Hiking Around Cape Town

November 24, 2012 by B + B in Africa, South Africa

Our last two weeks in Cape Town have been an absolute blur. We got back from the Wild Coast, water-logged and a little stir-crazy, and hit the ground running (or more accurately, hiking). Mary took us to the Newlands Forest and the Contour Path, which is a great series of moderate walking trails through the forest below Table Mountain. It's cool and shady and was the perfect warm up for our car-weary legs.

We also finally got to climb Table Mountain! We took the Skeleton Gorge route which is through Kirstenbosch Gardens. Unfortunately, you have to pay to enter the park, even if you just cut through to the trailhead. We think you can also get there from Constantia Nek or Rhodes Memorial to avoid the extra cost (around $10/person). It was a great hike - challenging and beautiful. The trail is pretty steep, but is wonderfully maintained and there are stairs, ladders and hand holds to help you along the way. Our favorite part of the climb was hiking up a waterfall in the middle of the forest. We got wet (nothing new for us after the Wild Coast) but the water was cool and felt great! Getting to the top took a bit longer than expected - it's about 4 hours up and as with most journeys the last bit seems to take forever. But, once we made it, we were rewarded with amazing views of the city. We walked the perimeter of the mountain (which is flat on top, like a table) and made our way to the cable car and bar area on the other side. We drank a cold beer and decided to pay for the cable car down - our legs were shot and our stomachs were empty. Mary met us at the base and swept us off to an amazing dinner at Royale, a well-known burger joint on Long Street.

The next day was a road trip out to Cape Point. Cape Point is not quite the southern most point on the continent, but it's definitely more scenic and more accessible from Cape Town. And, there are great stops along the way. Our first was Olympia Deli in Kalk Bay, a Cape Town staple that's been serving breakfast and lunch to hippies and beach bums for decades. The food was delicious, but burgers the night before and a big breakfast made for a few tummy aches. Not that we would let a little thing like that stop us. We headed on to Boulder's Beach, where hundreds of Atlantic Penguins make their home year round. We walked out to the beach expecting to see the March of the Penguins only to find a few tourists sitting in front of changing huts. Confused, we walked back to the entrance and learned that the best times to see the penguins are in the morning around 8am and in the evening around 5pm. Luckily, we could easily swing back by on our way home, so we left Boulder's and drove south the Cape Point.

Before heading back towards the penguins, we made a quick stop at Scarborough Beach, where I slept (and got stuck) in the car and B and Mary explored the shore. The penguins were waiting for us when we got back to Boulder's around 5, as promised. It was definitely worth the second trip. They are funny and entertaining birds, especially when they run.

Another highlight of the last two weeks were the sunsets. They were brilliant. And almost every night. We caught several above Camp's Bay, at Sunset Beach (appropriately named) and, our favorite, from the summit of Lion's Head. We hiked up with a cooler and bottle of wine, watched the sun go down and then realized we had no head lamps for the way down. Luckily, we did have liquid courage from the wine, so we scrambled down slowly, making friends along the way and stopping to see the city at night. The night view is almost as awesome as the sunset. Definitely do this if you're in Cape Town... But don't forget flashlights or headlamps!

Getting out and about in Cape Town again made us fall in love with the city all over again and was a bittersweet reminder than in one week, we'd be saying goodbye.

Wild Coast Part II

November 23, 2012 by B + B in Africa, South Africa

Back in September, on a 22-hour stopover in Lusaka, Zambia between safari and Vic Falls, we met a fellow American named Anthony. He sat with us for coffee for a grand total of 15 minutes telling us a few stories about his year motorcycling through Africa. He also mentioned that his favorite spot, "the most beautiful place in the world," was on the Wild Coast in South Africa. As it ended up, that place was Lubanzi, which is only a four-hour walk from Bulungula and our obvious second stop on the Wild Coast.

We weren't really sure what to expect of the walk from Bulungula to Lubanzi. We only knew that if you follow the coastline, you'd eventually find it. After our traumatic taxi experience, we decided to play it safe and hire a guide - a 19-year-old boy from the village - to lead the way. And, after making the trek, we were glad we did. There are no established trails and the chosen route took us along the beach, up hills, across rivers and through pastures. It is definitely doable on your own (again, just follow the coastline), but was nice to just be able to enjoy the moment and the amazing views and we were also more than happy to support the local economy. We had packed light knowing we would have to carry all our stuff with us and our guide nicely offered to carry my backpack, leaving me with Brendan's pack and Brendan with the big bag. The help was amazing and let one of us (let's be honest, Brendan) avoid carrying two bags, but we found out the hard way that if a stranger carries your stuff for a four-hour hike, it will probably end up smelling like him. The walk was gorgeous, and guide or no guide, smelly back pack or no smelly back pack, it's totally the best way to travel the Wild Coast.

We arrived at Wild Lubanzi Backpackers and were treated to a welcome beer - the first of many during our stay - and took a look at our new home. We didn't get far on the tour when we saw a somewhat familiar face. Anthony from Zambia, the reason we went to Lubanzi, was back at the lodge for a second stay! And we could see why. Lubanzi is strikingly beautiful. The lodge is set on a high cliff, overlooking not only the beach and ocean, but also sheer cliff faces on the other side of the valley. In the morning, we could see whales breeching and dozens of dolphins playing in the surf from the picture window in our room. It's unreal and immediately comfortable all at the same time.

But, the best thing about Lubanzi is the people. It runs like one big, dysfunctional family. The owners, Aiden and Rahel, live on property and have built the lodge one room at a time. It seems like they've purposefully kept it small, quiet and off-the-beaten-path enough to maintain an intimate vibe (as much for them as the guests). You have to work to get here and if you're not willing to or want to be catered to once you're there, it's probably not for you. Along with Aiden and Rahel, the lodge-family included two volunteers, Kyle and Kelley, Anthony and Cashew and Carab, two huge Rhodesian Ridgebacks that have the run of the property. We helped out in the kitchen, picked herbs and veggies in the garden, grabbed ourselves beers (marked down on a ledger, of course) and settled in to the slower pace. A few days later, a Polish couple who had also been recruited by Anthony joined us at the lodge and brought the rain with them.

It rained for days with no relief, leaving me, Brendan, Marta and Maciek stranded at Lubanzi with no way out. The roads were too muddy for their car and the ground was too soggy for us to walk. It definitely sounds worse than it was. Lubanzi is a great place to be stuck. We had good food, good company and, despite the clouds, a pretty good view of paradise. We got out and walked the village when we could. We played Brandy Dog - a game that we will definitely be bringing back to the states with us. And we drank a lot of beer. So much, in fact, that we ran out and the guys had to make a daring run to the shebeen in the rain. Even though they nearly got the car stuck and had to carry three cases of beer uphill, through the mud for 20 minutes, it was a successful mission. Until we drank it all that same night. Trying to make sober fun, we set up a sheet, hooked up the projector and popped some popcorn for movie night. All-in-all, we had a fun lock-in for three days, but the four of us were getting antsy.

Our chance for freedom came the morning after movie night. The skies cleared for a few hours, long enough to make the roads somewhat passable for Marta and Maciek's small rental, and they were nice enough to let us hitch a ride. As soon as we were out on the main roads, the skies opened back up. We drove for two days and over 1,000 kilometers and there was not one break in the rain. There were "waterfalls" everywhere - sheets of water coming down the cliffs to the road and down the other side. It was so bad, that a bridge on the road we were driving washed away - less than an hour after we had crossed it. Luckily, Maciek is an excellent and cautious driver - and he and Marta are wonderful company. We kept ourselves entertained with good conversation (mostly about travel and food), made a few stops and found our way to Plettenburg Bay where Brendan and I threw in the towel and bought tickets on the night bus to Cape Town. Mary had told us that the weather at home was sunny and with seasonal depression disorder setting in hard, we needed to get there fast.

We pulled up in Cape Town at 10am the next morning, just as the first rain drops were falling on the city. If we weren't so tired, we would have cried. Maybe I even did. It turns out, the rain had been some of the worst in the Eastern Cape's recent history. Roads were washed away (our bridge had actually made national news), villages were cut off from food and people were stranded. We considered ourselves extremely lucky to be back on somewhat dry land with family and our hearts went out to those still on the Wild Coast.

Even though our excursion to the Wild Coast was cut short, it was well worth it and lived up to its name in more ways than we could have imagined.

Kirstenbosch Gardens

October 30, 2012 by B + B in Africa, South Africa

Kirstenbosch Garden is a collection of stunning botanical gardens in the heart of Cape Town. Today, we walked through the park (easily an all-day activity), spread out a blanket and read in the sun for the afternoon and finished the evening with an appetizer and glass of wine at Moyo, the in-garden restaurant. Not too shabby!

For lovers of plants and just plain beauty, Kirstenbosch is a must-do. Manicured paths meander through acres of native plants from Southern Africa, including common fynbos (a genus with hundreds of different species in the Cape), 200 million year-old cycads and prominent, colorful proteas, including our favorites Pin Cushions and Silver Trees. The city has done an amazing job putting together the park. In the summer they have Sunday night concerts, which gives us a good excuse to come back in December.

Hybrid Protea in honor of Nelson Mandela

Lion's Head

October 30, 2012 by B + B in Africa, South Africa

Along with Table Mountain and Devil's Peak, Lion's Head is one of the prominent landmarks in Cape Town (appropriately named for its profile which looks strikingly similar to the head of a lion). It's also one of the many hike-able areas around the city. All roads lead to the top and the 360 degree views of Cape Town encourage locals and tourists alike to make the climb.

It's more of a walk until you get closer to the peak, then all of a sudden, you have to go straight up. When given two options, we, of course, chose the path that was labeled "not recommended" and ended up having to use a few ladders, chains and handholds to make it up. We thought we were pretty hardcore until we saw some kids blazing the trail in front of us.

It only takes about an hour to get to the top (compared to the much longer Table Mountain hikes) and the views of the Twelve Apostles, Camps Bay, Clifton, the harbor and the city are amazing. If we have time, we'll go back up with a bottle of wine for sunset - it's a popular spot to watch the moon rising on a full moon as well.

There was one casualty for the day - Brendan's ankle got mangled in a nasty fall on the way down. Texting, talking and hiking do not mix!