Jul 23 2007
Episode 4 - Did somebody say SHAAARRRKKK!?!!!
backpacker journal by Smasher
and www.travelpackers.com
Backpackers Destinations: South Africa
After a relaxing week or so spent at Rach’s auntie’s
house in Scarborough (thankfully not the frigid blight on the landscape in north
Yorkshire, but the beautiful, peaceful village just by Cape Point - sunset photo
was taken from their balcony) we hired ourselves a turbo-charged Toyota Tazz 1.3
bullet and headed off up the garden route.
First stop was Hermanus, home to as many breaching
(that’s basically doing stunt jumps out of the water) Southern Right Whales as
your eyesight and camera can handle. Unfortunately its only home to the whales
from July to October and the ocean was still as a millpond on 10th, 11th &
12th December. We eventually saw 6 mother and calf pairs about 25 metres off the
shore at a place called Die Kilders. These massive barnacle encrusted creatures
bask up and down the coast before migrating further south, occasionally they may
roll to one side, wave an immense flipper in your direction which I guess is
whale-speak for “Howdo,” before settling gently back and going casually on their
way.
Flushed with success from finally seeing the Whales we decided to go
hunting for the most ferocious predator of them all - the Great White Shark.
Boarding an 18-man boat in Gaans Bay we were taken through the days activities
by the smiling and £1000 richer boat owner - Brian. His half hour lecture can
basically be broken down as follows;
1 - Motor out to the deep-water channel between the
Gaans Bay headland and the main estuary island
2 - Bait the water with shark liver and huge pieces of
fish heads or “chum”
3 - Wait for a 15-20 foot Great White Shark to turn up
and start circling the boat
4 - Don wetsuit
5 - Get in a bloody great cage and get lowered into the
water to watch the shark’s frenzied attacks on the cage and bait about 3 feet
from your goddamn face. The pictures tell a better story but all I can say is
that this is THE highlight of the trip so far. Watching these sharks lazily
circle the boat was chilling but then to actually get in the water and be fixed
with that dead, oily eye as the shark effortlessly patrols by, was quite simply
one of the most exhilarating experiences Rach and I have ever had. One shark
spent about three hours circling the boat and making passes at the bait and the
day was completed when it actually attacked the cage when Rach and I
were in there. It was so terrifying to feel the weight
of the shark hit the cage and then to see this great razor sharp tooth filled
cavity trying to bite the bars literally a foot from our faces, that we both
screamed as we came back up for air. Not your cup of
tea? Think again I would go back in a second.
After Hermanus headed through the De Hoop nature reserve
and Cape Agulhas, (which is actually the southern most tip of Africa and where
the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet) and arrived in a place called Oudtshorn,
where for some reason we signed up to do a 53km mountain bike ride from the top
of the Swartberg Pass, down through the Cango caves and on to an Ostrich Farm,
where I got kissed or should I say butted by an amorous female Ostrich. We
thought it was going to be a relatively easy day but as we turned the first
hairpin bend and looked ominously at the cliff-edge off the road immediately to
our left, we realised this was a serious mountain bikers trail and set off with
both hands clamped on the brakes. We eventually reached the Backpackers where we
were staying after 5 hours in the saddle having ridden through some of the most
stunning scenery of the trip so far - it is definitely a cool if somewhat sore
way to see Africa.
Stopped off in Wilderness (not much there surprisingly)
on our way to Jeffreys Bay - home of the 3 mile 6 foot surf that brings surfers
from around the world. So it was after a large night on the pop (all these
backpackers hostels have a cool bar with pool table) we found ourselves
shivering in the early morning light, wearing ill-fitting wet-suits and
practicing our front crawl on the surf-board on the beach as people walked by
with their dogs smirking. Well 2 very frustrating and exhausting hours later we
collapsed back onto the beach having been dumped, smashed, battered and
downright humiliated by the 4 foot surf and all I had to show for it was 2
bruised knees as try as I might I could not stand up. Rach of course, got it
pretty quickly and simply sat there with a big grin on her face, just itching to
ask whether I saw her catch the last wave. Naturally I ignored her and stalked
off to the car in a black mood. This surfing malarkey is harder than it looks.
After another couple of lessons in a place called Cinsta
up past East London I eventually came to the board-throwing, tantrum inducing
conclusion that I will never be a surfer - its best to start when you’re 12
apparently and painful though it is to admit, I am just too old! Luckily I spent
many an evening in the pub when at Uni and my pool skills were returning from
the 3-4 games we played every night. So much so that I won the killer pool
competition and won myself a 2 hour all over Swedish massage - get in! Just what
we needed after the battering in the surf - we both came out sooo relaxed Rach
had to slap me before I could drive.
We had booked a week in Plettenberg Bay for xmas and we
spent a very relaxing week learning to body-surf along perhaps the most
beautiful but also the busiest stretch of coastline on the garden route. It was
from here that we sent those xmas piccies of us in santa hats which I only
mention again because the place where we decided to stop was filled with cool
surfer dudes and the looks of utter contempt we got when we asked a couple of
them to take the photos was priceless. Worth the entrance fee alone. Obviously
we just got on with it - surf-muppet that I am.
Headed back to Cape Town for New Year, which was great.
Had the traditional awful curry, before watching a huge firework display on the
Victoria & Albert docks waterfront and then getting drunk on tequila and
aftershocks in some extortionately priced bar before trundling in at about
4:30….same as everyone else I expect.
After another few days in Scarborough near Cape Point we
got a bus to Durban. Easy you might think, except no matter how close Durban may
look on the map, it is actually a country mile away and after a very cramped 26
hours (14 of which were spent being talked to by an ex-soldier and nightclub
bouncer whose wife had just run off with another woman) we eventually arrived in
the hole that passes for Durban. This was where I asked the bloke who ran the
backpackers, who also happened to be 3 time world surfing champion Rudy
Palmbloom, if he had been surfing long - if looks could kill.
From here we headed into the Drakensberg mountains
which are allegedly some of the most beautiful mountains in Africa,
unfortunately the summer is the rainy season in this particular mountain range
and a steady patter of drizzle greeted our attempts both to climb to the second
highest point in Africa and to see the ancient bushman paintings in the area. I
say drizzle, but what I really mean is head numbing stair-rodding rain,
accompanied by stinging bursts of marble sized hailstones and lightning striking
rocks and trees about 30 metres from our headlong charge back towards the jeep.
We were soaked but content, at least we were until we got back to the shabbiest
backpackers in existence and tried to dry off. After leaving the mountains a day
early I decided to polish my Michael Caine impressions and visit Rorke’s Drift
battlefield, which is the battle that the film “Zulu” is based upon. Didn’t even
get a chance to say the immortal line “Don’t frow….bloody spears……at me” as we couldn’t
get near it due to the 1.3 Toyota Tazz’s two wheel drive and the fact that
the rain had turned the non-metalled roads to a muddy sludge. Did manage to get to the
Spioenkop battleground, which for all you Liverpool fans will need no introductions, but only
after getting the car stuck in a mud-slide, spending half an hour building an
escape ramp, only for the car to shoot straight out of the mud after a vigorous
rocking and leave Rach and Cory (top bloke who was cadging a
lift) sprawling in the mud - another if looks could kill moment!
Managed a cheeky upgrade that evening from backpackers
hostel to Game Lodge (ahem….still got it!) and had a very interesting and
eye-opening discussion with the owner about Africa, particularly the Aids
epidemic. Apparently as many as 70% of the population between 16 and 35 have
Aids - it is so bad that large corporations (e.g. Dunlop) are training 3 people
to replace every worker who has Aids - that is because of the 3 they train, 2 of
the 3 will die of Aids before the training course is completed. It really is a
timebomb and the government will not even admit the problem exists because then
they will have to do something about it!! Very sobering.
From here we headed to St.Lucia Wetlands National Park,
which is on the East coast about 40km below the border with Mozambique. Went
deep sea fishing here and was sick as a dog from the moment my first fish came
out to the second my feet touched solid ground. Best thing about the day was
catching a 4 foot Rock Cod and the owner beaching the boat at the end of the day
- basically he just floored the engines and shot towards the beach, coming out
of the surf and skidding up the beach to stop about 5 feet from his motor -
Cooked the fish we caught that night on the Braii and had a few beers - bloomin
great!
From here went to the Umfoluzi and HluHluwe Game reserves, where 50% of the
worlds Rhino population lives. Obviously saw loads of Rhino and also saw Buffalo
for the first time. Also managed to get the car stuck on a rock in the game
reserve, so had to clamber out and stack branches under the front wheels with
Rach on the lookout for anything that moved. Not sure what would have happened
if the elephant that had knocked the tree we were going round had still been
there, but luckily we escaped with only a minor scrape to the car and a
humdinging argument, which Rach won naturally.
Then drove through Swaziland, visited
the breathtaking views at the Blyde River Canyon - Gods Window is not to be
missed and then headed to Kruger. Fell right on our feet again and stayed with
some friends at their house on the private SabiePark game reserve (some people
really don’t know they’re born) where Zebra, Giraffe, Wildebeast and bloomin
Hyenas just wander about and try to scavenge from your bins / bbq / kitchen -
whichever you aren’t watching at the time. Saw an excellent sighting of a
Leopard on a night drive in Kruger and had an awesome encounter with a couple of
lions on our last morning before flying back to the UK and the big chill.
Heading off to India and Nepal on 11th Feb so hopefully
will catch up with most of you before you go otherwise send us a message - it’s
great to hear what’s going on when you log on to email.
Read more from Smasher
journal and 1000s of others at www.travelpackers.com
