South Africa & Namibia
Trip Report: African Animal Adventures
Stellenbosch
Day 6
The drive from Franschhoek is actually only 20 minutes or so but we decided to go the long way. Up and over Franschhoek Pass, down and around the coastal headland of the Kogelberg Nature Reserve via N44 and then back up to Stellenbosch. 3 hours of driving or so. There was a good reason for this detour so read on.
We packed our car and with major trepidation emulating from the passenger seat and macho thrill from the driver's, we set out to cross Franschhoek Pass. Now just to clarify: I am a driver and love challenging roads. My passenger does not. Especially anything that involves hairpin roads - which are the absolute best if you are a driver - y'know pin to pin wheel action . . . Anyways, this differing viewpoint can lead to a wee bit of stress in the car. Cue: Oh my God, we're gonna DIE! She has left permanent finger marks in the armrests of numerous vehicles over the years. I try to moderate this by driving responsibly during these periods but it is all relative.
As we climbed just past La Petit Ferme, there were frigging baboons in the bush on the side of the road! Now, you gotta admit that this is pretty cool. We certainly thought so. I pulled over on the small shoulder and the baboons started being baboons with the males barking really loudly, the kids shrieking and a whole cacophony of noise as they leaped around in the trees and bushes. We bailed out of the car with cameras, as did the next car around the corner - a young Asian couple. We're all snapping pictures and a female in heat comes out. The Asian couple were fascinated "Ewww. What's wrong with her butt?" And the Alpha male comes out to put on a show and to teach them that there is nothing wrong with her butt, if you know what I mean. The troop is now spread out on the road - narrowly missing being run over by cars, trucks and bicycles and stopping traffic. Wow. Our 1st real animal encounter in SA.
The drive from Franschhoek is actually only 20 minutes or so but we decided to go the long way. Up and over Franschhoek Pass, down and around the coastal headland of the Kogelberg Nature Reserve via N44 and then back up to Stellenbosch. 3 hours of driving or so. There was a good reason for this detour so read on.
We packed our car and with major trepidation emulating from the passenger seat and macho thrill from the driver's, we set out to cross Franschhoek Pass. Now just to clarify: I am a driver and love challenging roads. My passenger does not. Especially anything that involves hairpin roads - which are the absolute best if you are a driver - y'know pin to pin wheel action . . . Anyways, this differing viewpoint can lead to a wee bit of stress in the car. Cue: Oh my God, we're gonna DIE! She has left permanent finger marks in the armrests of numerous vehicles over the years. I try to moderate this by driving responsibly during these periods but it is all relative.
As we climbed just past La Petit Ferme, there were frigging baboons in the bush on the side of the road! Now, you gotta admit that this is pretty cool. We certainly thought so. I pulled over on the small shoulder and the baboons started being baboons with the males barking really loudly, the kids shrieking and a whole cacophony of noise as they leaped around in the trees and bushes. We bailed out of the car with cameras, as did the next car around the corner - a young Asian couple. We're all snapping pictures and a female in heat comes out. The Asian couple were fascinated "Ewww. What's wrong with her butt?" And the Alpha male comes out to put on a show and to teach them that there is nothing wrong with her butt, if you know what I mean. The troop is now spread out on the road - narrowly missing being run over by cars, trucks and bicycles and stopping traffic. Wow. Our 1st real animal encounter in SA.
After that distraction, the pass itself was anti-climatic and the drive went very well. But we were on a mission: Penguins.
You see, there are 2 breeding colonies of the small African penguin in South Africa. One is at the popular Boulder's Bay which is a mecca for the tour bus crowd. The other, the Stony Point Penguin Colony, resides in Betty's Bay which is more remote (i.e. further from Cape Town) that is much less visited. And we were heading there. We arrived at Betty's Bay and after a bit of confusing meandering down some bumpy roads, we finally saw the signs on the other side of town that led us to the sanctuary at an old whaling station down a dirt road amongst the beach houses. Not much is left of the station except a concrete ramp which the penguins use to great advantage. There are also raised boardwalks that thread through the penguin's nesting area to offer different viewing platforms. With a cold wind blowing in from the sea, there were no more than 30 other people at the whole site. And every single one of them had a big smile on their face. How can you not?
There were a whole lot of penguins . . . cute little buggers aren't they? Just try not to smile as you look at the pictures. I dare you.
You see, there are 2 breeding colonies of the small African penguin in South Africa. One is at the popular Boulder's Bay which is a mecca for the tour bus crowd. The other, the Stony Point Penguin Colony, resides in Betty's Bay which is more remote (i.e. further from Cape Town) that is much less visited. And we were heading there. We arrived at Betty's Bay and after a bit of confusing meandering down some bumpy roads, we finally saw the signs on the other side of town that led us to the sanctuary at an old whaling station down a dirt road amongst the beach houses. Not much is left of the station except a concrete ramp which the penguins use to great advantage. There are also raised boardwalks that thread through the penguin's nesting area to offer different viewing platforms. With a cold wind blowing in from the sea, there were no more than 30 other people at the whole site. And every single one of them had a big smile on their face. How can you not?
There were a whole lot of penguins . . . cute little buggers aren't they? Just try not to smile as you look at the pictures. I dare you.
I should explain the picture on the lower left. Blanca's organization has a magazine called Advocate. They have a photo feature: Where do you read Advocate? Well, she was determined to get a lot of Where? pictures during our trip. This was just the start . . .
After the penguin excitement, we continued on the beautiful coast road N44 up to Gordon's Bay. This is one pretty road. It hugs the coast with low speed limits and lots of twisty turny action with amazing views throughout.. Then we cut inland for the short drive to Stellenbosch. The traffic increased as it was the May 1 holiday weekend for South Africans. With only a few misunderstood directions from the Rasta (our GPS), we started up the serious bumpy dirt road to WedgeView Country House & Spa.
After the penguin excitement, we continued on the beautiful coast road N44 up to Gordon's Bay. This is one pretty road. It hugs the coast with low speed limits and lots of twisty turny action with amazing views throughout.. Then we cut inland for the short drive to Stellenbosch. The traffic increased as it was the May 1 holiday weekend for South Africans. With only a few misunderstood directions from the Rasta (our GPS), we started up the serious bumpy dirt road to WedgeView Country House & Spa.
Review WedgeView Country House & Spa Bonniemile, Stellenbosch What a nice surprise. I booked the hotel online with the usual expectations but we were both very pleasantly surprised at how nice the country house really was. Down a bumpy lane the lush grounds hide amidst the vines behind a secure gated entrance. Quaintly thatched buildings with great views of Stellenbosch & the mountains to the north from the upper floors. We had a suite with a balcony. Just perfect and well appointed (and yes, they had heat for our the early fall chill). The two Michelles made sure that our stay was comfortable - very comfortable. They answered our area questions & arranged for drivers & served us a great lunch on the patio. Well done! Highly recommended. 5/5
We arrived in the early afternoon and we were served soup on the patio for a late lunch. Yes, on the patio! The weather was finally starting to warm up! We lounged around in our comfortable suite for the rest of the day until dinner. I had chosen a nearby restaurant on the Jordan Winery estate. While it was close enough to walk, the walk back would have been on narrow gravel country lanes and paths beside the vineyards in the dark (and it got really dark here), so we had one of the Micheles hire a driver. Yes, there were 2 Micheles - one was an intern from the Netherlands and one was a SA girl from Port Elizabeth. We had very enjoyable discussions with both over the time of our stay. Michele (SA) was quite frank in explaining the realities of SA urban life in answer to our queries. She also told us that Canadians were a rare breed in the hotel with most clientele coming from Germany or the Netherlands.
Review Jordan Restaurant Jordan Wine Estate | Stellenbosch Kloof Road While staying at a nearby country house, we came for dinner - the best dinner of our SA stay, I might add. We had the 4 course tasting menu with the wine pairings. The food was very good with great tastes & excellent visual appeal. The wine pairings were very well chosen amongst the winery's offerings & the sommelier's introduction to each wine was very well informative - the man knew his wines. He was also kind enough to take me outside under the stars to explain the Southern Cross. Excellent & a true bargain for us with the current exchange rates. Highly recommended.
Day 7
One of the main reasons we shifted from Franschhoek to Stellenbosch was its proximity to Cape Town since we had an early morning flight on Monday morning (Day 8). This also meant that Table Mountain was within easy striking distance and the rule of thumb for this attraction is to go as early in your vacation as you can because it can be socked in with cloud at any time and it sometimes lasts for days. The sun was up, so it was on.
We drove in on the N2, passing by the airport and passing through Cape Town's outlying townships of KTC, Crossroads and New Rest. In South Africa the name Township usually refers to "underdeveloped urban living areas that, from the late 19th century until the end of apartheid, were reserved for non-white residents, namely black Africans, Coloureds and Indians). Townships were usually built on the periphery of towns and cities" Wiki. I will let the pictures speak (taken from the car at highway speed).
One of the main reasons we shifted from Franschhoek to Stellenbosch was its proximity to Cape Town since we had an early morning flight on Monday morning (Day 8). This also meant that Table Mountain was within easy striking distance and the rule of thumb for this attraction is to go as early in your vacation as you can because it can be socked in with cloud at any time and it sometimes lasts for days. The sun was up, so it was on.
We drove in on the N2, passing by the airport and passing through Cape Town's outlying townships of KTC, Crossroads and New Rest. In South Africa the name Township usually refers to "underdeveloped urban living areas that, from the late 19th century until the end of apartheid, were reserved for non-white residents, namely black Africans, Coloureds and Indians). Townships were usually built on the periphery of towns and cities" Wiki. I will let the pictures speak (taken from the car at highway speed).
Table Mountain. Buried deep in upper Cape Town, there is a narrow road leading up to the cable car station that takes you up. And everyone parks on this it seems. And assuming you can find a spot, you have to walk up/down the hill to the station. Or . . . there is a free lot just at the turn to the cable car road with a free shuttle up. You might have to slide the vest guy some cash for protection if one is around. It's simple and somewhat secure although I would hide any valuables left in the car. Or better yet, don't bring them. The shuttle drops you at the station. If you buy tickets online, you walk across the road and get in line. 15 minutes later, ask the people around you if they have tickets. If they don't, get out of line and get into the smaller and faster moving 'People with tickets line'. To save time, you can figure this out on arrival, but we didn't. The cable car is a tourist must see so of course, it is a zoo. We waited for about an hour to go up. Once on top, you can take pictures and walk paths - reputedly with baboons. We just took the pictures.
For the rest of the day, we slummed at our country house and went into Stellenbosch for a late lunch/early dinner. Chock full of wine warehouses, tasting rooms and a downtown core of restaurants and bars, Like Franschhoek, Stellenbosch is obviously a tourist mecca for the wine trade - just not as compact or quaint. We parked in an area with no apparent traffic warden and had our meal at:
Review Brampton Wine Studio 11 Church Street, Stellenbosch This was a total drive by. We were walking the streets looking for food on a Sunday afternoon & they had an open table on the sidewalk & a menu that looked decent. Surprise, surprise the foods was very good. I had a burger & my wife had a delicious flatbread. The service was a little detached & the place had the vibe of a college bar but it worked for us.
Note on the Parking Guys: Above I have mentioned vest guys and traffic wardens. From what we were told, the real traffic wardens will issue you a ticket when you street park in a city or larger town and you pay by the length of time you stay in a spot. They always wear vests and have a machine to time stamp the ticket. Of course, this system has been expanded by entrepreneurs to almost every parking space in urban SA. Even though many are not official, you will have the vests approach you when you park. The word from travelers is to always pay - just a pittance R5 or R10 - as protection.
Note on Prices: Restaurants in South Africa are a bargain to North American or European visitors. The costs are about 50% of what a comparable meal would cost at home. Appetizers are R60 - R90. Main courses are R150 - R190. You can easily have a 3 or 4 course meal in many places for under R450. Certainly a good time to travel in SA.