OUT OF SOUTH AFRICA (NOV 1 – 15 2011)

South Africa is another unique destination to me. It has magnificent mountain like Table Mountain, lush green forest of Tsitsikamma, near Garden Route to the unspoilt beaches of Coffee Bay, near Port St Johns, and Cape Town.

I flew by SQ478, 2am flight on 1 Nov 2011, reaching Cape Town around 10.35am. (13 hours non-stop flight).



A. CAPE TOWN (Nov 1 – 4 2011)Set against the magnificent backdrop of Table Mountain which dominates the skyline at all time. It has the title “Mother City of South Africa” with its beauty and popularity.
Day 1 – Visit to the Table Mountain (1086 m) by cable car. At the flat mountain peak, I was mesmerized by Camps Bay, Lion’s Head and Robben Island where some political figures like Mandela were imprisoned.
Day 2 - Went to Muizenberg by local train (40 minutes). Muizenberg is well-known for its colourful beach huts and the seaside on False Bay has the best rolling wave for surfing. I went over to Kalk Bay fishing harbor for lunch. Kalk Bay fishing harbor is really beautiful. I also went to Simon’s Town, home to the SA Navy by train. The 30-min train ride to Simon’s Town was really fun as the train ride was side-by-side to the beaches.
Day 3 - I bought a citysightseeing bus (R140, S$23) to visit the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Spend 3 hours enjoying the indigenous plants like the special yellow bird of the paradise, cypress tree, lavender tree, fynbos (mountain plants) and European oak tree. Mr Pearson’s grave, the first director of this garden was in this garden. I found out from their useful plant segment that 72% of the Africans used them as traditional medicines. Cycad, the ancient plant, is protected by SA law. My day ended with a visit to the oldest winery (1685), Groot Constantia. The winery had neatly line of old oak trees, a restaurant converted from the slave quarter and the manor house. I visited Green Market Square and colourful Bo-Kaap, the Muslim settlement. On the citysightseeing bus, managed to see many lovely bays just from the bus window and the 12 apostles of Table Mountain.

B. GARDEN ROUTE
I bought a 7-day travel pass from Baz Bus, a backpacker bus for R1200 (S$200) to get onto this route. The 5-hour bus ride on the Garden Route stretches from Mossel Bay to the Tsitsikamma River Mouth (before Jeffreys Bay) was a necklace of bays, beaches and cliffs. The majestic Outeniqua mountain crowds the shoreline and a high rainfall on these peaks provide a consistent supply of water to the narrow coastal area enabling plant growth. I stopped at Knysna which is mid-way of the Garden Route.
C. KNYSNA (Nov 5 – 6 2011)
Knysna sprawls around a stunning tidal lagoon whose entrance is guarded by two rocky cliffs called The Heads. Knysna has oyster farms. 6 big fresh oysters cost only R48 (S$8). There is a timber village where timbers from this ancient forest were sculptured. I took a 75-minute ferry cruise (R85, S$14) to tour round the lagoon and also to see The Heads and the private Featherbed Nature Reserve. On the second day, I went to the small Knysna Library, bargain book shop where I bought 2 souvenir pictorial books at R39 (S$6.50) each. For both days, I had fish and chip (R55, S$9) for lunch at the waterfront and another meal near the library.

D. COFFEE BAY (Nov 8 2011; Nov 7 stayed at Port Elizabeth) I was advised to visit Coffee Bay which is 2 hours ride away from Umtata or Mthatha. Mthatha is the birth place of Nelson Mandela. There was also a Mandela museum here. We drove passed this special place.
Coffee Bay lies in the heart of the Wild Coast, this undisturbed bay is surrounded by rolling hills with three rivers flowing though the valleys into the sea, miles of white beaches backed by cliffs. Life is simple and rural. The people called Xhosa stayed there The Xhosa family keeps the big 5 too which are cows, pigs, goats, horses, sheep. They had a small farm where the staple food like maize is planted. Their home is a green hut made of mud, crushed limestone and the roof top is filled with a tyre. For the unpainted wall, its function was to absorb heat for the night. A villager told me that it took two weeks to build a hut. Whenever a hammerhead bird stayed at the roof, they believe it is bad luck and will vacate.


E. JOHANNESBURG (Nov 10, 13 – 14 2011; Nov 9 stayed at Durban)
It is a city to be avoided because of the high crime rate. Some even have electric fence. Upon arrival into Jo’burg, I was welcomed by lines of soft purple Jacaranda flowers. On the last day, I visited Rosebank Mall to get some souvenirs.

F. KRUGER NATIONAL PARK (Nov 11 – 13 2011)
The world-renowned Kruger National Park offers a wildlife experience that ranks with the best in Africa. Established in 1898 to protect the wildlife of the South African, this national park of nearly 2 million hectares. I booked my 3-day Kruger National Park tour with Viva Safari (R3995, S$670).
Day 1 - Reached Nelspruit around 5pm in time for the sunset and night drive. I saw rhino, deers and giraffe. For dinner, I had SA home cooked chicken and potato. At night, I tucked myself into a tent at Marc’s camp site.
Day 2 - full day at the Kruger Park. It was really hot around 38o travelling on the open gameviewer. The activities of the elephant family, zebra, giraffe, rhino were an eye opener. Spotted lions, buffaloes and the kudu (antelope) and an ancient Baobab tree. Out of the big 5 of elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo, leopard, leopard was not “available”.
Day 3 - morning bush walk where I get to know about toxic tree. I did not get to enjoy the Blyde River Canyon as the van driver started late.

REFLECTION
Though I spent many hours travelling on the baz bus, I experienced the beauty of the coastal areas with rolling waves and the majestic Table Mountain, Outeniqua Mountain and the Drakensberg Mountain. I am drawn to the many lovely indigenous plants and flowers. I stayed in many different areas from the old Victorian home (Cat & Moose at Cape Town), resort (Island Vibe at Knysna), tent (Marc’s Camp near Kruger Park) and castle (Ritz at Jo’burg). The 15-day gave me an overview of South Africa. SA is not a dangerous place if you are careful. When I was deciding on going alone for a local train ride to Muizenberg, a female Austrian traveler advised me to go ahead with my feeling.

I met many experienced international backpackers. The fun part was to see what these backpackers cooked during dinner at the Cat and Moose Backpackers Lodge in Cape Town.