Mossel Bay to Cape Town - August 20th

August 20th, 2008:

Short: Morning tour of Mossel Bay, Relaxing drive to Cape Town, Back to Deetje's House!, Run in Lionshead park, Finally - Dinner at Nelson's Eye, Clubbin

.

Long: This morning we walked the short distance from the guest house to coast. We like Mossel Bay. Our impression is that the city is laid back, with some nice beachside cafes, and a combination of upscale homes, parks with campers, and backpackers. We took a few minutes just standing on the rocks taking pictures of the surf.

The drive back to Cape Town was beautiful, but uneventful. You are consistently reminded, though, that you are in South Africa. Segregation, a remnant of apartheid, is almost always visible. As we drove we would pass a beautiful coastal town, and then a few minutes later pass a “township,” the area where many of the black workers still live. When we would stop at a restaurant, or a petrol station, the workers were almost always black, and the managers white. It is clear that it will take a very long time to reverse the effects that segregation has had on this society. We drove into Cape Town in the early afternoon and met Deetje at her house. For those that do not remember, Deetje is a friend of Nikolai’s that lives in Cape Town, her parents and her own a beautiful home overlooking the coastline just outside of downtown Cape Town. All of us have spent a lot of time sitting in the car the past few days, and we were excited when Deetje and Jan, a friend of hers, asked if we wanted to join them for a run in Lionshead park. Dressed in clothes that would have made seasoned runners laugh, we all followed Deetja and Yan up the trail behind her home and into the park. We ran the dirt path for about thirty minutes and then stopped to take in the view. We had climbed above the clouds. Table Mountain, glowing in the sun, towered above us, while below us the coastline was now a puffy sea of white clouds. It was awesome and probably one of the better pictures of the trip. Unfortunately, we had no camera. After taking in the sights, we ran back down the mountain and showered up. When the trip began, Deetja had taken us to an outstanding steakhouse called Nelson’s Eye, and we had been discussing going back ever since. After months of discussion and cravings, we headed back and enjoyed a wonderful dinner. Last time we ate at Nelson’s Eye, the waiter refused to allow me to order my steak well-done. This time, wisely, or so I thought, I ordered my steak medium-well. The answer was again “no,” medium was the best I could do. Fair enough – the dinner was, once again, outstanding. After dinner we headed to a club that Jan had recommended. As a mass of hooched-out teenagers danced in the background, we all toasted to the end of our trip.


In just over seventy days we had driven through thirteen countries (South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, DR Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, and Lesotho). While we have always viewed the trip as an adventurous vacation/holiday, increasingly we have begun seeing it as an investment. It was an investment in education. In our opinion, it was money well spent. We both feel that we have gained a better understanding of, and appreciation for, African history, culture, and its people. Importantly, we feel we have an appreciation for how complex the political, social, and economic environment can be in African countries; an understanding of how difficult development can be. Further, when it comes to Africa, stereotypes abound. In our opinion, some are true, but most are false. In general, we have found that with a little patience and common sense, Southern and Eastern Africa is a safe and wonderful place to travel. As business school graduates, we might as well also mention that, with continued stability, many of the countries are likely to be a wonderful investment opportunity!

For those interested, we might put together a FAQ pertaining to questions we have been asked along the way. Till then…Take care!

Jeffery's Bay to Mossel Bay - August 19th

August 19th, 2008:

Short: Breakfast and walk the beach, All of us do the WORLD’S HIGHEST BUNGEE JUMP (216 metres), post-jump drink and dinner in Plettenberg Bay, Strike out at Buffalo Bay, Stay the night in Mossel Bay

Long: Long: A was mentioned yesterday, Jeffery’s Bay is full of surfers, and most of them were up early for some riding or lessons. We took our time getting up. After breakfast we met up with Jessica, an American from Washington State, who we agreed we would drop off in Plettenberg Bay. She was a great sport, considering we detoured for a few hours so that Niki, Mortimer, and I could do the world largest bungee jump. Nikolai and I had been talking about doing the jump for most of the trip, and finally the day had arrived. Nikolai reasoned that if he was going to bungee jump, it might as well be the world’s highest. The bridge is located within a national park and straddles a deep gouge that runs from the mountains into the ocean. The jump, 216 meters high, off the Bloukrans arch bridge, is the world highest “commercial” bungee jump. Luckily there wasn’t much time to consider the jump, we arrived and were quickly setup with a group and walked out to the jump platform. However, once we were out on the platform we unfortunately were scheduled to jump last. All of us had to sit on the cold and windy platform, and ponder why it made sense to jump off a 216 meter high bridge. In the end, everybody jumped. This was my third jump, and probably my last, the exhilaration of your first jump just can’t be matched again.

After spending a few hours at Bloukrans, we drove to Plettenburg Bay to drop off Jessica. It was already later in the afternoon and we decided to have dinner and a drink to celebrate the jump. We then left Plettenberg Bay and drove to Buffalo Bay, which we had read was a happening backpacker place. We pulled into Buffalo bay around sunset and were disappointed to find both the city and the hostel essentially deserted. Apparently the winter season is not popular with tourists and backpackers. We decided it would be best to drive on the Mossel Bay, and we weren’t disappointed. Deciding to splurge on our last night of paid accommodation, we found a very nice guest house, enjoyed a great meal at a local pub, and headed to bed.

Malealea to Jeffery's Bay (South Africa) - August 18th

August 18th, 2008:

Short: Leave Malealea early, Lesotho-South Africa border, Boring drive, Sunset at Jeffery’s Bay, Mexican dinner

Long: We were up and on the road early this morning and arrived at the Lesotho-South Africa border around 9am. Today’s drive was pretty boring. We passed through town after town on good roads. That is really about it. If it wasn’t for the occasional townships (shanty-towns), we could have been passing through towns in England or Australia.

We arrived into Jeffery’s Bay, a legendary surfing town and home to the Billabong surfing championships, in the early evening. Our hostel, Surf vibe, lived up to its name. The place is full of grungy surfing types from all over the world. After checking in and showering, we headed out to the “Mexican” for dinner. This was the first Mexican restaurant we have passed on the trip and luckily Mortimer and Niki agreed to take advantage. The food wasn’t that great, but it was surprisingly decent. A drink, a game of cards, some Olympics later, we were all in bed.

Malealea (Lesotho) - August 17th

August 17th, 2008:

Short: Horseback riding into the mountains, Make our own lunch, Sunset drive, Meet the village kids, Dinner with Boston peeps

Long: After a quick breakfast with our new friends from the night before, we decided to arrange a four hour horseback ride into the mountains. The Malealea lodge has a tack room and was able to quickly arrange horses and a guide. Around 11 we left the lodge and rode down the steep, and narrow, paths into the valley. After passing some local herders, and their animals, in the valley, we climbed back up the mountain, finally stopping at one of the nearby waterfalls. The horses we were on were not exactly the healthiest looking animals, and at times, all of us felt like they might collapse. They made it through though, and we were even able to get a few running action shots. The ride was a great way to see some of the countryside as well as gather some insight into the everyday life of the herders.

After cooking lunch in the lodge’s kitchen we relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. The lodge provided some directions on a “Sunset 4x4 drive,” and shortly before sunset we began the drive. The drive itself wasn’t that spectacular, and the sunset soon became a secondary opportunity. When we stopped to watch the sunset, a number of village children surrounded the car. I took some video and showed them (Always gets a few laughs), while Mortimer took a few pictures. One of the children was supposed to ride his bike to Malealea for the evening choir show, but his bike tire was flat. We threw the bike in the back of the car and drove both him and his friend to the lodge. It was a great way to spend the evening. At dinner we met a couple from Boston, who are currently in South Africa on their honeymoon.

Volksrust to Malealea (Lesotho) - August 16th

August 16th, 2008:

Short: Leave Volksrust early, Action shots of Betsy, Cross the South Africa-Lesotho border, Action shots of Betsy at one of the mountain passes, Arrive at Malealea lodge, Fun night with new friends

Long: We were up and on the road early this morning. So far all of the roads we have traveled on in South Africa have been wonderful, and today was no exception. We made great time to the South African-Lesotho border. The drive brought us through the Free State in South Africa, and was desolate and dry, with the occasional mountain. We crossed into Lesotho in the early afternoon and had no issues with the border. Lesotho is (So we have read) the only country in the world completed surrounded on all sides by another country (South Africa).

It is a small mountainous country (The lowest elevations are around 3500 feet and the highest over 11,000 feet) of two million people. After passing through the capital, Maseru, we continued south and then east into the mountains. At the Gates of Paradise pass we took advantage of the backdrop to take some pictures of Betsy.



We arrived at the Malealea lodge in Malealea village shortly after. The lodge, perched on a mountain ridge, offers great views and is large relative to others lodges we have stayed at. Power is supplied via generators, and is only available between 5pm and 10pm. Before dinner we watched both a local choir, and local band, perform for donations. The lodge sets this up every night as a way to inject some cash into the community. It works well.

After dinner Niki and Mortimer played some pool and around 9 we thought about going to bed. However, Mortimer had other plans. He struck up a conversation with a group of people sitting around the fire outside and next thing we knew it was 1am. Nikolai and I were once again able to play “This is how I bounce my stick,” to the delight and displeasure of those in the group. The group consisted of a recently married South African couple, three girls working at NGO’s in Maseru, and a French guy working at a private water company in Maseru. It was a very fun night.

Maputo to Volksrust (South Africa) - August 15th

August 15th, 2008:

Short: Café culture, Fix the jerry can clasp, Tour Maputo, Mozambique-Swaziland border, Sightsee in Swaziland, Swaziland-South Africa border, B&B in Volksrust

Long: At breakfast this morning we found that Maputo has quite the café culture. Along the main street we had our choice of sidewalk cafes, something we have not seen that often, if at all, on our trip. After breakfast we took the car to a body-shop across the street from our hostel and asked the guys to re-weld our jerry can clasp (It snapped again). The manager of the shop refused to take any money for the fix.

While leaving in the car to tour Maputo, a child ran up asking for money. We refused, and he began chasing after the vehicle as we drove down the main street. Mortimer snapped a few pictures of him trying to hide from the camera. We drove for fifteen minutes, parked the car, and walked around one of the main squares. Amazingly, the child ran the entire distance and located us in the square. Having guessed our location correctly and running entire distance, we had to give him some change, he worked for it. We snapped some pictures of the city hall, and then toured around the, very European looking, downtown train station. We found the architecture in the city to be lacking, but the café culture and coastal location made up for this.


We left Maputo in the morning, and crossed the nearby border (<100km) into Swaziland around noon. Swaziland is a small country of just over one million people and is Africa’s last remaining “absolute” monarchy. The monarch here runs the show, and this was evident as we passed the “Royal” plantations heading west to the capital, Mbabane. On the positive, the country is known for its rich culture and traditions. On the negative, the country is also known for having the highest rate of HIV in the world. A staggering 40% of the adult population in Swaziland is estimated to have HIV. We stopped for lunch and an ice cream! in Mazini, the largest city in Swaziland, and then continued on through the Ezulwini valley to Mbabane.


We thought about staying the night in the touristy Ezulwini Valley, but decided it would be best to keep driving. We are planning on driving to mountainous Lesotho tomorrow, and would like to ensure the latter portion of the drive is in the daylight. We arrived at the South African border after dark, and while I was on the phone trying to fix a relocation fiasco back in Boston, Niki and Mortimer processed the passports. Driving back into South Africa was like a breath of fresh air. It is amazing how much different South Africa is from its neighbors. The roads are immediately better, both smoother and well signed, and services are available most everywhere. We no longer had to worry about where to get money or petrol. After grabbing a quick dinner and some fuel in Elmero, we drove south to the small town of Volksrust for the night. Our guidebook offered no advice for this area of South Africa, but we easily followed signs to a guesthouse, and after some negotiation with the congenial caretaker, an older man, stayed in a nice two bedroom apartment for the evening.