Back from South Africa Part 1...

I’m back!!! We landed to a very cold and wet London a couple of days ago but I still have a smile on my face. Our trip was a huge success. I had a great time and an experience I’ll never forget. I’m still sorting out the more than 2000 pictures we’ve taken during our stay, so that might a while.

But first thing first, JJ has a really wonderful family. His parents are really lovely and I believe we got along quite well. They made me feel very welcome and the conversation was flowing without a problem. His mother was always with a smile on her face trying to make me feel at ease. She was constantly cooking for us. From having a full English breakfast in the morning to dinner served with pudding in the evenings, we were offered everything. She even wanted to do our laundry for us. That was a bit awkward, because I was reluctant at first. I didn’t want her close to my dirty clothes and especially my underwear. So, I did object politely at first, but it was a lost cause. She couldn’t hear no for an answer…

Enjoying the view and the lovely weather

 
Overall, our trip can be split in three parts. The first one was our arrival and first glimpse of the Cape Peninsula, then the road trip and then back to Cape Town. So, at the beginning we spend lots of time with JJ’s parents and his brother. The flight to Cape Town was tiring and it was only natural to spend time with his family, so we mostly stayed in. A traditional South African braai (bbq) was organised and lots of food was on offer. These people do grill a lot. Braai is like a national sport. I’m not complaining though. I loved it. It was delicious. The weather also was so nice. The temperature was in the late 20’s and we were in t-shirts, shorts and flip flops!

a panoramic view from the Cape of Good Hope

The second day we spent it on the Table Mountain and driving around the Peninsula. The views from the Mountain are breath-taking! I highly recommend a visit. It is so easy to take a cable car to the top. Hiking there is about 2.5 hours, which apart from the fact we didn’t have to spare were a bit too much. The weather was a bit clouded and we couldn’t see much from one side of the mountain, but on the other hand, the clouds gave a very interesting character to the surroundings.

Visiting the Cape of Good Hope was a dream come true to me. Ever since I heard about this place in a geography class I wanted to visit it, but never knew if I would. The place sounded so exotic and distant from everything I knew. The views of the sea and the rough terrain from the lighthouse are amazing. We also encountered on the way there, on the road, ostriches and baboons! The first were simply strolling on the tar, ignoring the stopped traffic and all the people out of the windows with the cameras on their hands.

The latter were a different matter. There are signs almost everywhere to warn people about how dangerous baboons can be and it is a punishable offence to feed them. We met a whole family with the dominant male and the rest of the group observing the stopped cars and looking for opportunities. One of them, jumped to open a door of a parked car, looking for food. The driver was shocked but managed to push the animal away. We had kept our doors locked for that same reason. We finished that day visiting a beach with a penguin colony. These are very cute animals. Here are some pictures:

My internet connection while in South Africa was a bit limited and I haven’t managed to really keep track of whatever was happening in your lives, but I’ll try to catch up…