Our trip to South Africa, 2-15 March 2004

In March 2004 we (Bill Silvert and Mi Cunha) went to South Africa to visit our friend Aristidis Moustakas. This is a preliminary record of our trip, and we will update it when we have more time (the pictures shown here are about 10% of the ones we took).

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March 3) Quite a bit of shopping in Franschhoek for skins (Bill bought one from a blue gnu) and carved fish souvenirs, then we drove to Wilderness Park. It was nice, but we decided to continue to Mossel Bay to be closer to Addo Elephant Park. We found a nice apartment at Perna Perna and decided to spend two nights there. Had a nice fish dinner at Kingfisher where Bill had Kabeljau (cob) and found it was really fine cod.

March 4) We spent the day in Mossel Bay which is small but charming. Lots of shopping, and at the end of the day we visited the Bartolomeu Diaz museum complex. It seems that Mossel Bay was originally called the Bay of São Brás. Lots of Portuguese history in the museum, much related to shipwrecks, and there is a fine model of Diaz’ caravel. Mi mailed a letter from the oldest post office in Africa!

March 5) We left Mossel Bay for Tsitsikamma Park where we were not able to book anything in the park and stayed at a nearby B&B. We did however hike to the suspension bridge and greatly enjoyed the beauty of the park. We were able to book a nice cabin by the sea for the next day.

March 6) We moved into our cabin by the sea and spent the day in the park. Aris hiked practically all over the park, while we set out on the challenging waterfall hike. Bill dropped out before the half-way point when the going got very rough. Mi continued and apparently got almost to the end before she felt that the going was too rough.

March 7) We drove to Addo Elephant Park where we had been trying to book accommodation in the park. There were no cancellations so we stayed at a nearby B&B, but we toured the park and had dinner there. We saw lots of elephants, red Hartebeest and warthogs, many Kudu and ostriches, and a black rhinoceros. Then we took a tour at 18:30 where we saw more of the same, plus a few Eland in the far distance, and a porcupine. Along the side of the road we encountered a very lazy pregnant female lion.

March 8) We drove Aris to the Zuurberg branch of Addo Elephant Park where he took a 4-hour hike and we had a pleasant pool-side lunch at the isolated Zuurberg resort hotel. We then checked into a one-room cabin in the park and drove around some more to see much more wildlife, adding zebras, Elands which we saw close-up, jackals, and again saw the elusive rhinoceros. We drove back to Zuurberg to collect Aris and went looking for a restaurant. We did quite well along a side road, and had our exercise moving umbrellas when it started to rain.

March 9) We drove around Addo Elephant Park some more and then returned to the Zuurberg branch of Addo Elephant Park where Mi and Aris took a 1-hour horseback ride while Bill took a 1-hour hike (he weighs more than the 90 kg limit for riders). We then returned to the main park where Aris stayed at the central complex while we drove around for a last look. We saw the rhinoceros again, some velvet monkeys, many zebra and red Hartebeest and Eland and Kudus, basically everything we wanted to see except for buffalo, which apparently only come out at night. and both male and female lions – two of them were even standing up! We also saw a dead Eland being eaten by ravens. Finally we started our return to Stellenbosch, since we had to be back by the following night and it was pretty far for a one day’s drive. We ended up in Jeffries Bay, a resort town for surfers, but we liked it.

March 10) The drive back to Stellenbosch was a long one, but the scenery was great and we enjoyed it. We rolled in late at night and checked into our final lodging for the trip, a very nice B&B where we had a separate cottage very nicely finished, and despite the early closing of South African restaurants we had a nice Indian dinner.

March 11) In the morning we drove to the Bosbou, the Forestry Institute which is the Stellenbosch base for Aris’ project, and met a couple of his colleagues including his supervisor. They are very nice people and we had an enjoyable time together. In the afternoon Mi and I went off to Kirstenbosch, the incredible botanical garden just south of Cape Town. We came back at 5 and met Aris and his advisor for dinner.

March 12) Aris spent the morning with his advisor, who left for Kimberly at 13:00. We then met for lunch and spent the rest of the day touring vineyards- a few good wines, and some really bad ones. At one farm we were informed that wines have to be very acidic or they will spoil!

March 13) We drove down to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope, the southwest corner of Africa. The two capes are very close to each other. At Cape Point we climbed (and climbed and climbed) to the old lighthouse, which has been abandoned because it is too far above sea level and is often invisible in the clouds. The Cape of Good Hope is not as high, but the road is full of baboons. We then drove up the western side of the cape along an incredibly beautiful winding road overlooking magnificent beaches. We then drove to Table Mountain, but the funicular was closed because of high winds, and after a quick look at the Waterfront we returned to Stellenbosch and had what would have been a lovely dinner were it not for the drunk Afrikaaners singing at the tops of their voices.

March 14) All the roads south of Cape Town were closed for a huge cycling event, so after wandering around the Waterfront, a restored touristic area centred around an historic clocktower by the docks, we took the ferry to Robben Island, the infamous prison where Nelson Mandela and other prisoners were held. The guides were in fact former political prisoners. After seeing the local penguins we then returned to Cape Town where we were surprised to see a tall ship flying the Canadian flag. She turned out to be the Picton Castle from Lunenberg, Nova Scotia, on her way around the world. We then drove back to Table Mountain and this time were able to visit the top by funicular. The gondolas rotate as they move, which is odd and interesting.

March 15) This was our final day in Stellenbosch and after buying a final load of skins (zebra, springbok and kudu) we drove to the airport, collected our VAT refund, and came home!

But one cannot describe the beauty of South Africa without also mentioning the depressing condition of the blacks. The roads are lined with dismal townships of endless shanties that seem unsuitable for chicken coops. The scale of these is impossible to imagine. At night you go over a hill and suddenly find below you a field of lamps that stretches to the horizon, the night lighting for one of these townships - orange lamps on huge poles like some enormous football stadium. You never get over the shock when you see these.