Wicked Campers Africa Blog

At last we arrived in South Africa!

Sitting in the Joburg airport Maria and I each had a large suitcase, our luggage was undisturbed and sent to the correct connections. The staff was friendly, helpful, and efficient. The airport is very clean, and the many shops are fun to visit and pass the time away. I tried to buy a phone card from Telkom, they do not take credit cards (machine broken), Vodacom does not sell phone cards but their vending machine does, which takes cash. So I ended up looking for a ATM to draw some cash to buy the vodacom sim card (or I’d be spending a small fortune phoning from my overseas mobile sim). So be warned: If you need Rand cash after check-in and immigration, draw money from the ATM first before going through.

After getting out of the terminal I phoned wicked for a pickup, and they said they will be there in about ten minutes, and so they did, charged shuttle fee only R50-00 per person so cool! Much cheaper than the local taxi’s here I must say. Went to Wicked depot to pick up our camper we are so excited to know we are actually here to enjoy this beautiful place! Harvey was very help full showing us what we need to know about our van; what we must and must not do and of course the spare wheel sitting in a place I never even would imagine it would be! We ended up renting a GPS from Wicked or we would probably end up somewhere we don’t want to be.

We are going to drive through to overnight at Pilanesburg at the Ivory Tree lodge so we are on our way soon. Maria just wants to make a few stops and do some shopping (she really loves shopping if you know what I mean) for those who don’t know what I mean she can take hours!

Gotta finish this off so that we can be on our way…

Got into Botswana this morning. Didn’t have any hassles at the border except the eyes looking at and into the Wicked van, which didn’t bother us at all. We drove to Mokolodi game reserve, where we saw tons of kudu and other deer-like animals, and we also came upon this giraffe just by the side of the road munching on a tree. This was very cool, since I’d never seen a giraffe so up close before, one of the highlights of the trip was that we got to pet a cheetah – yes, this is the wild cat that is rated the fastest land animal on earth. Thank goodness I didn’t have to race it, just stroke it.

We have learned today: rain and water is so important that is the word for rain, “pula,” is also the word they use for money. That’s also what you say when you raise your glass in a toast, like “Cheers!” We hung out in the Mokolodi restaurant for a while afterwards, drinking some beer and Maria had some kind of cider.  It’s supposed to be one of the best, or maybe the best, restaurants in Gabs.

this as our second night in our wicked van it is truly comfortable and doesn’t feel like you staying in a vehicle – its like a second home (granted, we still have to test out our cooking equipment as the restaurants keep calling us )

Beware! The wildlife has right of way… As soon as we passed the entry gate we started spotting Impala, Kudu, Zebra and Giraffe and spent the next 7 hours driving at about 30 km/h searching for the big 5 (Buffalo, Elephant, Rhino, Lion and Leopard). We stopped at a picnic area and had lunch and were surrounded by these beautiful blue birds. . Where does the biggest rhino that you have ever seen in your life walk? Anywhere it wants to! An average speed of 30km/h on tourist roads is recommended for maximum safety and enjoyment, especially when animals walk out in front you!

Wow! Well, there is a lot to write but I will try my best to keep it reasonably short!  I can’t tell you how much we really enjoyed camping at Kruger, there was so much to see and Maria and I slept like babies I think it also got to do with the fresh air and of course the camper van’s double bed !

I will put some pictures on soon…..

Some facts about the African elephant

• Like human beings, elephants show great respect for their dead. They bury them under tree branches and mourn for them. I have also heard of reports that when elephants come across the bones of a dead elephant, they stop briefly to pay respect (see this information in the Animal planet website for example).
• They have very good memory. Elephants remember and can retrace their grazing routes even if they revisit them after several years.
• Male and female elephants stay and graze in different herds, only getting together during the breeding season.

Okay, before I say anything about today. I need a better camera. Simply put…@#@##!  But I need a better camera. Mine is an old piece of crap that isn’t working worth squat. It won’t focus, barely zoom and makes horrible noises for a 2 megapixel camera, which is about 5 years old now… Why do I need a new camera?!?! I have to find a place today for a new camera (don’t want to miss out on memories)

So many things today were amazing beyond words……….

We love the different cultures and foods and languages of the world. Chobe National Park is the second largest national park in Botswana and covers 10,566km² with one of the highest concentrations of animals in Africa (how do I know this? cause I read it up) Our safari drive north to Kasane brought us in view of many birds and elephant before we reached our camp at the edge of the Chobe River. We made camp near the Chobe Safari Lodge, A sign in front of our camp near the water said, “Beware of crocodiles.” (oops)

So we cooked on our gas stove, we had a nice pasta with white wine and Maria just love the idée cooking outside and watching the nature, pretty cool! We want to make this a very early night we are going to Kruger national park first thing in the morning…how awesome!

We had a couple of days in Swaziland, enough for a quick tour of the area and a day’s walking in one of their parks. The walking was great, one of the hottest days in an already freakily hot winter, but some lovely scenery. Not many animals though. We went to the local craft centers, beauty spots and the old king’s memorial (King Sobhuza) and to a reconstructed Swazi village for a tour and dancing. A beautiful and friendly country. For a small landlocked country, Swaziland is pure beauty.

Hlane is a word that no matter how hard we try to pronounce, it is sort like shlane but with no lisp and a slur. Nobody could understand us when we tried to say it!

I know you want to see some pictures I took, hang in there it will be on the blog very soon!

We are having a great time in Southern Africa so far and it is time to go to Cape Town! We want to do and see as much as possible.

So of we go…………………..

Maria and I are having a blast! And time goes so quickly if you have fun! We only have one incident with our wicked camper van and that is a flat tire but we have sorted it out very fast! There are so many places to visit in Cape Town I have maps and travel guides for Africa (Africa hehehe)

The city of Cape Town is surrounded by the most beautiful scenery – you have the option of exploring the ocean (shark cage diving, sunset cruises, Robin Island trips, diving, swimming…) and the glorious mountains (the famous Table Mountain, Lion’s Head at full moon, Signal Hill and the beautiful Devil’s Peak where you can walk all the way to Rhodes Memorial…) – Incredible city!

 The night life is awesome. Camps Bay is spectacular at night – we spent most of our time hopping from one gorgeous restaurant/club to the next! No one has lived until they step foot on African soil!

It gets cold at night, but the days have been crisp and sunny. The cable car, lions head, scenic coastal road, Long Street and the CBD are definite highlights. We found this charming alleyway off long street…think it’s called Church Street. Great restaurant there called Cafe Mozart. You can sit there for hours and watch people browse the antique stalls and all Cape Town’s characters walk by. Great coffee and breakfasts!

Here I am back again, sitting in an internet cafe on Long Street in Cape Town,this street is very popular among the backpacker crowd. There are several backpacker lodges, internet cafes and restaurants.

Yesterday I got to the Waterfront to catch the boat to Robben Island. The Island is now a museum but for those of you that don’t know, it was the prison where the political activists and criminals were sent during Apartheid. Their most famous prisoner being Nelson Mandela. He was imprisoned for 27 years, 18 that were spent on Robben Island, 7 at another prison and 2 in house arrests.
I was lucky enough to get a seat on top for the 20 minute boat ride and it gave me a stunning view of Cape Town as we left the waterfront.
When we reached the island, we got on a bus to tour part of the island before seeing and entering the maximum security prison. There are about 200 people that live on the island. Many are maintenance workers and some are ex-prisoners who give tours. There is a school that has about 17 students. I took a ton of pics but today I forgot my camera cable so I’ll have to post those later.
We were given a lot of information that I will spare you but I’ll just give you a few tidbits of life on the island during that time. One of the things we saw was the lime quarry where the prisoners spent every day. Whether it was hot or cold they were out there chiseling away. There was a tunnel in the quarry which was their restroom. I can’t imagine the smell in there in the summer time. Dampening their spirits was one of the main reasons for the manual labor. We also noticed a big pile of stones in the middle of the quarry. When Apartheid ended and the prison was closed, sometime after, there was a reunion of ex-prisoners. While it wasn’t planned or orchestrated, one prisoner laid down a rock. The others followed and the pile was formed and has been untouched since then. You would think a pile of rocks is a pile of rocks but looking at it and knowing what it represents brings on a whole different kind of emotion.
The shortest distance from the island and CT is about 7 kilometers. That’s a lot of water to navigate and it is no surprise that any attempts to escape were unsuccessful.

We were then introduced to our prison guide who is an ex-prisoner. At the age of 19, he was arrested for what they claimed was sabotage. He and some others were planning on blowing up a building that housed a lot of very important information. They were going to use petrol bombs. Unfortunately during this part of the speech we were in a community cell that housed 16 prisoners and he was hard to understand because at times his back was to me while addressing others and his accent was very heavy. He did say that by the time he got to Robin Island, Mandela had already been transferred to another prison so he never saw him. He also said that during the 5 years he spent there, they were no longer having to perform manual labor in the quarry. His days were spent studying and keeping in shape. When he first got there, he was in a single cell, but later was moved to the community cell which he liked much better.  He could converse with the other inmates and more importantly, when he was emotionally down, they would help lift his spirits. He told about a former inmate who lost his father while there. He was very distraught and our guide spent many days consoling him. It would have been much different I’m sure if the guy would have been in a single cell.
Speaking of single cells we were then taken to the block where Mandela’s cell was. The buildings have been repainted and the ex-prisoners are not very happy that the cells don’t really look like their original condition. There could have been a way to renovate but keep them looking as they did. The numbers aren’t on the cells much to their dismay. In Mandela’s cell there is a mat, blanket and bucket which was his toilet. So there is nothing left to the imagination on what life in a single cell was like on Robben Island. While he was there, sadly his mother and son both died. For a man to have spent 27 years confined, doing manual labor and having his spirit dampened beyond what we could ever imagine, it is so amazing to me that he came out the man he is today. Once released, he plunged wholeheartedly into his life’s work spurred on by the many influences of fellow inmates. Again, to not be so damaged is truly amazing. He truly represents a life that symbolizes the triumph of the human spirit.
Sometimes when you take a tour, there might be things that are very interesting and other things in the course of the tour that aren’t.  I can tell you that every word from both guides was compelling and I can honestly say, it was the best tour I’ve taken in my travels.
On the boat, I sat next to Nic who is from Switzerland. Behind us was his wife Kate and her son Chris . His studies are over and now the three of them are spending the week exploring before they go back to Geneva. We discovered that we both had plans to go to Table Mountain that afternoon so they invited us to go with them. Very nice. Once we got back to the Waterfront, we grabbed some lunch on Long Street. But by then, it was around 4 and a little too late to go up the mountain. So we said our goodbyes.

 Today I ran into Nic and Kate here on Long Street.  Funny how that happens.
The weather is a little cloudy today and the best time to go up the mountain is when it’s sunny and clear, for the view of course, so I will go in a day or two. However, I will take the cable car up or possibly hike and abseil down. The thrillseeker in me must do that! I imagine it’s much like rapelling and you abseil about 110km’s down. Can’t wait!
Some random notes about CT just to give you an idea what it is like here.. Since they drive on the left side of the road, they also walk on the left side of the sidewalk. I learned that very quickly and it’s a concentrated effort to not get in people’s way. Another thing I’ve noticed that is so different from many metropolitan cities, is that the local people on the streets here are either black or white. I don’t see any Asians, Middle Easterns, Hispanics, etc. Unlike LA or NYC where you are used to seeing so many people of different ethnicities, not here. Of course it is a long way from anywhere else in the world.
I have to go now. I know these get lengthy but there is so much to say as you can see.
I hope you are well and I’ll be in touch!

This was definitely a highlight. We got up early, and set our sights on getting to the very most southern point in Africa – well not officially as Cape Agulhas actually claims that distinction,but that wasn’t going to stop us following in the foot steps of hoards of tourists before us.

Our destination for the day: The Cape of Good Hope. On the way we stopped at Simons Town for breakfast at a boutique café/restaurant called The Meeting Place Deli and Emporium (deluscious!) before briefly stopping at Boulders beach to do some Penguin spotting.

While heading to the Cape of Good Hope, we passed a random ostrich grazing on the side of a beach. We saw plenty of baboon  warning road signs but no ostrich signs – yes, only in South Africa! By the time we got down to Cape Point the wind had picked up and we really had to hang on as it whipped around, threatening to throw us into the Indian/Atlantic ocean.

The views looking out across the huge expanse of blue were stunning. After patiently waiting 15 minutes for others to have their turn, it was finally our chance to have our paparazzi photo with the classic Cape of Good Hope sign. We had one short wander down the wild beach before the wind had us retreating to our van, and we made our way back to Cape Town albeit via the  Constansia Valley (which is the closest winery region to the city).

 Museums – District Six Museum

Cape Town contains many museums and galleries to educate, stimulate and entertain almost every traveller. The particular highlight for us was visiting the District Six Museum. Established in 1994, the museum successfully captures many of the experiences associated the living in the vibrant multi-cultural community before its destruction.

With handwritten notes from residents, actual street signs from the area and before/after photos we were left with a much more vivid picture of what life was like in the apartheid era. To say we were emotionally impacted would be an understatement.

At times it was hard to believe we were visiting this beautiful country that has come so far in the last fifty years. To a large extent, the road ahead for South Africa may still be a bumpy one, but there was definitely hope and good spirit in the people we met.

In three days, some might say we only scratched the surface of the city. However, I know that Cape Town will definitely be a city I will be returning too. Whether it will be for shark diving, sky-diving, wine tasting, local safari parks, shopping at the V&A waterfront or exploring the famous Kirstenbosch botanic gardens and neighbouring beaches, there is still so much more to see.

We took a tour to the Congo Caves and the Ostrich Farm. The caves are incredibly beautiful and vast. One large chamber actually hosted rock concerts throughout the 80’s and 90’s but were stopped in 1995 after visitors climbed the stalagmites and broke away souvenirs (idiots). Our guide showed us stumps of stalactites that had been broken off, considering they take 100 years to grow 7mm, it would take about 1000 years for them to grow back to their original length. Perhaps these people simply couldn’t get their heads around that, or were too pissed to care. The Ostrich farm was so much more impressive than I could have imagined. We held a day old baby and hugged a less aggressive female, being careful to not get too close to her front; their clawed feet can disembowel a human in one kick. I then had an ostrich neck massage, I just held a tub of food and they pecked at it over my shoulders, it was more disturbing than relaxing. Shortly after seeing one pair getting down and dirty (the male performed an initiation dance but the female looked rather unimpressed, hilarious!) we had the opportunity to ride one, alas, I was too muscular (heavy) and Maria too scared but a few people had a go and it looked awesome, hold on to their wings and use their neck as a joystick, honestly. But it was not to be, I guess I’ll have to make do with eating one later. So I did and it was perfect, better than any beef steak I’ve ever had. I also had crocodile and springbok for starter, all beautiful. Our last trip in Oudtshoorn was to the Congo Wildlife Ranch. We saw Meerkat, Crocs, Emus, Snakes, Lions, Tigers, and Cheetahs etc. and decided to pay R150 for a Cheetah encounter. The midday heat meant that they were pretty docile but I liked the fact that they could tear my face off at any moment, not likely but it added a bit of danger (they weren’t sedated at all). It was definitely worth it, they purred like crazy when we stroked them. It was also great to think that it was all for a good cause, the ranch isn’t government funded at all. We nearly paid R300 to Croc cage dive but seeing one couple go down, it looked plain lame, totally unnatural. Even when the bait was thrown in they just chomped it down and swam off. For R300 I’d want them gnashing away at the cage, some proper danger but it was all a little familiar to them. Maybe I’ll Shark cage dive up the coast. Next up, sunny Knysna.

At last, I have completed the travelogue of our weekend away in Knysna. I apologise that it took so long, but then my grandpa always said, you need time to create something goodWell, I hope you enjoy reading about our trip! We spent the weekend near the town of Knysna on the beautiful Garden Route. And as the weather gods smiled favourably upon us, we had two awesome, spectacular days in an area of extraordinary natural beauty. On Friday, we drove on the N2 from Cape Town towards Knysna. We didn’t want to stay in any the larger towns, so we headed inland, into the mountains, and into the indigenous forests that are still found around the small settlement of Rheenendal (the turn-off is on your left, just before you enter Knysna from the west). On Saturday, we had breakfast on the wooden deck around the pool. This was not just ANY deck – but a deck with a glorious view! After breakfast, we drove over Phantom Pass down to the N2, the national road that takes you into the town of Knysna. Phantom Pass is apparently named after a harmless moth (Letho venus) – not a phantom that terrorises road users! We made our way to the famous Knysna Heads, a pair of jagged sandstone cliffs that guard the entrance to the Knysna lagoon. The Eastern Heads are easily accessible by car, but the Western Heads can only be accessed by means of a guided tour, which is operated by the privately owned Featherbed Nature Reserve. At the East Heads Caffé, we fortified ourselves with a capuccino and a chococcino – before clambering along the rocky walkway right to the end to get the best possible view of the waves. Then we raced from Knysna to Storms River Village, where we went flying through the forest on ziplines between huge old trees courtesy of Tsitsikamma Canopy Tours. These ziplines are also called foefie slides, which is a South African English word that refers to a flying fox, a zipline or a zip slide. The more primitive rough-and-tumble version of childhood involves a long strong rope or steel cable between two trees far apart, with one being higher than another. Sometimes, it crosses a river or a rockpool. Another bit of rope or something you can grip onto is slung over the cable, and then you launch yourself into the air, holding tight, and slide down at rapid speed. The far safer commercial version involves a pair of steel cables (the spare is for additional safety), a harness, and a pulley onto which you and your harness are clipped, so that you can’t fall off. It’s fast, it’s fun, and it’s a great adrenalin rush! The rest of the afternoon was spent more sedately, meeting the elephants at the Elephant Sanctuary near The Crags, just outside Plettenberg Bay. Our guide Patrick taught us a bit about elephants and their ways of life, and he explained how the handlers interact with the elephants at the sanctuary every day. Afterwards, we all had a chance to walk ‘trunk in hand’ with one of the elephants. A couple of people had the opportunity to ride three of the elephants around a large open field, while the rest of us used the time to feed and interact with the remaining three elephants. We ended our evening with a little bit of an adventure, searching for a bottle of milk in the Rheenendal area… this wasn’t as easy as one might think! On Sunday morning, I made a new feline friend – she must have watched us bring home the milk the night before! After breakfast, we drove through the Millwood Forest to find Mother Holly’s Cottage near the top of the mountain. This was a lovely tea garden, run by Don and Kate. One of the rooms also housed a fascinating museum about the history of the area – specifically the era of the gold rush and the time of the foresters. In order to earn our scones with jam and cream, we went looking for gold on the Milners’ Walk. This was a circular route around the mountain, with a short excursion down a steep track to some abandoned gold mines. And after that, we said a very sad goodbye to one of the most beautiful places in the country, promising ourselves that we would return. Soon!