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I spent the last few months backpacking on my own around East and Southern Africa. While I’ve taken a few other trips this past year, this is a summary of the last two and a half months.
I visited the following countries: Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Malawi, Mozambique and South Africa.
Top 5 of my backpacking trip:
- Mt. Kilimanjaro and safari, Tanzania (Kili posts)
- Tofo and whalesharks, Mozambique
- Purim with the Abayudaya Jews, Uganda
- Rafting at the source of the nile in Jinja, Uganda
- The Ilala down Lake Malawi, Malawi
Approximate number of hours I spent on buses: 178 hours or 7.4 days or 10680 minutes. I have a feeling this is largely underestimated because I only added up the long bus rides from one destination to the next but not when I just moved around a place.
Favorite countries: Rwanda and Mozambique
Place I stayed the longest: Tofo, Mozambique
Longest bus ride: Nairobi to Kampala (~14 hours)
Most expensive activity: gorilla trekking in Rwanda
Worst hostel I stayed at: Doogles in Blantyre, Malawi
Best hostel I stayed at: Chimp-trekking lodge in Budongo, Uganda
Best beer: Kilimanjaro (500 ml) made in Tanzania
Only country with no international ATMs: Rwanda
Biggest avocados: Malawi
Country with least infrastructure: Mozambique
Best climate: Rwanda
Longest stretch I went without showering: 3 days
Most vicious mosquitos: Mozambique
Most unreliable guidebook: Lonely Planet
Safest capitol: Kigali, Rwanda
Most memorable meal: Macaroni and cheese (that I made)
Once back in Cape Town, it was time to do all the touristy things. Cape Town is a great city with lots of things to see and do. And in January, the weather is almost always perfect.
We started out by heading down to the V&A Waterfront, where we ate delicious fish and chips and visited the aquarium to see marine life from this part of the world. We then headed to Camps Bay for sundowners. Camps Bay is a popular and trendy bar and restaurant strip along the beach that would remind anyone of South Beach. Except that the cocktails cost $4 instead of $17.
On New Years Day Jack, Roy and I climbed up Lion’s Head with the hope of curing our hangovers from the night before. But also for the magnificent views of Table Mountain and the beaches below. That’s about all we managed to do that day.
The following day, Roy and I did a day trip down the peninsula with stops along the way. We visited the colorful huts on St. James’ beach, saw the indigenous African penguins at Boulder Beach, walked through historical Simon’s Town, hiked to the lighthouse at the Cape of Good Hope, took a picture by the Southern-most point of the African continent, saw seals at the dock in Hout Bay, and then ate Thai food and drank cocktails while watching the sunset over the ocean.
Our next excursion was a tour of Robben Island, an island where political prisoners were held during the Apartheid era. Our tour was given by an ex-political prisoner, who did a great job describing his experiences there. Later that day we headed to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens for a concert and walk around the grounds.
View of Table Mountain
The next morning we took the cable car up Table Mountain while the sky was still free of clouds. We walked around the perimeter of the mountain to admire the spectacular views of Cape Town. After an hour or so, we headed down and drove out to Stellenbosch, an area known for its vineyards. We spent the afternoon taking a cellar tour and wine and cheese tasting. We spent most of our time at Delheim, which is a small but wonderful vineyard with excellent wines.
Admiring the view
Wine and cheese tasting at Delheim winery
Those are most of the popular tourist sites in and around Cape Town, but we did a few other things as well. We visited the University of Cape Town campus and drove by my old house. We went clubbing one night at Tiger with some friends. We went shopping at the mall (my idea), went to the movies, and ate a lot of cheese and other good food (including the home-made pizzas we made in Jack’s wood burning pizza oven). Best of all, we got my computer fixed. As many of you probably noticed, no more crazy letters!
We awoke early in the morning to start our 34km bike ride down the Swartenberg pass and over to the Cango Caves. The Swartenberg pass is a steep and curvy road passing over a mountain range, and the bike ride down the pass is an exhilarating activity with stunning views.
Once my hands were numb from holding the brakes and we had reached the bottom, we continued peddling until we reached Cango Caves. Actually, I stopped about 1km before because it was a steep incline, but Roy wanted to ensure his spin classes paid off and he continued until the end. It was impressive to say the least. Once there, we did a tour inside the caves. They have an adventure tour in which one must crawl through some small crevices, but we weren’t sure if I would fit with all the ice cream and food I had been eating. Really, I could have fit through but a woman did get stuck once because she was too fat.
Inside the Cango Caves
After the caves, we visited an ostrich farm. Ostriches are by far one of the stupidest animals on earth. They typically lay 30 eggs a year but at the farm they take some of the eggs away. This causes the ostriches to forget they laid eggs, so they lay more. On the farm they average about 120 each per year. Ostriches also think that if they can’t see you, then you can’t see them. When I wanted to ride one, they caught one and put a cover over its head. All of the sudden it became completely calm. I jumped on and was expecting a nice calm ride, but it was actually more like riding a bull. As soon as they took the cover off its head, the thing just took off. You can tell it is moving fast by the way my hair is flying in the air. Roy wasn’t as crazy or stupid as me to ride an ostrich. Instead, he just ate one. His ostrich fillet looked pretty damn good, and he confirmed that it was nice and tasty.
Notice the ostrich is nice and calm while its head is covered
Ostrich takes off once its head is uncovered. Ahhh!
After adjusting to the developing world again, Roy and I took a road trip down the Garden Route, a road that follows along the southern coast of South Africa.
Our first day took us to Mossel Bay. We didn’t do much there, mostly because our very slow, cheap rental car only got us there at 8:30pm. But we had an awesome dinner – a pitcher of sangria and a pizza – for $11. After some ocean views the next morning, we headed on our way to Tsitsikamma National Park, stopping enroute in Knysna for lunch.
Hiking along the coast in Mossel Bay
More to come on adventures in Tsitsikamma National Park…
