I guess February is a bit late to wish you all a Merry Christmas or even a Happy New Year so will wish you all a healthy, wealthy and happy 2014 full of great adventures. 

We have now officially finished touring Southern Africa but will carry on within the land of milk and honey until we decide what to do next and where we will be living.  How long this will take is anyone’s guess but we will be sure to have fun along the way.

This adventure has been awesome, filled with many great memories of the places we have been, the fantastic experiences we have had, the people we have met and the many laughs we have along the way.   Are we glad we did this?  Hell yeah.  Would we do it all over again?  For Sure………..

We are in Johannesburg but will be heading south early next week, a couple of nights at Gariep Dam (which we recently found out is the largest in SA), then onto George.  For how long? Who knows………  We will keep the blog live and kicking but will only be posting when we have some news. 

Anyway, to all the people who followed our trip, we hope you enjoyed it and to those who sent mails and comments a huge thanks – it was always a lift to hear from everyone – so please stay in touch.

For those who don’t have it – our email address is www.trollips.travels@gmail.com

Don’t be a stranger !!!!! 

Ok, so we admit to being a little slack (ok – a big bit slack) when it comes to posting.  So, to make up for it here are some Mo’Vember photos that might make you chuckle and forgive us.  For those who don’t know, people (usually men) are sponsored to grow a moustache during November to highlight men’s health issues eg. prostrate cancer.

The beginning:

 

A week later in Storms River:

 

One week to go (guess it tickles):

 

At last, time for a shave:

 

Of course a few faces were pulled along the way:

We were very excited to get to Wilderness and had visions of canoeing down the river, birding, hiking through the forests etc.  Sadly, as in cricket, the rain stopped play and boy did it rain…….   We found out later that this was Cape wide and that a hospital in Stellenbosch was even evacuated due to flooding.   We spent our time as productively as possible by going for drives, going for lunch and enjoying Wilderness as a town.  This place has more restaurants than people not to mention great beaches (when it’s sunny).  Andrew has added Wilderness to our list of places we might eventually settle down in.

Even although it was raining we finally reached our target of 500 bird species with number 500 being a African Purple Swamphen.  (Sadly no photos)…..  Time to celebrate !!!!

Eventually we tired of the rain and headed for Knysna….would it be sunny???

Answer – hell no……  It rained so much we even put up the sides to give some protection.  We camped in a lovely spot, Lake Brenton, right on the banks of Knysna Lagoon.  The campsite was super, full of huge shady trees, free washing, a gym with sauna and a little shop.  All you need in the rain….

So what do you do in Knysna when it rains?  We did our chores, laundry etc and of course, we watched the rugby (that is ALL that’s being said about that). We also went to eat seafood and of course the highlight – a tour of Mitchells Brewery.  A lovely little brewery with only a small selection of craft beers (although probably a bigger selection that SAB lagers) but absolutely delicious.  Of course, we bought a few and the good news is that they only last 3 months so you have to sup quickly haha….

We don’t have many great photo’s thanks to the rain but we did manage to get a couple before we left for Tsitsikamma.

Bontebok is the smallest SanParks reserve and again, another little gem.   This is the view from our campsite but there is a price to pay in that there is no power and ablutions are 300m+ uphill.  Andrew said that it is ‘well worth the morning butt clench to be by the river’, ah – you can see he is truly a catch !!!!!!!!

Bontebok was originally a farm but was proclaimed a national park in 1931 to save the bontebok species – only 30 were remaining…….  It has been a highly successful venture and Bontebok now supplies other parks including Cape point. 

 

As well as fynbos, proteas and an abundance of trees, we came across this beautiful granadilla flower in the campsite.  Not something we expected.

 

The park is only 6kms from Swellendam, so in-between birding, walking some of the trails and enjoying the peace and quiet we decided to take a trip into town to see what Swellendam had to offer.   The first thing we noticed was that Toyotas were the predominant vehicles (unlike Cape Town where Land Rovers rule!!), this is probably due to the number of farmers around.  Whilst it is a clean and fairly pretty town, you do get the distinct impression that genetic diversity is an issue.  If there was a reality show called ‘Boer soek a vrou’ (Farmer seeks a wife) then it would be filmed in Swellendam.  After all, as Andrew said, there are only so many times you can marry your cousin !!!!!!!!…….  For those of you who know Mark Trollip (no relation, despite what he says) you will understand why he is choosing to retire here. 

We really enjoyed Bontebok and yes, it is on our re-visit list, however it is now time to explore the Garden Route (last visited over 15 years ago).

Simons Town is a naval town but very pretty with many individual shops with ‘old’ time shop fronts, giving it an old world community feel. This is something we noticed in many of the smaller towns in the Cape – Fish Hoek, Hout Bay, Strand, Citrusdal etc. It really does make a nice change from the ‘mall’ and you really feel like you have stepped back to simpler times.……

Of course, no visit to Simons Town would be complete without the obligatory photo of Just Nuisance…..  This legendary Great Dane was named Just Nuisance when he became the first dog to be enlisted in the South African Navy.  The story goes that he kept jumping on and off trains and boats making quite the nuisance of himself and was scheduled to be dealt with.  The sailors found a solution by making him naval personnel and thereby allowing him to travel on the trains free of charge.

After a lovely seafood lunch we decided to spend the afternoon at Boulders Beach.  This is a small but lovely swimming beach but you do have to share it with some 3000 African Penguins.

So cute…….. and worth a photo or many………….  It’s hard to believe that these guys are on the endangered list when you see them together at the colony.

And, just in case you were like us and wanted to sneak one out, there are a few warnings !!!!!!!!

In the interests of public safety we would like to issue a public health warning……….. 

If you see these two ‘characters’ roaming the streets be afraid………  They go by the names of Igor and Lukas and hail from Poland.

 

If you encounter them with the following in hand – RUN………………

 

On a serious note, we met these guys at Sinamatella in March and were very happy to meet up again. At least I was happy until I woke up the next morning after our ‘Vodka’ session.  It has to be said, however, that this vodka is delicious and tastes like cool drink – sadly for me it felt like I had been kicked in the stomach by a mule the next day…….. ‘groan’……..  Maybe I just need practice.

They came bearing gifts, one of which was a beautiful book filled with incredible pictures of Polish architecture.  We have now added Poland to our bucket list of places to visit.   So many places, so little time…………..

So, to our Polish friends – thanks for the visit and we look forward to seeing you soon………….

Those residing in Gauteng are often seen patting themselves on the back for living in ‘Jo’burg’ and not Cape Town.  After all Jo’burg is where it all happens, good dining, great money to be made, fabulous houses not to mention that the Cape-tonians are an unfriendly and snooty bunch who are way too proud of their ‘mountain’ (if you can see the thing for the clouds).   Of course there is a little jealousy, whilst they are stuck in the latest traffic jam caused by non-operating traffic lights, that the Cape is run by the D.A and not the A.N.C and is rumoured to ‘work’………..

There is also the feeling amongst Cape-tonians that the Gauteng-ers are way too money orientated and spend way too much time at work.  They are often heard to be wondering why people live there when the crime is much higher than any where else in the country. 

What can we say – on our travels we have found that the people from the Cape are very friendly, even strangers we have just met have invited us to stay in their homes.  Not one mention has ever been made of ‘THE mountain’ and yup – everything does seem to work.  Not once did we see a broken traffic light, the streets were well repaired and almost litter free.

The cape-tonians are probably more accurate about their assessment of Joburg but they forget that Jo’burg has one of the best climates in the country.  It is very rarely that it pours with rain day and night and extreme wind is usually only found in August. When it comes to climate nowhere in SA beats Jo’burg.

So our conclusion is – that you pick what suits you best……………. 

ps – we would like to thank Rene and Vaughan for a great supper and great company and for confirming that the Cape has more than good wine to offer……..

So, was the weather better on the other side of the mountain?   Not the first day – we arrived in the rain having packed up in the rain…..  one of the downsides to camping.  We did get lucky thereafter though as the weather just got better and better. It made exploring much more fun.

Kommatjie is about 30+kms from Cape Town but only a short drive from Cape Point, Simons Town and Chapmans Peak.  It is surrounded by beautiful beaches, vineyards and great scenery and makes a great place to camp out if you want to explore. 

After the rain stopped we took a short walk to watch the sun go down over Long Beach.  It was interesting to note that all the locals were surfing up a storm but that every last one of them wore a wet suit.  Yup – the Atlantic ocean is not for sissies !!!!!!!  

Those of you who know us well, will not be surprised to hear that we spent many a day at Cape Point – we walked, we climbed, we drove, we did some birding (not easy with all the fynbos and proteas), we dipped our feet in the water and we had breakfast and lunch at the Two Oceans Restaurant.   What a surprise this was as 15 years ago (when we last visited) it was a bit like school dinners.  Not so any more – with a great menu, good food and a wonderful setting it was treat. Just before we convinced we were in Europe the waiter quickly reminded us that we were still firmly in Africa.  Having ordered a beer, the waiter came back and asked if we wanted a draught or bottle.  ‘Oh a draught’ said Andrew, quite excited as we assumed they only had bottles. ‘Ah, sorry’ said the waiter, ‘we only have bottles, can I bring you something else?’……..    He seemed genuinely surprised that it was the Peroni and not the draught that was key……..  haha T.I.A. (this is Africa – at it’s best)……..

Of course no self respecting blog would be complete without a picture of Cape Point.  It can be quite a climb but well worth it.  They even have a cable car for those not able to walk up but happy to get to the old lighthouse.

We were feeling particularly energetic the second day we visited and after Cape Point we walked to the Cape of Good Hope and down to Diaz Beach. OMG – what a climb back up……….. Sand dunes and 260+ steep stairs up the mountain…….. Not for the faint hearted, so here is a picture from the bottom in case you don’t fancy the climb. However, it has to be said that being there is better than any photo. 

As well as beautiful scenery the park has a wide range of wildlife.  Birds, Lizards, Zebras, Bontebok, Eland, Hartebeest, Baboons and many many Dassies.  All loved and well photographed.

Our biggest surprise was an Ostrich jogging along the beach !!!!!  We thought out eyes were playing tricks…..

After a disappointing and wet time in The Baths we were ready for Stellenbosch.  Our main aim was to clean EVERYTHING………….AGAIN……….. and to catch up with our old friend Mike Drury (yes Mike, we can hear you saying ‘less of the old’) and his lovely wife Liz.  Mike and Liz are lucky enough to have retired to Somerset West where they can enjoy the various wine routes and beaches around. It was great to see them again and get some tips on where to go.

We stayed at Mountain Breeze which is half way between between Somerset West and Stellenbosch.  Whilst the camp is a little soul-less it is a great place for cleaning, picking your own strawberries and visiting a few wine farms.  Set amongst tall pines it gives plenty shelter from the wind (alas not the rain)……..

 

They also have the cheekiest squirrels who seem to have a passion for pine cones and rusk crumbs……  They made sure to visit every morning as soon as the coffee pot went on.

 

We were hoping to take plenty photos but the weather was not playing nicely with us.  Still, it didn’t stop us from sampling the wine from indoors.  With too many farms to choose from we decided to check out Ernie Els as he had one of the closest vineyards to the camp.  So off we went to sample some of his ‘Big Easy’ Wines……….Mmmmmmmm   tasty !!!!!  And, after days and days of cleaning – well deserved.

 

We would loved to have spent longer here but we needed to be in Cape Town and had also heard that the weather on the other side of the mountain was better…… True or not True??????  

After a slow border crossing (we arrived just after an overland truck) we were finally on South African soil.  Woo-hoo…….tarred roads, a nice quick drive to Springbok – or so we thought.  With ‘Stop and Go’ roadworks the whole way, it took longer than expected.  Springbok is a small but pleasant little town with a few shops and restaurants.  It is really more famous in August when the Namaqua flowers are in full bloom.  For us, it was a chance to wash a few clothes and get a meal. 

Next day the plan was to head for ‘The Baths’ in Citrusdal where we were hoping to have a 3 night stay enjoying the delights of the mineral spas.  Again – stop and go roadworks made the drive tedious – the entire way from Springbok.  When we arrived at the Baths we were disappointed to only be able to book in for two nights.  This turned out to be a good thing as we had the tiniest of tiny campsites which they claim would fit a caravan but you would need a 2 man tent to be comfy (we had to park the car in the bushes).   The mineral springs are very nice but have no comfortable place to hang out when not in the water.  They did have a bench or two but they were similar to those found in bus shelters.  Added to this, it poured down with rain and everything was wet and muddy especially since we had no room to put down even the smallest ground sheet.  We were very glad to leave and will not be returning.  As you can see, we didn’t even bother to take out the camera !!!!!!!!

Here we come Stellenbosch……………..  Land of wine and strawberries !!!!!!!!