Zebrafish

May 12th

South Africa

I took a refresher course followed by 5 sea dives and studying in the afternoons. Each morning we'd be up at 6am riding over the surf in motorised dingies out to the offshore reefs and in the evening laughing about and drinking with new diving friends from Johannesburg and Pretoria. Mariza, Mel, Tammy, Andy, Steve and Adrian.

The area is famous for it's marine diversity and large reef formations including channels, towers and cliffs to swim through. During the week I saw a white tip Shark of about 2 metres, several turtles, a lion fish, lots of rays and plentifull colourfull varieties of trumpet fish, angel, butterfly, starfish and nudibranks slugs. I passed the course fine but don't wasn't really given sufficient instruction because the staff were overworked over Easter break.

durban street

From here I caught the bus on down the coast to the large busy streets of Durban with it's African & Indian holiday flavour. West street running through the main shopping area combines modern department stores and take aways with space on the wide pavements built with permanent stalls for African street sellers and so you have the modern world coexisitng with traditional street sellers. Apple carts on street corners, Indian spices and telepone tables where you can make a call.

durban street

I next stopped for a week relaxing and making friends at Jungle Monkeys in Port St Johns on the Transkei or Wild Coast. The Transkei is a subtropical area of mostly unspoilt natural beauty. Rainforest, cliffs, gorges, river estuaries and the power of the sea against beach and rock, to me this was the closest yet I have found to paradise and I was sad to leave.

The area remains undeveloped partly due the difficult hilly terrain and was designated independent status as a homeland for blacks under the apartheid era. It is also the region where both Walter Sisulu and Nelson Mandela grew up.

During the week I went on a couple of Rikky's nature hikes exploring the surrounding forests, rivers, ridge views and canoeing back along the river to the estuary. Rikky is a great character and has been dedicating the last six years to taking hikers on laid back educational walks. He knows the area so well that he shows you where a frog has layed her eggs on a leaf, how long a particular spider has been in one spot or explains how a strangling fig is killing another tree. Through his eyes the forest becomes a magical inspiring place to be.

I had chance to hire a mountain bike for a few hours and test myself on the hilly terrain running through the rural villages and township. The hostel there offers free surf boards and lessons too, so twice I headed out into the surf to find that all i could do was kneel in front of the waves, but still a great thrill. The second time out I was the only person on 2nd beach, surfing at 7am. It was a beautifull morning with the sun rising over the cliffs and warming me as I battled away in the surf like a true amateur.

view from table mountain

I've now been in Cape Town for a couple of days and met up again with Anke whom I met in Maputo as she's been working here for an adventure company. With her friends Lara, Invin and Marlene we went clubbing one night and drove out exploring the local wine region and mountain passes that in the Winter weather here reminds me of Scotland in the Summer.

cape town waterfront

cape town's swell

robin isand tour

mandela's cell

Pass outside Cape Town

Lara, Marlene and Anke in Greyton

Today we visited the District 6 museum which used to be a vibrant but poor multicultural area near the centre of town. But the area was completely flattened under the apartheid era and it's black residents forced out to less desirable areas that now form parts of the huge townships built of corrugated iron that extend for kilomet res out of the city. Many of these areas are without running water, electricity or sewerage in sharp contrast to the affluent white lifestyle, although still inexpensive in comparison to the UK.

I'm going to spend some days exploring Cape Town before heading up north through Namibia.