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The Winner Is…

Thursday, November 6th, 2008

Day 222

Jordana and I crawled out of bed thinking we were going to catch a 7am bus. The only problem was we had no idea where the bus actually left from. We were about to learn that South Africa isn’t the easiest place to get around in. Well at least they don’t have bus stations and the buses only stop in main cities and in small town they deposit you on the side of a highway. We wanted to get to Swellendam about 150km east of Stellenbosch. Since it was 8am we missed the bus. Vik and Andy, the Brits staying at the hostel were driving their rental car to Hermanus, east of here and on the sea but nowhere near Swellendam. They offered us a ride a ride there, since it was a free ride and a new place we accepted.

We arrived in Hermanus around 10:30am. We checked into the Moby Backpackers and set out for breakfast. The thing to do here in Hermanus is whale watch. The locals claim its the best shore based whale watching in the world. Whoa, that’s a tall claim. Have these folks been to Puerto Madryn, Argentina? We were just there a month ago and I’d like to think that Jordana and I now have the authority to decide which spot is truly the worlds best shore based whale watching. Yes we are spoiled.

After breakfast we walked through the small town to the rocky shoreline. The coast is beautiful with mountains plunging into the water and a 5km trail the follows along the rocky shore out of town. Hermanus definitely is more picturesque than Puerto Madryn is. However what about the whales? We quickly saw a baby breaching a few times in the distance. An impressive sight. We spotted another whales blow hole spouting not far from shore. Then we saw two whales swim by extremely close to shore, closer than anything we saw in Puerto Madryn. Although all the did was swim by. We spent quite a bit of time hanging out on the waterfront. The final decision…sorry Hermanus your claim is bogus. Puerto Madryn was non-stop whale tail slapping, breaching and head bobbing. It just isn’t close. In our eyes Puerto Madryn is the greatest shore based whale watching in the world.

So we were done with the whales, the rest of the day we spent on the internet and walking the small town. Then as night fell so did the rain, tons of it. We ran over to a seafood restaurant, “The Fishermans Cottage”. A very cosy place with a very maritime feel, a very east coast Canadian feel. We had some of the best seafood we’ve ever eaten, just amazing. So in the end even if the whale watching wasn’t the best, the fish sure was.

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Old School

Wednesday, November 5th, 2008

Day 221

So, what can I write about this day? Basically we had breakfast, climbed into the “Easy Rider Wine Tour” bus with 5 others, drove around to 4 wineries and get drunk. Really that would be the easy entry to write and not much else happened in between, well not that I remember. So here goes, a blurry view of our day of wine tasting.

A disclaimer: The following blog may have been tainted by several glasses of wine and other forms of alcohol.

Gabriel, our guide and all around interesting guy drove us off to the first winery in the region. Simon Sig, I think that was the name. Once there our guide led us through the wine processing plant for about 45 minutes. Some might cutting about 45 minutes into our drinking time. We emerged from the wine cellar into the brilliant sunshine and took a seat on the beautiful patio. Finally some tastings. Sparkling wine to start, then a selection of 4 other of our choice. I think I had 2 whites and 2 reds. Generally speaking white wine isn’t as good as red in South Africa. The Pinotage was decent, which is a South African grape variety that they came up with. Overall the wine was good and Gabriel gave us a good talk on how to taste wine. All very laid back and unpretentious, actually Gabriel was about the most unpretentious guy you could meet. A bit odd and a dry sense of humour but then again this guy once worked as a street busker in Greece. I did not just make that up.

On to the second winery, Fairview. This was a great place, they also make some great cheese. We have some of their wine at home in Canada, you may have seen their “Goats do Roam” brand. Again, I did not just make that up. Here we were able to try 6 choices. The best part was getting a tasting, actually a full glass and walking over to sample the cheeses. Does it get any better than this? Yeah actually it did get better, hold on. The girl who was pouring our tastings was quite generous so it broke the ice between the group. We walked out with one of the most expensive bottles of red. A chakalaka, again not made up. It was great and cost a whopping 110 Rand or $11!

Next stop was lunch, a full meal that was included with the tour. Oh and it also included a glass of wine. Some of the light weights in the tour didn’t even finish their wine. Jordana and I had a fish they call salmon here. Its not salmon, nothing like it but it was tasty and the setting was fantastic. It was getting a bit blurry but the countryside here is gorgeous. Tall mountains with vineyards as far as eye can see. Lunch was done and it was on to the next stop.
Dieu Donner, a french name for a winery in South Africa. Apparently the french came through here sharing their wine making talents. I honestly can’t remember whether this wine was good. I think it was OK. The winery had a fabulous view and a artificial waterfall leading to a large restaurant. I do remember a rose here, it wasn’t so good. The wine definitely was not god’s gift.

For our last stop it was the most stunning of all the wineries, Tokara. Maybe the most beautiful one I’ve ever seen. The building has one architectural awards and the views over the valley were spectacular, leading all the way to table mountain. To the wine, we had 5 choices and by this point most people were definitely feeling it. I’m sure some didn’t even get through all 5 tastings. I do remember the wine here was good and after my 5th tasting myself and my new British friends, Vik and Andy had to try the brandy. We had to pay for the privilege, 5 Rand. It was tasty stuff and a good way to finish the day of tastings.

Oh wait, the wine tastings were done but the other tastings were just about to begin. Back at the hostel Jordana and I had our cheese and bread that we purchased from Fairview. After that Vik, Andy and myself went for a quick swim before changing and heading out for a pint. Being a university town there is a good selection of pubs. We settled at Bohemia, where the pints of Castle Lager were 12 Rand. That’s $1.50 CAD, pretty much 5 times less than a pint in Toronto. Or recipe for a messy night. The one pint turned into 4 or 5 and after a quick pizza we started to walk back to the hostel. On the way we passed a bar that looked lively so we strolled in for a look. This place was the stereotypical university bar. Bad music, very drunk students and a dance floor. Why is it that dance floors in bard like this are always wet? Do that many people spill their drinks? Maybe I just don’t want to know. Anyway we had a few more drinks while some of us hit the dance floor and some of us watched Manchester United and Celtic on tv. It was a good night. A good day on the whole, well from what I can remember.

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A Helldrick of a Train Trip

Tuesday, November 4th, 2008
Day 220 We had gotten so comfortable at the B & B and loved Cape Town so much part of me was sad to leave. Although the desire to explore more of this country and continent quickly had me wanting ... [Continue reading this entry]

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Setting the Table

Monday, November 3rd, 2008
Day 219 "Its good enough, were going!" I said as we peaked up at the mostly cloudy sky around table mountain. It was our last day and I was determined to get to the top of table mountain. We walked to ... [Continue reading this entry]

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Holocaust in Cape Town

Sunday, November 2nd, 2008
Day 218 We've gotten quite comfortable here in Cape Town at St. Pauls B & B, so much that we decided to spend an extra night. Originally we planned on leaving tomorrow but I've talked Jordana into staying another day. ... [Continue reading this entry]

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Erasing Lives

Saturday, November 1st, 2008
Day 217 Yesterday was an easy introduction to this very european feeling African city. Today we planned on visiting District Six, an area and now museum that would show us that looks aren't everything in Cape Town. We enjoyed another large ... [Continue reading this entry]

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On a Holiday

Friday, October 31st, 2008
Day 216 I opened our window and stuck the camera outside for a great shot of table mountain with clear blue skies as far as the eye could see. It was a beautiful day and our first true full day ... [Continue reading this entry]

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