South Africa

Arrived in Cape Town last Thursday and feel as if I've stepped off the continent of Africa. Johannesburg for starters has one of the most modern airports I've ever been in and refreshing after 106 hours of cumulative bus and train rides the last two weeks.

Unfortunately I started getting ill the moment I arrived in CT most likely due to something I ate in Zambia my last day there. After five days of my own personal lower Victoria Falls and lots of vomiting, I'm finally starting to make a comeback.

With one eye always on the loo, I did take some time to explore the city my first couple days here. Now I've been to a fair amount of cities in my day but CT is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful I have ever come across. The city is surrounded by white powdery sand beaches with sand so fine you find it in nooks and crannies you never you knew you had. The Atlantic has incredible surf and although absolutely frigid (due to the current coming straight up from Antartica), is as blue as the sky.




Within a quarter mile of the beaches there are mountains with names like Tabletop, Lions Head, and the 12 Apostles that have sheer cliffs and hiking trails galore. After a day spent walking around CT I somehow found myself at the beach wanting desperately to get in on a game of volleyball. However on second thought decided not to as I don't think the other players would have appreciated toilet breaks every 10 minutes.

Just outside the city limits and only 45 minutes by car, you find yourself in South African wine country. I spent Sunday afternoon driving thru and stopped into one winery for a quick tasting. The wines have a much higher alcohol content then the wines back home and weren't really to my liking. The area reminded me a lot of Eastern Washington.

The last two days I've spent in the Cape Reserve. I thought a tough hike would cure me up good and after hiking a grueling 15K on the first day realized I was sorely mistaken. I parked my car at the top of the park and proceeded down the Indian Ocean side of the Reserve. For those of you unaware, the Cape Reserve is also where you'll find the Cape of Good Hope, the most south western point on the African continent. To the east of the reserve is the Indian Ocean and literally footsetps to the west is the Atlantic Ocean. The Cape of Good Hope is where the two oceans converge and is home to some of the foulest weather on earth.

Lucky for me I was hiking in perfect weather with perfect views of both oceans. Unfortunately, I was not feeling 100% still and decided after reaching the Cape of Good Hope to call it good. I hitched a ride back to the car rather then slog another 20K the following day. Great idea on my part! The hike was absolutely gorgeous and followed the contours of the Indian Ocean to a tee. Almost too much sometimes which was frustrating as I seemed to go up and down, up and down, up and down.

Today I'm lucky enough to be shacked up in a lovely home in a small town called Scarborough just outside the reserve. The house has a beautiful view of the Atlantic and a magical sunset every evening. A big thanks goes out to Phillip and Susan back home for letting me crash at your home. It's exactly what the doctor ordered.


My only worry now is what to eat and when to surf. :) Life is good here!