Road Trip

When we arrived in Cape Town we met many people who pointedly would tell us that Cape Town is not Africa. So when we got our rental car and headed out to explore the famed Garden route and other stops on the way to "Joberg" it was with a sense of great anticipation. With one notable exception so far South Africa has delivered the goods. Here's a little sampler of what has gone on so far:

Day one saw us make our way to Cape Agulhas which is the most southern point of Africa. It was here we saw the meeting point of the Indian and the Atlantic oceans. It was very cool since in Australia we saw the meeting point of the Indian and Southern Oceans.


From there we found the Skielding Guest Farm where we again had the good fortune to be the only guests in the establishment. We also had probably the best dinner/breakfast of our entire trip. Although we did get a bit concerned that the ostriches may have been planning something


The next day we got to Myoli Beach where we enjoyed some quality time in the sand and surf.


After a couple of days chilling out at the beach we made our way to the next stop, Storms River. Throughout the trip we have been looking for an opportunity to try zip trekking. Here we finally took the leap.



Next up was to drive to Addo Elephant Park for a (hopeful) date with some African wildlife. Although the king of the beasts was able to elude us, we did see many other African attractions.





After the excitement of Storms River and Addo we definitely needed to take a Coffee Break at a somewhat unique destination. It came from a very strong recommendation from our friend Karen Lavender. When we were starting to plan our trip we learned that Karen and her family were going to do the same thing, just a year ahead of us. She has been very gracious with sharing her experiences with us, and suggested that we spend some quality time in Coffee Bay at a place called the Coffee Shack.

With a name like the Coffee Shack we expected a very casual, laid back atmosphere full of other backpackers. It did not disappoint. This place redefines the word “chill”. It probably has to, as the road to get there is what I would describe charitably as “hellish” with an amazing number and variety of potholes. I managed to walk the fine line between driving swiftly in the smooth sections and swerving appropriately when required, to the occasional consternation of my travelling companions.



Aside from the unique African feel, Coffee Bay gave us an opportunity to make some new friends and for me to further indulge my new found fondness for mocha's.

Sadly we realized that you can only chill for so long. So it was off to experience the Drakensberg Mountains.



Now we find ourselves set to enter Kruger Park for five days of safari life which I hope will bring us close (but not too close) to the wild kingdom.