Storms River to Cape Town.

            

Storms River Mouth

From Addo we went down the coast to The Tstitskamma National Park. This is one of South Africa’s premium National Parks as your campsite is right on the ocean affording some really spectacular sunsets. We did the walk to the river’s mouth and a great view of the suspension bridge over the Storms River. While we were there a river dolphin swam under the bridge giving us a real nice memory.

Like a rock.

Our campsite was visited by a family of Rock Hyrax or as they are called in Afrikaans Dassies. When one of the young ones climbed on our front wheel we imagined all sorts of advertising slogans like: ”Even a Rock Hyrax knows that a Chevy is Built like a Rock!” or “The Rock Hyrax approves of Rickson wheels as they are Rock-Solid!” but that seemed too silly.

Bushbuck

In the morning we were surprised by a Bushbuck exploring around our site. We later found out that they are really very shy and we were lucky to have seen it.

We also paid a visit to the Big Tree which in Afrikaans is Die Groot Boom which definitely has a nice ring to it.

Start of Baviaanskloof. Little did we know.

We then went inland to Baviaanskloof Wilderness Area. This remote drive transverses 3 Hair Raising mountain passes on a very narrow (one car wide) dirt road. I really don’t know what we would have done if another car had been coming in the opposite direction while we were on the pass as there wasn’t any room for more than 1 car and no guard rail with a sheer drop-off to the bottom. What little hair I have left definitely stood up and why we don’t have any photo’s is anyone’s guess or was it because of Annie’s white knuckling it.

Farm workers house on Route 62

Street sellers in Oudtshoorn selling Ostrich feather dusters. 

On to Oudtshoorn via the scenic Route 62. Oudtshoorn is famous for its Ostrich Farms and The Cango Caves. We visited both and the Ostrich Farm was much more interesting than the caves which are really showing the abuse of years of over exposure to human contact. We were told by the guide that in its heyday the caves would have over 1,000 people in each group and there would be a group every hour from 9am to 4pm. Our group that day consisted of about 15 to 20 people. I can’t imagine a group of 1,000. The most memorable fact I took away from the Ostrich Farm was that an Ostrich is really stupid and that its brain is smaller than its eyeball….

Smaller than its eye-ball, really?

The boat

Back to the coast for a couple of days at the pleasant town of George and then further down the coast to Mossel Bay where we visited the Bartholomew Diaz museum where they house a replica of his ship which was rebuilt a couple of years back in Portugal and then they sailed his exact route to Mossel Bay and donated the boat to the museum.

Cape Agulhas

The Oceans meet

Then we continued further south to Cape Agulhas which is the Southernmost point of Africa and where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet. 

We feel so little.

There was an Overland Tour Truck there at the same time filled with young people from all over the world which was really cool. After an overnight at a campground right on the beach we went on to Gansbaai where most of the White Shark tour boats depart. It was fun to see them prepare the shark cage for the next trip and then we watched them load up with the tour takers and head out to the off shore seal islands where the Great Whites hang out. Not for me though!

Waves breaking at Klienmond.

A couple of nights in Klienmond and then around the mountain and the little town of Rooiels and we were on the north side of False Bay and across the bay was the fabulous city of Cape Town where we spent the next 3 or 4 weeks. 

Famous Table Mountain and Bush Baby