Well... this blogging thing isn't working so well for me at the moment. I seemed to have slowed down dramatically... I think it's due to the fact that finishing my blog means the end of a really huge chapter for me... I will get there!
At the end of my first week in South Africa Adrian had a day off work so we headed out on a road trip. We planned our route to include some of South Africa's finest scenery and entertainment :) hee hee! It was up on time, a quick breakfast, throw an overnight bag in the car, fill up with petrol and head off, toward the Great Karoo area of SA. Twas brilliant!
The rest of my time in SA flew by, filled with plenty of adventuring, plenty of good company and plenty of laughs. Oh, a wine or two featured somewhere I think.... :)
Enjoy the photos!
Love Sarah xxx
The start of a trip filled with loads of amazing South African scenery.... I just can't get over it!
Bottling my own wine! On the way we stopped at a winery (ahem) or two, just to get the full Karoo experience. At Excelsior you are allowed to create your own blend, so cool! They have a 'tips' sheets with a series of blends that work really well - I tried a few different ones and also developed one of my own, which unfortunately was not as good as I had expected it to be! I then chose my favourite to bottle. It's such a fantastic idea! Super fun for tourists like me. That bottle is one I took home to share with my family on the night of my arrival back in Tasmania - too special to drink in a hurry :)
Can you think of a better way to spend a Friday afternoon?? Enjoying a glass of South Africa's finest while taking in another amazing view
Pretty sweet driving conditions!
The most useful gate I have EVER seen! This was found in Montagu, the little town where we stayed for the night. We stayed in a guesthouse that we found on hostelbookers.com - I'd had withdrawals from the website so we thought it was the best way to find our accommodation :) It turned out to be a gorgeous place, run by the nicest English couple who gave us heaps of local tips. And the breakfast was really good too! We were stoked with our 'hostel' - another win for hostelbookers!
The hot springs in Montagu, during the day - it also opens at night time so Adrian and I headed there after dinner on Friday night. We spent a glorious few hours paddling around and enjoying the spa (that you can see under the thatched roof). It was such a relaxing night; needless to say, we slept very well! (my night shots weren't clear at all)
Along our walk through the back of Montagu on Saturday morning
Can you see Adrian up there???!!!
We travelled back to Cape Town via the coast road in the hope of seeing some whales! We did see some but they really were just specks of black in the water and very hard to distinguish with the naked eye. My camera zoom gave me a tiny idea though! Spot it?
This view certainly made the drive worth it!
After arriving home we pretty much headed straight back out to go ice skating with Danelle and her friend. Here's Danelle showing us how it's done!
And me... rather pleased that I could still do it! The last time I ice skated would have been when I was about 13 I reckon. All was going brilliantly and after about half an hour on the ice I thought, 'This is going incredibly well, I'm pretty good, I think I'm going to get away with this without a fall! WAHOO!' About 15 minutes after this cocky moment it all went rather wrong :) My skate got stuck in a ridge in the ice and I went splat on the ice that hard that I winded myself! One of the marshalls had to help me off because I couldn't breathe. I did have a pretty sore chest for the next few days and every time I coughed/laughed/rolled over in bed etc I felt it! Like an old granny..... It was lots of fun though :) 
Table Mountain
The hot springs in Montagu, during the day - it also opens at night time so Adrian and I headed there after dinner on Friday night. We spent a glorious few hours paddling around and enjoying the spa (that you can see under the thatched roof). It was such a relaxing night; needless to say, we slept very well! (my night shots weren't clear at all)
Along our walk through the back of Montagu on Saturday morning
Can you see Adrian up there???!!!
We travelled back to Cape Town via the coast road in the hope of seeing some whales! We did see some but they really were just specks of black in the water and very hard to distinguish with the naked eye. My camera zoom gave me a tiny idea though! Spot it?
This view certainly made the drive worth it!
After arriving home we pretty much headed straight back out to go ice skating with Danelle and her friend. Here's Danelle showing us how it's done!
And me... rather pleased that I could still do it! The last time I ice skated would have been when I was about 13 I reckon. All was going brilliantly and after about half an hour on the ice I thought, 'This is going incredibly well, I'm pretty good, I think I'm going to get away with this without a fall! WAHOO!' About 15 minutes after this cocky moment it all went rather wrong :) My skate got stuck in a ridge in the ice and I went splat on the ice that hard that I winded myself! One of the marshalls had to help me off because I couldn't breathe. I did have a pretty sore chest for the next few days and every time I coughed/laughed/rolled over in bed etc I felt it! Like an old granny..... It was lots of fun though :) 
Table MountainWhat a view! Aunty Gwen and I went for a walk along the beach to make the most of the glorious weather and to catch a glimpse of Table Mountain at its finest
Danelle at her weekly horse riding lesson - I took the chance to take some pictures of her in action
Mmmmm... time to start planning my next trip.... Rio de Janeiro sounds pretty tops to me :) Anyone in?!?
A view across the V&A Waterfront - I explored there with Uncle Andre and Aunty Gwen
Out for some delicious lunch
Absolutely love it!
On Friday night we went to Stellenbosch to listen to Simone playing in her orchestra - they were brilliant! Flute is just one of Simone's many talents :)
I went into Cape Town a few times to explore. Here is a picture looking across towards the city from the Castle of Good Hope. Can you see the little peak in the background? That's Lion's Head, which I climbed with Adrian later on in the day
The Humpty Dumpty canon that I saw exploding at the Castle. Do not let its size fool you. The BOOM was massive!
Some girls I saw dancing/busking in the mall
Views over Cape Town from Lion's Head
Adrian and I at the top with that famous mountain in the background :)
Looking out across the Twelve Apostles
The peak of Lion's Head
Good walkers deserve a drink so we headed down to the waterfront to enjoy a cocktail before going home :) Perfect ending to a fabulous day!
On my last full day in Cape Town I went to Robben Island. The tour was fantastic, I loved it so much. Definitely one of the many highlights of my trip
The school on Robben Island that is still in operation. Unfortunately there aren't any vacancies...
One of the cells that housed 80 prisoners. It would have been so cramped. The rugs you see on the ground are the extent of the bedding the prisoners received
The cell Nelson Mandela spent 18 years in
With one of my tour guides. All of the guides on the Island are ex-prisoners. The fact that they happily tell tourists about their experiences, which were horrific, is so unbelievable. I was amazed at how open and comfortable the men were talking about the worst parts of their life. That wouldn't be easy, but it made the tour so real and so powerful.
The table all set for my last dinner
One last shot with the family! Aunty Gwen, Adrian, meeeeeeee
Danelle at her weekly horse riding lesson - I took the chance to take some pictures of her in action
Mmmmm... time to start planning my next trip.... Rio de Janeiro sounds pretty tops to me :) Anyone in?!?
A view across the V&A Waterfront - I explored there with Uncle Andre and Aunty Gwen
Out for some delicious lunch
Absolutely love it!
On Friday night we went to Stellenbosch to listen to Simone playing in her orchestra - they were brilliant! Flute is just one of Simone's many talents :)
I went into Cape Town a few times to explore. Here is a picture looking across towards the city from the Castle of Good Hope. Can you see the little peak in the background? That's Lion's Head, which I climbed with Adrian later on in the day
The Humpty Dumpty canon that I saw exploding at the Castle. Do not let its size fool you. The BOOM was massive!
Some girls I saw dancing/busking in the mall
Views over Cape Town from Lion's Head
Adrian and I at the top with that famous mountain in the background :)
Looking out across the Twelve Apostles
The peak of Lion's Head
Good walkers deserve a drink so we headed down to the waterfront to enjoy a cocktail before going home :) Perfect ending to a fabulous day!
On my last full day in Cape Town I went to Robben Island. The tour was fantastic, I loved it so much. Definitely one of the many highlights of my trip
The school on Robben Island that is still in operation. Unfortunately there aren't any vacancies...
One of the cells that housed 80 prisoners. It would have been so cramped. The rugs you see on the ground are the extent of the bedding the prisoners received
The cell Nelson Mandela spent 18 years in
With one of my tour guides. All of the guides on the Island are ex-prisoners. The fact that they happily tell tourists about their experiences, which were horrific, is so unbelievable. I was amazed at how open and comfortable the men were talking about the worst parts of their life. That wouldn't be easy, but it made the tour so real and so powerful.
The table all set for my last dinner
One last shot with the family! Aunty Gwen, Adrian, meeeeeeeeRob, Simone, Danelle (Uncle Andre was away in Barcelona at a medical conference)
Two very special events have been omitted from this post... they were so much fun that they are worthy of a post of their own... stay tuned for more South Africa!!
Amazing experiences, Sarah! Wine, scenery, beaches, iceskating and some history- you covered a lot!
ReplyDeleteSure did, matey! SA is an amazing country, I loved it :)
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