Celebrating in South Africa

Woke up to a lovely bright day, still no whales in the bay but we all enjoyed our breakfast out in the sunshine on the terrace overlooking the sea. What a fab way to remember our last day in this amazing country. We set off towards Cape Town stopping on our way at a Cheetah Outreach in Somerset West,  where they rescue injured and unwanted animals. Morag and Clive decided to try the 'Cheetah Encounter' which involved getting up close and personal with one of the inmates so Jon and I amused ourselves looking round the other inhabitants of this very strange little zoo - not totally impressed if I'm honest, especially having witnessed animals roaming wild at the reserve. We continued on down to the beach and found another restaurant,The Beachside, over the sea and had some lunch before setting out for the airport and another tearful goodbye with our fantastic friends.  Morag and Clive have shown us a bit of what life is like here and excited us with their plans for the futur

Morag and Clive had suggested that we all go back to Hermanus to see if we could spot any whales before Jon and I returned home so that was the plan for today. We packed everything up and were ready for when Ollie and Charlotte arrived as they were also going to Hermanus and would follow us in their car. The weather by now had really deteriated and driving over the mountains was a slow process due to poor visibility but Clive did a great job and soon we were heading towards blue sky and the temperature steadily increased as we neared Hermanus. Sadly our expectations of joining a boat trip in search of whales was shortlived as we were informed that all boats were not attempting any trips at the moment due to the bad weather! This bad weather has apparently also scared the whales into hiding too as very few have been seen in the last week so we are out of luck this time. We said goodbye to Ollie and Charlotte and went for some lunch at Cocos overlooking the bay, followed by a wander ro

Quick breakfast to line our stomachs and we were off down to the village to catch the wine tram at 10.15 to the vineyards in Franschhoek. We could do 6 winery's and have at least 4 different wines to taste at each stop, we were quite merry after number one and boarded the tram for the next stop which happened to be Richard Branson's and were joined by Ollie and Charlotte, a young couple from Winchester. Beautiful tasting area and restaurant and we necked, sorry sipped a few of Richard's best before heading off for number 3 which was my favourite tasting because it was sparkling wine pitched against champagne and we had some food to assist with the digestion, hic! Number 4 on the list actually is a bit of a blur but we did meet up with another young couple, Jade and Mark, from Wales, who we had seen originally at the previous vineyard taking photos with a drone, are you still with me? By now the last place on our list has faded into insignificance as we were having such a g

Morag and I got up really early and went off for a yoga class taught by Danielle at the Artemis Art House which is owned by Andrea who also joined us for the class. A small select group but it was an excellent hour which we all enjoyed. Morag and I returned to the house (boys still in bed!) to shower and get ready for our breakfast visit at Cafe Bon Bon. Yet another fabulous place in wonderful grounds and beautifully fitted out for the guests to enjoy meals, entertainment and the company of a huge cockerel!! (Yes he visits at tables regularly!) We  have been so lucky to experience these places and are quite envious of our friends who have so many lovely places right where they live. Franschhoek is very pretty and has a wealth of interesting shops, cafes, restaurants and art studios all along the high street and we spent a while investigating many of them before returning home to change for our 'high tea' experience at La Residence. Their chauffeur service picked us up and too

Clive went off early today as he is starting up a scheme for training the youngsters of Franschhoek in the skills of weightlifting and there was to be a competition in the local sports centre. Morag took us off to the new Black Dog cafe for breakfast, which turned out to be everyone else's idea for breakfast too!  Very busy but worth the wait as the food was excellent and my experience was only clouded by walking nose first into a plate glass door on the way out! Pain level 10, embarrassment level 20! Spent the rest of the day at the sports centre watching the kids compete at the weightlifting, all were quite accomplished and the organisation was very good. Medals were given out at the end of each age section and both Clive and Morag were called upon to present medals in two categories.  The organisers donated some valuable and much needed equipment to the new venture and final trophies awarded to the winning youngsters. A great day and hopefully the start of a new club for Fransc

Had a light breakfast today as we had been warned by our friends, Morag and Clive, that lunch had been booked at a lovely restaurant. Our hire car had not been collected at 9am, as promised, so we waited til 9.30 and then left the keys with the hotel reception to sort for us and we popped into the waterfront for a bit of last minute shopping as it had finally stopped raining. Morag and Clive arrived at 11am and we set off for their temporary home in Franschoek, which was absolutely delightful with loads of space and a cosy lounge with open fire.  We enjoyed a really good lunch at Roca Restaurant and caught up on all the news since they arrived in South Africa 3 months ago, after which we went to visit the building plot that will become their new home within the next year and a drive round the estate, they will have some fabulous views! On our way back we also had a quick trip round an extremely luxurious and exclusive hotel called La Residence where, rumour has it, Elton John is a freq

Woke up this morning to the news that we might have a hung parliament in the U.K. election so went out for the day to forget any issues at home! Turned out that Table Mountain cable car was running so we detoured and went up! The sun was out when we stepped into the cable car but 3 minutes later our arrival at the top was greeted by a 5 minute hailstorm! WTF it was bloody freezing up there! Bravely we soldiered on taking photos of cloud covered mountains and the occasional bright view down the mountain until we reached the cafe at the top and settled for some warming drinks, sadly short lived when Jon split his cappuccino in spectacular style on arrival at the table! Despite all of this we wouldn't have missed the trip for the world, there is a totally amazing view of Cape Town and all its surrounding 360 degrees and we loved it! (and Jon has the table mountain fleece to prove it!). We descended after an hour or so amidst others who were all as in awe as we were. We then continue

Woke up to continuing bad weather and an email from the tour boat operator about the cancellation of our trip to Robben Island.  Table Mountain cable car is also out of action until the weather improves so we decided to investigate the Victoria Wharf shopping centre. Roughly translated as Jon made a token gesture of looking in a few shops then retiring to the nearest bar so I could shop uninterrupted and we could meet up for lunch - perfect plan! The weather did not improve at all so we decided to stay in and watch a couple of movies before dinner and make some plans for tomorrow. Fingers crossed the storm will have passed.

Lazy start today but wandered round the town after breakfast and picked up a few things from the market and watched for whales from the quayside. We knew they were there from the flattening of the water and a couple of spouts were blown but sadly they didn't perform for us although it was quite exciting to nearly get a sighting! We are easily pleased! We checked out and set off for Betty's Bay where we had been told there was a penguin colony. The drive along the coast was spectacular and we stopped constantly to check for whales, still no luck but when we arrived at the penguin reserve we were rewarded with lots of birds and spent a while watching and taking photos before setting off once more for Cape Town. For the first time since we have been in SA the traffic became busy and almost traffic jam style the nearer we got to the city and trying to follow the google maps directions was near on impossible. Several wrong turnings and corrections and after a bit of guesswork we e

We decided to go for an early start today as the journey to Hermanus was likely to take about 5 hours. A beautifully prepared breakfast, as always, was enjoyed in the Lairds Lodge dining room and we finally left at around 9.15. We were heading for Mossel Bay on our way west but I have to own up and say I got the directions wrong and Jon, in his usual kindly way, did not argue when I was insistent I knew what was right! Oh dear, much grovelling required when I realised what I had done! Anyway the trip was taking us through some amazing scenery, changing all the way from the lush green of the Garden Route into brown and scorched as we drew nearer to the Western Cape. It was also very mountainous which I hadn't realised and they desperately need some rain, today's high was 19 degrees and very pleasant for us. We arrived at the Harbour House Hotel in Hermanus and discovered yet another amazing place had been chosen for us, we loved it and on exploring the little town, we loved t

Bit of a slow start this morning, the weather is nowhere near as warm as we have been used to and it had rained overnight. Nevertheless we set off with a full day planned and first on the list was Kreulbooms beach which apparently had an amazing restaurant (Enrico's) overhanging the sea! Well I am sure it is delightful but it was shut and Enrico and his staff were all on their holidays for two months! Next stop, Knysna, recommended for its beautiful lagoon, trendy shops and restaurants - I could probably have spent quite a while browsing the shops but not really Jon's cup of tea and it was way too cold to sit and admire the lagoon whilst sipping a cup of overpriced coffee so we were soon back on the road.  Jon deciding to off road a bit and just follow his nose, which actually paid off and we ended up at Buffels Bay spending a pleasant hour outside in the sun with a couple of pints watching surfers battle the waves. His next venture into the unknown took us miles down a dusty

We are the only people here today! Breakfast was fantastic and they also had marmite so I'm a happy bunny! It's very warm so we set off early to go to Storms River Mouth, about an hour away with a fabulous beach at the entrance to a massive gorge. On arrival we quickly discovered that you could walk round the 'mountain' and cross the river via suspension bridge, so off we went! After many, many steps up and down and the continual stopping for photo-taking Indian tourists who all had to pose with each other at every opportunity we reached the bridge. More photo opportunities for each and every couple and the guys who thought it hilarious to jump up and down in order to wobble the bridge! They left - we stayed! The views were amazing and we discovered a group of small animals called Dassies on the hillside who seem quite tame and apparently have the elephant as their nearest relative ( I couldn't quite see it myself but am assured it's true). By now it was very

Rory and Maria were both not feeling well enough to join our last drive so Jon and I set off on our own with Brendon in a last ditch attempt to find some hippo. On our way we saw a lovely little herd of zebra crossing the stream and finally after scrambling down a precariously steep and dodgy river bank there were 3 hippo just basking in the water. Not my finest five minutes of photography as they only pop half their heads out and then dive back down but at least they were found!! We returned for breakfast and said our goodbyes, a very sad event as we have so enjoyed the whole experience, and Brendon took us back up to reception where our driver was waiting to take us back to Port Elizabeth. Collected the hire car, a Toyota Quest, at the airport rental and set of for Plettenberg Bay, our home for the next 3 days. Arrived at Lairds Lodge Country Estate and were greeted with welcome drinks and showing to our room which is lovely but the minibar was empty (we had been used to a full fr

Managed to be up in time this morning and we had a long drive to the other side of the reserve. Unfortunately Brendon's shortcut was blocked by a tree and he had the devils own job of trying to reverse back down a hill and over a stream. Several attempts and he was cheered on as we clawed our way out! So worth it tho' because just as we arrived where there had been a sighting we were rewarded with a male lion approaching and walking within a few feet of us! He gave a few low rumbles (apparently calling for the other male) and then proceeded to continue his walk. We were all gobsmacked that we had been so close to such a magnificent animal and Brendon drove the truck behind him until he found the other male and we could catch a glimpse of the two of them toghether. There were  two lionesses also around but apparently they were avoiding the males so we could not see much of them in the bush. Continuing our drive we were also lucky to come across a black rhino and again Brendon ma

Mad start to the day! Phone rang at what I thought was 6am only to be told it was 7am and Brendon was outside waiting in the Land Cruiser to start the morning game drive! Massive panic and rushing round and we were outside in under 5 mins. Major embarrassment but everyone was cool, and we set off. Again an amazing safari, a lone Bull elephant drinking by the lake, 3 Lioness lazing under a tree looking full from a kill we were told, white rhino (Jon's favourite) giraffe (my favourite) zebra, wildebeest, warthog and many different 'deer/antelope' style animals although Brendon has forbidden us using the word deer in his presence! Again, on our return, we were greeted with hot towels and drinks before heading in for breakfast, after which we shared some 'bubbly' with Maria and Rory to celebrate our anniversary. A fab start! Jon and I sat by the pool enjoying the sunshine and being plied with drinks by the lovely staff, a really indulgent way to spend time before lun

Great nights sleep and woke to a lovely sunny day, our breakfast was fab after which we set off for a quick stroll to the beach and local shops. Our driver arrived at 11am, so we said our goodbyes to Christine and set off for the game reserve along the coast road from Port Elizabeth. We have been given The "Crowned Eagle" Lodge and it certainly had the WOW factor! It is probably as big as our flat with the addition of a sun deck and plunge pool - amazing! We two v happy people! Our first game drive was at 3.30 and Brendon, our ranger, was introduced and we set off with only one rule which was not to stand up! Felt very privileged to be his only guests this afternoon and we had the greatest luck to come across herd of elephants which included a newborn calf, apparently only a few hours old. What a great start to our safari! The end wasn't too shabby either as we stopped atop a hill for sundowner drinks and snacks! All we could have imagined, and more, this is an amazing