Cape Town!

When you’re on a 25 day overland tour that ends with “to Cape Town” the already exciting city becomes oh that much more amazing. Not that I didn’t love my time on my Tour of Southern Africa, but I love memory foam matresses, duvet covers, and water pressure more than I love Tents and drizzling glacier fresh H2O.

Our last stops out of Namibia were at dune 45….can’t remember if I wrote on that one or not. It was fun BUT I totally wish we had the chance to go to Deadvlei…if you research Nafaulk NP where we were that is all the sweet photos of the petrified trees and dried mud with dunes as a back drop….either way dunes are ssweet, same same to what I saw in Peru, Oregon, and Vietnam though.

Then we went to Fish River Canyon…second largest in the world. Defo sweet, got good selfies and the profile photo was due for an update so no complaints from me! ….Following that we stopped at Orange river right over the border in to South Africa. GREAT setting…they offered us a canoe trip but nobody did it because we were busy relaxing in teh first GREEN we’d seen in weeks/swimming in the river. Might I add the running view was spectacular, and the showers had a view of the mountains and stars AND good pressure/heat! I think it was grocery lodge? spelled differently though, but the general gist.

After, for our FINAL night on tour we went to highlanders in teh cederberg region and did a wine tasting…the rest was history…oh, except the fact that the crossing tour had 19 people (18 girls) and all I could think was what a nightmare that was…specifically when they asked how well blow driers work on the trip :S

Finally we got to Cape Town. Not without some mechanical issues along the way, but we got here just after lunch. Most of us are staying in Green Point which is right by the beaches and waterfront. HIGHLY reccommend the area or Long street. Everyone says its bars and parties but its really not that obnoxious.

We ate dinner at a restaurant called Arnold’s which was at the top of long street on kloof, it was GREAT. I had the game platter so I had Gemsbok, Croc ribs, Warthog ribs and ostrich…to add tothe croc, ostrich, oryx, kudu, and zebra I had at Joe’s beerhouse in Windhoek I think I made a respectable dent in the game tasting.

Ranked best to worst: Zebra, Gemsbok, Warthog, Croc, Ostrich, Oryx, Kudu….Although others placed Kudu higher, I had a pretty gamey piece. GOt all cooked mid rare. Joe’s was on a skewer so the cooking was a bit off because they were all at different temperatures becasue they’re different meats, but you got to compare meat not dishes. Arnolds presented 4 different dishes with sauces which is great because they are all cooked and paired to perfection BUT its hard to know if you like the meat or the sauce.

Also went to the craft markets on long street…all of them. Definitely shop around first as sometimes things seem cool and original, then you buy them, then you see them 10 more times and regret the decision. There are TONS of craft markets in Cape Town though and they are the cheapest yet (bargain Hard)…defnitely a great place to END a tour because you are back to civilization and can appreciate the African as well as the Western side of all of it.

I don’t have tim for table mountain or Robben Island but my run alon the esplanade and self-navigated city walking tours are having me leaving happy. I will not though that it is better than Joburg but I’ve still felt particularly unsafe and fights break out often inthe streets!!

Finishing off my tour today I went to TabelThirteen in Green point for lunch. They have chicken/tuna salads for under 50 Rand, amazing baked goods, well priced and better made coffee as well as a delectable by weight lunch buffet to stay or take away. Just off of Main Rd when it turns to Somerset in the direction of waterfront. MUST TRY.

Also A SUnflower Stop–my hostel has been ever so helpful, donates stuff to charities, has great security and a clean pool. Right on main road but super quiet. And super cheap when booked with hostelbookers-defo recommend after a tour or just landing in cape town…or any time in between!

As for feelings and such…I fly to Seattle to join my family on vacation on the Oregon coast in 3 hours. Expect a lovely dozen or so posts of recap, memories, reflection, and planning the next adventure very soon!

PS WHY DID NOBODY TELL ME YOU GET OPEN BAR ON LONG HAUL FLIGHTS?!

Airlie Beach

B E A UTIFUL. For some reason this beach is a lot nicer than the others. With the exception of today’s overcast it is super sunny, breezy not windy, and the water is full of sail boats ready to emerge on the Whitsundays. It seems that most people are brief in their time here as most only book a pre/post Whitsundays night but we are staying for a week and I’m glad we are. Definitely too small a town to live in, but the hills of beach homes and paths around the coast line are a great scenic run! There’s an esplanade like in Cairns, but there’s actual beach as well. It’s tourist central not just for backpackers but for Australians as well. Tons of ‘everything under 20’ stores and souvenir shops including the community market we visited today. I will post more after we’ve visited Whitsundays but I figured after the Maggie Island update a more positive note was in order!

Also-before I forget-you can do stand by tours for the Whitsundays that are like half price. If you’re travelling alone I definitely recommend it. AND There’s a fish and chip place right by airlie beach backpackers that is AMAZING.

Oh! and also…beware of stairwells on Friday nights after the bar closes. I was using internet when I started hearing a couple hooking up a floor below. Then they walked passed me to go to the upstairs loft (probably to get a condom), they came back down and said “should we go elsewhere? / No its fine she wont know what we’re doing/ she looks american, she won’t understand us.” Too bad they were speaking French, I’m Canadian, and anybody could have decoded her audition to be Kelly Preston in a Jerry Maguire remake.