is obvious in every town we visited and as we got closer to East London there were large areas of poor housing but they were much more spread out than the other areas we had seen around Cape Town.

At this point of time I should mention our black African (politically correct over here) bus driver. Jack is his name and you could not ask fo better. He observes the road laws and oesn't take risks and on top of that he has an engaging personality. Our tour guide Sybil is well credentialed and she has given us great insights into the culture and the scenic locations.

We had a comfort stop at a mall in Port Alfred and it was fascinating to see one of the palms in the forecourt covered in nests under construction by weaver birds. The accompanying photo tells it all. 

We arrived at the Kennaway hotel in East London quite late so there was only an hour before dinner. Our room was huge with a good lounge and dining table and chairs but there were also enough other features to make it quirky. It is a basic 3 star but we do have a view over the Indian Ocean. Tomorrow is the longest bus ride of the tour so it will be a long day but the scenic rewards will make it all worth while.

Plettenberg Bay to Port Elizabeth

The motel at Plettenberg Bay was set in spacious grounds at the foot of the coastal cliffs and was a good place to stop as the rooms were quite spacious. Last night's meal was ordinary but this morning's breakfast was good with freshly cooked hot meals on demand. We headed off around 8.15am traveling north on the N2 to Monkeyland. I had serious doubts about this place prior to arrival but they were quickly dispelled when we set off with our guide. Monkeyland is set on 12 hectares of native vegetation and is a place of refuge and rehabilitation for a large number of primates. They bring in 300 kegs of fruit per day to feed their animals and this is placed on feed stations so it is always possible to see the animals at close quarters and more importantly how they interact with the vegetation. Hopefully, the accompanying photos will provide a glimpse of some of the species.

The route to Port Elizabeth along the Garden Route takes you through a variety of vegetation types influenced by soil types and the width of the coastal plain. The latter is fairly narrow until you get to Jeffrey's Bay and then it widens to a broad relatively flat plain that supports a thriving dairy industry. There has been quite a lot of farming along the whole route today. We often complain about feral plants in Australia, some of which come from South Africa. However, we have more than paid them back with vast stands of Black Wattle out of control and Eucalypts providing a love/ hate relationship. They are quick growing for timber needs but in many places are also out of control. We did see a lot of native larger species of trees today including the Yellow Wood and the Saffron Tree but a significant amount has given way to pine forests which are also grown for harvest. There were several cantilever bridges across deep ravines on this coastal plain and it is obvious that large quantities of water sculptured the plain in geological history. The biggest bridge was over 400 metres long and had the highest bungey jump in the world.

Our stop at the Storms River mouth in the Tsitsikaam National Park was well worth it and many of us walked to the suspension bridge near the mouth. This river is quite black and stained from tannin and creates a contrast as it enters the sea and for me it was reminiscent of the rivers around Cradle Mountain in Tasmania. From there to a lunch stop near a bridge over the Storms River and then on to Port Elizabeth. The coastal plain opened up near Jeffrey's Bay and became quite flat and lush with large herds of dairy cows. The hotel here is old but well placed near the sea and the room is quite comfortable.

Notes about the photos: the peculiar tree is actually a mobile phone tower with fake trunk and leaves. I couldn't resist dipping my toes in the Indian Ocean.

Oudtshoorn to Plettenberg Bay

The Melbourne Cup knows no boundaries so we held the ubiquitous sweep and tuned into the race via the tune-in radio app. I still find it amazing that you can do that in a limestone valley on the outskirts of Cango, a town characterised by a motel and a few houses. The trip to the Cango Caves was very short because of the location of the motel. Our 10am cave tour was led by a personable guide who provided the right amount of technical information without overload. What really impressed with these caves was the magnitude of the first 2 grottos. Up to 1994 they held classical concerts in the first and it was possible to seat 2000 people with performance space and tiered choir benches. Our guide happened to have a great voice and performed a solo for us to test the acoustics. The cave formations were spectacular in places but there is little growth because of the now semi-arid location in the Karoo.

Our second stop was the Cango Wildlife Park, a refuge for animals needing rehabilitation and a place to regenerate some endangered species. I guess there is also the chance we won't see lions or leopards in Kruger so a visit to this site is a bit of insurance for the travel company. It is well done with walkways and enclosures but it is essentially a zoo.

It rained on and off for most of the day today but didn't inconvenience us at all. The most intense rain was saved until we crossed the mountains adjacent to the coastal plain but the driver coped well and by the time we were on the coastal plain the sun was shining intermittently. The journey north to Plettenberg Bay was along what is known as the garden route and runs through some leafy coastal forests interspersed with a series of coastal lagoons that ad to the character of the area. We arrived in Plettenberg Bay around 5.45pm and found the motel to be spacious and comfortable.  4/11/2014

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Paarl to Oudtshoorn

An early start today and we headed out through the attractive town of Paarl on our journey to Oudtshoorn. The initial part of the journey took us north east on the N1 and the vineyards quickly gave way to more semi arid country known locally as Karoo. This vegetation is low and contains a variety of species found in the Fynbos. What was really striking about this part of the journey was the folding and faulting of the sedimentary rock as we crossed a series of small mountains. The chunky texture of the rock was highlighted by different rates of weathering of the various layers of sandstone and shales. It should be noted here that there has ben a significant change in the weather with a big tropical low enveloping the majority of the country. The temperature was quite warm throughout the day but we experienced light rain for much of the morning.

Our lunch break was at the Pumpkin Patch where it was possible to buy a decent light meal and as we keep finding out at much cheaper prices than Australia. There was an interesting trading store opposite  run by a hyperactive expat German. His over-the-top salesmanship was balanced by some quality items at good prices. The shop was known as the House of Skins. (See photo) as we approached the Ostrich Safari stop the heavens opened with a violent but brief thunderstorm and this was followed by warm partially sunny weather. The guide at the Safari was passionate about his birds and gave us a good overview of the industry. A few interesting facts emerged, one being the incredible strength of the eggs and we were invited to stand on them to prove it. The feather industry has gone through many ups and downs (no pun intended) and there is now a big emphasis on leather and meat.

Our accommodation was on the outskirts of Oudtshoorn close to the Cango Caves. The town itself is an eclectic mix of architectural styles with many large ornate houses that belonged to the "feather barons" built to display their wealth before the collapse of the feather industry in 1914. The evening meal at the motel was good and we had ostrich fillets as the main course. Prior to that we tried raw ostrich meat as an entree. The rain started to fall around 7pm and was torrential at times through the night.

Winelands

A very laid back day today with short drives in beautiful clear skies. This guest house we are staying in at Paarl has turned out to be a real gem. The meals are excellent and the owners very friendly. Breakfast was in a designated space that had both inside and outside seating and you could order a cooked breakfast to your liking that was served fresh and hot.

We hit the road around 9.15am and headed back to Stellenbosch for the first of our wine tastings. There is a significant monument on the outskirts of Paarl that celebrates the origin of the Afrikaans language. It consists of 3 concrete spires of varying height, each representing an area of origin. The biggest influence was from Europe, followed by Africa and then Asia. Our first winery was Fairview Estate and the grounds were immaculate in presentation. We sampled 6 wines and an appropriate local cheese for each and the accompanying talk was succinct, informative and professionally done. Most bottles averaged around $6-7 per bottle which is cheap for winery prices and the quality was quite good. The goat house was an interesting feature in the front yard and the accompanying photo does it more justice than my description.

We revisited Stellenbosch for a long lunch break and took advantage of the time to visit the brilliant museum which consisted of 4 heritage listed houses dating back to the late 1600's. They have been beautifully restored and furnished with period furniture. Three of the houses had attendants who gave us a brief rundown of the history. A big surprise for me is the amount of thatched roofing in both Stellenbosch and Paarl. The botanical garden was also worth a walk through but the ambience of the outside cafe in the gardens was spoiled by dreadful service. Many of the mature oak trees in the town were planted in the 17th century by the town's founder, Simon van der Stel and this gives the town a real European flavour.

Our afternoon wine tasting was at the Muratie Estate in Knorhoek Valley and while the winery is historically significant with sweeping mature oaks, the wine tasting was overshadowed by the morning's effort. Prices were more than double in many instances and the quality no better.

There was a widespread blackout at 6pm lasting 3 hours but the guest house owners had prepared a BBQ, so we were well prepared for it. All in all, a great day topped off with another terrific meal.

PS: this first photo taken across the vineyard in Stellenbosch shows the proximity to Cape Town as you can Table Mountain in the distance.

Table Mountain

The wind dropped overnight on schedule and the first day of November turned out to be magnificent weather wise. A few of us walked down to the flower markets at 6.30am and the protea displays were excellent. The King Protea below was quite a beautiful bloom. Our 8am start proved sensible as there were already many people waiting to take advantage of the spectacular view from Table Mountain. The mountain is 1070m a.s.l. 

so there is a commanding view in all directions. The cable car to the top holds 65 people and the floor rotates slowly to give everyone a panoramic view. The capping of rock at the top is sandstone but the varying layers of sedimentary deposits on the way up give the mountain a striking texture. There is only a thin layer of soil in places and this supports Fynbos vegetation described in yesterday's entry.

The view to the south taking in the peninsula put everything into perspective. It was easy to see the route we took to the Cape and the position of False Bay in relation to the Atlantic Ocean. There was still some residual salt in the atmosphere from yesterday's gale so the view north into the sun was not crystal clear as the photo below shows, but once again it put everything into place to see Cape Town as a whole.

We drove north-east to Stellenbosch and it was impossible to miss the abject poverty in which so many people live with kilometres of shanty towns along the route. Electricity and basic sanitation was provided but the quality of the shacks was appalling. The dichotomy of lifestyles couldn't have been more apparent when looking at the university town of Stellenbosch. A very upmarket town with oak lined streets and quaint buildings, many with heritage listing dating back to the mid 1600's and of Dutch Cape architectural style. We had a pleasant sidewalk cafe lunch there before continuing on to Paarl, our stopover place for 2 nights in this wine growing region. It was interesting to stop outside the prison near Wentworth where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for 12 months while being prepared for release. Conditions here were much more civilized and he had his own house and attendants while he prepared to govern.

Early impressions of Paarl put it in the same category as Stellenbosch as a well organized wealthy town. The hotel here (Lemoenkloof Guest House) has an eclectic mixture of architecture but the rooms are large and quite modern. They served a gigantic meal tonight so a brisk morning walk will be in order tomorrow. Tomorrow is a day of local sightseeing and wine tasting and a chance to taste the legendary Pinotage.   1/11/2014