A simple goodbye to Africa

Cape Town, South Africa

There was no way we would let our last day in Africa go without making the best out of it. The optimists thought four hours were all we needed to go from Wilderness to Cape Town. Me and my friend woke up at 6 AM to bring back the car where it belongs.

We're still debating to see if we should be proud of it or not, but we litteraly "opened" a McDonald's like others "close" the bars. For breakfast. Because no other options. No time to lose : the road ahead was long enough.

In the end, it took five hours, maybe more, to reach our destination. After the third "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go", rain started to fall. Hard. Well, not that much. But enough for the radio to ask drivers to stay home. Several accidents had already happened and were blocking the roads in the big city. It felt like a big snowstorm in Quebec. For a simple rain shower.

Anyway, the wheather situation, with temperature going down, was reassuring about us missing out on the expedition to Robben Island. We would have been miserable had we gone. My shoes, the only pair in my bag, were still damp from the day before. Nothing to help.

So we spent the last part of the day eating, comparing the price of items we bought to see if they were cheaper in the souvenir shop or after we negociated with locals (generally, we saved money. Woot!) and visiting District 6 museum. One needs time and a taste for reading to appreciate the museum... When we got out, while we had paid for our parking, a street guard tried to get some money out of us. We couldn't leave Africa without escaping a scam.

But that was not the end of the adventure for us, who were a little short on time to give the car back and make sure my copilot would catch his plane. Yes, yes, yes, a big traffic jam on the highway. And... yes, yes, yes, the fuel sign lit to tell us the Ferrari was thirsty, right there, in the middle of a sea of cars. You know, when you really don't want to see what happens when you run out of gaz and need to search for it while driving to the airport.

With stress on our mind, we fueled the car and got to the rental desk on time. We still needed to clean the car (two guys, two weeks, a car... See the picture?). Anyway, we had time to eat a snack and to dry my shoes before we split.

The copilot disappeared for the security controls while the check-in counter for my flight was still not open. I saw my friend's plane take off before I could finally get rid of my luggage.

Boarding the KLM plane, after having three hours to kill on my own, I had that strange feeling I would be back soon on the african continent.

And for those wondering, yes, we got the picture from the photo radar. Speeding on the South African highway didn't go unnoticed.

The interest of the unforeseen

Wilderness

I've already said it, the unforeseen brings the best surprises. Whether you panic trying to fit everything in the schedule like it was planned from the start, or you do with what you have and you have fun no matter what.

When we woke up in Knysna, before visiting the township, we wanted to leave as soon as possible towards Cape Town so we could spend at least one more full day in the big city. But knowing it would be impossible to visit Robben Island, we knew we could take it slower.

In the end, after the township and a more than welcome meal, it was already late. So we opted for a one or two hours drive before stopping in Wilderness, a city that wasn't on the radar at first.

Wilderness, it is the calmness in the outdoor. It is also one of the most interesting hostels we found, the
Fairy Knowe Backpackers, with its volleyball field, its meals served on a big common table, and a bar outside, under a roof.

We met interesting people and chose, the next morning, to go horseback riding in south african nature. Our guide was going slow, knowing we were not used to that activity, which didn't stop my horse scaring me by tripping... After, we stayed, rented a kayak to go up the river and walked to a waterfall.

Back in the hostel, we decided to drive to Swellendam. But to make sure everything would go well, we tried booking a room. Surprise! No bed left.

And South Africa isn't France. No way to find another city around there to spend the night. After some useless maths, we had no choice but to book the last two beds in the dorm, in Wilderness. The next morning, we would have to drive for five hours to reach Cape Town.

We had fun anyway in that calm city and we forgot we had less than 24 hours before we would leave Mandela's country.

Visit a township

Knysna

Enough with the elephants! To leave Addo park, we made our way towards the south part of the reserve. Slowly. And there was a lot nothing out there. Until we ran into an elephant alone on the road. Nearby! Nearby! Nearby! At the exit gate, the guards made sure we were not leaving with an animal... or anything else that was forbidden.

We then stopped for one of the best meals we had in South Africa, in Jeffrey's Bay. Still, we had to make our way near the water, to Die Walskipper.

Built on the beach itself, directly on the sand, the restaurant offers portions so big you will probably need to bring the leftovers with you. There is homemade bread, meat cooked on a fire and a magnificient view on the ocean. On the other hand, it might be uncomfortable to see the richness of the marina next to a poorer township.

After that, we spent the night in Knysna, a small town where most of the lights go out after 8 PM.

One of the highlight in Knysna, other than The Heads, those cliffs forming one of the narrowest entry port according to some, is the visit of a township. Those are to South Africa what favelas are to Brazil. To go there, we chose the tour our hostel, Island Vibe, was offering. It is advised to never walk alone in a township.

The guide first brought us to The Heads before driving us to the township. The kids there, living in small poor houses, were so happy to see us. For some of them, strangers mean they'll get candies. So they reach out for them.

We also stopped in the rastafarian community, where we visited a nursery. We ended up in a bar, on top of a hill... at noon.

The visit of a township should and must be on your to-do list in South Africa!

In the afternoon, we left for Wilderness, not without aknowledging there was no tickets left for the ferry to Robben Island, on the day we would be back in Cape Town. Bad karma! Even when trying to book ahead, luck wasn't on our side.

Elephants! Finally!

It may be nice to have time to sleep, but it's not every day you get to visit South Africa.

We had to throw ourselves from our beds to finally wake up and start our first complete day in Addo Elephant National Park. We had booked a game drive in the morning too, to make sure we would see as many different types of animals as possible. Departure time : 6. AM! For me, that's almost in the middle of the night.

Nyway! This time, there were 24 of us in a huge truck. At our first stop, after encountering zebras on the way, we could see five or six hyenas, which had just caught their breakfast : a fresh turtle. Seeing that many hyenas, apparently, is rare. Bucket list : check!

For the rest of it, it was just an endless trip around the park, where we didn't see that many animals. Some buffalos again, some kudus... and some more kudus.

Back at camp, we ate our own breakfast before stopping at the convenient-grocery store to buy some food. It is the only store in the park. By chance, you can find everything there. We bought noodles, frozen vegetables, frozen meat, some spices and something to calm thirst. And what we needed for lunch too. The frozen things are a good idea. Because when it's 40 degrees Celsius outside, for tourists having nothing to keep food fresh, meat gets bad fast.

So we started exploring the park with the Ferrari. As recommended, we drove from waterhole to waterhole. Until... Around noon, when the sun is at its peak, elphants, warthog, zebras and jackals all go to drink. So we spent long minutes watching a whole groupe of elephants taking care of their babies. They took turns to drink and get water to cool down. Amazing!

After, we stopped at the picnic area, protected with barb wires (there are nine lions going around the park), to eat our lunch. Here, strange birds are everywhere and small monkees, obviously used to humans, were watching, waiting to steal our food. Me not trusting monkeys. Me ate fast.

In the afternoon, we saw nature more than anything, animal hidding in the bushes.

At the end of the day, we reached our final destination, Spekboom camp, where we had booked a simple tent with two beds, a lamp, a barbecue and a shared kitchen with a fridge. Camp is situated in the middle of the park, with walls and barb wires around. From one side, there is a view on a waterhole.

Other than the relative calmness and the darkness, it's the starry sky, without too much light pollution, that stole the show. Worth! Every! Penny!

Somewhere in the trees

The sign is pretty clear

Have I said I liked that Dijembe Backpackers hostel? Other than the mattress, which was a little soft, everything was perfect. From the terrace, the view on the starry sky was magnificent. In the morning, breakfast, which was included in the price, was unbeatable : freshly baked muffins, homemade bread... Do I need to say more?

While they were trying to convince us to go "tubing", which we can also call canyoning, we decided to go for ziplining.

The Tsitsikamma Canopy Tour is not really scary, even if we had to sign a form stating we accepted the risks of the activity. For about two hours, we flew from tree to tree without any stress. With a little luck, you can even see baboons. For the collectors, all the participants receive a certificate to prove the "accomplishment". Woot!

We then left Storms River, hoping my "driving a stick" skills wouldn't kill us. And we arrived in Addo Elephant National Park at the end of the afternoon. That is where we were gonna spend the next two nights.

We didn't get a warm welcome at the front desk, but from what we were told, the employees easily work 12 hours a day. We can understand they might get tired of tourists at some point.

That said, we had dinner at the only restaurant in the park, where we ate kudu.

And in the evening, we went on a night game drive for about two hours. For that, you need to book by
calling.

So we got in the park on a Jeep. The driver had a big follow spot to point at animals. One needs to be patient and lucky to appreciate the experience. Because there are no guarantees. If we were told we had the best chances of seeing a lion or a rhino when it's dark, we saw none of them. But the silence and the calmness of the park, once the night is there, was worth it. At least, we saw one hyena, some zebras, buffalos, african owls, hares, caracals and jackals.

And even if we were in Africa, we needed more than just a windblocker to stay warm on that tour.

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.

Unexpected Africa

They say one should fight fire with fire.

Which means?

Which means that after the blues of being back from a long adventure, it is sometimes better not to ask too many questions. And to seize the opportunities when they come.

So South Africa invited itself in the portrait. Nowhere on my radar yet : a little far, expensive, not easy to take time off from work... again.

Or maybe... The proposition came from an Austrian friend who bought his ticket for Cape Town. Stars aligned themselves. Too bad for the doubts and the expenses. After all, money is made to be spent.

True we hear South Africa can be dangerous. I asked other travelers. Nothing too bad at first glance. I for one have no doubts.

No need for a visa to get in Oscar Pistorius country. At least, not when you're a simple tourist. The only hard thing is to find a "short" flight. From North America, one needs at least one stopover... three sometimes. In my case, the best and shortest option seemed to stop in Amsterdam before leaving for 12 more hours towards Cape Town. If lucky, you can find a ticket for less than 1500 $.

The plan, for now, is to spend two days near Moutain Table, also visiting Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. They say it is better to buy tickets in advance, online, to visit. Done!

We'll then ride along the south coast towards Addo National park, known for its elephants population. Crossing our fingers to see lions, rhinos and other big 5 animals. We have already booked a night drive in the park to get the best experience possible. We'll also sleep in the park for two nights, one of them being in a tent near the water hole. There again, it is better to book ahead of time. Especially in summer. I was lucky to get the last lodge for the night I wanted, booking three weeks in advance.

The website for the South African national parks is a good source of information and allows some bookings. It might be hard to navigate on it though.

I also found a ziplining experience in Tsitsikama park. We'll see if it seems as fun once I really have to slide up in the air.

If technology allows it, I'll update as I go.

Crossing my fingers, I say a temporary adios to winter.