Sunday, September 17, 2006
Sept. 8
Today was the day of the dive with Great White Sharks. In the morning, we boarded a bus with 10 other from Cape Town and drove along the coast to Gans Bay. Here we took a boat just off the coast in between the beach and the islands that make up "Shark Alley" (of Discovery Channel Shark Week fame). We began to chum for sharks...and in about 45 min. we had a Great White along side the boat. We put the cage in the water. The cage held 5 people and was in the water along side the leeward side of the boat. The water was about 55-60 degrees, so we rotated in and out of the cage every 10 min. or so. We did not actually use SCUBA gear, but snorkels and only went under when the sharks were right in front of the cage. One of the deck hands had a rope with yellow fin tuna heads and through it out in from of the cage and slowing drew in towards the boat to lure the Shark...with the goal being to have the shark eat the "bait" directly infront of the cage. It worked. Over the course of the next 3-4 hours, we had 7 different sharks at the boat. Each "took the bait" multiple times. The largest was 4 meters long. It was big (and so were the teeth)! At least 5 times the sharks made contact with the cage. One really thrashed the cage with its body right in front of me. Upon getting back to Cape Town, we went out to eat (Malay cuisine) and then went to a couple of bars in with one of the guys we shark dived that day.
Sept. 9
Today we went to Robben's Island. It was where Nelson Mandela and most of the political prisoners were imprisoned during aparthide. The island about a 30 min. boat ride from Cape Town. It was pretty powerful. It was a 2.5 hour tour and was packed. We saw the prison and various places the prisoners were forced to work during their imprisonment. The conditions they suffered were extremely tough. When they worked, they worked in a lime mine that was not used...they would move dirt and then move it back. The prisoners were mostly all in solitary confinement. The cells did not have glass in the windows (and it gets cold in Cape Town). Black and other prisoners were treated differently...blacks had to wear shorts, were not issued shoes nor jackets. Talking was not allowed other then when they were working. To imagine living like this for 18 years...Nelson Mandela did and somehow, after the horrible treatmen, still was reconcillatory. After the tours we went to Avis and rented a car. It was our first time driving on the left side of the road. As I pulled out of Avis, it was weird, but not as bad as I thought. We drove down the cape to SimonsTown. It was really nice. The beachs and the coast was gorgeous. They even had penguins there. We stayed at our first hostel. It was really really nice. We had our own room with a balcony overlooking the water...and it was only $25 total.
Sept. 10
We got up and drove down to Cape Point. It was beautiful. The drive reminded me of the Big Sur in California, very vertical with great white sand beaches tucked in coves. We hiked out to the lighthouse. The weather was sunny and the views spectacular. From there we drove to Stellenbosch, the town in the center of the South African wine region. We went to 3 great wineries. The prices were very cheap for wine and the tastings. At one place we had two free tastings (5 wines) and a bottle of wine for just $3.50. As for the scenery, I must rate it as better than the Napa Valley. Vines of grapes with near vertical mountains just beyond the town. The town itself consisted of whitewashed Cape Dutch houses surrounding a university. The scenery and atmosphere were amazing...and only 45 min. from Cape Town. With the attention the area will get when the World Cup is hosted there in 2010, I hope it will not change. Conor and I both agree it has been the best place so far.
Sept. 11
I got up and went for a 40 min. run. The morning was sunny and the air crisp. It was a beautiful run and a great way to start the day. We drove up to a winery/cheesery. We had wine and cheese for breakfast. After the winery we started our drive to the Garden Route. The Garden Route is the coastal route (Indian Ocean). It rained off and on while we drove and the area had received so much rain recently that the highway went to one lane often due to road repairs. Needless to say it was a frustrating drive. One thing that stuck us as we drove was the poverty. We expected shanty towns on the outskirts of the cities, but not in the country. Unforunately towns of huts made of wood and sheet metal without doors and livestock roaming the dirt streets were all to common along this stretch of road. We stopped at the resort town of Knysna. It was situated a little bit back from the ocean along an estuary. For dinner, we ate bread, wine and cheese we had purchased at the winery. One the news that day, we saw the memorial ceremony highlights.
Sept. 12
We stayed in Knysna today. In the morning, we went for a run and then headed to the beach. It was quite spectaular. It was a sandy beach with rocks on the edges and cliffs as a backdrop. We walked the beach. The waves were about 6 ft. The beach was Brenton beach. We had brunch as the waves pounded the beach. We had gotten the food at the local supermarket. It was a great market...exceeded expectations. It had everything from a bakery to produce. Not what I would have expected. We then drove to the "Heads." The heads are the end of two rock cliffs that form the entrace to the bay/estuary. The views were good and we saw a Southern Right Whale with its flukes out of the water (close to shore). After that we grabbed a beer at a micro-brewery (rare in SA).
Sept. 13
Very long driving day. We drove for about 13 hours from Knysna to just south of Durban. We stopped at Nature Valley, a beautiful beach with at the base of a rain forest...but it was lightly raining and no one was there. We kept driving to Jeffery's Bay (J-Bay). It is home to various surfing competions and is near Cape St. Francis. The waves were not that big and I think that masked the amazing break that is so famous. We kept driving and the highway went through the country. We saw more poverty and went through some rough towns. People walked everywhere, livestock occasionally walked in the road and school children (in uniforms) were everywhere. As we drove, the lanscape changed very very quickly. From rainforest to what looked like the great plains, to arid to back to rainforest as we went back to the coast. Then it got dark. Driving was super tough (Conor did a great job). The headlights on our car were not strong and the people and cars and trucks and animals were still there. We finally got to a hostel in Port Shepstone and spent the night.
Sept. 14
When I woke, I realized the hostel was right on the beach. It was an amazing location. Sandy beach with some rocks and nice 4 foot waves. I went for a walk on the beach and then we headed up the coast to Durban. We went to downtown Durban, right to the water. It was pretty run down and raining and it looked dangerous to park the car overnight. We checked out the beach and the boardwalk and the rikshaw drivers and then headed to a hostel in a beach suburb just outside the city. It was in the Bluff neighborhood and the place we got was like a tiki area. We had a cabin and the place to ourselves. It had a pool, pool table, darts, and was close to the beach. The neighborhood was very much like Point Loma.
Sept. 15
We stayed the day in the Bluffs area. I went to the beach in the morning and the afternoon. The water was about 70 F. It was nice and the beach had shark nets. The waves were OK.
Sept. 16
We took a bus (8 hours) from Durban to Pretoria. It was full. Not the most enjoyable experience, but it got us up here. We checking into a hostel in the Hatfield neighborhood. It was nice. We had some drinks at their bar and then they had a BBQ. I ate so much. It was so good.
Today was the day of the dive with Great White Sharks. In the morning, we boarded a bus with 10 other from Cape Town and drove along the coast to Gans Bay. Here we took a boat just off the coast in between the beach and the islands that make up "Shark Alley" (of Discovery Channel Shark Week fame). We began to chum for sharks...and in about 45 min. we had a Great White along side the boat. We put the cage in the water. The cage held 5 people and was in the water along side the leeward side of the boat. The water was about 55-60 degrees, so we rotated in and out of the cage every 10 min. or so. We did not actually use SCUBA gear, but snorkels and only went under when the sharks were right in front of the cage. One of the deck hands had a rope with yellow fin tuna heads and through it out in from of the cage and slowing drew in towards the boat to lure the Shark...with the goal being to have the shark eat the "bait" directly infront of the cage. It worked. Over the course of the next 3-4 hours, we had 7 different sharks at the boat. Each "took the bait" multiple times. The largest was 4 meters long. It was big (and so were the teeth)! At least 5 times the sharks made contact with the cage. One really thrashed the cage with its body right in front of me. Upon getting back to Cape Town, we went out to eat (Malay cuisine) and then went to a couple of bars in with one of the guys we shark dived that day.
Sept. 9
Today we went to Robben's Island. It was where Nelson Mandela and most of the political prisoners were imprisoned during aparthide. The island about a 30 min. boat ride from Cape Town. It was pretty powerful. It was a 2.5 hour tour and was packed. We saw the prison and various places the prisoners were forced to work during their imprisonment. The conditions they suffered were extremely tough. When they worked, they worked in a lime mine that was not used...they would move dirt and then move it back. The prisoners were mostly all in solitary confinement. The cells did not have glass in the windows (and it gets cold in Cape Town). Black and other prisoners were treated differently...blacks had to wear shorts, were not issued shoes nor jackets. Talking was not allowed other then when they were working. To imagine living like this for 18 years...Nelson Mandela did and somehow, after the horrible treatmen, still was reconcillatory. After the tours we went to Avis and rented a car. It was our first time driving on the left side of the road. As I pulled out of Avis, it was weird, but not as bad as I thought. We drove down the cape to SimonsTown. It was really nice. The beachs and the coast was gorgeous. They even had penguins there. We stayed at our first hostel. It was really really nice. We had our own room with a balcony overlooking the water...and it was only $25 total.
Sept. 10
We got up and drove down to Cape Point. It was beautiful. The drive reminded me of the Big Sur in California, very vertical with great white sand beaches tucked in coves. We hiked out to the lighthouse. The weather was sunny and the views spectacular. From there we drove to Stellenbosch, the town in the center of the South African wine region. We went to 3 great wineries. The prices were very cheap for wine and the tastings. At one place we had two free tastings (5 wines) and a bottle of wine for just $3.50. As for the scenery, I must rate it as better than the Napa Valley. Vines of grapes with near vertical mountains just beyond the town. The town itself consisted of whitewashed Cape Dutch houses surrounding a university. The scenery and atmosphere were amazing...and only 45 min. from Cape Town. With the attention the area will get when the World Cup is hosted there in 2010, I hope it will not change. Conor and I both agree it has been the best place so far.
Sept. 11
I got up and went for a 40 min. run. The morning was sunny and the air crisp. It was a beautiful run and a great way to start the day. We drove up to a winery/cheesery. We had wine and cheese for breakfast. After the winery we started our drive to the Garden Route. The Garden Route is the coastal route (Indian Ocean). It rained off and on while we drove and the area had received so much rain recently that the highway went to one lane often due to road repairs. Needless to say it was a frustrating drive. One thing that stuck us as we drove was the poverty. We expected shanty towns on the outskirts of the cities, but not in the country. Unforunately towns of huts made of wood and sheet metal without doors and livestock roaming the dirt streets were all to common along this stretch of road. We stopped at the resort town of Knysna. It was situated a little bit back from the ocean along an estuary. For dinner, we ate bread, wine and cheese we had purchased at the winery. One the news that day, we saw the memorial ceremony highlights.
Sept. 12
We stayed in Knysna today. In the morning, we went for a run and then headed to the beach. It was quite spectaular. It was a sandy beach with rocks on the edges and cliffs as a backdrop. We walked the beach. The waves were about 6 ft. The beach was Brenton beach. We had brunch as the waves pounded the beach. We had gotten the food at the local supermarket. It was a great market...exceeded expectations. It had everything from a bakery to produce. Not what I would have expected. We then drove to the "Heads." The heads are the end of two rock cliffs that form the entrace to the bay/estuary. The views were good and we saw a Southern Right Whale with its flukes out of the water (close to shore). After that we grabbed a beer at a micro-brewery (rare in SA).
Sept. 13
Very long driving day. We drove for about 13 hours from Knysna to just south of Durban. We stopped at Nature Valley, a beautiful beach with at the base of a rain forest...but it was lightly raining and no one was there. We kept driving to Jeffery's Bay (J-Bay). It is home to various surfing competions and is near Cape St. Francis. The waves were not that big and I think that masked the amazing break that is so famous. We kept driving and the highway went through the country. We saw more poverty and went through some rough towns. People walked everywhere, livestock occasionally walked in the road and school children (in uniforms) were everywhere. As we drove, the lanscape changed very very quickly. From rainforest to what looked like the great plains, to arid to back to rainforest as we went back to the coast. Then it got dark. Driving was super tough (Conor did a great job). The headlights on our car were not strong and the people and cars and trucks and animals were still there. We finally got to a hostel in Port Shepstone and spent the night.
Sept. 14
When I woke, I realized the hostel was right on the beach. It was an amazing location. Sandy beach with some rocks and nice 4 foot waves. I went for a walk on the beach and then we headed up the coast to Durban. We went to downtown Durban, right to the water. It was pretty run down and raining and it looked dangerous to park the car overnight. We checked out the beach and the boardwalk and the rikshaw drivers and then headed to a hostel in a beach suburb just outside the city. It was in the Bluff neighborhood and the place we got was like a tiki area. We had a cabin and the place to ourselves. It had a pool, pool table, darts, and was close to the beach. The neighborhood was very much like Point Loma.
Sept. 15
We stayed the day in the Bluffs area. I went to the beach in the morning and the afternoon. The water was about 70 F. It was nice and the beach had shark nets. The waves were OK.
Sept. 16
We took a bus (8 hours) from Durban to Pretoria. It was full. Not the most enjoyable experience, but it got us up here. We checking into a hostel in the Hatfield neighborhood. It was nice. We had some drinks at their bar and then they had a BBQ. I ate so much. It was so good.
# posted by Adam @ 11:14 AM 
