RTW Leg 104

RTW Leg 104
Mid-Morning.
FAPE-FACT 396 nm.
Port Elizabeth-Cape Town. Great Garden Route, Whale Coast, False Bay.
ETE: 2.5 Hours.
Terminal Departure and Terminal Arrival (Terrain NOTAMS)

This morning we head west along the coast on the famous Garden Route. The Garden Route is a lush coastal belt running along the Western Cape coast, backed by a ridge of amazing folded quartzite mountains. The diversity in scenery from white sandy beaches to stunning mountain passes, together with an endless choice of accommodation makes this one of the most visited areas in South Africa. It falls between the two climatic regions of summer and winter rainfall, consequently it rains whenever it feels like it (conveniently mostly at night) which keeps the area perennially green. It is generally mild with lovely hot summer sunshine but cold winter nights.

We may take our time, sipping coffee (or our beverage of choice) and enjoying the ambience of Port Elizabeth. We might wander over to the folks at the Algoa Flying Club, located just to the west of the terminal here at Port Elizabeth's airport.

Today's flight is a short one with plenty of time for relaxation. So we fly low and slow to take in the sights.

Our first spot is Plettenberg Bay, an enormous horseshow of a bay that represents one of the most glamorous and beautiful spots along the Garden Route. It was originally christened "Bahia Formosa" (beautiful bay) by early Portuguese explorers. We can admire the contrasts between the white beaches that lines the coast and the indigenous forests that border the sand. We may try to glimpse the whales and dolphins that cruise along the coast—remembering that we may not legally fly close to their paths. Those in the know can take a peek at the highest bungee jump in the world (216 meters) at Bloukrans River bridge.

A bit further on, Knysna lazes by a warm shallow lagoon which ebbs and flows with tides that gush through the narrow rocky entrance at the Heads. The nearby waters and woodlands, once the domain of sportsmen, are now popular spots for those seeking natural beauty.

George is a large prosperous town which forms a junction along the Garden Route, where the main road continues along the coast and another route heads north over the Outeniqua mountains to the Little Karoo town of Oudtshoorn. George lies on a coastal plateau about 8kms from the coast and is the start (or finish) point for one of the most splendid railway journeys in the world. The Outeniqua Choo Tjoe pulled by an ancient steam locomotive, chugs over forested hills, past inland lakes and across high bridges over raging river mouths.

Then we mosey along to Mossel Bay, a bit of a sleepy small town juxtaposed against a petroleum refinery on the outskirts. Surrounded by attractive scenery, the town is situated on cliffs leading down to a safe harbor and beautiful north-facing beach. The Mediterranean climate and life-style is world famous: the town is featured in the Guinness Book of Records as having the mildest all-year climate, second only to Hawaii. (Portuguese sailor Bartholomew Dias was the first European to land here in 1488 after rounding the Cape. The volley of stones that sent Dias and his crew scuttling back to their ship, indicated what the Khoikhoi herders thought of the miracle before them.)

Next, we reach Cape Agulhas—the southernmost point of Africa. Early Portuguese navigators named the spot "Needle Cape" because 500 years ago the compass showed no variation between true and magnetic north. Nowadays there is a 24º variation west, as the magnetic poles are constantly moving. The cape's meridian (20

E) is the official boundary between the Indian and Atlantic oceans. Cape Agulhas is an often windy and desolate place that really does feel like the end of the earth.

As we near Cape Town, we first fly by Cape Hangklip at the tip of False Bay—at the other extreme of this giant horseshoe bay is Cape Point. Many ships rounding Cape Hangklip, came too far into the bay thinking it was the west coast of Africa. The strong south-east wind then forced these big sailing ships towards the shore, where many were shipwrecked. Along this magnificent road are isolated villages including pretty Pringle Bay, with a cute sandy cove frequented by locals and seasonal visitors, most of whom are on weekend breaks at their holiday homes. Similarly Betty’s Bay, which straggles for nearly 5km above a coastline that is alternatively rocky and sandy. Runaway slaves from Cape Town used caves in these hills to hide from cruel owners whose tenacity in retrieving their ‘property’ resulted in terrible bloodshed. Whales too were mercilessly hunted here but thankfully can now be seen bobbing and diving and sometimes leaping, all along this coast.

Finally, we approach Cape Town which lies some 30 miles (50km) north of the Cape of Good Hope (to our west). The city is located in one of the world's most scenic natural settings for urban life, and much of the city and its suburbs winds about the steep slopes of Table Mountain and its neighboring peaks. Most of the city proper spreads across the area's extensive flatlands. Depending on the ATC approach patterns, we may or may not get a sight of the city when we land at Cape Town International. (In any case, we shall see much more of the area tomorrow.)

The city has it roots in the European age of exploration. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to land here, but it was the Dutch who formed the first permanent settlement. In 1652, the Dutch East India Company built a fort and a vegetable garden to provision and safeguard ships bound for the fabulously wealthy Spice Islands (remember Nutmeg being the treasure of the Moluccas). The location was magnificent, on well-watered, fertile soil, beneath the precipitous walls of Table Mountain. By 1700 the colony was well-formed and its strategic importance became apparent: the English East India Company described as "the Gibraltar of India." For about a century it was the target of the imperial powers until 1814 when the British laid permanent claim.

British occupation in the 19th century brought new parliamentary and judicial concepts and freedom for the slaves. And it led to the Dutch settlers' diaspora, the Great Trek, in which they moved across the Orange River to new lands and created the Boer republics of the Orange Free State and the Transvaal. Cape Town was the gateway to Europe's penetration of the South African interior, and close ties with continental Europe were maintained. The population surged following the inland discoveries of diamonds in 1870 and gold in 1886. The years after World War II were marked by increased urbanization and by enormous growth in both industry and population. By reclaiming land from Table Bay, the harbor and industrial sites were extended and modern buildings rose in the central business district. Handsome residential areas spread along the lower mountain slopes, and modern freeways were constructed.

During much of the 20th century there were no racial bars in Cape Town, and both whites and nonwhites could vote and hold office. In 1972 (when there were six nonwhite councilors) national legislation removed nonwhites from the electoral rolls over protests from the citizens. The municipality continued to oppose apartheid legislation and in 1985 formally reiterated its belief that all people, regardless of race, color, or creed, have the democratic right to participate fully in the affairs of the city and its council. A peaceful protest march of some 40,000 people in September 1989 helped to create the climate for similar demonstrations in other parts of South Africa, the subsequent release from prison of the African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela, and the end of the system of apartheid.

Given the history of racial polarization, Cape Town's ethnic makeup is interesting. More than half of the residents of the city and metropolitan area are "colored" (the former official term for people of mixed race), about one-fourth are white, about one-fifth are black, and the remainder are of Asian—primarily Indian—origin. In the metropolitan area Afrikaans is the first language of almost half the coloreds and whites. Almost one-quarter speak English as a first language, and another quarter are equally at home in both languages. Blacks are predominantly Xhosa-speaking.

Today Cape Town is a modern city with high-rise office buildings and pedestrian malls. Although it is a major political and economic center, its reputation still rests on its beautiful situation between mountain and sea, its cosmopolitan population, and the liberal outlook of many of its citizens.

Among the miracles of the century is the absence of racial genocide in today's South Africa. One must admire the leadership of the National Party's F.W. de Klerk and, most clearly, the ANC's Nelson Mandela in producing a peaceful transition to majority rule. While much lies ahead, the current regime looks far more democratic and far more capable of providing meaningful government than one might have expected ten years ago. One can only hope that the country follows along this path rather than dropping backward to the tempting politics of racial and tribal division. For South Africa, the extraordinarily promising future calls for courageous and visionary leadership.

Please note that these RTW Narratives are produced using materials from various sites, in print and on the web. They are intended for the private use of the RTW Buzz pilots and are not meant for public dissemination.

Day 2. We caught a taxi to the Waterfront and continued our browsing through the many shops. The sun was blazing and the top of Table Mountain was clear. This was going to be a red hot day. We booked a harbour cruise and set off in the sunshine. The highlight of the tour were the Cape fur seals, who basked in every nook and cranny of the harbour. Some reclined in old tyres on the harbour walls and made all the right moves for the inevitable photo shoot. Lisa was delighted with them as they wallowed in the water, lazily lifting a flipper into the air to catch the heat of the sun. The harbour area looked resplendent set against the back drop of Table Mountain.

Newlands Cricket: England v. South Africa

Newlands: England v. South Africa
Does anyone understand this game?

In the early afternoon we joined the transfer coach to the cricket match at Newlands. It was the one day match England V. South Africa. The match started at 2.30 p.m. and the coach driver was to pick us up at 10.30 p.m. The coached crawled through the cricket traffic and gave us another chance to sample the more exclusive suburbs of Cape Town. Beautiful houses lined the route and their colourful gardens were filled with an abundance of flowers. My thoughts returned to the people in the shacks and their miserable existence. I was beginning to see what this apartheid thing had all been about. Newlands cricket ground was exceptionally picturesque. The towering stands were fast filling with supporters. Soon the England cricket team came onto the pitch to a loud cheer, but the South African batsmen received the greatest support. It was a funny old thing this cricket, long periods of little happening then suddenly a batsman was bowled out or hit a six and the crowd cheered in excitement. It took sometime to learn not to look away from the match. Lisa missed three batsmen being dismissed by idly glancing away for a second. In between the overs, music extracts from pop songs were played, much to the annoyance of some of the more staid cricket fans. As the day wore on, a very good feeling came over me. There was something special about travelling all this way to such an exquisite place and watching my home country play. I really wanted them to win so much. At the break we met up with more of the people who had come on our cricketing tour. The company running the tour was called Sport Abroad and most had come out to South Africa earlier than us to see the fifth test and go on safari at the Kruger National Park.

When play resumed, the tension had increased by a considerable degree. No signs of an empty seat anywhere; later on it was announced the crowd was over 20,000. The barmy army were chanting louder and bawdier songs. The South African supporters on our stand were increasingly vocal, especially when a hapless English batman was dismissed. A tumultuous Mexican wave surged around the stadium. Each time it circulated, more items were thrown into the air and the cheering became louder and louder. Copious amounts of beer were being consumed. Castle lager was the local brew at just under six Rand a pint. As night fell, the night sky looked so black against the blazing floodlights. England soldiered on, the cheering got louder and more ecstatic. Now the reserved hand clap was no longer enough. Soon I was jumping to my feet and cheering for England. The match was going to be very close. The overs were all but finished and the old English grit was coming through. England were going for it. I yelled ‘ENGLAND’ as loud as I could - the guys in the seats in front reeled forward. Then Reid hit a six at the eleventh hour; England might make it yet. I jumped to my feet throwing my arms as high as I could in the air, cheering again and again. If this is cricket -wow it’s great! Then just as it looked like we might win, it was all over - England had lost by one run. The whole of the crowd were on their feet and I was shaking hands with South Africans congratulating them on their success. Lisa had enjoyed it just as much. This was our first experience of cricket and something quite special. We walked back to the coach discussing what might have been. On boarding the coach a group of Sport Abroad fans said, ‘We saw you!’ and for a moment I thought maybe I had gone a bit over the top. But hey, so what, this is cricket South African style and I like it.

Day 3. We were up bright and early and ready to tackle Table Mountain. Before we left the Hotel I contacted Springbok Atlas, our local tour guides, and booked a Winelands Tour for the afternoon. The Hotel mini bus journey to the mountain’s cable car went through a part of Cape Town that was new to us. Here, colonial style wooden buildings filled the long straight streets. People stood in groups chatting whilst goods burgeoned onto the pavements from dilapidated shops. This area was predominately black. This was one of the notable features of Cape Town. Although the segregation had gone, areas still fell into the separate racial categories of black, coloured or white. The Waterfront shops and bars were mainly white, apart from the one hundred security personnel who worked there.

The mini bus soon drove into the suburbs and made its way up winding roads towards the cable car. We paid the one hundred Rand for our tickets and gazed upwards, following the line of the cable to the mountain summit. Wow this was going to be some ride. The cable car rotated 360 degrees throughout the climb to afford the tourists inside with the full panorama.

Once on the top the views were awesome. These type of views always seem slightly unreal to me. It's like looking down at a model and not the real thing at all. We set off to explore. The top seemed more undulating than I imagined and was covered in pockets of native plants and shrubs. Lisa was intrigued by Cape Starlings who looked so plain and black on the ground, but once in the air, displayed bright orange wing tips. We trekked towards Maclear's Beacon, which was lurking in the cloud. We watched the cloud spill over the edge, as foam runs over a glass of cold beer. It reached a certain point on its descent when it vaporised and disappeared. We turned back towards the cable car and at a viewpoint I requested a Japanese tourist, with the most camera gear around his neck, to take our photographs. As he lined up the photo we realised there was one of the cute little baby Rock Hyrax wandering around at our feet. We started to laugh and the Japanese tourist took this as the cue to snap our photos. More of the Rock Hyrax were all around and Lisa was delighted with them. We returned to the cable car and then taxied back to the Waterfront to grab a meal before going on the tour.

Our fellow Winelands tour compatriots were a dry old bunch. I made an effort to engage them in conversion to no avail. So, I took to half listening to the commentary provided by out guide Angelo and gazing out of the mini bus window into the surrounding countryside. We were on our way to a vineyard called Villiera to sample some of the wines they produced. The landscape seemed very flat, greener than I imagined it would be and in the far distance I could see mountains that reminded me of the Lake District back in England. We passed areas of rich cultivation, with nectarines and other such fruit almost ready for picking. Large Eucalyptus trees gathered together in clumps and dominated the environment. Our guide was quick to tell us they were not indigenous and efforts were being made to clear them from populated areas due their combustible nature. The wine at Villiera was excellent and we purchased a bottle of Chenin Blanc at just over fourteen Rand a bottle.

We then drove onto Stellenbosch, which was a wealthy town with pretty Dutch architecture. I liked Stellenbosch. Its central streets had an air of elegant dignity that was complimented by the white buildings and baking sunshine. The next stop was Spears and the guide promised us that they had cheetahs in captivity which we would meet. Spears was a well oiled wine tour machine. We were all ushered into a room, with other tourists. We had 7 wine glasses each filled with a small quantity of various wines. Next to them was a dry biscuit; to clear the palate after tasting the white wine. The guide then gave us a treatise on each wine. As people tasted each wine the noise level increased more and more, even the people on our tour were becoming more chatty and friendly. I suggested more and more ridiculous descriptions of each wine and invited others to agree. They did - this was becoming fun. Soon we left the wine tasting, purchased a bottle of Cabernat Sauvignon, and headed off to see the Cheetahs. It was now late in the afternoon and the Cheetahs were all done in. A day of stroking by endless streams of tourist had finished them. This was the best bit of the tour for Lisa.

Soon we were of again heading back to the hotel. On the way, I witnessed from the motorway, a fire in the middle of the shacks we had seen on the first day. People were running around and standing on some of the roofs watching the huge flames. A great drama was unfolding as we sped by and I thought once again about the poor people who lived there.

In the evening we were whisked off to Maclear beach, along with several coachloads of Sport Abroad holidaymakers, to the special evening cricket reception. We watched the sun go down behind Table mountain and listened to the Atlantic waves lapping on a beautiful beach. The effect was hypnotic. Lisa spent a long time talking to the aunties and I chatted with some of the other cricket fans and heard about their trip to the Kruger National Park. It was free drinks and buffet, followed by an in depth analysis of England's cricket performance led by John Edrich and Clive Rice. I listened intently for some time until the questions became more in depth. I was lost in a plethora of spin bowling technique descriptions. I joined Lisa outside and we wandered down to the beach looking back at the regular beams of light thrown by the nearby lighthouse out to sea. This was one hell of a holiday.

Day 5. Saturday was our last full day in Cape Town. The holiday was fast reaching its conclusion. The best, however, had been saved until last; this was the day of the Cape Point tour. The itinerary had been changed slightly due to huge fires that had raged the week before. The temperatures had gone above forty degrees and fierce winds had whipped up brush fires, ravaging large parts of the Cape. The fires had made the national news back in England. Chapman’s drive was closed - one of the great scenic coastal drives in the world. We set off early and headed along the beautiful coastline. We passed many glorious beaches and exclusive luxury homes. In some ways it reminded me of the best of Devon’s coastline. Cosy houses perched on sweeping cliffs; their gardens filled with a mass of colourful flowers. There were stunning views of relentless Atlantic breakers pounding endless sandy beaches.

On the way to Hout Bay we passed groups of people sitting on the edge of the pavements with their feet sprawled out into the roads. I couldn’t make out whether they were waiting for transport or just idly chatting. I waved and they beamed huge smiles and waved back enthusiastically. We arrived at the bay and were given time to peruse the local craft sellers before boarding the boat to visit the seal colony on Duiker Island. We spent time looking at the crafts and I enjoyed haggling to get the best price. The quality of the craft items was excellent and we purchased several malachite necklaces that would have been very expensive at home. I snapped a photo of one of the stall holders. The sea was very choppy and we had to hang on tight while the boat lurched this way and that. The Island was covered in a huge seal colony and the smell was unbelievable. There were hundreds of Cape fur seals covering the rocky island and many more wallowed in the turbulent waters. On the return we watched dolphins leaping from the water in the bay. This was the icing on the cake for Lisa, who has always longed to see dolphins in the wild.

We then detoured inland, avoiding Chapman’s Drive, on the way to Cape Point. Vast areas were burnt out and here and there the fires had stopped feet from houses. Some property had been lost or severely damaged. At Cape Point we turned down the offer of the tramway to the summit and walked with Nick, the Sport Abroad representative. In the distance we could see the tip of Africa and the Indian Ocean. The sun blazed down. It was like the best of summer days back home. From the Point we returned along the coast road and stopped at a local restaurant which afforded magnificent views along the coast. After an excellent local caught fish lunch we continued our journey. The next stop was to visit the penguin colony at Boulders. The jackass penguins occupied an attractive cove. Some were on nests incubating their young, others rolled in on the breaking surf returning from a fishing expedition, most just lazed around on the beach taking virtually no notice of the invading tourists. Somehow I have always thought of penguins living in cooler climates; here they basked in the heat of the mid afternoon summer sun.

We now returned to Cape Town, passing through some beautiful towns including Fish Hoek and Simon’s Town. On the way out of Fish Hoek we were provided with a panoramic view along the coast and the beaches looked so deserted and welcoming. The tour guide kept describing sights as awesome, so Lisa, Nick and myself had a little competition to think up some new, but similar meaning words beginning with ‘A’. We decided upon amazing, astounding, astonishing, appreciable and when we had all but run out of ideas Nick came up with applaudable. Was that in the dictionary? We then had a joke with the tour guide that we were going to teach him some new ‘A’ words. He took it in good spirits and we all had a laugh together as the tour came to a close.