(long post, so large intake of breath....)
Our little tour of South Africa has come and gone and as we relax in the busom of Cape Town for another 5 day stay, we look back over the last two weeks with some trepdation (Away with the Fairies) and relaxtion (everywhere else....)
After our short stop in Grahamstown, we journeyed to Hogsback, the most beautiful area I have seen in ANY country for quite a longtime, and stayed in the Away with the Fairies hostel. As I have been kindly corrected (Cheers Mac!), Tolkien, while never probably having visited the place himself, has many a connection to this mountain range, and the locale certainly reminds of the books in many ways (check out amazing picture vistas! oooo!ahhhh!). By the way, if any of you ever goes on a small hike to a waterfall and someone in your party decides to 'just have a look over here', ignore them, go straight home and climb under the covers of your bed with a coffee and a good book....I had never gone on an 'accidental 4 Hour mountain climb in flip-flops' before, and I'm not sure I have the inner strength to do it again!
The hostel itself contained the nicest bunch of Alcoholics I have ever met and I dare not mention any more through recordable media of what went on during our 3 day bender there, only that I survived, and that I am happier for it.... ;)
After here, we moved to Buccaners in Cinste for some welcoming R&R, (of the quiet, reading lots, anti social kind) and healed all wounds by the Indian Ocean...although getting to the place somehow takes the shine away from it! Did kinda get chased by a lion in a game reserve, so that was pretty cool though....
Onwards to Graff-Reinet, a very different, very old-Afrikans town very near the Karoo...some lovely restuarants, well kept gardens and a little place called the Valley of Desolation.....
...which proceeded to blow Hogsback out of the water for sheer scale and size...again, the below shots do no justice to how incredible that view was (and yes the lizard was blue AND green!)...
More hiking here and a lovely tour of a Tequila factory at 10 in the morning (i'll explain when i get home...) and the penultimate spot on our trip, Nieu Bethesda, offically the quietest place in the world. Here, in the space of one morning we got a tour of an Agricultural site, the aforementioned tequila tasting, and a visit to one of the out of place art installations in the world, the Owl House...
A museum and tribute to the house's owner Helen, this fantastic look at colour and light was her life's work up to her death in the '70's, and I recommend that anyone interested Wikipedia or Google the place to find out more.....
Finally back to Rocky Road for a final drink (well, most of the Tequila and a 500 person Trance party in a backpackers in a wood is a bit more than a drink, but these things will happen when you are away..)... thanks so much to Rocky, Mac, Merix and all the folks there who were so very kind and welcoming, and also so very helpful and understanding through a very scary month and a half.... it was, and always will be, very much appreciated....so here's a photo greatest hits!
In injury news, the doctor has given an 'almost perfect' recovery update from my neck, and a view that if it continues this way, I am free from medical neck-warmers from the 15th of Dec, and on to a 100% recovery. Now if I can just recover the 3 stone I've lost, i'll be happy!
Going to sign this off now....its (pissing)raining in Cape Town (again!), but we did get out to see Mr Mandela's prison on Robben Island yesterday, which was sobering (apart from the HUGE amounts of Rabbits and Penguins everywhere....). A guy in a surf shop today told me to get a monkey tattoo on my neck before I leave, to remember the place by......I am really sick of this damn neckbrace!
Next post from Sydney, where we visit the newly-engaged Mr Dunne! Congats to Melissa and himself again, and I'll tap at you all in a week...
J
(p.s. I know there was meant to be some pics up here, will follow tomorrow due to technical difficulties!)
