Flying over the droëland


Cape Town, 10th of August 2018 – With one day delay we are finally on our way to Cape Town. We missed our flight to Frankfurt due to bad weather and subsequently our direct flight to Cape Town. After a free Lufthansa night in a Brussels hotel, we now fly over the droëland. The land below is the Karoo, a semidesert, where only the strong survive. The Airbus took off in Johannesburg and takes us in less than two hours to Cape Town. The flight is peaceful, as if there is no motor in the plane. I stare at the plane’s beautiful wingtip. The elegant black flight attendant wears a nice scarf with the rainbow colours, the colours of her nation. We enjoy our hot breakfast and then prepare for landing. It is calm at the airport. We go to First and pick up our car. A Dacia Duster with the steering wheel on the right, stick shift on the left. South-Africans drive on the left. First destination is Franschhoek, the Huguenot wine village.

The beautiful wingtip of South-African, flying over the droëland (FDC)


Reacties

Een reactie posten

Populaire posts van deze blog

Platteklip Gorge

Afbeelding
Cape Town, 21th of August 2018 – Today we are walking up Table Mountain, 515 years after Portuguese explorer Antonio de Saldanha. He got separated from his fleet and needed a lookout point to see if his mates had sailed off without him. Scary thought! Saldanha climbed up the narrow gorge and spotted his fellow seamen. During his ascent he saw the sweet water flowing down, great discovery for the rest of their voyage. The narrow Platteklip Gorge is the most direct way to walk up Table Mountain. It is made of rock-steps and very steep, but with an average fitness you can do it in less than 2 hours. You don’t need a map, you start and just look up all the time, following the serpentine. We leave our car at the ranger post and take the bus to the lower cable station. From there we walk to the starting point. A ranger joins us and we have a chat. “Where are you from?” followed by the “Aha Kevin De Bruyne” sentence. “In Table Mountain National Park, there are only fifty rangers, we patrol ...
Meer lezen

Cosy in the lapa

Afbeelding
Schotia, 18th of August 2018 – Kurt drove us to our tent in the middle of the park yesterday after dinner and closed the fence, promising he would be back at 7 a.m. We are the only ones sleeping in a tent in the park. Woohaa! Outside temperature minus 1° C, inside temperature plus 3°C. The night is full of strange sounds; we definitely hear the lions roar. The complimentary bottle of wine remains untouched.   I wake up at 5 a.m. and go outside for a pee. Flying from above the toilet hut, a yellow bird almost scalps me. At 7 a.m., we hear Kurt’s jeep. He is on time, must be his German genes! He helps me to light the small gas stove and I put on the kettle to make us some coffee. We slowly wake up to the sound of singing birds with the low sun in our faces. Now, our morning tour starts. This is the best part of the safari. The animals are in a state of slow motion, as if they are waiting for instructions. A giraffe slowly walks by and his cracking joints amaze us. Apparently, arthr...
Meer lezen

Don't be a Jackass!

Afbeelding
Cape of Good Hope, 21 st of August 2018 – On the southern tip of Table Mountain National Park is Cape of Good Hope. Ever since primary school, this name has mysteriously attracted me. Before we go to that mythical spot, we drive to Boulders Beach, home to a penguin colony. These birds are great fun to watch, the way they clumsily come out of the water, changing from top-level swimmers to helpless walkers. For a moment, I doubt if I am in Disneyworld or in a nature reserve. Tourists from all over the world want to see a glimpse of these ‘Jackass’ penguins. Yes, that is their name! Italians elbow their way through the crowd to reach the best photo spot, the Japanese politely wait their turn and nod their heads off if you let them pass. Further down the beach there is a spot where you can ‘swim with the penguins’… I remember a ranger who told me that tourists are not that bad. Without them, endangered species would never get any attention, nor the money to set up conservation programs...
Meer lezen