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Swaziland, Plett and Cape Town

Plettenberg bay and Cape Town

So my wish came partly true in Plettenberg. We had half a day on a semi sunny beach, one wet day and one glorious day. We stayed in a very pretty B and B quite close to the beach, set its own lovely gardens. The owners were reasonably sane...a bit of extra information on life stories and family details but nothing too extreme. Plettenberg Bay is, as described in the guide books 'The St Tropez' of South Africa. It was full of very rich people. The beach was full of blonde, tanned young hunks who all spent their time playing rugby or flipping frisbies effortlessly into the air with various parts of their bodies, watched on my equally blonde, tanned young women who fiddled with their eye phones and spoke in high pitched voices ( in their accent high is pronounce haaa and rhymes with faaave (5) and they all have a naace taame ( nice time) )It was an experience...I settled back, topped up by tan and read a couple of books. Richard spent the day and a half I was on the beach inside watching football and cricket..

The wet day in Plettenberg gave Richard the opportunity to visit the snake park and me to mooch in town. The snake park was by all accounts ok but a bit too much like a zoo...he is still hoping to catch a glimpse of a snake in the wild. We also visited the local game reserve and realised that we are indeed safari junkies...no sooner has the gate shut behind us than we were merrily spotting everything in sight..zebra, Waterbuck.. I say is that at Bontebuck??...we are hooked. Don't get us started when we get back because we can go into the finer details of the difference between a Tsessbe and a Redhartebeast as well as the way to spot a male and female giraffe and the behaviour of elephants...we have become that dull.

Anyway we left Pletts bright and early on Monday morning and were in Cape Town by 2. Our B and B is at the foot of Table Mountain, has great views and is easily accessible from town. We have been non stop since we got here..Camps Bay, up the mountain, to the Waterfront, round the penisnsula, up Chapman's Peak, Penguins at Boulder beach....there is lots to do and it very, very beautiful...also quite unlike the rest of South Africa that we have experienced. I'm glad we have come here last because it would raised our expectations about what to expect elsewhere had we got here first...it is much more European in design and feel and it is well set up for tourists ( of which there are thousands). We are spoilt for choice for places to eat but it is also much more expensive that lots of the other places we have been to. I am enjoying myself and it feels like a short holiday after all the travelling.

We're off to Robben Island this afternoon and then I fly back to Joberg tomorrow at 1.30 and from there onto London via Frankfurt. I cannot believe this part of my travels in almost over. I need a few weeks to take it all. I'm really looking forwards to catching up with everyone and promise to not to be too boring....I have got loads of photos though.

Rhinos and antelopes and more rain

So...I still can't upload any photos but at least I have internet access at last.

Since my last entry we have visited Mkhaye park in Swaziland, which was absolutely fantastic. It is a sanctuary for endangered species and breeds rhinos and other rare antelopes. the accommodationn and food were amazing and we saw so many rhinos that we became quite blase by the end of ur trip. We also took advantage of a sunny day to visit Maguga Dam and the Phophanaye water falls, again well worth the visit, also leaving enough time in the day for Richard to watch an afternoon of football inthe comfort of the bed and breakfast, while I hung out with Sally.

We were really sad to say goodbye to Swaziland, it is probably our favourite place so far, in terms of the things to do and see but also just the friendly, laid back atmosphere.

We did a mega drive on Monday to get to Kimberly, home of South Africa's diamond rush. We visited the interestingly named Big Hole Museum ( Richardhad a field day with attempted innuendos). here we learned all about the history of Kimberly and diamond mining and it fitted in quite nicely with our other diamond experiences in Antwerp and Botswana, although the promised 'underground experience' promised by the museum leaflet was a bit of a let down.... there is a witticism here somewhere about down and underground and lifts not going down very far but my command of English is failing me today.

Anyway, despite the interesting diamond history of Kimberly we beat a hasty retreat on Tuesday morning and hot footed it to Mokola a national park which Rixhard had spotted earlier in a magazine and which promised us sightings of the very rare roan and sable antelopes. We got hideously lost on the way there and also had to get a puncture repared so an hour's journey ended up taking more like 3...however we were not disappointed. The park was lovely, again great accommodation and lovely food and our guide was also very knowledgeable, despite rocking up too quickly to a family of rhino and alsmost causing the bull to charge us. we did our own self drive in the park and Richard spotted a Roan, which was very exciting. We left early this morning, slightly disappointed that we hadn't seen a sable when, as we passed by the outer perimetre of the park we cam across a whole herd of them....15 in total. They are very beautiful and as I can't put up any photos at the moment I expect you all to google sable antelope so you know what I'm talking about.

We are now in Beaufort West on our way to Plettenberg Bay. There is internet here and loads of South African holiday makers all staying over on theor way to the Garden Route. It is very stormy and there is not much to do...but tomorrow we should be by the sea for a few days....I hope it stops raining.

Swaziland

We've been here for a few days now and it is fab. A really beautiful country full of mountains with lovely people and lots of places to eat ( keeping us happy). We started off in  a hideous backpackers, moved to a nicer back packers and are now finally settled in a b and b with lovely views and great breakfast. We have hired a car and are really getting to know down town Mbabane and the surrounding countryside.... actually while we were in the office waiting for the hire car Richard gave me the biggest laugh I have had all trip. He sat there in his  light green shorts with his purple socks pulled up to mid-calf coupled with blue shoes, his little brown hat perched on his head ( minus the wet tea towel) and a red and white striped, long sleeved button down shirt, with a collar, commenting on how much he liked the colour of the man behind the desk's tie.....as I muttered in agreement he said in a very serious voice......' I think I might be turning into Gok Wan' :)
Anyway the highlight of my time in Swaziland so far has been meeting up with Sally, my old uni friend. It has been great...we have reminisced, looked at some very disturbing old photos of us, taken during our year abroad and realised that despite the years we haven't seen each other we still have many things in common and still have the same slightly warped sense of humour.

I will post some photos soon.

Next stop Swaziland

We enjoyed our few days in Salt Rock. The B and B was indeed very lovely but become a bit Norman Bates as the days progressed. When we arrived we were met by Ernest and Nathan, who we just assumed were a couple, albeit a couple with a large age gap, however a mysterious mother was constantly mentioned but never seen. A story about a slipped dic ensued and how mother was unable to leave her room but needed constant looking after ....by the end of our stay we were worried about using the shower and kept looking out for shady figures at the upper windows and stray blonde wigs....now to mention it that small dog ....
Anyway there were a couple of disappointments during our few days, firstly the weather was awful and any hopes I had of topping up my tan on the beach were literally washed away by a day of torrential rain. Secondly, the snake park had closed down, despite websites and brochures telling us the opposite it was infact demolished in 2008....Richard took this very well, especially considering this was for him the main reason for visiting Durban...still we had a fantastic meal for his birthday - he had ostritch steak and we had fun looking round the Indian Quarter and eating a Bunny Chow!!

In Joberg now. Picking up the bus for Swaziland in the morning. Not sure how long we-ll stay but we have got loads if ideas for the next stage of our adventure.