South Africa, Travel

Birthdays, Big lips, and Biltong!

South Africa

South Africa is somewhere we both really wanted to travel to together. We have both met lots of South Africans along our journey, on cruise ships, yachts and in the hospitality industry and something I have always noticed is how passionate they are about their “motherland”, so we just had to see it for ourselves. In November 2016 we set off for 3 weeks. Starting in Cape Town driving the Garden Route to Port Elizabeth then flying to Durban.

This trip was a once in a lifetime trip, we started flying from Nassau (as it was our annual vacation from Fowl Cay) via the UK which was awesome as I got to meet up with my parents on our layover and we had a great lunch before the real adventure began.

First Stop Cape Town

As we landed the excitement was unreal, I remember Aaron being extremely excited as the wifi was amazing in the airport. This is somewhat of a treat when you live on a rock and are lucky to have cell signal at times. We waltzed through baggage claim straight to picking up our rental car. Once the trunk was packed we sat in the car and locked ourselves in. I know every country has its crime but this is something we were warned about over and over again so I think when we landed we were so petrified we took extra caution, which now looking back may have been the reason our trip was so flawless and safe.

Our First hotel was The Commodore, which was located at the V&A waterfront, and a great starting point. Once settled we walked to our first lunch spot at the seafront and I just remember the food being unreal and fresh and so god damn delicious. At the time of writing this I am now a vegan, but I am so glad we got to enjoy the freshest sea food in Cape Town.

First Lunch

Table Mountain

We visited in November which was surprisingly chilly, especially so high up, but this didn’t ruin the experience at all. We got up to Table Mountain on the Hop-On Hop-Off Tour Bus, which I would always recommend! You find out such great information and also a great way to see the surrounding areas.

Our Friend the Dasi
Safari Barbie and Ken

Cape Grace

The Cape Grace Hotel is beautiful and such a treat! We did our first tasting menu, which I highly recommend and with the exchange rate at the time it was extremely affordable and a night I will always remember. Although towards the end of the night I was rather high on life with all the good wines I had to turn them away.

Cape Grace

Party Train

We are super lucky to have great friends of friends in SA. So for my birthday present my wonderful friends had asked their friends to take us out and do something completely out there! We went to a Make believe Party, which is a dance party but it’s a secret location which is released just a couple of days before the actual day. This time it was in Simons Town on the top of this beautiful estate, but before that you get on a party train from Cape Town, where the are DJs and bars in the train and the vibes are incredible. You are then in the most stunning gardens with dance music, sushi bars, and greek pitta stands. The drinks are flowing and day soon becomes night becomes day.

This day did however have a messed up ending. The last train back was at 1am, however, the train lines had had something stolen from them, therefore the trains were cancelled. There was NO cell signal so no uber and the buses had already left, so after a long 2 hours of being huddled like penguins , IT WAS FREEZING, everyone had sobered up we finally got back to our hotel around 3-4 am, but I will remember that dance party forever!

Thank you Nats and Crew!

Let the fairy tale begin…
Friends of friends becoming friends
View from party location

 

Robben Island

Right, hear me out about this … I completely think you should go, the history, you’re in Cape Town you would be so silly not to go, but go with Low expectations. We had been really looking forward to going and every day it was booked up and then we finally got lucky. It was really poorly organized. There wasn’t enough transportation to take you around the island so you would have to wait for a good 30 mins for the buses and again I mention IT WAS COLD. Also you get to meet a prisoner and they tell you about their time, this would have been such a great experience if you could understand the gentleman as his English as very broken. I also felt bad for the other tourists who didn’t speak English as there were no translators. There was also a lady in a wheelchair on our tour and she was unable to come in to some of the rooms as the corridors being extremely narrow. I’m sure in the future they will upgrade with audio tours etc., we were just a little disappointed.

Entrance to Robben Island prison

Stellenbosch

We drove to Stellenbosch “ Wine Country” to Asara Wine Estate where we spent three nights. This has to be one of my favourite places on earth. When you meditate and you need that go-to place, Asara is this place for me. When we walked into our room I cried! It was just so beautiful. The town is so cute and full of student life and artsy vibes.

There was one down-side, the whole time we were in Stellenbosh I was sick. I had just gone too hard in South Africa, a lot of travelling, a lot of partying so I ended up pretty run down and on anti-virals, with huge lip blisters and a mouth full of sores… Not the prettiest look. so I couldn’t drink, in the best place in the world to drink. The silver lining is I now have to go back and I will!

Near the end of our stay in Stellenbosch we met up with some friends we had made whilst working in the Bahamas at a place called Boschendal. Apparently it is one of the oldest wineries in South Africa. We really loved this place and wished we had known about it earlier. We will definitely go back there next time around.

View from our room at Asara
Asara…. and Breathe
Sorry guys … Cornflake Lips

Knysna

After Stellenbosch we hit the road on the Garden Route towards Knysna. We liked that all the lorries pulled off to the side to let you pass. Everywhere else we had driven in the world it felt like the lorries were trying to kill you!

Before we got to Knysna we stopped at an Elephant Sanctuary where we got to feed and learn about elephants. We found out that we could have stayed there overnight in a room that sat right above where the elephants would come indoors to sleep at night, but we had already made plans.

When we got to Knysna we stayed at a quirky boutique hotel called The Turbine, which as the name suggests, had previously been an actual hydro-electric power station with a working turbine. We are fortunate to have gotten to see Knysna when we did (2016), because earlier this year (2017) we heard that much of Knysna had been destroyed by fire.

African elephants, and soon-to-be British one…
Quirky decor at Turbine Hotel

Treehouses

The tree house on any other day would be a welcomed adventure. We really like the Turbine but a recommendation form a friend made us decide to stay in a tree house about 10 km away from Knysna. It was pretty cool with a bath under the stars. We were excited to braai on our own for the first time but ended up having to phone a friend to tell us that you cannot light coal on fire…you need firestarter. Luckily the Treehouse landlady (who looked like a cool wizard, and instead of riding a broomstick rode a quad bike) had some dropped it off for us. Several hours later we were feasting on kebabs and wine from Boschendal, from time to time looking over my shoulder for rain spiders…

Tree House Dinner

Birthday Surprises

2016 was the best birthday ever! Driving into the Oceana Game Reserve and entering our room was like a dream. I couldn’t’ feel any more special for my 27th birthday. We were staying in a place that had lots of land for all non-carnivore animals to roam around. Aaron had also arranged for us on my actual birthday to go on a game drive at a nearby Game Reserve called Sibuya where they had the Big 5 (Lion, Rhino, Elephant, Leopard, and Buffalo). We saw 4 out of the 5, the Leopard we missed. It was like a pre-planned surprise when a Rhino came right up to our landcruiser to have a sniff. Sadly, our guide said that rhino horn poaching was a big problem and if it continued that in the next 3 years the rhino would be extinct. We had an amazing buffet lunch and the guide brought us champagne, which was just another example of South African hospitality. That night I finished my 27th birthday playing chess with my husband (badass chick I know!)

Oceana
This view
We were warned not to go out on the sand dunes…we went anyway.
Simba and crew
My Birthday Surprise
Such a beauty

The Midlands

We stopped here on advice from our friends, who’s mother owned a bed and breakfast called the Country Lane Guest House in the area.  It is very quaint and countryish.  We zip-lined at a place called the Karkloof Canopy Tour which was really fun.  Advice: do not trust a TomTom if you are driving as it took us into the middle of nowhere several minutes away from where we were supposed to be.  We also stopped at a little art community complete with little shops, candle making, and a barn pub.  We drove to the midlands from Durban and on the way up we couldn’t see the cars in front of us due to heavy fog.  Apparently this happens everyday from 4pm ish.

I just love this area!

Onto Ubuntu

I have to be honest, I felt like the last part of our trip wouldn’t be as good as the first even though I was seeing my auntie and uncle who I hadn’t seen in years because Durban didn’t seem as cool as Cape Town. I was wrong!

Seven Mile Beach

Beverley Hills

….was a fancy shmancy place. The famous Beverly Hills Hotel buffet breakfast was so intimidating with flowing champagne we felt like the youngest people there and a little out of place, until…we saw the waiters with newspapers running around chasing monkeys away from the tables. We figured everyone shits the same right? We met the Hotel Manager, a nice man named John, and he said something to me that had a huge impact on my life. He said “I am because of you, and you are because of me…Ubuntu” Ubuntu is a zulu word translated to English as human kindness. This can mean a thousand things, but things that stuck for me was the tradition of the Zulu tribe when someone does something wrong the tribe sit them in a circle with the tribesman on the outside and shout positive things at the person who has messed up. Another example of human kindness, people make mistakes but together we can change. Anyway, I got the word Ubuntu tattooed on my shoulder as a reminder every morning to act with kindness. Kindness costs nothing so spread that good stuff everywhere.

Ubuntu

Until next time…

After 3 weeks, an additional 10 lbs, and a heart full of smiles I can honestly say this is the first vacation in my adult life where I have cried when leaving a country.  This post isn’t as detailed as I would have wanted as it is already a year since this trip, but I do remember returning home feeling restored and ready for life.  This place just does this to you.  Thank you to our South African friends for sharing your motherland.

A fitting finish

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