The Indian did it

Road Trip near Buffalo Bay

Where were we? Right, that nice dinner at the bay. Yummy!

The next morning, with a view on the same bay for breakfast, we debated about what we should do. My copilot said it : we MUST swim in the ocean.

So we left for Herold's Bay, a beach nearby, not too crowded, at the bottom of a few mountains.

They may say we should be careful in Africa, but other than a couple of kids playing in the water, there was nobody around. We left our stuff on the beach and ran towards the waves.

What had to happen happened. A few minutes later, I found out my watch had disappeared. Gone in the waves of the Indian Ocean, of course. As if someone wanted to tell me to take my time and live in the moment (Jason Mraz can already stop whistling in my head).

Resigned but not mad, I got in the car to leave for the second beach of the day : Victoria Bay. They say it's nicer, between the cliffs. I disagree. More commercial, more crowded, and the car is parked further. Then again, what hit me was how easy it was for the kids to have fun, just laying on the sand and running around.

There, we got more sun than we needed again before going back to the car. The parking guard started following us. "I watched the car for you. Everything is still in its place", he says.

"He is obviously searching for tip", we think.

Until we get to the Ferrari, proudly showing the doors were left unlocked. Oops! Worried. Passports, computers, travel documents, cell phones, iPods and credit cards were technically supposed to be locked inside. After a quick check, everything was still in place. The guard got the tip he wanted.

So we went back on Highway 2 where, still disturbed, my copilot was going a little too fast. He smiled for the radar... and his picture was taken. His moral was going down fast.

Along H-2, we encountered baboons. And in some places, people hitchiking. Usually near townships. Even right under the signs stating it is forbidden to hitchike.

At the end of the day, we stopped one more time on a long and deserted beach near Buffalo Bay. No need to swim there. But the sun had already started to set.

We then rushed to Storms River and the amazing Dijembe Backpackers, a hostel where almost everything is made of recycled wood. Nice!

One employee got us in a section of Tsitsikama park for free so we can watch the sunset. When we came back, we found out the restaurants in Storms River were closing really early. A race against the clock started to find food. We were starving.

You know when they say it's impossible to get lost in a village that only has four streets? Well, when you search for a restaurant in the dark, 15 minutes from closing time, of course you're gonna have a hard time finding it.

After several adventures, we were entitled to a sighing waitress who still accepted to serve us. No need to say she didn't try to have us spend more money than we needed by offering coffee or dessert. Still lucky she didn't kick us out. But we had better pay the bill fast, because it was probably coming...

Soundtrack of South Africa

Reactions to the soundtrack of my round-the-world trip was all in all positive. And since music always rocks the important moments of life, it obviously ties itself to some memories... like those we make while traveling.

So here is the soundtrack we used to energize in our Ferrari (a Chevy Sparklite really) for almost two weeks. For those who think Africa is the land of tam-tam... welcome in the 21st century.

Wham! - Wake Me Up Before You Go Go
Starting with a big one! May I remind you we can't choose... For an unknown reason, old success are popular in South Africa. This song would be played at least once a day. And I'm not talking about the ones from Cindy Lauper...

Tina Turner - What's Love Got To Do With It
Here you go! In the same category, Tina Turner invited herself in our holiday. A retro song, a modern pop song, a retro song, a modern pop song... So often we prefer to forget.

Diamonds - Rihanna
When you talk about a song that stays in your head simply by playing over and over, and forces itself in your memories...

Million Voices - Otto Knows
This is probably the most significant one. The one we "sang" at least 350 times a day. That song is everywhere on the radio stations. The roads of South Africa, the ticket for speeding we still haven't received and hope we won't get, those doors we forgot to lock, that morning we woke up too early (or the night before where we went to bed too late) to watch the animals in Addo, all those images are labeled with Million Voices. Enough that we could predict when it would play on the radio.

Scream and Shout - Will.I.Am et Britney Spears
Song that stays in your head number 2, thanks to the pop radio station. When you drive with hundreds of elephants all around, zebras and warthogs too, and all you have in your head is "I want to scream, and shout, and let it all out", you know it's time to listen to silence for awhile.

Flying Without Wings - Rubben Studdard
To be polite, let's thank (!) South Africa for bringing back singles from old American Idols we were forgetting about. And some others too. Special mention to Clay Aiken and Jordin Sparks. One taxi driver really liked a station playing the first songs the Backstreet Boys recorded.

Pictures from South Africa

While you're waiting for the rest of my adventures in South Africa, here are a couple of pictures taken from Cape Town to Gordon's Bay.

Never more south

Cape Agulhas

Some days, you must drive, drive, drive to get closer to your destination. We had booked nights in Addo Elephant national park weeks ago. So we knew we only had two more nights and hundreds of kilometres to go.

After a slim breakfast in Hermanus hostel and a stop at the grocery store, we headed to the southernmost point of Africa, Cape Agulhas, where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet.

We got there by driving along the coast and by rolling on dirt roads. Yeah, dirt roads in Africa, in a very compact car... That's it!

That allowed us to be alone on a large beach in Die Dam and to experiment my talent at driving a stick without endangering a whole nation.

Cape Agulhas wasn't too crowded. You spend a couple of minutes there and you just want to move on. Interesting thing : that is where we saw a guy who had crossed the whole continent on his motorcycle. Impressive.

One hint : don't keep your hunger to eat at the southernmost point of Africa. The restaurants there are not worth it.

From there, we moved on to Bontebok national park, where antelopes are the main attraction. There again, I could practice my driving while my copilote and professor was helping. But hey, how would it matter that I stalled two or three times if I was learning with the mountains looming, while spingboks were looking?

Thanks to our GPS, we made it to Mossel Bay, where a hostel employee/resident/patient(?) screamed at us in afrikaan while the night was taking its rights. In that little beautiful city, in the shadow of powerplants, one point of interest is well hidden on a quay that looks really industrial.

Kaai 4 cooks everything on a grill. It's a good place to try a traditionnal braai (barbecue). Obviously an attraction in itself. Worth a detour.

A step towards the end of the world

Hout Bay

In the morning, we took a taxi to get to our freedom : a rental car. I must say that without it, it would have been hard to move around the country.

After filling all the paper forms, we discovered the Ferrari... a red Sparklite Chevy in which we needed to move the backseat to put our luggages in. And the biggest joy for someone who only drives automatic cars : finding out it's a manual car. That gave me ten days to learn... with a steering wheel on the right in a country where people drive on the left.

As excited as we were, we first stopped in Hout Bay, a cute and small village with a port on the bay. It was our first incursion on a south african beach and it was enough to be blown away.

It was also our first occasion to eat line fish, some cape salmon. Calamari, mussles and oysters were also on the menu.

From there, we drove to Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope, along the coast. The drive is very similar to the Great Ocean Road in Australia. It makes you want to stop often just to smell the coastal wind.

Cape of Good Hope, the southwestern tip of Africa, offers tons of possibilities for hikers. We just decided to walk up to the lighthouse of Cape Point, where a bird targeted me again, and we walked to the cape itself. It was the first time we saw dassies and some kind of big antelopes.

As the sun was going down already, we figured we needed to start moving east. So we stopped in Simon's Town, where you can see penguins colonies.

What is nice is they charge a fee to see THE rock where most of the penguins gather. But along the coast, these animals are everywhere. For free...

It's when we stopped at one of those beaches to see penguins we found out about the parking employees, everywhere in the Cape area, who watch the cars hoping for tip.

In the end, we drove for endless hours to Hermanus, the city we had chosen to sleep in, hoping to find two beds in a hostel. Chance was on our side and we got a whole dorm for ourselves. Despite the fact it was late. First stop, first success.

Karma hits in Cape Town

On top of Table Mountain

Let's be honest : one needs a lot of time to make it to South Africa. About 20 hours on the plane from Montreal. With a stopover. Not good news for those who can't sleep while they fly.

First thing that hit me in Cape Town, at least since it was dark and I couldn't appreciate the landscape, was how each house is surrounded with concrete walls and barb wires. Reassuring!

Considering how late it was when I got in the south of Africa, I almost went directly to bed. The next day, thanks summer, I woke up with a shining sun. At least 25 degrees, 40 sometimes, for the curious ones.

At the bottom of Lion's Head

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My first stop, to meet with my travel friend, was at the waterfront, under the Clock Tower, where you can see clearly Table Mountain. Already, I noticed I had to be careful about the birds. There is a lot of them and they tend to be... dirty.

We decided to visit Table Moutain first. Because it was a clear day. No clouds. When clouds get in, there is no use to go up there. Won't see anything. Our transportation : Hop-on, Hop-off bus, a first for me, since I try to avoid those touristic circuits.

If you have time, you can spend a few hours on top of the mountain or walk all the way up. We chose the lift (205 rands). The view is totally worth it and if you're lucky, you can see small animals. We got the chance to see a curious little lizard. And like everywhere else we've been in South Africa, we had no problem with the crowd. You can move freely without being annoyed.

The road back leaded us near the rich houses and mansions close to Clifton Beaches, and we saw the parks near the Waterfront, where people go to get in shape.

The next day, I explored Bo-Kaap, its colorful houses and its museum. I then went around the CBD, small and with a limited amount of attractions, and found out you need to negociate at the market. Hard. But if you won't bend, you'll get the price you want.

Those who wish to bring a souvenir back home have the choice between many animals sculpted in wood or stone, music instruments, games... Strangely, not only all the sellers have a relative living in Toronto, but they are all sculptors themselves... Except women. They sell what their brother make. Of course not the one from Toronto. Another one!

The plan for the afternoon was to visit Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. We planned weeks ahead. Because one needs to book a ticket for the ferry at least two or three days ahead. If not : sold out. We are smart!

Problem! For technical reasons, the boat we had booked, the last one of the day, was canceled. Since we were expecting to leave town the next day, we asked for a refund and crossed our fingers we could catch a ferry later before leaving South Africa.

Instead, we climbed Lion's Head, another mountain, wishing to see the sunset, in spite of the fog. It takes about one hour to go up. From the top, when the fog goes away, you get a 360 degrees view. It is advised to bring a snack (which we didn't do), water and a flashlight. Going back down in the dark may be hard without light.

The best way to reach Lion's Head is by car or by taxi.

Dangers of South Africa

South Africa is believed to be a country where danger is everywhere. For tourists, at least. On the canadian governement website, there is a recommandation to be very careful in the country. Should we really worry?

I can't tell about big towns I didn't visit, like Durban, Johannesburg or Pretoria. But it doesn't seem like there is any reason to avoid Cape Town.

When I got in my hostel, couple of blocks away from the Waterfront, a very touristic area, rules were pretty clear : never walk the streets alone at night, leave passport and wallet in a locker in the hostel and take a taxi as soon as the sky stops being blue. It is also recommended to be careful around Long Street, where the bars and night clubs are.

First thing, like everywhere else, one should take the usual measures to avoid trouble. Know pickpockets are all around, take care of your personnal belongings, like jewels and cameras. You can carry a decoy wallet you'll give someone who tries to steal anything from you.

To my friend who stayed in a hotel, someone said to take a taxi even if he was two blocks away from his destination and if there was no danger to be seen around.

That way, we became more nervous more because of the rumors than the real threats.

True that the South Africans disappear when the sun goes down. Streets are deserted. Nobody around. So it is easy to imagine nobody will step up for you if you get in trouble. That is where some discomfort come from when you feel all alone in that big city.

I've been alone in those streets, at night, twice. I had my hands and pockets empty, but I can tell I never felt threathened.

Still, during the day, one should be careful about people trying to get some money from them, especially by trying to overcharge you for a parking spot.

In smaller cities, streets also get empty early. The doors of the car should always be locked. It is probably better to avoid the hitchikers on the road too and to only go in townships with tour guides. Always negociate in markets.

They say one should also avoid stopping for people pretending they had an accident on the road. But we didn't get in a situation like that.

In the end, South Africa didn't seem more dangerous than any other country I visited.

Exploring during stopover

In general, I like stopovers. Especially when they allow me to move a little bit between two long flights. But they become difficult to handle when they are too long.

From there comes the question : should I leave the airport during a stopover?

For the first time, I tried my luck. Stopover of five hours in Amsterdam. Didn't want to waste my time for an eternity. I went! Wishing I wouldn't miss the plane that should bring me to Montreal.

All in all, I had two hours to walk under the rain in the Netherland's capital. Was worth it.

At first, I was wondering. How do I do? Do I have enough time? Will I miss my flight?

To make it simple, all you need to do is to get informed before reaching a decision.

The five hours I had were for me a minimum. Because you need to consider you have to clear customs, find a way to the city, come back, clear customs and security again. All of that knowing you should probably be in the airport 1:30 before the flight leaves, just in case something happens.

Schipol airport was perfect to leave and come back easily : no line at customs, security is cleared directly at the gate, which means no line there either, and a train going from the airport to the central station... in 17 minutes. In some cities, it can be expensive and long to get in town, by taxi or shuttle.

For example, it might be harder to get in town in Montreal for a stopover. Because not the same type of transport. Because not as easy to get out.

One has to remember it is easier to get out when you don't need to wait for luggages on the belt before exiting. Most of the times, they will be transfered directly to the final destination.

Just like that

Hey you who book an aisle seat in the plane : don't throw yourself in line first when they open the gate. Because you sighing won't convince anybody when you have to stand up to leave room for your seatmates who boarded after you. You know, the plane is gonna leave when everyone is seated anyway.