Beers in South Africa.

I have tried the local ales over here and they are very like the Aussie micro breweries. The Castle lager produced by the the huge SAB Miller company is pretty ordinary and like all the local lagers very fizzy and not advisable for a session. My favourite is the Amstel Slow Brewed, Extra Matured and Windhoek Draught which strangely enough comes in a bottle but a latecomer to my attention is Black Label Beer recommended to me by a local street drinker, at 5.5% good taste but it comes in 0.75 litre bottles.
Today is my last full day and this morning I braved Johannesburg's scantily signed road system to visit the Sterkfontein caves in the Cradle of Humankind, I was made up, only one wrong turn in a round trip of around 80km. Chilling this afternoon with an Amstel trying to decide where to go for my final steak tonight.

Moving North again.

My last night in Dundee, I went for the steak again. How can I refuse 400gm sirloin and 2 pints for less than a tenner. 
A long drive up to Johannesburg, as usual I took as many country roads as possible but it is pretty flat and boring. The worst job was finding somewhere to eat  away from tourist country, in the end hungry, thirsty and with my legs crossed I broke down and pulled into a Kentucky Fried chicken. I have never sampled the food in one of these joints before having heard the rumour of where the chicken comes from and now I can see why it is definitely the worst meal I have had outside of Cuba, never again.
I was a bit wary of coming to Johannesburg everyone I spoke to had stories or warnings about getting mugged, raped and murdered but my guest house is in Melville just a hundred yards from an area of shops, restaurants and pubs and the natives were friendly on my recce earlier this afternoon though the beer is more expensive than down South.

From Spion Kop to Rorke's Drift

A long old day yesterday driving up from Underberg, I had to detour to avoid some wet dirt roads, I know I can hear you saying " no sense of adventure" but I wanted to get here in one piece. I stopped off at Spion Kop both for the historical interest and because of its special significance to the football clubs of Lancashire particularly Liverpool, it was a moving experience and being on the ground really brought it home to me. I will add photos when I get home.

The British memorial on Spion Kop

British mass grave on the summit.

The girl in the ticket office with presents from Liverpool fans.

I arrived here in Dundee at 4 pm and rushed out immediately to find a pub with a TV showing the Wales v Scotland match, I eventually ended up in the golf club and was welcomed with open arms. Thank you. Well done Wales but I still don't know about Scotland's disallowed try.
Today has been a full day of battlefield tours of Isandalawana and Rorke's Drift with Pat Rundgren ( battlefield guide and author) it was a pleasure to listen and understand the history, tactics and cock ups whilst on the site where the conflicts actually took place, he also gave me his views on the encounter at Spion Kop, thanks Pat.
Elizabeth my hostess finished the day off for me with a fabulous steak dinner and her interpretation of the death in action of the Prince Imperial (the son of Napoleon lll) who died at Zulu hands whilst surveying for the advancing British army.

Memorial to the 24th Foot, wiped out at Isandalwana

Rorke's Drift

Nightmare in Pietermaritzburg.

Yesterday started so well, tasty breakfast and on the road before 9am, slipped seamlessly into the rush hour traffic moving North, took the slip road for Pietermaritzburg to go to the museum and visit the lanes when I ran out of directions, someone had stolen all the signs to the town centre, I tried North, East, West and you guessed, it was South. The same thing happened in my next scheduled stop in Howick, I did manage to find the waterfall before giving up completely. By then I had had enough and headed for my base for the next three days in Underberg.
Early start this morning driving to the Drakensberg mountains with Katherine Jenkins, it was cool and so peaceful in fact blissful in a landscape that was like a green Monument Valley. The rest of the day was just exploring and gassing with the locals. This is another return location at a cooler time of year and when I am fitter.

Out in the rain

I donned my England shirt and caught a taxi into town to watch the rugby in the Underberg Inn last night. The shirt was well received and was certainly an ice breaker, the locals had the good grace to let me watch the first half hour before switching over to catch the local rugby match between the Sharks and the Cheetas. A good night until I got hungry, all the restaurants were booked up, apparently Valentines Night is a big thing over here. I was directed to a pizzeria that served the poor lost and lonely.
The fun started when I rang my taxi driver for a lift home, he calmly informed me that he had finished work for the day, apparently this is typical in Africa. No other taxis were available so the pizzeria manager kindly ran me back to my digs, otherwise it would have been a 10k walk in the rain and worryingly, in the dark!
Going North today to the Battlefields.

Durban

It was a real pleasure sitting up in business class, turning down all the free hot towels, drinks and snacks, let's be honest the flight was only 75 minutes but I did enjoy the option to exit the plane first. The flight was BA and I must admit it was a breeze, security was slick and efficient,  everyone was polite, my bag was waiting for me as I got to the carousel. Well done BA and South African airports.
Durban is hot, hot, hot, more precisely very humid which isn't good at 30 degrees.
The B&Bs I have stayed in have been different in their own way but excellent, the one I am in at the moment is owned by two men who linker pink so it has all the little touches that make it even better.
Today I walked the length of Durban's beaches with my shirt off, not a good idea, I now resemble a strawberry Mivvy when viewed from the side, ah well I'll learn one day. I also made use of the local buses, £1 for an all day pass, brilliant. I have now seen everything not mentioned in the guide book, I particularly enjoyed the Asian quarter but could not for the life of me find anyone selling vegetable samosas. I was tempted to buy Charlie a native drum for her birthday, don't worry Keira I thought better of the idea when I remembered you may be coming up to see me soon.
Heading for the mountains tomorrow.

Golf course at Fairways, Drakensburg in the background.

Drakensburg at the end of a busy road

Garden Castle, my favourite mountain.

Sunset over Garden Castle from my dinner table at the Old Hatchery Underberg. 

Pastures new

Had Mad dash to Port Elizabeth today, the paperwork for the flight said 12:30 departure but 13:30 local. I had no idea what all that meant so I covered the 150 miles to the airport in just over 2 hours only to find the check-in just opening. For some reason I have been bumped to Business class so this is coming from the airport lounge.
The last two days have been spent exploring, Wilderness, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay, I reckon there is at least two weeks of fun to be had here.
Ray and Fiona's guest farm Bella Manga was a home from home, I was treated like an old friend and quickly made friends withe their dogs, I will make the place my base for a week next Trip,
 I am flying up to Durban today for two days of curry before heading into the Drakensberg Mountains, then up to Rorke's Drift before I fly home via Johannesburg. Half way through, I am not ready to return to the cold.

 I saw fire lillies first in Kirstenbosch Gardens in Cape Town and thought how much Jan would have loved them, then I saw these beautiful examples at Birds of Eden near Plettenburg Bay and just around the corner I came upon this sign. 

Down to the Garden Route

Phew it is 10 degrees cooler down here on the coast compared to Oudtshoorn, so cool I had a roast dinner for lunch South African style, meat, roasties and gravy but the veg was courgette, butternut squash and beetroot, strange to say it worked.
Landed on my feet again for accommodation, it is a rondavel on a farm run by an English couple with their 3 cats, 2 dogs a 29 year old horse, a flock of hens and a herd of beef cattle, very laid back and they have promised me a full English every morning. Yahoo.

The view I had to endure whilst dining on my first night.

Oudtshoorn adventures.

Great result last night, and it bodes well for a strong Lions team in New Zealand in 2017. I watched the game in a sports bar in downtown Oudtshoorn after persuading them to put the game on, I think that wearing the England shirt helped convince them I was serious, it was a surprise to find out that I had been locked in.
Today's early start saw me at the Cango caves for the 10am tour, the caves were stunning but the digital idiots(henceforth to be called digiots) ruined the experience for me with all the flash photography, I know I've said it before but why do people not look at things any more, just take a photograph and move on.
I moved on to Buffelsdrift to have a close up and personal experience with elephants. Wow, I won't forget that in a hurry and I have got the elephant slobber and mud all over my clothes and the photos to prove it,

to celebrate I had lunch at their restaurant overlooking the lake/watering hole for animals on the reserve.
What a great day, hugged by an elephant and found something to rant about. 
Start the Garden Route tomorrow.

Goodbye Cape Town

The blanket was securely on Table Mountain as I drove out on my way to Franshhoek, there was drizzle in the air so a good time to leave. The journey by A roads was a real insight into the real South Africa, arriving in Franshhoek was like driving onto a film set.  
Franshhoek seems to cater for all that is bad about wine, the tasting houses are visited by aficionados who hold forth in loud voices and the town itself is a fine experience, fine wine, fine dining, fine art, fine jewellery...........
I found some quiet tasting rooms away from the wine tram route, I thoroughly recommend Soms-Delta not only for the personal service and wonderful setting for the tasting but also for the museum which records the history of the land the estate is on since the early Stone Age.  My second recommendation would be the Lynx boutique winery, their unbounded enthusiasm is infectious and the Rose was possibly the best I have ever tasted, mind you I do like it bone dry. One other excellent attraction was the Franshhoek Motor Museum, four large sheds of cars in pristine restored condition, I fell in lust with the 1929 S Type Mercedes Benz.

I managed to avoid the obnoxious at night by dining at the Elephant & Barrel, the only pub in town and the Stand Restaurant on the road north on the outskirts which was locally run and more of a family restaurant.
An early start this morning saw me in the hills above Franshhoek by 8:30, there was a fabulous view of the valley from there, foolishly I didn't take a photo so you will have to go yourself to experience it. On Billy Boy's recommendation I took the R 62 through the Little Karoo and once again he got it right, great views and interesting sights and experiences along the way.

 I arrived at Earthbound B&B in Oudtsdoorn and what a place, probably the best I have ever seen. The setting looks nothing from the road but once inside it is just perfect, six letting rooms with everything you could need set around a swimming pool with a large patio  and the owners and staff fall over themselves to make you welcome, I will definitely come here again on my next visit, I am glad so few people read this blog otherwise the place would be booked years in advances.

Time to get ready and go on the hunt for a sports bar showing tonight's rugby match.

Last day in Cape Town

Initially when I booked four days in Cape Town I thought it might be a mistake and I would run out of things to do but I am leaving here today and I still have things on my to do list so I guess I may have to come back sometime.
Today I caught the cable car up Table Mountain, the views from the top are amazing. A number of people walk up and I would like to do that next time but I won't be abseiling down like some loonies do. It pays to get there early in the day, I had no delays but there were long queues when I got down at 11:30. From there I went to Kirstenbosch Gardens, Jan would have loved the place, not only was it beautiful but it was interesting to learn how many of our garden plants originate here in South Africa.
Tonight's dinner venue was Headquarters, there is no evening menu just a green salad starter followed by steak and chips, my kind of place. The one drawback was the crooner who walked around the restaurant mangling Frank Sinatra songs, fortunately he only started as I was finishing my meal, I didn't stay for coffee.

Why do they call it Table Mountain?

Wale Lodge, B&B in Bo Kaap

Loonies

Wow!

Cape peninsular tour.

An early start this morning after a heated discussion with a lady who had lifted my wine out of the communal fridge last night. I followed a Rough Guide suggestion and drove to Cape Point via Chapman's Peak, a toll road but well worth the charge.
Cape point is in a reserve and it showed, I saw ostrich, hyrax (like oversize guinea-pigs) and quite worryingly baboons that I didn't see until they popped out to inspect a litter bin for food just as I was walking past but they ignored me completely which was nice. The views when I got to the lighthouse were worth the trip but the high winds were something else, two reefs at least.
My return trip took me via boulders beach, famous for its penguins but I didn't need to go there as they came over to say hello at the cafe where I was having my lunch. Got back to town in time for a Castle lager and a spot of people watching in Greenmarket Square. 
My steak and chips restaurant was booked so I went to Mama Africa's, local band which lit up when the horn section kicked in, great staff, huge amounts of fantastic local recipe food, snook pate followed by a Zimbabwe chicken dish called Dovi but an excellent white wine was spoiled by being served at room temperature, can I complain for a night out for about £30, probably not but I will anyway.

In praise of the citibus tours

A one day bus ticket covering 4 different Cape Town tours, what a bargain especially as one is a wine tour stopping at three different vineyards with tasting rooms. I am now fully orientated and adequately lubricated. Great day, luckily I remembered the sun-block having spent the best part of three hours on an open-top bus. Tried the African menu tonight, avoided the crocodile etc but did try the carb replacement which was a mixture of ground maize and beans hmmm! Luckily the meat sauce was tasty and the side dish of spinach helped as well. Looking for steak and chips tomorrow.