Trip Diary Pictures O2K Home Odds and Ends Contact Links

		South Africa (part 2) Previous | Next

03/03	-Today we moved from the Kennaway Hotel back into the Regent. This time, though, we have a room with a window. -Lisa got a room reserved in Capetown for later this week for the four of us. -I got the details on car rentals and mapped out a riding and sightseeing schedule for the next week. -Larry and Joan completed the car rental work while Lisa and I were at the dentist. -I purchased a bike rack on the way back from the dentist. -Bottom line -- by 6:30 we had a method worked out to give us more discretionary time. This is how we think it will work. -Each day three people ride and one person drives. Before leaving in the morning, each rider decides if they want to ride the whole day. For those that do, it will be a normal, TK&A supported, day. For those who want a shorter day, all will agree on an end time -- like, say, 2 o'clock. (The time will depend upon how much discretionary time is wanted/needed, which will depend on what else there is to do that day.) -At the agreed upon time, the driver will drive the route and pick up the riders who wanted the shorter day. The driver will have the time prior to pickup for their own needs. -Sounds good to us. We'll give it a test run this coming week. The car will be delivered here on Sunday morning. -This car rental situation represents a new phase of this trip. We're not the only ones doing it. Far from it! We guess about HALF the riders are involved in some sort of car or van arrangement, for the same reason we are. The days are just too long. -Oh yes, Lisa and I spent the afternoon at a dentist office today. I had the heat sensitivity problem. Lisa had broken off a piece of a molar. -For me, the dentist says there appears to be some infection under on of my teeth. He says probably a tooth is dying so the nerve is infected and rotting and producing gas. Heat expands the gas, causing pressure. That pressure causes the pain that I feel. I will ultimately need a root canal. -In the meantime, he has prescribed some antibiotics to try to kill the infection. If it works, the pain will stop within 5 days, and I can have the root canal done at my leisure. If the pain doesn't stop, I will need to have the root canal done in Capetown. (He referred me to a collegue there.) -The dentist looked at Lisa's broken tooth. He said she should have a filling put in the broken tooth to keep the existing filling from falling out. Lisa plans to have that done in Capetown. -Actually, Capetown will probably be a good place to have all of the dental work done. It's a big city so there are good dentists there, and the work is relatively cheap. I paid only R150 (about $25) for our visit today -- and most of that was for the xray. -Tonight we had a long, leisurely dinner with Larry and Joan, Hewes and Susan (another tandem team) and Larry Gore (yes, he's a cousin to Al Gore). Of particular note is that Larry Gore is one of six EFM riders left -- including one woman. -We heard from the riders who rode thru the Transkei Region. They received wonderful hospitality from the townspeople at every night's stop. Each night was better than the one before. On the last night, there was even a 60 voice choir to entertain them. -A highlight, we are told, was the visit to the Nelson Mandela Museum. It showed much of the battle for equality and many of the hardships endured by the blacks in South Africa in the past 30 years. -On the other hand, the miles were consistently long, the hills were impossibly high, the weather was either too hot or too wet, and the roads were not always good. As to the danger, no one was seriously harmed. That's good. -However, the probable reason, we are told, was the high security. Each night they camped, they were surrounded by the militia. When they went to the Nelson Mandela Museum, they were protected by a SWAT team cordon. When they were riding, the riders were escorted through the towns, either individually or in groups, by the police -Lisa and I are really sorry we missed the extraordinary South African hospitality. And in hindsight, it would probably have been okay to ride. But, given what we knew at the time, we think we made the right decision for us. -Love to all, David and Lisa
03/04	-I road 30 miles today, sightseeing with Larry and Joan. Lisa chose not to ride -- didn't want to sit on the bike seat today. [No, I didn't ride the tandem by myself again. I borrowed a single from Steve (as in Steve and Christina).] -On the ride we came to a sweeping left hand curve on a slight down hill. Part way into the curve there was a sign that said, "Slow Down, You're going too fast" in both English and Afrikaans. About a hundred yards up the road was another sign. It said, "Slow Down, You're still going to fast." -We received a FedEx package today that was sent on February 4 from California. It was addressed to us in Johannesburg. It originally contained candy and two, sealed Valentines Day cards. (Great cards, by the way.) What we received was a FedEx envelope that had been opened and resealed by customs. Inside were two cards that had been opened. (Hope they enjoyed the private joke.) -Here's another observation about this country. You can always find rugby and/or soccer and/or cricket on one or more of the nine TV channels -- day and night. -Tomorrow morning our rental car will be delivered here at the hotel so we'll try our ride/drive/descretionary time program. The day is advertised to be 97 miles. Since I'm not supposed to ride more than 30 to 50 miles a day due to the tooth medication, and Lisa doesn't want to sit on a bike seat all day yet, we're going to try a half-day drive, half-day bike day. We'll see how it goes. -Right now we're sitting on our balcony overlooking the Indian Ocean, watching as twilight engulfs the water, listening to the surf -- and pinching ourselves to make sure this is not a dream. WE REALLY ARE IN THE SOUTHERN AREA OF AFRICA -- a place neither of us ever dreamed we would see in real life! -Love to all, David and Lisa
03/05	-Today is Sunday. Every Sunday, Chuck, a sometime actor, orator and accomplished thespian, (he can usually be heard practicing lines), "gives" us a memorized piece (that he calls a prayer) every Sunday. Today it was about what he asked God for, what he actually received (usually the opposite of what he thought he wanted) and how what he received was the right thing. It was a really nice gift. -We got the rental car today. It's a white Toyota Corolla. We completed the paperwork and were ready to go at 8:30. -147 Km's today. Larry and Joan rode in the morning. They got on the road about 9:30. We rode in the afternoon. We agreed to meet them at noon to trade places. (They take the car -- we ride our bike.) -That gave us about two hours leisure time this morning. We decided to spend a part of it visiting Noonah Beach. It's at the mouth of the Noonah river and is reported to be a most beautiful beach. -On the way there, we discovered a Sunday, East London Flea Market. We walked around, bought a few things, then continued on our ride. -We met Larry and Joan at noon. They had gone about 50 km's. We unloaded our bike and prepared to ride -- but the rear tire was completely flat. We removed it and found 4 pinholes very quickly. No sense trying to patch that many holes so we decided to put in a new tube. Of course, before putting in the tube, I had make sure whatever caused those holes was not still in the tire. I found eight thorns still stuck in the tire. -Apparently, while we were driving around the East London neighborhoods this morning, with the bike on the bike rack on the rear, the tire brushed a thorn bush. Later, while we were riding, we saw the same type bush. Some of the thorns were more than an inch long, and were like needles at the end. Sure glad we didn't fall into one! -We covered about 60 km's today in the two hours that we rode. The route followed the West shore of the Indian Ocean all the way. We had lots of long rolling hills and we saw lots of pretty beaches. -Tonight we are staying in a B&B along the Kawie River. It's more than a hundred years old. As you might expect, it's very quaint. It has a restaurant, a dance hall and a bar. Our bathroom is located on what used to be a sun porch overlooking the river. It has a toilet, a sink and a shower though, so we're happy. -We see here, again, what we have seen all over South Africa -- the owners are all white and the workers (kitchen help, servers, house keepers, gardeners, and security guards) are all black. -The blacks say they have made a lot of headway over the past twenty-some years, but they've got a long, long way to go. I think it will take generations in some areas for blacks to even approach equality -- or even equal opportunity -- with the whites. -Again, we heard several reports of riders being harassed today. One woman was even pulled off her bike before onlookers chased the aggressor off. All of the cases that we have heard of so far in South Africa have involved poor, probably out of work, young adult, black males. I know that's the same demographic of many of the offenders in the U.S. so it shouldn't be a surprise. It's just that there are so many of them here. It's both frightening and sad. -On another note, while Lisa was looking through a real estate sales paper, she discovered a beautiful, big, brick mansion for sale. It was on large acreage that was fully fenced and alarmed. AND THE ASKING PRICE WAS ABOUT HALF OF WHAT OUR CONDO COST. -Tomorrow is a 165 km day that is reported to be a little less hilly, more coastal and more beautiful than today. Should be fun. -Love to all, David and Lisa
03/06	-165 Km's today -- all into the face of gale force winds -- with lots of hills. (As Tim K says, "God didn't make the world flat" -- and we see proof of that every day.) -We heard from one of the riders (with an altimeter) that, so far on this odyssey, we've climbed more than 190,000 feet. Another fact is, since we've been in South Africa, we've had 6 days of over 100 miles. - Tim and Karen-Ann keep telling us to "do the miles" and "ride hard every day. It will make you stronger for Europe." -The fact is, even the strongest riders are hurting, bad. And ALL of the average riders (including us) have realized that riding the way TK&A has mapped out is a good way to get sick and/or simply wear your body out. If we didn't take rest days every so often and let our muscles rebuild, we wouldn't even last until Europe. -Getting back to today's ride, we had a monkey run across the road in front of us. A little farther along, one came out of the bushes and sat and watched us go by. Lisa said, "That made the whole ride today worthwhile!" -That's good because the winds were blasting us head-on for the first 20 km's, making headway very difficult. In fact, yesterday we traveled twice the distance in half the time. Then the velocity increased and the direction changed so that the wind was buffeting us from the side. The gusts were almost blowing us off the bike. They often pushed us into the traffic lane, but, fortunately, never when any traffic was passing. - Unfortunately, Joan was not so fortunate. She dropped a chain and couldn't get her cleat unlatched before a gust of wind blew her over. She has quite a nasty scrape on her knee. I don't think she'll be riding for a few days. -Port Elizabeth is a large city. The campground is right along the ocean just outside of town. -However, since Joan hurt her leg, we decided not to camp tonight. So we're staying in a private home about a block away from the beach in a neighborhood that looks like an upscale La Jolla. (And it's only a few km's from the campground.) The home has four rooms that have been built to serve as B&B rooms. We have a bathroom and a small, in-room kitchenette. -The inn-keepers, Chris and Diane are very friendly. He's a civil engineer working in the petroleum business making asphalt for streets. Diane keeps the home and is the primary inn-keeper. They have three girls, three dogs and one cat. Larry taught the 12 year old the Pythagoreum Theorum. She was delighted! -Love to all, David and Lisa
03/07	-Today's route was 111 km's, but we decided to visit the Addo Elephant Reserve some 50 km's out of Port Elizabeth. The reserve was created in 1936 It started with eleven elephants. Because of the lush vegetation growth there, it now supports 320 elephants. -At the reserve we took a safari and saw -- elephants, of course. Males, females, youngsters and babies. Elephant facts: they live about 80 years; they have 7 sets of teeth -- each set lasts about 12 years; they weigh up to 7,000 kilograms; they eat for about 22 hour a day and sleep for two; they sleep standing up; and their gestation period is 22 months. -We also saw Velvet Monkeys, wart hogs, Kudus (a type of antelope), zebras, jackals, a Leopard Tortoise, families of ostriches, Red Wildebeests, and Wingless Dung Beetles. -Wingless Dung Beetles are unique to the Addo-Elephant Preserve. They are important to the ecology because they break down elephant dung. That is important for two reasons. First, elephant dung has lots of nutrients because elephants have poor digestive systems. Those nutrients are trapped in the dung until the Wingless Dung Beetles break down the dung. (Wow! How's that for a bit of trivia.) -After that visit, Larry, Lisa and I wanted to get some riding in today (Joan couldn't ride because of her sore knee) so we rode about 40 km's back out the road into Addo. Joan picked us up at the preset time (4:00 o'clock) and we headed down the road to Jeffrey's Bay. -We found out that Jeffrey's Bay has fantastic big roller waves all year long. Because of that, it is the site of international surfing championships. Lisa and I will be visiting the beach tomorrow. -We're staying tonight in a funky B&B. It's three blocks from the beach. The outside walls are painted like the inside of an aquarium. The one solid wall in this room depicts a surfer inside the "tube" of a huge wave. The building is generally single story, but it steps up the hillside such that all five levels have a view of the ocean and the beach. -The owners, Nick and Polly, just bought the place in December. They used to work for a fishing boat charter company in Australia owned by (Can you believe?) a woman who used to be a neighbor of Joan and Larry's in Boston. -Nick and Sharon were on vacation, rented a car in Jo-burg, got as far as Jeffreys Bay, saw this place for sale, and bought it. Quite a couple. -Love to all, David and Lisa
03/08	-100 km's today. We drove, Joan and Larry rode. -We went to the beach at Jeffreys Bay this morning. There were surfers there but the waves we not so big. We did see a magnificent house that was overlooking the beach and ocean. It was a spectacular design! The one curved wall along the street and one end was made of large, natural rock. The inside wall, facing the ocean was mostly window, yet did not look like "just a glass" wall. VERY nice architecture. We estimate the cost to be around 2 1/2 million rand -- about the same as our condo. -Then we drove to Storms River. We had lunch at a picturesque little tea room which had WONDERFUL food. We had home made split pea with vegetable soup, chicken pie and a very South African desert called Milk Tart. -When we finished lunch it was misting heavily so we drove the route in reverse to see if Larry and Joan wanted to be picked up. They did not, so we returned to the finish point and did some sightseeing. We also called the dentist in Capetown to make appointments. It turned out that the recommended dentist was on holiday until late in March, so we made appointments with his associate. We will be seeing Dr. Tretories on Monday, March 13 in Capetown. -We then drove out to Storms River Mouth in the Tsitsikamma National Park. There we walked one km on a boardwalk to the suspension bridge over the river mouth. -The water in the river was very black. I think there were two reasons for that. First is that the sky was very overcast. Second is the river is very deep and the bed seems to be primarily black rock. The river comes out to the ocean through a very narrow and deep gorge. It was very scenic and beautiful. -We drove back to The Old Village Inn in Storms River Village where we had a room reserved. As we were walking through the grounds to our room, we smelled the tantalizing and delicious aromas coming from the kitchen. That convinced us. Lisa and I had a private dinner in the restaurant at the inn. -Larry and Joan went back to camp and had the TK&A provided food. Of course, they ran out of food, but it was good while it lasted, so say Larry and Joan. (Ours was terrific!, so say Lisa and David.) -Love to all, David and Lisa
03/09	-This was a beautiful day! 111 km's of smooth road, under clear skies, without a significant wind or heat. Plenty of time to "smell the flowers" -- and smell the flowers we did. -Our first stop was Bloukrans Bungy. At 216 meters, it is the world's highest bungie jump. -The jump is off the top of the arch frame of an arch bridge. You stand at the edge with your toes hanging over. (Don't look down unless you have LOTS of guts -- and good eyes because the bottom is a river in a deep, dark canyon.) Then, when the guide says GO, you do a swan dive off the edge. -You free-fall for 4 or 5 seconds, gradually going head first into your dive. Then your feet start to pull up as you feel the bungie start to slow your descent. -In a few seconds, you are in a headfirst vertical position as you reach the bottom of your fall. Suddenly you stop descending and quickly start flying back up. After several bobs up and down, you settle at the bottom of the bungie. Then you are hauled by rope back up to the top of the arch and the next jumper goes. -(But don't worry -- we're not THAT crazy -- we just watched! We got the detailed description from a jumper.) -Next we had a group/herd/pack/or ? of baboons run across the road in front of us. We counted eight that crossed the road. A few stayed in the bushes at the side to watch us, but ran when we tried to take a picture. Camera shy, I guess. -Next we had a long, long, smooth, fast downhill on a wide shoulder. It's a wonderful payoff for all the climbing. -That ended at the mid-day check point where we had a snack and relaxed in the grass. -Then we took a side trip to Plettenberg Bay, an upscale, beachfront town along the Indian Ocean. There, after a VERY steep climb into town, we found a coffee house cafe where we had a waffle with ice cream and two coffees -- mine was "filter" (meaning brewed) coffee with a shot of expresso. Lisa's was Iced Coffee which was more like a coffee milk shake with some chocolate in it. We never made it to their famous beach (because it was a steep downhill to get there -- and, of course, up to get back) but we explored the town a bit before leaving. -Then we cycled on down to Knysna and out toward Knysna Head. (Probably many of you know that a "head" is a high bluff overlooking the ocean.) Before we got to the head, we saw that it was going to be a VERY, VERY steep climb, so we waited for Larry and Joan to come along and give us a ride. -The view from the head was incredibly beautiful. We could look down on the inlet that led from the ocean to the lagoon; the lagoon; the golf course; the wet lands around the lagoon; and the beautiful homes on the hills around the lagoon. -Finally we got to camp and found out dinner would be significantly delayed. It seems TK&A arranged for a vender to bring in dinner about a year ago, then didn't confirm with them until today -- but it was too late. The vender was now busy. -To solve that, Karen-Ann ran to the store and got some food, and then the TK&A staff cooked and served the buffett-style meal. That led to a plus and a minus for TK&A. -The plus is for their ability to scramble and make lemonade from the lemon they received. -The minus is for the selection of food for dinner -- hot dogs, small slices of ham, sausage rolls, cold peas, cold baby carrots, cold baked beans, cold bread and cold rolls. The dessert was, half a small candy bar, a marshmallo (we could roast it if we like -- but only with the plastic fork they provided) or a sandwich cookie. -That convinced us we did not want to come back for breakfast, so we all signed off-route intil the 14th. Then we will rejoin group Capetown. -Love to all, David and Lisa
03/10	300 some km's today by car as we head to Capetown to get into Sunday's Cape Argus bicycle ride. We had breakfast at the Sedgefield Arms (where we stayed last night) so we wouldn't have to go back to the TK&A campground before leaving for Capetown. We stopped in Swellendam for lunch at an absolutely delightful place. Everything was homemade and delicious. (It's the first time we had chickens sit by our sides as we ate.) Next stop -- Point L'Agulhas -- the southernmost point of the Continent of Africa. This is where the waters of the Indian Ocean meet the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It was a rocky promontory with the requisite lighthouse, which that was completed in 1848. The lighthouse is not very high because the ocean off the point gets deep very quickly so ships are not in danger even when they're close to shore. Looking shoreward from the rocky point, we surmised that it probably didn't look much different when Vasco da Gama sailed by on the first recorded voyage around the Cape of Good Hope. We pulled into our lodging destination of Lions Head Lodge in Capetown at 8. It's on a "jumping" street. Several restaurants. Lots of people. By 9 we were out looking for a restaurant. Joan wanted pizza, so we checked at the four places that advertise pizza. All were booked solid until 11. We lucked out though. At one place a fellow named Allister invited us to sit at his table. He was on a 10 week "holiday" from England. We finished eating at 11:30, then had to unload our baggage and haul it in. Then we crashed! -Love to all, David and Lisa
03/11	-This morning we rushed over to the Cape Town Center to get registered for the Cape Argus Cycle Tour -- along with 35,000 other riders and their supporters. What a madhouse!!! -We joined the hundreds of others who also got up early to be first in line and waited for the doors to open. After waiting in a few wrong lines and getting a few mis-directions, we got to the right person. One of the organizers, Penny White, was handling international riders. She cut through the red tape and got us registered in just a few minutes. -After that, we went to the exposition. That was even MORE of a madhouse. We bought commemorative jerseys, checked with a few bike shop booths to see if anyone might be able to service my malfunctioning Flight Deck computer, then practically suffocated in the crowd before finding the way out. -Then we walked over to the Good Hope Castle. It was built in the 1660's to provide a home base for the Dutch colonization of Africa. At different times it also housed German and British governments. It is now the headquarters for the South African Army. The buildings and grounds are currently being restored. -While we were cleaning the bikes, Lisa and Joan picked up the laundry and found a few good restaurants for tonight. (We didn't want to have another problem like we had last night.) We ended up at a WONDERFUL Italian restaurant where the food was good and the service was EXQUISITE. -By the way. We saw MANY Odyssey riders at the exposition. We think there may be as many here for the tour as there are with the main group. -Love to all, David and Lisa
03/12	119 Km's today in the Cape Argus Tour around the Cape of Good Hope. WHAT A FANTASTIC RIDE! We were up at 5:15 to get ready for our start scheduled for 7:40. We rode to the start, found our specified chute, and waited for our start. The organization was incredible. They handled 35,000 riders without a glitch. There were 55 groups of riders -- organized approximately according to speed. There were two chutes that the groups fed into. The chutes were opened alternately at 5 minute intervals. Using that method metered the riders onto the course so that mass confusion would not ensue. The route was absolutely beautiful -- truly breathtaking. We mostly followed along the easterly coast of as we went down to and around the Cape of Good Hope. It was just about the most incredible ride we've taken anywhere, ever. Every curve of the road brought a new and interesting vista -- including the sight of thousands of riders in front of and behind us. And there were lots and lots of people (reported to be more than 200,000) along the course clapping and cheering us on. This is a really big deal here -- kind of on the scale of the Boston Marathon. Besides the 35,000 riders, there was a reported 45,000 rider supporters. On the course there were 20 refreshment stops, each with a bike mechanic and a first aid station. The stops were alternately sponsored by Coca Cola and by Energize (a sport drink.) An interesting thing happened at a refreshment stop. A volunteer ran up and asked if we wanted cold water. Lisa said yes, whereupon the volunteer took one of our Cupertino Bike Shop bottles and gave us Coca Cola water bottle filled with fresh, cold water. At the end of the tour, we each received commemorative medals to hang around our necks. We saw many Odyssey 2000 riders, both in the tour and along the roadside. We think there may be as many Odyssey riders here in Cape Town as there are on route with TK&A. After the tour, we returned to our room, showered and changed. Joan found a movie that she would like to see -- The Green Mile starring Tom Hanks. Lisa agreed, so we got the car and headed for the Victoria Wharf where the theaters are located. MISTAKE! That brought us right into the middle of the riders and supporters trying to leave the after-ride carnival. It took us an hour to get to the theaters. Of course we missed the movie, but we had dinner there and did some shopping. At 9 o'clock at night, the return trip to the hotel took less than 15 minutes. At the hotel, I iced my left knee. It was swelling up again. Love to all, David and Lisa
03/13	Today started with a (very circuitous) trip to the dentist. Circuitous because we didn't have a map; no one could give good directions; lots of people in the neighborhood didn't know where the hospital was, even though it was within a few blocks; and street and directional signs here range from difficult to nonexistent. We drove around for an hour before we found the office. We made it back to our hotel in 15 minutes. The results? Lisa got a four-surface filling. I had more tests and x-rays but with inconclusive results. I have to wait for the tooth to become either significantly more heat sensitive or pressure sensitive. After we returned, we moved to a larger room, Larry prepared a bunch of stuff for mailing, and we went to an African Curio store for Joanie to shop. Then we went to a Moroccan restaurant on historic Long Street. We ran into several Odyssey riders in town. Then we took the cable car to the top of Table Mountain. (The City of Cape Town surrounds Table Mountain.) The cable car was unique. It was round and had a revolving floor that did one complete revolution during the trip to the top. At the top, the views were incredible. There were paved paths all over the top that lead to many great vistas. We saw rodent-like creatures all over. We were told they are called "Mountain Rabbits." The looked like giant rats without tails. We found out that we were 10,239 miles from San Francisco and 7,805 from New York. There was a company with ropes set up hanging off the top. For a price, one could rappel down the ropes and then climb back up. Lisa wanted to do it (she claimed), but she was wearing a dress so she couldn't (she said). (Hmmm. Should we believe that???) From the mountain we scooted down to the Victoria & Albert Wharf -- a new, large, upscale mall built on the old wharf. We went to the movies and saw "The Green Mile," a movie based on a Stephen King novel and starring Tom Hanks. The story was about the men and happenings on death row in Louisiana. It is very much a Stephen King thriller and the lead role was well played by Tom Hanks. Hope everyone reading this is well and enjoying life as much as we are. Love to all, David and Lisa
03/14	This morning we packed up and moved out of our hotel. We'll be joining the Odyssey group today at the City Lodge. We rode down the western cape (along the Atlantic Ocean) to Hout Bay for lunch. It was ANOTHER beautiful ride. The road followed the coast all the way. We passed through several small towns that nestled in the hills along the ocean. Each was a delight in it's own right. For the past 23 years this has been the finishing route for the Cape Argus Tour. Now I can understand the disappointment expressed by the longtime riders with the detour that had to be made for the tour this year. That detour cut out this very beautiful stretch and, instead, took the riders back through the downtown area to get to the finish line. I don't think I mentioned that the Cape Argus Tour was being called the Cape Argus DE-tour by many. That's because there was a rock slide that blocked the road at one mountain pass on the original route. That caused the route to be changed to "detour" around the slide. A tandem rider that we met on the Cape Argus Tour recommended a restaurant there, "Fish on the Rocks," as the best place in the Cape Town area to get fish and chips -- and it was a good recommendation. The name comes from the fact that the restaurant is literally built on the rocks at the end of the harbor at Hout Bay. The ride there was sunny. While we were eating, the clouds came in and it started to drizzle. On the way back it rained. When we arrived back in the South Point area of Cape Town, it was sunny and warm. It seems that Cape Town is one of those areas where one can say, "If you don't like the weather, just wait a minute -- it'll change." When we got to the restaurant we found a large group of "yellow heads" as we call each other. They were on a tour that brought them there for lunch. They had not participated in the Cape Argus Tour but were very interested in our experiences. After they left, we sat with another local couple. They were from "Jo'burg" (that's what the natives call Johannesburg) and had come down for the Cape Argus Tour. It turns out, they also ride a tandem. They had the unfortunate experience of having a blowout on the way down the steepest hill. They had been braking too hard, that heated the rim, that expanded the air in the tire and blew it up. They continued to have bad luck on the rest of the ride -- they had four more flats before they realized that the heat that caused the first flat also melted the rim strip, this causing the rest of the flats. They said they'd be back next year, though. When we returned to Cape Town, we had an ice cream to celebrate, then joined the Odyssey group at he City Lodge Hotel. Three local wineries provided free wine before and during dinner. That was very nice -- and the wine was very good. Dinner was an assortment of hors d'orves. Interesting and tasty -- but not very fulfilling. Oh well. I just had another glass of wine and Lisa had a bottle of hard cider. (That's her new alcoholic beverage of choice these days.) We plan to tour the wine country tomorrow. Love to all, David and Lisa By the way, remember the fellow, the thespian, who graces us with recitals of prayers, poems and stories? Well his name is Chuck Januska. He was living in his traveling motorhome before the Odyssey. When he returns, he plans to settle in the Seattle, Washington area.
03/15	Today we drove out to the Western Cape wine country. First we went to the town of Stellenbosch in the center of the wine region. Stellenbosch was settled by the Dutch East Indies Company in 1679. It is the second oldest town in South Africa, after Capetown. There a lot of buildings that look very "french countryside" to me. (The travel guide describes them as "fine examples of historic Cape Dutch architecture." Stellenbosch was established in the heart of a rich agricultural valley along side the Eerste River. It was intended that fruits and vegetables be grown here to supply ships of the of the Dutch East India ships as they plied the route to and from the East Indies. Besides being the center of the wine region of the Western Cape of South Africa, it is the home of Stellenbosch University, whose graduates include many of the country's Prime Ministers and rugby players. (Note that those two professions are mentioned in the same breath. They are considered equally prestigious in South Africa.) Stellenbosch is located in a valley between very high, beautiful, rocky mountains. (Several vistas today reminded me of seeing El Capitan in Yosemite Valley.) Today the mountains were crowned with billowy, white clouds -- often spilling over the edges like cotton gauze hanging from a table. We walked around town a bit, then we decided to bicycle out of town and experience the countryside. We checked with the local bike shop and got recommended routes. We headed out of town. After awhile, I spotted a sign with a crossed knife and fork (the symbol for a place to eat) with an arrow pointing up a road lined with pine trees. It also indicated "Neethlingshof Winery". We decided to follow the road (appropriately called Pine Avenue) to see where it led. We were very happy with our choice. At the end of the road was the Neethings-hof Estate, dating from 1692. The winery was developed in some of the lovely, old buildings on the estate. We had lunch on the patio of the Lord Neethling Restaurant, which was housed in a building that was constructed in 1814. From our table, we had another beautiful view of the surrounding mountains with fluffy clouds on top. The lunch was delicious. (We found out later that we had happened upon a restaurant recommended by Conde Nast for good food in and around Cape Town.) After lunch, we bicycled back to the car. Then we drove to two more very old towns in the wine country -- Franschhoek, established in 1688 by 200 French Huguenots, and Paarl. They are both smaller and quainter but equally as interesting as Stellenbosch. From there we drove back to the City Lodge for dinner. After dinner there was a meeting with Tim to hear the plans for tomorrow's flight to Greece. It's an overnighter on the Prince' private 747 again. (The same one that flew us from Barilouche, Argentina to Johannesburg.) The plan is to leave at 9 p.m. and arrive in Athens about 7 a.m. (That will test our ingenuity again since we have to check out of the hotel by noon. We'll see. Since this is the last entry from South Africa, I thought I'd list some of the colloquialisms and mannerisms unique to the country: "robots" are traffic signals. "roundouts" are traffic circles - used at intersections in lieu of robots. "Sorry." means "I'm sorry" but it also means "may I have your attention" as well as "excuse me" or "pardon me". "Is it." means "Oh?" or "Is that so?" or Is that so.", depending upon the tone of voice used. "Dankie" (sounds like hanky) means thank you. "Rooibos" is the name of a wonderfully delicious, no caffeine, South African tea. -The country can change from "first world" to "third world" within a few miles. Love to all, David and Lisa
03/16	Larry and I rushed out this morning to return the rental car to the airport before 9. After we returned, Lisa and I had a leisurely morning. We had a nice breakfast, then returned to our room to pack and take a last catnap. Since we had the luxury of having spent time in and around Cape Town, we didn't have to be in a big rush like the riders who had just arrived Tuesday night. We were checked out of our room and had our baggage packed in the gear trucks by noon. That allowed Lisa and Joan to walk to and around the mall (about 2 miles each way). Larry and I each worked on our journals. I took my tea and went out on the patio. Larry stayed in the lounge. We went to Saddles for lunch and talked with Arthur Benbow from England. Arthur is a retired widower who took up bicycling 18 years ago when his wife died. He bicycles a lot and travels a lot. He exchanges his home with others around the world through an international home exchange service. A few years ago he did five exchanges that stretched for six months in Australia and one for two weeks in Canada. He says he will definitely come back to South Africa because the costs of living here are so low. He will try to do a home exchange so he can come back for next year's Cape Argus Tour. At 4 p.m. we got the DRG's and headed for the airport. We led a line to the cargo terminal at the airport. Then we got in line to have our bike loaded on a pallet. Then we retrieved our baggage from the gear truck and got in line to put it on a pallet. Then we got in line to have our passport checked and get our boarding passes. Then we got in line to wait for the bus to take us to the international terminal. Then we got in line for security check-in and passport control. Finally, at 7:55, we got into the "secure" area of the terminal where we could sit down. I sat with our carry-on's while Lisa checked out the Duty Free Shops. Lisa found some delightful perfume. I finished a few more chapters of my book. Then we got in line to order some dinner. (It took forever to get our order of a chicken and mushroom Tramezinni sandwich, an iced coffee, a milkshake and a piece of cheesecake.) We spent our last Rand on dinner. Then we hurried to get in line at 9 o'clock to board the plane. Then there was an announcement that the flight would be delayed due to "operational" problems. Finally, at 10 to 10, the line moved. We got on the bus, drove to the plane, and got in line to board. By 10:20, we were on the plane. At 10:30 the Prince (Hammad, the pilot) came through the plane, saying hello and shaking everyone's hand. We feel like old friends now, since he piloted us last time. He's a particularly nice guy. By 11:15, the plane was towed out to the runway. The pilot announced that it would be a 10 hour and 5 minute flight. At 11:45, the pilot announced that we had to return to the terminal because there was a problem with the "air" system that had to be fixed before we could take off. 12:30 a.m. We're taking off, Tomorrow -- Athens! Love to all, David and Lisa

	Previous | Next