South Africa

Sometimes travelling feels like hard work – first world problem I know! As we sit at the tiny café at Inhambane airport, waiting for our plane to arrive, it becomes very apparent that we will not be making our connecting flight at Johannesburg. As one might imagine, everything in Mozambique is pretty laid back, and the attitude clearly extends to the airline, who don’t even acknowledge that we are two hours delayed.

Once at Johannesburg, we find that we have missed the next two flights. Path of least resistance is to just to book with another airline – fortunately flights to Cape Town are cheap here. Eventually arrive late in the evening. Meet some lovely people outside the hotel who are stoned, drunk, and delightfully happy about the fact that they are headed to the AfrikaBurn festival. Seemingly its an excuse to pretend one is in a dystopian future where the only thing left is trippy art installations in the desert! It sounds like Mad Max on acid. Jenn receives a massive hug from one of the girls. That kind of infectious joy can’t help but put a smile of your face, even after a long day of travelling.

We spend the morning knocking around the waterside in Cape Town. It’s a beautiful day and we wander through the newly established and trendy neighbourhoods, watch as three massive tractors try to gently encourage an enormous ship into the water, and make our way to the main harbour front. We were last here 13 years ago and have fond memories.

Our memories have not betrayed us, it really is a beautiful place. Loads of lovely shops, bars, and restaurants line the harbour, whilst seals frolic in the water, all overlooked by Table Mountain. On a sunny day, there is perhaps nowhere nicer in the world to stroll around or sit with a glass of wine.

That afternoon we head to Camps Bay. We’ve hired a car and plan to drive along the coast whilst spending a few days in different Airbnbs. After 11 months on the go, I think this has become our favourite way to travel. No flights, no lugging cases into hotels. With a case in the boot, and a case on the backseat, we just grab what we need, when we need it. Airbnbs also provide space. May sound daft, but it is so nice to have a living room and somewhere you can sprawl out. Our Airbnb in Camps Bay overlooks the beach, with the Twelve Apostles looming above us.

We hike up Lions Head, which is a short drive away and offers great views over the area. For the most part it’s a pretty straightforward walk, although about three quarters of the way up, one is offered the choice between a recommended route, and a more challenging option, involving chains and ladders. We opt for the latter. The morning rain however, has made everything a bit slippery which makes it more of an adventure than it might otherwise be. Having done 99% of the hard work we reach a section that is a stretch for me at 6’1”, but a massive stretch for Jenn. Given that the tread on her now well-worn boots is on its last legs, she decides the view is good enough from where we are.

Get back down, just in time to head out for dinner with a former colleague, Karel. Stupidly forget to take a photo, but a very nice evening of excellent steak and red wine.

Our next stop is in Simons Town. We break up a moderate drive, at Noordhoek beach, which is absolutely enormous and stretches for miles. Apparently there is a ship wreck on the beach somewhere, but we never get anywhere near it.

A short drive away, Boulders Beach offers the opportunity to visit endangered African Penguins. Our first. and last, penguins of the trip. Surprisingly pungent little creatures, but very cute, particularly given that there are a good number of chicks amongst them. African penguins mate for life and return to the same nesting site year after year. Sweet!

Check into our Airbnb for the evening which is set high above the ocean and backing onto a nature reserve, before heading into the Cape National Park. Although it’s late in the afternoon, we manage to hike up to the lighthouse at the Cape of Good Hope and celebrate with pictures of the most south westerly point in Africa. The rocks are packed with seals.

On the way back we come across 4 ostrich. An unexpected treat. Family unit of four birds, male, female and two juveniles. Also spot some eland (largest species of antelope in the world). Reminder of what an amazing country this is – so full of life.

In the morning we are joined by the three resident dogs who roam our Airbnb, all of whom desperately jostle for attention, whilst frightening away the incredibly beautiful malachite sunbirds that frequent the gardens. Eventually manage to get some pictures, despite the dogs, really stunning.

Next stop on our road trip is in Gansbaai. The entire drive is stunning. The road hugs the coast for mile after mile. Of all of the coastal drives over the last 11 months, I think this is the most scenic. That said, this is a country with pretty significant social and economic problems. We’ve seen shanty towns in the past, but South Africa’s are on a different scale to anything we’ve seen previously. One particular town, stretches for miles. It’s a sobering reminder of the unequal distribution of wealth in this part of the world.

The reason for coming to this part of the coast is to try and see great white sharks. Although, a little bit of further research suggests that sightings are increasingly rare. 10 years ago, the area was prolific, and one of the best areas in the world to share the water with the feared predator. However, Orcas began to arrive en masse, hunting the juvenile sharks. Scientists are still not sure why. In any event, the result is that the shark behaviour has been disrupted and numbers have materially declined. Bugger!

I write to a diving company who tell me that they haven’t seen great whites since September. They have however, seen Bronze Whaler sharks which can grow up to 3.5m long.

Spend our first day strolling along the coast, which is rugged and full of sea birds.

That evening, I write again to see what the sightings have been like over the last couple of days. Amazingly they’ve seen great whites both days.

So at 8am the following day, we are stood outside Sharklady Tours, along with fellow enthusiasts waiting to head out. Get a full brief about what to expect and how to ensure that we return with limbs intact. We are headed out into the open ocean, where the cage is secured to the side of the boat. Up to four divers can enter the cage at anyone time. When the spotters see a shark, the cage residents, hold their breath and drop beneath the water. The water incidentally, is a mere 12 degrees centigrade. For the avoidance of doubt, that is pretty damn cold.

We head out in almost windless conditions, with gulls following in our wake.

The methods of attracting sharks here are somewhat controversial, leaving a trail of chum, to encourage the sharks curiosity. I say its controversial, because I’ve heard different accounts from different marine biologists. Have to wait a decent amount of time before a shark graces us with its presence. Decent size bronze whaler. The first four divers duly enter the water.

Jenn and I have decided to go separately to maximise our chances of one of us seeing something. Jenn, for some unknown reason, is keen to go first. I have to confess, watching her get in, is pretty damn funny. The water is clearly freezing cold, and lets just say that Jenn lets her feelings be known! I am very glad to be sat on deck. After a while Jenn has either frozen, or accepted her fate, as the noise has subsided. They seem to be in the water a long time, but are rewarded with a shark coming very close to the cage, ‘Down’ shouts the spotter on the deck. They all bob under water. Funny to watch, particularly given that one guy seems to get his timing wrong each time, coming up as everyone else is going down!

From the deck, it’s easy to see the sharks. Seemingly from the water it is less easy. Visibility is clearly pretty poor, and so despite getting freezing cold, it’s a modest return on effort.

I watch as a whole bunch of others enter the water, most of whom see very little. All of whom though come out freezing cold.

I decide that I won’t bother. I see little point. Normally my fear of missing out, overcomes my reluctance, but on this occasion, I decide I’m not missing much. The fact that there are South African box jelly fish in the water does little to convince me that I’m making an error of judgement.

By the time we head back the waves and wind are up and it’s a bit of an adventure holding on as we cut through the waves. Jenn is pleased that she went in, and in fairness, she had the best sighting. I am very pleased with my own decision. Had a great white shown up, I would have had a crack, but in their absence, warm and dry seemed like the better part of valour.

All too soon we are packing up to move on to the wine region. Feel sad to be leaving this stretch of coast. Although the sharks may have stayed away, the coast itself is stunning and the fact that we were able to wander along it for hours without meeting another human soul made for a tranquil and relaxing experience.

As ever the drive is incredible. Open farmland stretches ahead in all directions with the mountains as a backdrop. Can’t help but contrast the scene with the shanty town we passed several days back. All this land in the hands of a few wealthy owners. It’s not surprising that resentment is so high. I have no idea how one begins to fix the challenges here – the scale of the problem is massive.

Our final Airbnb is in Franschhoek. We are spoilt for space and both wish that we were staying a little longer. Spend our couple of days eating, drinking, and hiking. So many good vineyards in and around the area.

There are also a goodly number of art galleries. Of course, I’ve already bought too much art on this trip, so although I can window shop, buying anything is out of the question…

There’s some nice stuff in the galleries, but it’s expensive and a lot of it is by international artists. On the opposite side of the street are a collection of local stalls. Far less glamorous and with handmade and hand-painted local goods.

Meet the mother of a local artist whose work we had seen in Camps Bay. It stood out amongst the rest – clearly very talented. Despite my resolve I buy two small pictures, and I’m grateful that she doesn’t have any of his larger work. We speak for a while and she tells me that it’s very hard to motivate your children, hence the lack of bigger pieces. I have an image of a truculent teenager. I enquire about his age – he’s 29!

I return to the same stalls the following day, after a good lunch and a couple of glasses of wine. There are new artists in situ. Three huge paintings immediately catch my eye. Again, they just speak to me, against the rest of the local art. I get talking to the artist who painted them. Really nice guy. I explain that I have no more wall space and that I wouldn’t be able to get something of that size home. There is just no way I can buy any more art…

Goes without saying that five minutes later I have purchased three huge pictures, which are rolled up under my arm. Even though I know I’m in a lot of trouble – I like them and it’s nice to put some money in local hands.

Can’t help but think that it would be an interesting experiment to take the best local artists, set them up in a plush space on the right side of the street, frame the work nicely, and offer the pomp and ceremony of a galleried experience. I might be wrong, but I suspect the work would sell well, that the artists could add a zero to their prices, and the punters would still get a bargain.

Whilst I have been making unsanctioned purchases and daydreaming, Jenn has been happily buying ice-cream and returns to find me holding a huge tube and looking guilty. I have no defence. I slink off a few minutes later, berated, with my tail between my legs to send my new purchases back to the UK.

On our final day in South Africa we head out for a decent hike around the Bregs Dam – beautiful spot and makes us more than a little sad to be leaving.

Madagascar beckons – our penultimate stop! One month to go until we return to reality. TAFN.