Home and hosed

 So the South African adventure finally comes to an end and we are back safe and sound. That was not always looking possible as I was caught up in a massive food poisoning outbreak. Snail pate was the probable cause of mine, but the load shedding programme which they have in place is more likely to be the culprit.

Two or three times a day the power is switched off and businesses and homes have to rely on generator power for anthing up to 4 hours at a time. There is now a widely held view that fridges are going on and off spasmodically and consequently some of the contents are being compromised.

The funding to fix the problem has gone missing, so the natives are getting restless and there could be a serious uprising against the government if the situation is no resolved.

Anyway, no great harm done, and a local doctor prescribed some medication to sort me out. He was Dr Ventner and had a rugby picture on his surgery wall. Apparently his grandfather toured Great Britain with the Springboks in 1931. He was F.D Ventner, a three-quarter who scored against Glasgow District.

The finl drive of the safari allowed us to click in with the final big 5 animal, the African buffalo. we also saw black rhino and a male lion, so all in all a very successful sortie to the Southern Hemisphere

 

Big ears

 There are other matters to blog apart from a safari so I was searching for a link when Gary Lineker stuck his head, ears and all, above the parapet like some bull elephant out on the territory protection trail.

Lineker has history with contentious text's on a number of subjects and is often looking for a reaction. On this occasion he got rather more than he bargained for and has rightly been suspended by the BBC. To think he can bring down the Director General with the help of his footballing cronies is another example of how the football community big themselves up when faced with adversity or external criticism.

 No doubt there will be people in the footballing fraternity rubbing their hand as they see this as a direct challenge from the government at just the time thay are looking to regulate the business of football in a way football won't want.  Let battle commence.

Gary Neville runs close to the wind with his comments on social media and I have unsubscribed to various sites, including Twickenham RFC, when the owners or Web masters start using the media for their own political ends and not those for which the mouthpiece was designed.

Lineker needs to realise people only listen or follow him because of his visibility on BBC, and footie commentators are two a penny. So if the BBC dump him, he will quickly become yesterdays news. Just ask Andy Gray!!

We fly back tomorrow which is probably just as well, as Cyclone Freddie has decided to regroup and start battering Guadeloupe.  Apparently Mozambique had a years raining for days when it first hit.

England must have felt they were in the eye of the storm at Twickenham yesterday. They were outplayed in every aspect of the game by France. England looked unfit, ill prepared and physically lightweight against a French side clearly building positively towards their home World Cup.

Let's not mention the Argyle albeit to say it's getting tight at the top. 

Jurassic Park

 We can now confirm the rhino, tick, and a few elephants,tick, so the African buffalo remains the elusive member of the big five to complete the list.

As a bonus we saw a couple of cheetah too. The leopard remains elusive as do armadillos but there were mongoose and jackels. Maybe a hyena ot two might put in an appearance as well

Jumanji

 Another long car drive eventually got us to Shamwali game reserve. We came in the wrong gate but that gave us an opportunity to see giraffe, warthog and antelope before reaching the lodge.

There was little time to check in before we were off on our first safari. Three hours later we can report on two ticked off and one sighted but too far away to gain photographic evidence. So, lion, tick, hippopotamus, tick and white rhino,?

Up at the crack of sparrows tomorrow and search again.

We arrive for the big five

 

Monkey business

 More animals today, but last night we ate some dead ones in a good restaurant in Plett. The Fat Fish was a very vibrant beachside bar and restaurant in a small mall type development close to Central beach. All things SA were evident. The drive was a bit slower than expected as 'loadshedding' was in operation. This involves shutting down the grid for two four hour periods twice or three times a day. Those who can power up a generator, otherwise its candles and teatree lights. 

There is huge unrest about this with potential uprisings against the government as funding to overcoming the problem has 'disappeared' after being diverted elsewhere. Safe to say the ANC are comfortable and blinkered to the fact the state is moving back on all the gains made in the Mandela era,

 It is a real sadness to still see shanty towns on one side of the road and 5 star mansions and Country clubs on the other. The 'workers' try to hitch lift home and wave Rand in the hope of a pick up.

A couple of other restaurants were lit and open  but elsewhere many homes were in darkness. We gave a cheer when the street lights came back on.

But back to today, our last night before safari time. The animal reserve we went to  was mainly for rescued animal which had been abandoned as pets, not all were indigenous. SWMBO had her sunglasses whipped from her head by one of the monkeys and only swift intervention by the ranger retrieved them. We got some interesting pictures to send to our own monkeys at home, and are now waiting to visit the on-site restaurant here. No sign of the baboons today which was a pity.

We have used four rope bridges this week so SWMBO might start watching the Indiana Jones films now. She summed the trip up well. Its like being on a cruise but having to move cabins every night. Only one cabin to go!!

SA in a nutshell

 

The I--Spy book of Boks

 So as we unpack in our 6th hotel it is worth seeing what wild life we have ticked off.

• Baboon
• Baboon with infant on back
• Zebra
• Eland
• Water buck
• Range buck
• Thin slivery snake, unidentified
• Loads of birds and
• A striped field mouse

 

That puts us in good shape to cope with the safari at the weekend and a couple of small animal parks over the next few days,

Cyclone Freddie originally from Mozambique had now seemed to blow itself out so all is set fair weather-wise.

We have reached Plettenberg Bay via Knysna, an ex hippy commune on an inlet near the Indian ocean. Plettenberg Bay is billed as the St Tropez of South Africa.  The beaches and homes are stunning but I was expecting a broadwalk with cafe culture and bars. There does not seem to be any of that since we left Camps Bay.

Our current hotel is about 20 minutes outside in the forest. We are in a suite which is self-contained and separated from the others on the estate. There is no bar area to socialise in so I wonder if this is a 5 star thing as an earlier hotel had a similar setup.

We are back in Plett, as the locals call it, later for another fish session so we will report back tomorrow. Just off for my paddle board lesson.

All things bright and beautiful

 Now we are here I think we can see the fortnight in its true sense and we have just completed the second of five segments

First we had sunshine and beach and booze. We ate well and all was good in the world.

Phase 2 was the significant birthday celebration and I did very well. I am still trying to work out how SWMBO got a new set of golf club over here without me knowing!!

Part three has not gone well. The meal we had in Dusk, a 2 star Michelin restaurant was a lovely evening, however the next day was tricky. We had already arranged to break the longest part of the journey at Swellendam in case I was hung over and SWMBO had to drive.

She took on the last part of the trip which was horrendous with sheets of rain and lightening and everybody driving at 30mph. Anyway we made it and we saw it as a moving day and recharge.

So phase 4 sees us finally reach the garden route at Wilderness and on to Sedgefield, The weather is still overcast but that did not stop SWMBO enjoying the pool and the wonderful beach view.  It breezy though

So we are here and Plattenburg Bay for a few days before the final part of the trip, the safari.

Can't wait,

Three score years and ten

 We have moved from Cape Town to Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. Stellenbosch is of course the wineland capital of South Africa and we have popped into a couple.

The first was Groot Constantia, a vineyard which embraced Simon's restaurant, and a wine tasting barn which doubled as a museum. This area charted the role slaves had as the Dutch land owners developed the vines and tended the land to allow it to be the huge industry it is today. When slavery was abolished in England, it was still considered accepted practise in South Africa. The working staff here and in most of the bars and restaurants are still black Africans. It is almost as if the abolishment of apartheid has passed them by.

Next stop was to the big easy, a vineyard owned by Ernie Els. This was a much more modern operation  but with the same staff demographic. We wandered round his trophy room and sampled his wine before making off with a couple of bottles for later.We also sampled one his competitors brand in thr evening.

We are out at a restaurant called Dusk tonight as a special celebration so we will see what the wine list has to offer. Then tomorrow we carry on our journey through the garden route towards Plettenberg Bay.

271 to Golders Green

 The tour bus around Cape Town was the order of the day today. We picked it up outside the hotel and cruised along the beach side to the waterfront called the V & A.

This a huge development which is on reclaimed land and is a cross between Covent Garden and The Albert Dock. Far too touristy  and commercial for us and luckily we got the agent to move us to Camps Bay when we were planning the itinerary. 

So back on the bus through the business district and Muslim Quarter, which was very colourful, before the bus trundled up to the Table Mountain cable car terminal. The views here were expansive but it is disconcerting when they say you might have to walk back down if it gets too windy.

Tour buses are always full of interesting facts and today was no exception.

Then it was back to Camps Bay to ready ourselves for another food fest, this time at a place called The Blacksheep. Tomorrow we move to Stellenbosch and explore the wine lands...hic!!

The Codfather

 Tonights menu

This is Africa

 TIA for short, but given recent news best not use the abbreviation as it has different connitations in UK.

Anyway we are finally on holiday in Camps Bay near Cape Town. The hotel is an old Manor House rebuilt in 1929 after the previous one was demolished. The house shows many features and furnishing from its days as a family home, with additional properties neighbouring the house being purchased to allow the hotel to boast 19 rooms, albeit only 4 sit within the original.

We have a Degas above the bed, and other artifacts draw ones attention to the heritage as you walk round. Before you ask though it was built with diamond money, not money from the slave trade.

In TIA terms, we have already had two planned electrical outages, and no water for several hours. There are plenty of tomatoes though.

Yesterday was a settling in day, crowned off by a steak dinner with wine for less than £50!!

Today we have done Chapmans Peak, Simon's Town, as you would, and Boulders Beach.

Boulders beach is home to a colony of African Penguins. Very strange to see then in such a hot environment.

Tonight it is off to the The Codfather, a famous fish restaurant, then tomorrow it will be tour bus time. I anticipate a busy two weeks.