SOUTH AFRICA

Beauty with a Twist

The first thing that struck me about South Africa was how beautiful a country it is. The drive from the border took us through scenic hills and rich farmland. The country looks developed and efficient. But many a pretty face has hidden faults, as I recall from the years that I worked here on the platinum mines in the late 1980’s.

We drove about 60km to the town of Springbok where we stocked up with food and then pulled into the campsite for the night. We were only staying the one night as our plan was to work our way down the west coast to the Cape. I could tell by the quality of the campsite that we would, like in Namibia, not be disappointed as far as camp sites go in South Africa.

The following day we pushed on southwards towards Lamberts Bay that was recommended to us by Monica, a German lady we had met at the Zebrabar camp in Senegal. She had told us about the lovely sea food restaurant on the beach and we had remembered the passionate way she described it, so were determined to go there. We had around 300km or so to drive and it was a hot day. We reached the pretty lake side town of Clanwilliam where the connecting road to Lamberts Bay began. Some 10 minutes along the road the auto-transmission light on Proper Job’s dash board came on. We pulled over and oil was coming out of the dip-stick spout in the engine. After letting the system cool down we continued but it almost immediately over-heated again. This had never happened before so I decided to head back to Clanwilliam and investigate further. We went to the municipal camp site which is located right on the lake and had a look underneath Proper Job. We noticed a leak in the transfer box area and made a note so we could report it, along with a list of minor items, to Johan Meyer the owner of JB Auto in Parow just outside of Cape Town. Paul Marsh of Footloose 4x4 had recommended JB Auto to us as the place to have Proper Job checked over in preparation for the return journey to Cornwall up the east coast of Africa.

The following morning we left Clanwilliam and drove to Lamberts Bay which lay about 60km away. The campsite is right next to a clean white sandy beach which runs for kilometres around the bay. I later went for a long walk up the beach and was pleasantly surprised by the almost complete lack of rubbish and litter. This was very different to what we had seen on many beaches throughout our African trip. The following day was a Sunday and we drove a few kilometres along the coast to find the restaurant, which is called Muisbosskerm. We discovered it was only opened at lunch on the weekends as it was not yet summer. There were quite a few cars parked and we quickly decided to stay and try their famous sea food. The atmosphere was really good and I could now appreciate why Monica in Senegal was so enthusiastic. Firstly, at around midday a few fish starters were put on the buffet table. I got a nice bottle of South African sauvignon blanc and picked away. The staff was busy preparing the main courses of fish, which included smoked snook and kingclip, grilled tuna, kabeljou, runner and crayfish. Besides these there was seafood paella, cuts of pork, lamb and chicken. At around 1pm the paper plates are brought out and the feast began. The seafood was brilliant and you ate with bare hands or a large mussel shell that substituted for a spoon. It was one of the best meals I had eaten and I would highly recommend this place to others. We met some friendly South Africans and had a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon. That evening we relaxed in the camp site and enjoyed another stunning sunset.

The following morning we headed south along the coast and I was truly impressed with the stunning scenery of the Western Province. It is hard to compare countries, as all have something good about them, but this part of Africa is very nice indeed. We reached our destination of Langebaan by mid afternoon and pulled into the municipal camp site which is very close to the town centre. On the way we had only a minor leak out of the breather tubes, so hoped that the problem, whatever it was, would not become severe before we reached JB Auto. I went into town and found an internet cafe and was able to call home and catch up with emails and the world news. The gold price was still rising, so I am happy. That evening we went to the Driftwood restaurant on the sea front and enjoyed the fish of the day, Cape Salmon, and a glass of sauvignon blanc. In the harbour was a brilliantly lit ship which had an unusual shape to it. When I enquired, I was told it was a diamond dredging ship that was in for repairs. These De Beers owned ships dredge the sea bottom for the diamonds that are washed down the Orange River from the Kimberly region.

The following day was overcast and we decided to drive to the Western Cape Reserve which lay about 20km away out on a peninsular. Again the scenery was excellent and varied from lakes, to lagoons to rocky headland. We saw quite a lot of wild life, including some beautiful birds and wild flowers. It was a pity the weather was not better as it would have been even more spectacular than it was. That evening we decided to eat out again as the weather was not that good. This time we headed to Pearly’s as it was Pizza special night. The last time we had a good pizza was in Abuja, Nigeria, so it was long overdue. The pizza was great and with served with an assortment of sauces ranging from mild to mega hot. Langebaan is an attractive coastal town and a great place to visit. It also, importantly for me, has that small town feel to it.

Today is Wednesday and it was time to leave the west coast and head towards the Cape area as I had booked Proper Job into JB Auto on Thursday. I had decided not to stay in Cape Town itself, and opted instead for Stellenbosch, the renowned wine region. It’s actually an easy choice to make........big bustling coastal city versus beautiful vineyard countryside with mountains and great wines. Didn’t take me long to choose. We arrived in Stellenbosch and sought out a lodge near to town. The very helpful chap at the info centre recommended the Yellow Lodge so we booked in for a few days. I headed into town and hired a car which we would use for the days Proper Job was being checked over. We looked around the town which is very Afrikaans. I immediately liked Stellenbosch with its neat architecture and boutique restaurants. This has to be one of the best university locales in the world, period. The area is stunning and must rank alongside some of the nicest places in the world, and I am not over exaggerating. Neither am I being biased by the multitude of great red wines, which are also cheap compared to Europe, Australia and the USA.

The following morning we delivered Proper Job to JB Auto in Parow which is approximately 25km away. I met Johan and chatted with him about the things I thought needed checking over and went through a ‘half-way’ check list that Paul Marsh had given me. Initially I was unsure how JB Auto would stack up, but after a few minutes with the no nonsense calmly speaking Johan I had no doubts that Proper Job was in really good hands. Johan very quickly noticed a few other things that needed looking at, and diagnosed the leak underneath as coming from the front seal of the transfer box. He estimated the work should be finished on Tuesday. Not bad going as today was Thursday.

The next couple of days we hung around Stellenbosch and visited a few vineyards. I spoke to my old English boss Paul Brogan, whom I was soon visiting in northern Natal, and found his favourite red wine was from this area. A great excuse to visit the Alto Vineyard and pick up a crate of Alto Rouge for him. After all, it is the least I could do for someone who facilitated a key career break for me by getting me a secondment from the Bafokeng Platinum Mine in North Western Transvaal to head office in Johannesburg. That move opened my eyes to what the mining world had to offer, and showed me that it did not only consist of going underground and producing tonnage every day. From Johannesburg, I went back to the UK to study further and that route took me eventually to Canada via a spell in the London stock market. The rest is history, as the saying goes. Paul may not think that the move to Johannesburg was a key step but it was to me. Actually, on I recall Paul as being confidently arrogant, in a good way, so he may well take credit for it once we have chatted about it over a few glasses of Alto Rouge in a few weeks time.

On Saturday, as the forecast was good, we decided to climb up Table Mountain. We took our Garmin GPS to find the way and on arrival donned our hiking boots and packed the GPS in the boot of the hire car. The walk took about two hours and is a decent hike. From the top, the views of Cape Town and particularly the coast heading towards Cape Point is very spectacular. I looked out towards Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years under the apartheid system and reflected on a super star human being. In my book he is by far the best leader any country has had in the last 100 years or so. We ate lunch in the restaurant and took the cable car back to the bottom. When we reached the car we opened the boot and took our boots off. Something was wrong and I suddenly realised that t he GPS was gone. Someone, probably in cahoots with the so called car park attendant, had broken in whilst we were climbing the mountain. This was a real blow and I knew that my plans for the return journey through the east coast of Africa had been severely impacted. My GPS is the Garmin 276c model which is highly sought after by over-landers. Unfortunately It is no longer made. It would not be that easy to get another one and I will not even contemplate leaving South Africa without a tested replacement. The police turned up and I gave a lengthy statement. This unfortunate incident bleakly reminded me of the problems that South Africa has with crime and this was the main reason why I left in the late 1990’s. South Africa; a country with an entrenched social problem hidden beneath its beauty........Beauty with a Twist. Later that evening I did a search for replacements and noticed a few available through Amazon. I could get one but it would take time.

That evening I went to a neat Lebanese restaurant in Stellenbosch called Matousch. The owner Jean is a larger than life character and a very talented chef. I sat at the bar and ate a gorgeous chicken dish washed down with a couple of glasses of red wine. This restaurant is highly rated in the Cape area and is a fun place to be.

The following morning I headed down to the Tracks4Africa office just outside of Stellenbosch to get my free updated version downloaded. I me t he owner and pointed out a few of the roads we had been on (in particular, the Mokwa/Bida route in Nigeria and the logging road from northern Congo to Pointe Noire) that should be noted as being in very poor condition. He gave me some names of GPS dealers in South Africa which I later followed up with. Unfortunately none of them could help me with a Garmin 276c replacement.

As the weather was good, that afternoon we headed down to Cape of Good Hope via Simons Town. The drive is very pleasant and we did all the normal tourist things along the way. On the way back to Stellenbosch we drove through the gorgeous town of Constantia on the eastern side of the mountains. This place is mega bucks and the Dutch style mansions alone are worth looking at.

The following day I called Johan and was pleasantly surprised to learn that Proper Job would be ready to pick up at 2pm. I was really impressed that he had finished the work in his estimated time frame. He told me that the oil leak had been easily fixed and all was done except he could not get a replacement parking light glass, which he had now ordered from Japan. In the afternoon we drove to Parow and went over the work completed and found it had been professionally done by JB Auto. The price of parts and labour is a lot cheaper than in the UK and felt I had got my money’s worth. Included in this were four new tyres, a new prop shaft, new window screen, full C Service, spare filters for the return journey, and a number of other items.
We thanked Johan for his good work and during the ensuing conversation he mentioned that he stores vehicles for people who live in Europe. Certainly this was an option for Proper Job and would enable me to go back to Cornwall for Christmas to see family and friends, get new passports, replace my Garmin GPS, figure out the way around the Ethiopia visa issue and plan the return trip up the east coast.

We drove back to Stellenbosch and returned the hire car. It was great to have Proper Job back again and we could now resume our journey along the coast of South Africa. Later that evening I went back to Matousch for a final meal and bade farewell to the staff.

We planned to do a Great White shark cage dive and the place to do this is Gaansbaai just a few kilometres east of Hermanus. The following morning we left Stellenbosch, somewhat reluctantly, and drove southwards to Somerset West and took the coastal road eastwards. The road hugs the coastline and winds through spectacular mountains and villages around False Bay. Later in the afternoon we arrived at Hermanus and enquired further about shark diving and nearby camp sites. Gaansbaai is about a 30 minute drive from Hermanus so we decided to head there and stay at the sea front camp site. The shark dives start in the mornings so we wanted to be as close as possible to the departure zone. When we arrived at Gaansbaai I called the Great White Shark Tours which is owned by local legend Brian Mcfarlane. He has an interesting career which includes diving for diamonds, shipwreck treasure hunting and big game shark fishing. He has personally caught over 30 great whites before becoming a shark conservationist. We were told that the diving is very much weather dependent and that the following morning was the best day as the weekend was going to have huge swells. We booked in for the following morning and returned to camp. The shark diving takes place around Dyer Island in the winter where the Great Whites hang out, and then the Reef in the spring and summer as the Great Whites leave Dyer Island for some reason.

We had dinner in a local restaurant and went to bed early as it was fairly cold and blustery. We then had our second taste of South African crime. At around 3am I was awaken by the sound of Velcro being slowly opened on the back door of our roof tent. Initially I thought it was Sam getting back into the tent but when I glanced over saw he was already inside. I looked out and saw an African person below the tent door and he took off at high speed as I shouted, whipped up the zip and opened the door flap. He fled out of the camp site and I checked that nothing had been stolen. Thankfully everything was there. Obviously the thief had tried all the doors to no avail, and then tried to pick out the car keys or other valuables from inside the tent. I looked for the guard but he was nowhere to be seen. As I reflected on the situation, I realised that we had actually chosen a poor spot to camp. The camp site was really not secure and if you camp in such a place make sure you are in the best light and as near to the other campers as possible. Also make sure the entrance to the tent is not obscured and don’t have the tent entrance near bushes. Of course there are reasons why you don’t sometimes do this, for instance shielding from the winds and keeping out of the light so that one can sleep better. We learnt a lesson that night.

The following morning I reported the incident to the guards and the manager and then headed to the small port at Kleinbaai where the shark diving boats depart. Upon arrival we enjoyed a nice breakfast and at 10am boarded the boat. Brian Mcfarlane had decided that we should go to t he reef as boats that had gone to Dyer Island had not seen any sharks. He warned that the reef would be rough and we may have to cut the trip short. It took about 20 minutes to get to the reef, which supposedly has the highest concentration of Great Whites in the world. When we arrived another boat was abandoning the reef because of the swells. Brian drove into his chum line where fish oils had been spilled into the sea and added more. We anchored and waited. After 15 minutes the first Great White appeared from nowhere, slowly working its way up the slick line. Soon others arrived and Brian skilfully got them to come to the surface and grab a decoy in the shape of a seal. It was awesome to see these fabulous creatures in the sea and gape in admiration at their sheer power, prowess and agility. I wished I had brought my big camera and video along. Suddenly a huge 4 metre shark appeared and the cage was swung to the side and the first divers donned their wetsuits and got in. Another shark grabbed the decoy seal whilst Brian wasn’t looking and ripped it from the rope. Brian was like a kid with a toy and was ecstatic that there were no other boats around as we would get all the sharks.

We soon had our turn and plunged into the cold water. The deck hands threw out tuna heads on lines to attract the sharks towards the cage and as they approached shouted instructions to submerge. It is surprisingly difficult to see these monsters when you are at sea level. Underwater you enter a different world.... the world of a creature absolutely at the top of the food chain. The sea was rough which added to the dramatic impact as these big sharks came towards the cage, turning to one side and staring with those big dark fathomless eyes at you through the bars. Every now and again one would come up to the cage and chew the bars just inches from the hand rail. Even though you knew it could not get in you instinctively move quickly to the back of the cage and away from those savage rows of teeth. Looking into those fearsome jaws from a foot away is a feeling that one can’t easily describe. It is surreal and strangely almost not frightening because your adrenalin is pumping. Trying to take pictures underwater whilst all this is going on is really hard and I prayed we would at least come away with one good picture. After two hours and fifteen Great Whites later, Brian called it a day as the swells had built up considerably. We pulled up the anchor and headed back to dock. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and got even better when on arrival Brian generously offered everyone another free trip because of the rough sea. He then jumped in his 4x4 to scour the beach near the reef to try and find his favourite seal decoy that had been ripped from the line. I can only imagine at how good it would be in a calm blue water setting.

We headed back to the camp at Gaansbaai and decided not to stay another night because of the poor security. At 3pm we departed and headed eastwards towards the historic town of Swellendam, which lay inland. At around 5pm we reached Swellendam which is a pretty town nestled beneath a mountain range. The municipal camp site is well protected amongst trees and far enough away from the town itself. We settled in for the night and had a peaceful night reflecting on sharks and robbers. The following day we departed at around 11am and went into town to stock up on food as a long holiday weekend was approaching. We picked up some big T Bone steaks and boerewors from SuperSpar and then headed toward Mosselbaai. When we arrived at the Mosselbaai we found there was a major drought and many of the camp sites were closed. The Point Camp site was open, but didn’t have braai facilities (strange for a place which is very popular with Afrikaans holiday makers) or three pin plugs. There was also not much protection from the sea winds so I made a quick decision to push on eastwards. We checked out three other camp sites on the way, knowing that there was a great riverside camp site at Grootbraks River which is only 25km from Mosselbaai.

We arrived at Grootbraks River and immediately liked the camp site which is very well kept. We found a nice spot on the river next to a group from the South African Campers Club (SACC). That evening I chatted with some of the campers from SACC, and in particular found our neighbours Brian and Elain great company. The following morning we noticed a market in full swing and went to investigate. The market is held the last Saturday of each month and is full of great produce. I tried a local framers boerewors and immediately regretted buying meat the previous day from SuperSpar. I bought some from him and then some kudu kebabs from another farmer. I really like these farmers markets and the friendly atmosphere generated. We spent the afternoon lazing around the camp site and I tried to catch up on my blog. That evening I barbequed the T bone steaks and they were superb, washed down with a couple of glasses of red wine of course. I spent a few fun hours chatting with neighbours and then called it a night.

The following day was a Sunday and most campers packed up and left as the long weekend was over. We bade farewell to Brian and Elaine and I decided that, as nice as this place was, we should head 100km to Knysna so I could get to an internet cafe the following day to resume my search for a replacement GPS. We were now on the Garden Route which is known for its beautiful scenery. True to its reputation the drive was very nice and I wondered why there was a drought warning in place with all this wonderful greenery around. At around 2pm we made it to Monk Campsite, which is the closest one to the town of Knysna. It is a nice campsite and well maintained and it takes about 30 minutes to walk to town. We watched Bolton versus Man Utd at a local sports bar and later caught up on more admin stuff.

We were not having the best weather on the coast so we decided to keep moving up the Garden Route towards Natal. The following day we went drove to Plettenberg Bay, which is a resort and home for wealthy South Africans. We had been told of a nice camp site called Pleasure Resort which is located on the Keurboom river just outside of town. The camp site is very well maintained and set right along the coastal forest. That day Sam again went down with flu like symptoms which was the third time he had these in the past week. I did some reading on malaria and the symptoms had some similarities so I decided he should take a course of Malerone, just in case. Whilst he rested I went into Plettenberg and saw a nurse and then spoke with a doctor who suggested a blood test as he suspected Malaria.

The following morning Sam had the test and a few hours later was confirmed as having a mild form of Malaria. I bought the prescription tablets Covartin and we headed back to camp. The tablets are taken over a three day period and a couple of days later Sam was back to normal. I could not help reflecting on what the doctor said “……he should have covered himself up better” and remembered the many warnings of advice I had given that Sam had ignored. It had now come back to haunt him, and also impacted the journey. You have to treat Africa with respect.
We continued our journey along the coast and stayed for a couple of days at the world famous surfing village of Jeffreys Bay. The camp site is an easy walk from the town and even though it was not summer season, there was a fair bit going on. We met some friendly South African in the camp site and I enjoyed the ensuing conversation on where South Africa had come from historically and where it was, in their opinion, heading. Actually it is quite refreshing to hear Afrikaners’ speaking in such a positive ‘one and all’ perspective. This certainly would not have been the case when I was working here in the 1980’s. At that time it was dangerous to speak liberal politics. During the mornings I watched schools of dolphins patrolling up and down the surf. They frequently surfed in numbers on the waves, which was awesome to see.

During my stay at Jeffreys Bay I managed to find a replacement GPS for sale on Amazon. The owner, Rich Cower, is based in America and I connected with him via Skype to find out more on the condition and explain the general predicament I was in having had mine stolen. Rich seemed like a genuine guy and was well impressed with my blog site photos. He was later flagged by Amazon for giving out his email address and they pulled the GPS from their site. This made things slightly more complicated but we still managed to complete the sale using PayPal. Thanks Rich for your professional approach and for shipping it back to the UK for me. I look forward to getting the Garmin 276c GPS in my hands when I am back in Cornwall this Christmas. Some days ago I had decided that a few weeks in Cornwall would be just the ticket and am salivating at the thought of a good Cornish pasty and a pint of Proper Job ale.

After a couple of days we moved on again to Port Alfred which lay about 200km away. The weather continued to be dull and overcast which was ironic as we were on the ‘Sunshine Coast’. We stayed at the beautifully manicured Mandoline camp site which is probably the best kept camping place we have stayed at. It is set in a wooded area and has an attractive lake. That evening the rain stayed away long enough for me to braai some Ostrich steaks, which were super...and low in cholesterol. The beach and residential areas of Port Alfred are attractive but the town itself is a bit shabby. After a couple of nights we decided to move on again, and headed towards the coastal town of Chintsa, just past East London. I had read in the Lonely Planet of a great camp site there called Buccaneers, described as the best in South Africa. A couple of hours later we reached Buccaneers and immediately liked it. In some ways it was a bit like Ngepi camp in Caprivi, Namibia. It was funky and laid back and a popular stop over for travellers. The view from the bar over the bay is super and the camp site is in a sheltered area abutting the forest. We saw many nice species of birds, including the amazing African Paradise Flycatcher, which unfortunately I could not get a good picture of. During the night it again rained and the following morning it seemed it was in for the day. At 11am it brightened up enough for the tent and awning to dry, so we packed up and continued our journey along the coast. It would have been great to have stayed longer here, but we had heard many stories in the bar the night before of great camp spots that lay ahead. Shortly after we packed up the rain came down again.
We headed for about an hour to Morgans Bay and the Yellow Wood camp site. Again this is set amongst the coastal forest and is a very pleasant place to stay. We barbequed our remaining Kudu steaks that evening and were fortunate the weather stayed dry. Yellow Wood has been one of my favourite camp sites in South Africa, and certainly a place I will return to if I come back down this coastline.

I had arranged to arrive at Paul Brogan’s mountain retreat on the weekend so we needed to keep moving as we had many hundreds of kilometres to go before we reached the Drakensberg mountains in northern Natal. We left the following morning for the Wilderness coast which was formerly known as the Transkei. Our intended destination was Coffee Bay, but we had heard mixed things about it so decided instead to stay at a nearby backpackers called Umgombi. The countryside was fairly barren rolling hills and the winds were very strong. Along the way there were many scattered villages all built on the top of hills. I wondered why they did this when the winds here were so fierce. After some hours we reached Umgombi via a rough dirt track. The coastline is rugged and, with the wind and sea mist, reminded me somewhat of Cornwall. The backpacker is a community run operation and is built on ground provided by the church. The night was going to be a rocky one as the wind did not seem to abate and I was told that it is only very rarely that they get such fierce winds for days on end. The staff had a big staff braai that night and we met some interesting people, who gave us some advice on which route to take and where to stay at in Natal. The rain on ce again returned to haunt us and we didn’t get much sleep that night. The following morning was much clearer and we went down to the beach for a look around. I can imagine that in fine weather this would be a great place and there are some superb hikes in the vicinity. They also get the famous ‘Sardine Run’ here and the locals recalled how they would scoop out buckets of this tasty fish from the surf. I decided that we would take the scenic inland route through southern Natal and miss the touristy south coast resorts. This meant leaving the motorway at Kokstad and heading up into the Underberg region along a secondary road. The distance involved was about 400km in total and 150km once we left Kokstad. The drive into the Underberg region was exceptionally scenic and is well worth doing. Along the way saw an amazing bird called a Widow which had such a large wispy tail it seemed almost unable to fly. We arrived in Underberg at around 5pm and went to Khopti Horse Trails backpackers, where we camped for the night. . There was no wind here so at least we would get a good night sleep. During the night a thunderstorm developed and gave Proper Job a good wash. This area is extremely beautiful and peaceful. It is probably the most attractive scenery we have seen in South Africa and I really liked it here. It is the type of place I could easily have ended up living. It is also very safe, except for the horse thieves who come frequently through the mountains from Lesotho. The owner Steve has had many horses stolen but has managed to get most of them back. He runs in 80km races over two days (yes that is back to back marathons) so maybe it’s not surprising he finds them.

The following morning we moved on again and drove towards Howick and the N3 motorway. Again the drive was through stunning scenery and very enjoyable. I had arranged to arrive at Paul and Ricky’s retreat called IKhayalamafu (house in the hills in Zulu) in the early afternoon, and we made it on time. They live about 20 minutes outside of Winterton and their home is located in the Monks Cowl reserve within the Drakensberg World Heritage area. I immediately recognised Paul on reaching the entrance to the Monks Cowl reserve where he was awaiting our arrival. Apart from his greying hair, he seemed pretty much the same as I remembered from Johannesburg. We drove another few kilometres up a winding track to the foothills of the mountains and eventually reached the house where we were greeted by Paul’s wife Ricky and their two large Rottweiler’s called Frodo and Tessa. Frodo has actually killed two large baboons so no messing with him. The property is a gorgeous place and pretty close to my definition of paradise.

That evening Paul prepared a nice braai and we got through a couple of bottles of the wine I had brought for them. Paul still has the same sense of humour and hasn’t lost that confident arrogance that I always liked in him. It was great catching up with them again and reminiscing about the past. I must admit I was slightly shocked when Paul revealed that they are selling up, buying a yacht and circumnavigating the globe. Wow that is really the ultimate trip.
The following day we drove to Spienkop Dam looking for the battle ground where the Kop end of Liverpool FC ground was named. When we returned we realised we had not gone the right way so had missed the battle fields. We would have to visit the area again when we left the Brogan’s place in a couple of days on our way to the Zulu battlefields. During the afternoon we went to a local bar and watched Natal Sharks play Western Province in the Currie Cup. The Sharks were whipped.

The following day was fine weather and we went to a Bird of Prey display in the valley. The show had not run all week because of the conditions. It was thoroughly enjoyable and great to get so close to these graceful birds. Later that afternoon Paul donned his park ranger gear and took us on a long walk through his 95 hectare property. Along the way he pointed out the various tree and plant species and showed us the spot he seen leopard tracks. The view from the high mountains was dramatic and the day was hot and sunny. I enjoy Paul’s company and, being very well read, he is knowledgeable and hence a great conversationalist. It would be great fun to meet them somewhere on their mega global sailing trip. That evening we enjoyed another braai with more nice wine and conversation.

The following morning it was time to move on again, this time towards the battle grounds of the Zulu empire. We said our farewells to Paul and Ricky and made tentative plans to meet up somewhere on their mega journey around the world. We drove for 150km to Dundee and stopped at the site that Winston Churchill was captured during the Boer war. The weather was hot and accompanied by strong warm winds. We drove through areas that had been burnt black by bush fires and some were still blazing. We found a farm selling game meat so bought three different types, Kudu, Warthog and Blesbok. We reached Dundee and found the camp site called Kwerei. It is pleasantly set around a lake and is well maintained. I arranged to go on a guided tour to the famous battle grounds of Rorke’s Drift and Islandwana. There was only availability in two days time, which meant a lazy day around the campsite the following day. No worries though as such days are a good time to catch up on admin stuff. That evening we made a braai and cooked the Warthog. It didn’t turn out to be our favourite game meat.

The weather the following morning was grey and overcast as we made our way to Islandwana and Rorke’s Drift. As we drove through Zululand I wondered what it must have been like here in the days of Shaka and the other great Zulu leaders. When we arrived at Islandwana we were given a general view of the key landmarks and lines of attack from the overlooking hills. It was difficult to imagine 20,000 Zulu warriors storming through this valley in the classic ‘horn’ formation towards the British forces encamped on and around the hill of Islandwana. We visited the museum and then walked around the battle field and the guide explained the sequence of events that led to the defeat of the British by an army mainly armed with shields and spears. Recent research and the release of reports and information by the British War Office has slowly started to reveal important documentation on the events, which would have at the time been embarrassing to important families in the British hierarchy at the time. Clearly there was a fair amount of cover ups and false information that has been embedded in the history books. Reality, often turns out to be somewhat different. As was explained to us, there were basic errors made by a clearly arrogant General Chelmsford and some of his officers. These, combined with some clever moves by the Zulu leaders, led to Britain’s largest defeat ever by a ‘native’ armed force. Recent research has shown that without these basic errors by the British officers, the Zulu army would have had only a 20% chance of winning.

Rorke’s Drift is about 10km away from Islandwana and again there is some controversy as to why the Zulu’s attacked this small outpost at all. Some say it is because the 4000 men in the Zulu army that were held back as reserves in the Islandwana battle wanted to ‘wash their spears in blood’ whilst others say it was because it was believed the cattle herd there were stolen from the Zulus. The buildings and depictions of the events is very well explained and depicted at Rorke’s Drift. Here the events in the history books appear to be quite accurate and after such a loss at Islandwana I am sure the British were determined to report this victory in the most glowing light. Whatever the case, facing down 4000 Zulu’s from within this small outpost must have been truly frightening. It is maybe no wonder that many of the survivors ended up with real issues afterwards (known today as Post Traumatic Stress) and many committed suicide in later years. Both these battle fields are well worth visiting. Now I must go and watch those films again!!

The following day we headed northwards again towards Nelspruit to briefly meet my friends John and Karen Barker. I have known John for many years and first met him on a mining analyst trip to Zimbabwe in the early 1990’s. Over the years we have kept in touch and I flew to South Africa last year for their wedding, enroute to my trek to see the Gorillas in Rwanda and Uganda with my younger sister Sara. John and Karen have just had a baby boy so we went to see 3 week old Thomas before stocking up with Eland steaks and boerewors from their local butcher and driving into the Kruger National Park. Out plan was to stay in the Kruger for four days and then return to Nelspruit for a couple of days to catch up with John and Karen again.

We drove through Numbi Gat to our first camp called Pretoriuskop. The camp site was quite full and I was glad John had pre-booked our stay in the various camps. We soon got chatting to our neighbouring campers and found out the better routes to travel along. The following morning we headed out for a game drive and saw many animals, but none of the big cats. Of course they are never easy to find and I knew from past experience that a lot of patience was needed. That evening we made a braai and cooked Blesbok, which was very tasty. The weather was quite cool that evening and it looked at one point as if we may have a thunder storm coming our way from the south. Luckily it didn’t arrive and we had a peaceful nights rest.

The following day we went on a number of drives and covered most of the routes around Pretoriuskop. We again saw a lot of animals, including the very rare Sable antelope. In the afternoon we saw a huge herd of buffalo and had a herd of elephants walk across our path surrounding Proper Job on all sides. Again we did not see any of the big cats although others at the camp had seen them in the area. One person told us he had seen the Big Five in half an hour from 5pm the previous evening. Game viewing is pot luck and you need to be in the right place at the right time.

The following day we left Pretoriuskop and drove a few hours to the Lower Sabie camp situated on the Sabie River. We were booked into this popular camp for one night only, but fortunately managed to extend our stay for an extra day due to a late cancellation. The Sabie River area is loaded with game. This part of the park is much hotter than the southern end and the temperature was well over 35 degrees. That evening we cooked Eland fillet steaks which were really good and rank up there with Oryx and Kudu. That evening was quiet and I did not hear any roars from the big cats.

The following morning we headed out and patrolled the river and explored other tracks in the area. We ambled back along the river road at around 11am towards camp as the temperature was soaring. We crossed a bridge over a dry river and a car coming in the other direction suddenly braked and excitedly pointed into the ravine. By the time we turned around another four cars had stopped and people jumped out of their cars, which of course is highly illegal in a game park. We also alighted from Proper Job and arrived to see a gorgeous male leopard moving out of the ravine and into the bush. It had clearly had enough of all the people. I realised I did not even have my camera so went back to Proper Job. Out of curiosity I got out my binoculars and scanned deep into the bushes in the direction that I guessed the leopard may have gone. As I peered into the bush the leopard stuck its head up over a side of a donga and peered straight at me. By now the bridge had cleared and most of the other cars had driven on. I wondered why and looking around noticed a park ranger truck had appeared. That is why everyone except me and Sam had jumped back into their cars and scarpered. The rangers told us to get back in so we did and drove down the road to turn around. Coming back the same way a car started to reverse and waved at us to slow down at the spot we had originally been parked when the rangers appeared. We stopped and saw the male leopard coming out of the bush, crossing the road a few metres away from us. We were really pleased with this fortune and headed back to camp for lunch.

After lunch we relaxed around the camp before heading out again at 3pm. We had now seen four of the big five and needed only to see lions to complete the achievement. We drove around for the next three hours and again saw many animals. At around 5 pm we stumbled across a white rhino and her young calf and watched them for over 30 minutes. Realising time was running out, as we had to get to the camp before the gates were locked at 6pm, we left the rhinos and drove down the dirt track towards camp. As we went around a corner only three kilometres from camp we came across two female lions with four very young cubs. We stayed with them in the fading light for as long as we could before racing back to camp, where we arrived at a fraction before 6pm. We had had a great day game viewing and were pleased to have seen the leopard and lions. We made another braai that evening and cooked the other half of our huge Eland fillet. I decided to leave early the next morning for a game drive as we wanted to maximise our time in the Sabie river area. That night I heard a big male lion roaring from across the river as well as a leopard’s ‘sawing’call and also a hyena.

The following morning we headed across the river and within a kilometre came across a cheetah with a bloodied face laying just a few metres from the road. A few kilometres on we stopped to let another car know about the cheetah and were in return told that a little further on was a large male lion just a little way up a No Entry sign road. We headed up the road and came across the lion on a small hill looking straight into the rising sun. It was an awesome sight and we got quite close to it and took some great pictures. However, as with most things in life, everything comes at a price. Unluckily, a ranger patrol driving along a nearby road spotted us and issued us with a spot fine of R1500. He was only doing his job, so undaunted we continued our safari. During the following few hours we also witnessed lions hunting on two separate occasions along the Sabie River. At least one of the high speed chases ended in a visible kill when two females caught a Kudu in the bushes. The speed that the lions can travel and accelerate is quite something. Returning to camp at 10am after a magical few hours we checked out of the Lower Sabie camp. Having the last laugh, I managed to pay the fine with some ‘old’ R200 notes that I had. These notes were prone to counterfeit and if you have any you have to take them to the Reserve Bank in Pretoria to exchange. At least I wouldn’t have to do that now, so a small victory against the rangers...ha ha.

We drove back along the Sabie River to Skukuza camp where we stopped for lunch before heading southwards towards one of the park exit gates and back to Nelspruit. On the way through the park a lightning storm developed and it was a spectacular site. We managed to skirt around the edges so avoided what must have been a torrential rain storm. Later that afternoon, as we made our way back to Nelspruit, I received a text from Cornwall informing me that my dear friend Tony Sylvey had passed away. The date today was the 18th October 2010. I remembered first hearing of his illness almost four months ago when I was in Ghana. It all seems such a long time ago. I reflected on life and how things can suddenly creep up on you. Once again I determined to try and use my time wisely and make the most of what I have.

Later that evening we arrived at Nelspruit where we would spend a couple of days with John and Karen. I also needed to book our flights back to Cornwall for Christmas. My replacement Garmin GPS had arrived from the USA and now needed to be tested thoroughly before the drive up the east coast of Africa and back to Europe. With another week to go before flying back to Cornwall we decided to head back up to the Kruger Park to visit the central region. We drove up to Sabie the first morning and camped along the river. In the afternoon we visited a number of falls and went to a trout lake where we caught four for the barbeque. The following morning we drove through mountain scenery to the fruit growing capital called Hazyview where we camped for one night. I was surprised to see large swathes of banana and mango trees in such a hilly and cool environment. Unfortunately the mango season had not yet arrived so we could not indulge.

The following day we drove into the Kruger Park entering the Phebeni Gate. Over the next few days we stayed at the Satara, Bulule and Letaba camps. We saw many lions around Satara and a leopard on the drive to Bulule camp. The weather was extremely hot in the central area and a large bush fire developed around the Satara camp which lit up the evening sky a brilliant orange. The fire raged during the night fanned by a very strong wind which ensured we did not get much sleep. During the evenings hyenas patrolled the camp fences looking for food. My favourite camp was probably Letaba which is located along a large river that was especially rich with animal and bird life. The camp site was in amongst many large trees so finding a shady spot was not a problem. We managed to push our total bird species seen and identified on our drive through Africa to 355.

We left the Kruger Park through the Palabora Gate and drove to the Moholololo animal and bird rehabilitation centre. This establishment is very impressive and you get close up to the large cats and other animals. What struck me most was how big a lion, wild dog and leopard actually are. When you are sitting in a safari vehicle looking down at them they do not appear that large, but standing next to them is a different story. The centre also has a nine month old black rhino which was found in the Kruger Park after being abandoned by its mother after three days of trying to free it from the mud. The guide Oscar gives a passionate and informative account of why the animals are there and how the human race is causing so many problems for the animal and bird world. It was certainly food for thought. That evening we drove to the Blyde River Canyon and camped for the night. We dwindled our remaining food stock down to just enough for the following day’s breakfast and sandwich lunch.

That following morning we headed southwards towards Nelspruit to stay with John and Karen for the weekend. John had managed to arrange with his neighbour a suitable place to store Proper Job whilst we were back in Cornwall for a few weeks. Later that afternoon we watched the Currie Cup rugby final at a neighbour’s house. The Natal Sharks took apart the much fancied Western Province by 30 points to 10.

On Sunday we gave Proper Job a thorough clean inside and out and packed up the things we needed to take back to Cornwall. I took this opportunity to take some clothes back to leave as you really don’t need much when you travel like we do. On Monday we drove Proper Job to a storage building and disconnected the batteries. I was a bit sorry to be parting from our friend that had carried us 35,000 kilometres so far through Africa. Later that afternoon we boarded the plane in Nelspruit and flew to Johannesburg where we boarded the Virgin flight back to the UK. I was looking forward to seeing family and friends after seven months in Africa. I was also looking forward to a tasty home made Cornish pasty.