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South Africa

Africa, Destinations

A few comments

December 11, 2008 • By

Another scenic drive along the Garden Route to a lovely place on the Indian Ocean called Plettenberg Bay.  To say I am in the middle of nowhere may be an understatement; to say I am in a luscious forest surrounded by dense bush is quite another.   I mean Jill read a manual about what not to do and topping the list was entertaining the baboons.  It’s not like I am an animal person to begin with but now I am in the Wilderness and no kidding that city is just 10 kms away from here.  I am now in the middle of a bug’s dream come true. 

My shower I just took started with brown water for about 15 minutes before I just said fuck it.  (It did eventually get hot and clear but that was after my hypothermia.)  On a positive note, it is beautiful.  The trees are rich and full and the richest green you can imagine .  You have to appreciate the nature as it occupies a vast amount of land here in SA.  I will be avoiding any sort of adventures hikes as I am pretty sure there are many snakes that are lurking in the darkness waiting to bite me.  Oh did I mention I am in complete silence and will be forced to live as one with nature.  I am finding it hard to just be but my guess is eventually I will lose my NY edge and truly unwind.  I don’t think  I would last long on a deserted island unless I could teach a bird to talk to me. 

One last commentary and I am off to a seafood dinner on the Indian Ocean.  For those with small bladders like me, you should feel very comfortable visiting SA.  These are some of the cleanest bathrooms on earth.  I mean I have never seen anything like it.  It has so impressed me that I started asking the locals about it and they contend clean bathrooms are a big deal here.  I mean it’s like going at home…fresh flowers, tp and a wonderful scent (don’t take that the wrong way). 

Tomorrow I am meeting monkeys and hanging from trees  at least that is the plan for now.

Africa, Destinations

A day in the life

December 10, 2008 • By

If one had to describe the perfect day, it just might be today.  Awoke at 5:30 am to the most vibrant of sunrises which somehow with the combination of the drapes and wall paint turned my room lime green.  Breakfast on the patio consisted of warming sun and a view of the mountains not to mention homemade breads and jams.  Jill and I met Beryl at 10 am for a full day of wining activities.  Beryl explained to us about the region and her background.  She is from Cape Town, lives and works in Franschhoek and dates a Flemish man (for 8 years I might add).  She is “coloured” and informed us that many coloureds live in Franschhoek but they do not mix as much with the whites as in Cape Town.   She was very open in explaining to us the difference between blacks and coloureds.  There are many different communities or groups of people in South Africa:  The Blacks (mostly people not from here or part of one or two tribes the Zulus and I forget the other), the Coloureds are another group that usually have mixed with the Europeans at some point or another and then the whites.  It seems in Cape Town the groups are beginning to work and live together but many have told us that the Blacks and Coloureds do not like each other and remain separate.    I don’t know how Beryl survived a day with me and Jill.  We threw about 800 questions at her every second. 

Our wine tour started in Stellenbosch at the Waterford Estate please go out and buy Kevin Arnold Shiraz 2005.  It was delightful.  Next, we moved on to the Rustenberg Estate where we met a student of law.  All you lawyers out there please note that in South Africa after 4 years at Uni,they walk out with a law degree.  Stellenbosch is home to one of the largest universities in South Africa and certainly the most prestigious.  It’s where the lawyers and doctors go to educate.  We showed the student where Chicago and New York were on the map of the US and moved on to lunch. 

Meals in the winelands are like artwork….every ingredient has a purpose and each meal perfectly crafted with flavour and taste in mind.  We dined at La Petite Ferme.  I can hardly say I savoured every bite since it was so amazing I inhaled it.  The cheese starter would have been enough but I also had the beef with cranberry brie crust and a sweet potato bottom.  I know everyone is saying I thought you were going to slow down on the eating now that you are not in politics.  I’m waiting for safari when I am pretty sure I will be skipping the game and eating and munching on my peanut butter granola bars. 

We hit two more wineries after lunch Boekenhoutskloof and Grande Provence.  Both are the granddaddy of wineries in Franschhoek.  I highly recommend the Chocolate Block at Boekenhoutskloof and the Grande Provence at the latter.  Last but not least I finished the day with a one hour full body massage and CHOCOLATES. 

Tomorrow it’s back to the left side of the road and a journey to Plattenburg or somewhere unknown on the Garden Route.