Our last dinner in South America was at a nice restaurant, but unfortunately we were not all that impressed with the food, nonetheless it was a nice last evening. The next morning we woke up and exchanged Easter eggs before packing the last few bits into our packs. We were a bit worried about the weight of them as we had no way to gauge just how heavy they were but packed an extra bag in our hand luggage just in case we needed to remove anything at check in. Luckily we were under the weight limit as South African Airlines allows 23kg per bag and Mike's pack was 22kgs and mine 18, allowing for a few more purchases in South Africa, despite the issue of space.
Thankfully our flight from Buenos Aires to Johannesburg was relatively empty, meaning we could have two seats each and allowing for a little more sleep that we would have otherwise had. Nevertheless we still arrived in Johannesburg feeling worse for wear, most likely not helped by the fact that although it was 8am in Johannesburg it was still only 3am in Argentina. It was really strange being back in an English speaking country, and I kept starting off saying things in Spanish before realising that it's the wrong language, even after a few days I'm still finding it hard. There have been a few other things that we had originally struggled to get used to when we first arrived in South America that have now become normal and we are having to readjust to again, these include putting toilet paper in the bin vs the toilet itself and what side of the road cars drive on as we're now back to right hand drive vehicles. It has however been nice being back in a country that is in someway closer to home, I've had salt and vinegar chips, something that I really missed whilst feeling carsick on the long winding bus trips through South America. Another thing we found was some hot cross buns, although it is after Easter they tasted fantastic and having them made Easter feel complete.
We caught another flight on to Cape Town, again with South African Airlines who I have been very impressed with. They have had food better than most what you get served on most airplanes, and they had little extras that I remember from flying back in the day, such as free socks, a toothbrush and sleeping mask. Would definitely recommend them.
Arriving in Cape Town we were both struggling to stay upbeat and awake as the lack of sleep, time difference and length of time travelling were all catching up on us. Although it was already 3pm we knew we didn't have very long in Cape Town and were wanted to fit as much in as possible. So although feeling the fatigue, we headed down to the V & A Waterfront which is Cape Town's equivalent to the Viaduct, although a lot nicer and with more to do and with fur seals just chilling out beside the super yachts. There is a large aquarium here that Mike had read good things about and was keen to visit, I wasn't so fussed but was very glad we made the decision to go as some of the sea life there was fascinating. Along with countless bright and colourful fish, there were crabs bigger than my head, an eel whose body was easily larger that a humans torso and some big sharks, all displayed in fun and creative ways. From the waterfront you can get some great views across the city and towards Table Mountain which unfortunately was covered in cloud, or the tablecloth as the locals call it, it was this way for most of the time we were in the city. After the aquarium we headed into the large shopping mall in order to find a supermarket and some bits to throw together and make an easy dinner with. It was starting to get dark at this point and I was feeling well and truly ready for bed so we headed back to the hostel. After all the places we have traveled, this was the most unsafe I have felt even though we were walking along a busy road that was lit with street lights. I'm not sure what it was, because although I have heard stories, I have also heard them about other places we have visited, but whatever it was I was very glad to get back to our hostel.
Although tired I struggled to fall asleep and when I finally did sleep did not last long as I later awoke with a splitting migraine. After taking some strong painkillers I was able to fall asleep and slept deeply only to be woken by the alarm we had set in order to make the most of the day. We had been recommended a cheetah outreach centre to visit by a friend of mine from work in NZ and were rather keen to visit, however we were faced with the issue of how to get there as there was no public transport. We ended up deciding to hire a car for the day as our hostel could do us a good deal, and we vowed to make the most of it and fill the day going to places we otherwise would be unable to reach. First off we headed to the Cheetah outreach which was based on a vineyard 30min outside the city. We wandered around the centre checking out these magnificent animals, all that have been bread in captivity and are used for education and in breeding programs. Along with the Cheetahs the center also breeds a certain type of dog to protect stock and not attack approaching Cheetahs. These dogs are gifted to farmers to protect their stock and in turn the farmers promise not to shoot any Cheetahs that come near as this is one of the biggest causes of the depletion of the Cheetah population. After walking around we decided to stroke one of the Cheetahs, this was a small extra cost but fully worth it. We even got him purring!!
Along with the Cheetah outreach, the vineyard also had a birds of prey rescue centre which we visited next. It was interesting seeing the African birds of prey, and comparing them to those we had seen in the rescue centre in Ecuador. None here were as big as the condor but they did have an awesome bird of prey that looks more like a heron. Here we were able to hold a owl, I was a little freaked out when it looked straight into my eyes with its big orange ones!
Along with the two animal centres the vineyard also has a couple of restaurants, one where we grabbed a bite to eat, my curried pumpkin, feta and lentil wrap was amazing! We were interested in doing a wine tasting as along with everything else it was very reasonably priced however we were eager to keep moving and make the most of having the car so bought a couple of bottles of wine instead that have been squished into my pack.
The vineyard was amazingly beautiful and we wished we had more time to spend there as there was a lot to see and plenty of walks to do but we were not disappointed to have left when we did as the rest of the day turned out to be just as amazing. We hit the road again heading down to Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope, places that we couldn't have got to without a car. The road ran down beside the huge rock form that Table Mountain is a part of, winding beside the brilliant blue rough sea, and though small towns until it reached the national park at the end. I was very excited as we drove past signs warning of us of baboons! At the national park we received a brochure which described some of the other animals in the area including zebras, whales and ostriches, my excitement mounted! We headed straight down to Cape Point, bypassing all the little side roads, planning to explore them when we headed pack past. At Cape Point we were met by hundreds of tour buses, guess we could have gotten there another way..., and we parked the car before climbing up the path to the lighthouse. From here you could get a good view of the impressive mountain range that makes up the peninsula all the way back to Cape Town, unfortunately however the was a pylon obstructing this magnificent view. From the lighthouse I attempted to spot a whale but to no avail, I'm not sure if it's even the right time of the year.
We then continued through the national park to the Cape of Good Hope, catching a bunch of ostriches on the side of the road! Cape of Good Hope was blustery and cold and we were aware that time was ticking at the national park closed at 6.19pm so we jumped back in the car and headed to some of the smaller roads which were without tour buses. On these roads we were lucky enough to see more ostriches, quite a few springboks and a ZEBRA!!! I was very excited to have seen one in the wild, unfortunately although there were plenty of warning signs we did not see any baboons. There were plenty of walks to be done in the national park but unfortunately due to our time restrictions we couldn't do any so they join the hundred and one things on our to do next time list. We left the park just before it closed and headed back towards Cape Town along the other side of the peninsula to that which we came down. One part of this road, which we drove along just before darkness was very impressive as the road had literally been cut out of the rock face, creating three sides of a tunnel and the opened side was filled with views down to the rough sea below. We stopped in a small town to get some dinner before making our way back to Cape Town in time for Mike to watch Man U play Schalke in the European Champions League.
We set the alarm for early the next morning in order to once again fit the most we could into our day. We had the car until 10am and thankfully, Table Mountain was clear, one of the few times it was when we were in Cape Town. So we jumped into the car and headed up to the top of one of the hills to the side of Table Mountain where we got a fantastic view back over the city and towards the mountain itself. We then headed to the cable car that took us to the top of the mountain. Before we left NZ we had bought adaptor plugs for everywhere but forgot about South Africa so we had been crossing our fingers that our camera battery would last but unfortunately it was at this point that it died. We thankfully also have a small point and shoot so were able to get some photos because it truly is an amazing place and the view is mind blowing!! We had timed things perfectly because just as were were ready to head back down the cloud started billowing up the mountain and within minutes the view had disappeared completely.
After dropping off the car we stopped in at a cafe and I was thrilled to see that they did Flat Whites, (jealous much Dee)! The coffee arrived with velvet smooth milk and a perfect hit of strong coffee, I was in heaven and back on Ponsonby Road. That coffee will keep me going until I, fingers crossed, find somewhere in Edinburgh that does good coffees.
One of the things I had really been wanting to do in Cape Town was visit Robben Island when Nelson Mandela and many others had been imprisoned. Unfortunately the ferry workers had been striking for the four days beforehand and although their strike had ended there was a massive backlog of people who had bought tickets for the previous days and there was no way we would get on a boat. We did however head back down to the V & A waterfront to try our luck but to no avail so this trip also goes on our to do next time list.
As we were down at the waterfront we decided to get some new reading material as apart from picking up a few books in book exchanges in hostels and the odd English language bookshop we have been lacking English books. This hasn't been such a problem for Mike, however I have been tearing though every book we have and was really in need of something to read. With our book and magazine desires fulfilled we snuck a look in the Lonely Planet for South Africa to work out what we could do for the afternoon as we could not go to Robben Island. A museum was mentioned as the one to go to if you were to only go to one so we headed there, only to not be able to find it anywhere. After early starts and full days we were ready to just head back to the hostel, however navigating our way back turned out to be a little more difficult than our map implied. Once back at the hostel I dove into Mike's book, telling myself I could not read my own until I was on the plane. Mike had chosen Open which is Andre Agassi's autobiography, although I'm not a massive tennis fan it is a fantastic book and I haven't been able to put it down since, even reading it in the line while we were waiting to board the plane back to Johannesburg. That evening we once again attempted to fit everything into out packs, the extra two bottles of wine made things a little harder than last time but in the end everything went in.
Our flight back to Johannesburg was again with South African Airways and for the first time we had little screens on the back of our seats. One of the channels showed the view from a camera that was attached to the tail fin of the plane, allowing for a view unlike any other. As it was only a 2hr flight we couldn't make the most of the screens but fingers crossed we'll have them on our 12hr flight tonight to London. We arrived in to Johannesburg around 3pm yesterday and our flight isn't until 8.15 tonight but we won't be seeing the city as it's just too dangerous. To add to the safety issue the central city is piled high with rubbish, in some parts roads have been reduced to one lane as rubbish is piled high taking up the other. This is a result of the ongoing strikes the rubbish workers have been on, so instead we're just staying at a hostel near the airport which does have a pool but it's a bit too cold for swimming.
I can't believe that tomorrow we'll finally be in the UK. Although one journey is ending our next is just beginning which is very exciting. I already have an interview lined up for a nannying job and we're both excited about starting a new chapter of our life. We promise to keep up with the blogs, and keep everyone up to date with how our lives are progressing.
Ilona
Go, girl, go! You've had lots of exciting times! xxx
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