I had to move this week, since my contract for my old house expired along with my internship. Luckily I decided to just spend all my time in the mountains, so I don’t even need a bed (hah). In all seriousness though I found a new place on Gumtree, South Africa’s Craigslist, and am really happy with my move. The house use to be a church before it was renovated to become a textile factory and restaurant. Now, after more renovations, the restaurant piece has been converted into a beautiful 6 bedroom home – and I’m one of the first people to live in it. It’s a massive space with an absurd amount of bathrooms (six toilets, four showers, and two urinals), a long outdoor veranda, a pizza oven, a courtyard, and two beautiful living rooms.
I’ve been camping a ton over my trip now that I add it all up. I’ve spent nights at Cederburg, Sandy Bay, Die Dam, Langebaan, Simon’s Town, Slangkop, and Kogel Bay over the past eight weeks. I don’t plan on stopping either. There’s so much more to see and everywhere I go I find something new and amazing.
I woke up on Sandy Bay beach this week after spending the night with a big group of friends. We drove to Hout Bay market for breakfast after gathering our things and trudging up the dunes, then drove back to Obs in time to see Julia’s art exhibition. She’s a young award winning American artist, definitely worth a look. Monday and Tuesday I got out and about after work, relaxing on Blouberg and Llandudno beaches. Monde invited me to watch a film she helped create through the City Varsity Film School called Sodium Day on Wednesday, and I went and watched it in lou of regular work. It was a very interesting film commenting on the school system in South Africa and how it prioritizes high income students over low income students, and what differences that creates in the youth. In the evening I took a short rainy walk above the Rhodes Memorial.
Thursday through Saturday was a flurry of hiking and moving. I went up Skeleton Gorge early on Thursday with Julius (Germany), Hannah (Michigan), and Simona (The Netherlands) and was amazed by how quickly we summited and the views from the top. We meandered along the tabletop for a while before descending down to Constantia for lunch. It was Cara’s last day in Cape Town on Thursday as well, so I went to her favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurant with her, Chelsea, and Andi. It’s a place called YARD that is home to three different menus for the same restaurant (Mucky Mary’s for breakfast, Bitch’s Tit for lunch, and Dog’s Bollocks for dinner) as well as a coffee shop, and a biker bar. While we were there it was Dog’s Bollocks, offering plate sized burgers and wings.
Friday morning I got up early and moved all my things into my new house before the two and a half hour drive to Cederburg. I made it to Gecko Creek Lodge in time to swim and relax in the sun with the crew before we all cooked dinner and went on a walking tour of the property to check out cave paintings and rock formations. Our guide brought his drum and played as we climbed up the rocks to watch the sunset.
Saturday we spent the whole day in Cederburg. After waking up and cooking at the lodge we walked the windy and poorly marked trails that wound up and down the sandy hills until we found Elephant Rock about an hour and a half down the trail. Of course we climbed the rock and took pictures for a while then walked back to camp. In the afternoon we drove an hour deeper into the Cederburgs to reach the Cederburg Winery – the highest altitude winery in South Africa. The road was rough and steep, forcing my yellow cheapie to chug along at less than 20km/hr, but luckily I came out unscathed. Cat’s car, on the other hand, hit a nail and popped a tire. We made it in time for a tasting and a tire change then buzzed off to the Stadsaal caves.
Stadsaal Caves is a must see if you have time in South Africa. It reminds me a ton of Arches, Zion, and Bryce Canyon national parks. It’s an expansive area of badlands, caves, rock formations, and dunes that you could spend a lifetime exploring. It’s home to ancient cave paintings from some of the earliest known people in history and it’s actually very easy to navigate and climb around the rocks. Everywhere you look when you stand in Stadsaal is a brand new and unbelievable sight, from massive vistas of rocky and rugged landscapes to tight winding cave corridors. We stayed as long as we could, but as the sun began to set we had to drive back down to our camp. As we drove, a massive thunderhead rolled in backlit by the sunset. Everyone but the drivers were hanging out the windows in the rain hooting as lighting struck the mountains, overcast by the puffy red-orange clouds.
April 2nd
Highlights
- Waking up on Sandy Bay beach
- Driving to Hout Bay market for breakfast
- Perusing local art and goods
- Attending Julia Brigg’s art show at Milton Ave
April 3rd
Highlights
- Getting off work early
- Relaxing on Blouberg Beach
April 4th
Highlights
- Heading to Llandudno beach with Tom after work
- Finding the end of Table Mountain (above Llandudno)
- Cooking myself a steak dinner
April 5th
Highlights
- Watching a feature film Monde worked on called Sodium Day
- Checking out City Varsity film school
- Browsing downtown then heading to Century City
- Evening rainy walk above the Rhodes Memorial
April 6th
Highlights
- Hiking up Table Mountain through Skeleton Gorge with Julius, Hannah, and Simona
- Starting the day in Kirstenbosch gardens
- Climbing ladders up the mountain
- Swimming in one of the reservoirs at the top
- Exploring the top of Table Mountain
- Taking the trail across the side of the mountain to Constantia
- Eating calamari in Constantia
- Going to Bitch’s Tit/Dog’s Bollocks for Cara’s last night in town
April 7th
Highlights
- Moving houses in the morning
- Watching the massive (but peaceful) protests against President Zuma’s government
- Driving to Cederburg with Jack and Joey
- Arriving at Gecko Creek Lodge in time for a swim
- Setting up at one of the most scenic campsites of my trip
- Taking a guided tour around the property and viewing 20,000 year old cave paintings
- Watching sunset from atop the rocks
- Eating dinner and celebrating at our campsite
April 8th
Highlights
- Waking up in Cederburg
- Spending a slow morning at the lodge swimming and cooking
- Getting lost on the way to Elephant Rock
- Climbing and riding the elephant (rock)
- Driving an hour deeper into the Cederburgs
- Holding on for dear life as the cheapie barely conquered the mountain
- Wine tasting (highest altitude winery in South Africa)
- Exploring Stadsaal Caves
- Checking out the rock formations
- Checking out better preserved cave paintings
- Racing a thunderstorm down the mountain at sunset
comments: Bitch’s Tit–really, that’s crazy. Female centaur? hmmm not sure. Did you make that veggie side dish with that steak? Wow! Your rainbows look like our rainbows. Elephant Rock really looks like an elephant! I want a cat! That storm picture was awesome.
Love you,
Random Mom