Storms River and Jefferys Bay, SA

Ok, this post will be short and sweet and I'll update properly later on.

In a nutshell, we decided when we arrived at Storms River to stay 1 night and leave the next day rather than 3 as we couldn't rent a car from there and so we wouldn't be able to fill the time.
We got a lovely luxurious double room for a bargain because the people who were supposed to have it didn't turn up, and the next morning, we went on a canopy tour with a load of ziplines, then horseriding up into the mountains in the afrernoon, where we got to a rockpool filled with what looked like cold tea from all of the tannins in the bark and trees around which colours the river water, but is good to drink. Looked a bit spooky under the water, but was lovely.
That night we got the Baz Bus to Jefferys Bay, which is a huge surf town.
Our first day in what's known locally as J'Bay was lazy and spent looking around the town and getting some food in.
Today, I "learned to surf" in the loosest form in that a capable bloke showed me, then I fell off the board and made every effort to choke, drown and knock myself out.
Then this afternoon we went to the lion sanctuary, which turned out to actually be a bit of a game reserve, with lions, tigers, giraffe, wildebeest, springbok, leopard, zebra, serval (like whippet sized scatty leopard), crocs, warthogs, meerkats, and on another area, a place where we played with 3 1/2 month old lions, and saw some 5 month old tigers!

That's the long and short of it for the moment to put the photos in perspective.

Will update fully when I can in either Chintsa or Coffee Bay.

Cape Town, SA

Jo looking thoughtful

As per the plan, we made it up Table Mountain after our tour of Robben Island. We got up early, had some breakfast and took the hop-on hop-off city tour bus to the base, and started walking up the gorge route which was supposed to take 2 1/2 hours. Jo also reserved the right to whinge as she doesn't like walking, but she did really well, and we overtook loads of people and only got overtaken by two fully kitted up lads on a mission, so pretty proud! Though we did notice there were about 4 times as many people walkinbg down the mountain as walking up. When we got to the top (after only 1 1/2 hours!) we realised why; the cable car is really popular and fast (only takes a few minutes), and because of this there's families, kids, and women in dresses and stupid shoes everywhere. There's also a full blown restaurant/cafe. It put the rustic cafeteria full of smelly and wet climbers at the top of Snowdon in perspective! We took a load of photos (pics to follow), including some really nice ones of Jo that I took when she wasn't looking.

Jo and I at the top of Table Mountain

We took the cable car back down (we'd done the hard work, so sod it, why not!) and got back on the bus anf went to Camps Bay which is pretty posh and a real beach resort with some beautiful hotels. We had a wander about and some lunch, then got back on the bus around the city, through the waterfront, and got off at the square just off Long St (where  we were staying). Busy, busy day, so we went out for a light snack for dinner and a few beers!
The following day was Sunday, and we went on the Cape peninsula tour which was another early start. We first went to Hout Bay and took a boat trip out to seal island, which is just an outcrop of rocks just off the coast, but was nice!
Then we stopped on Chapmans drive near the peak which looks down on Hout Bay. Turns out Hout Bay was designed when fully developed by the apartheid government, who put all the blacks and coloureds in a weather-beaten and hilly part of the bay at the base of a mountain, whilst all of the whites were housed in the middle, on the flatter and more sheltered ground with the beaches. They even had outside pools built on the beachfront for the blacks so that they didn't even share the same seawater. Pretty pathetic, but amazing that this was still enforced and people were being jailed for breaching such rules up until 1993... Anyway, it was very pretty.

Jo a kilometer up overlooking Cape Town

We then went to Simons Town where there is Boulders Beach which has penguins on it. Jo of course absolutely loved the cute little buggers. From there it was onto the Cape, and Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope. These were both very windy with lovely scenery, and a little surreal being at the very tip of the entire continent.
Monday was spent sorting ourselves out ready for the next 4 days doing our PADI Open Water which is in Simons Town. Worked out cheapest to just move to a hostel closer to the station and pay the R100 (about 8 quid) each for a week long train ticket.
Tuesday and the first day of the course was pretty boring to be honest, just working through the dvds and knowledge reviews and quick quizes. Wednesday was spent sat in the shade at the base of Table Mountain in a military barracks going through the knowledge reviews, We then got kitted up (and dekitted, and in, and out, and in, and out, and in again for one of the skills) and did our swimming and skills for the rest of the day. Was a bit of a challenge, and the "hover" took a few attempts, but we did it. By this point, Jo wasn't enjoying it at all. The feeling of being underwater was unnerving her. We went to Mojitos again last night afterwards for some BOGOF burgers which are just amazing,
This morning was another 6.30am start, and our first open water dives. We did 2 shore dives, and got all the skills down. Unfortunately, Jo wasn't liking it any more than previously, and on the second dive when she was struggling to equalise and the controlled emergency swimming ascent she nearly threw in the towel. Luckily, our instructor; a nice saffer called Carel, gave her a break from doing that skill, and with his patience, got all the rest of her skills done, and even the one she was struggling with. Have to say though, she never really wanted to do it, she just went along with it for me, so I'm very proud she's got this far when it's scaring her so much.
We saw loads of fish, a few shoals of stripies, absolutely loads of starfish. There were 2 other divers in who came over and told us about a huge ray (about 1.8m span) on a wreck we were near, but we never found it unfortunately.
We got out of the water (carrying about 25kgs more than normal after being weightless for an hours is difficult though!) and we're ok, but I must have done something to my ear, as when we went to do the exam I was in agony. I was terrified I'd burst my eardrum, but think it's ok, feels alright now, though think there's still some water trapped in there somewhere. Will just take it easy on the way down tomorrow on the boat dives! Will also be going from 7m we were at today down to 18, so that will be good! Fingers crossed for some big rays and maybe a few little sharks!

Puff Adder Shy Shark

NB. Tried to upload a few photos, but seems that you get what you pay for with free internet, so I'll have to do it another day.

UPDATE: Found somewhere with a decent connection, so photos from Table Mountain above, and below of me in the water finishing PADI Open Water, and a puff adder shark we saw when down there!

Me looking my best

Cape Town, South Africa

Well we're now in Cape Town. What a city, really beautiful place, modern, friendly, and the intimidating Table Mountain looming over you at all times.

We left Ghana after a fairly unemotional goodbye from Auntie Love in Ghana, whilst Jo was still pretty weak from her illness the previous day. She was a trooper and got through it though. We took a taxi to the bus station and took a big luxurious coach to Accra, then asked an American couple if they wanted to share a taxi to the airport, which seemed like a great money-saving idea... until we saw all of their luggage. Cabman was undeterred, and somehow managed to fit 4 adults, 2 big rucksacks, and 4 suitcases in the back of a very old vauxhall Astra (mk 1). If it were painted blue, I'd have sworn it was the TARDIS.

Lovely flight with South African Airways, and was very impressed when I was given a beer and then offered "another drink to go with your meal", so I happily took a bottle of red wine too. 2008 Shiraz, and was sooo good. I felt mightily sophisticated until I realised I was watching Puss In Boots.

Got to Jo'burg for the connecting flight to Cape Town, but had to do the whole check-out, pickup luggage rubbish and then check-in all over again, but was fast and painless. Then had a coffee in arrivals. The airport is lovely, with a huge atrium in the centre where arrivals takes up the ground floor and is basked in light, but with a huge ceiling feature which looks like a pure white zeppelin has crashed through the roof.

Got to Cape Town, took the bus to our hostel, and was very pleased; its entrance is right on the high street, but you feel miles away from it in the courtyard.
Had a quick shower, and by this time it was 2pm, and we hadn't slept since 8.30am the previous day. Jo managed to get off but I couldn't, so after 5 mins staring at the ceiling, I went outside for a beer and got chatting to a couple of British lads who'd just arrived. Spent a few hours drinking in the sun, then Jo got up and we went for something to eat. I felt half-cut, but don't think Jo noticed :)

Next day we wandered around the city a bit, got our bearings, bought a SA sim for the mobile, and decided on what we were going to do.
Plan today was to go up Table Mountain, but the weather was a bit cloudy, and it rained, so we went out with the intention of just getting some breakfast. We then wandered to the marina/harbour area, had a look around, got a boat out to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela and the other political prisoners of apartied where held. We then had an early dinner, and booked our PADI Open Water course, starting in Simons Town on Tuesday! And Jo is doing it too! Can't wait! Also popped into Baz Bus on the looong walk back and booked a daytrip around the Cape on Sunday, and our travel tickets to get us around the rest of SA when we come to leave Cape Town!
Tomorrow the weather should be back to glorious, so we will be going up Table Mountain in the morning.

That's enough for now I think, so have good weekends everyone!