Friday, 28th January 2011
Excitement is building in huge amounts as we count down the hours until we get on that plane to Cape Town! A person shouldn't have to work on the day that you leave for a holiday...everyone knows that your thoughts are just not on your work, but already at your chosen destination. 6pm can't come soon enough.
Finally! Devon (Damien's brother), Debbie (Damien's mom) and Angi leave for the station to go fetch Damien, after which we proceed to the airport. The long-awaited moment has arrived! We race through to get to the allocated check-in counter, forgetting the fact that we're both starving and will have to wait until we're on the plane to buy one of the Kulula meals. We approach the airline representative to check our bags in, which we watch with a heavily wary eye as they weigh them. Phew! Just made it under 20kg's each!
As we're waiting for our tickets, an airline representative asks whether we would like to take an earlier flight: OF COURSE! We rush to get through the security checks and arrive at the boarding gate with about five minutes to spare. Upon boarding, we realize that we are no longer on a Kulula flight, but a British Airways flight. For those who don't know the South African airlines, this was an UPGRADE! The best part for us, at that moment in time, was the free meal that was served! :)
About two hours after boarding, we land safely at Cape Town International Airport and proceed through the complicated steps of picking up our hired car. 10:30pm, we finally arrive at Wayne and Donella's (Damien's uncle and aunt) house, which will be our "home" for the next nine days!
Saturday, 29th January 2011
No sleeping in for us just yet, we start the morning bright and early at Somerset Mall's Mugg & Bean where we're meeting my mom for breakfast. It's amazing to see how much one decision can change your life in so many ways! She looks so happy and relaxed! Two emotions that I haven't seen in my mom for a very long time.
We rush through breakfast (as much as you can rush with the speed of "Cape Town service"!) to ensure that we get to the V&A Waterfront by noon! It's so good to see the familiar landmarks of Cape Town again. While Damien does his best to navigate us as quickly as possible through the unfamiliar streets, Angi demonstrates the inherited talent of her imaginary Japanese roots, showing off the speediness of her finger on the camera's capture button at anything and everything she lays eyes on.
We arrive at the Waterfront with enough time to find the restaurant (La Playa) we have scheduled our "lunch date" at with all our Cape Town friends: Nicole, Ivor, Steve and Handsome What a lovely, relaxed environment...maybe a bit too relaxed with the service! Angi's food arrives half-frozen in the middle and the waitress is nowhere to be seen. After waiting, with no luck, for one to appear she gets up and takes her own plate to the kitchen to get warmed up. Her patience held delicately in place by reminding herself that she is on holiday.
After lots of laughs and catching up on each other's lives, we all go our separate ways. Damien and Angi decide to take a stroll along the vibrant, hustle bustle of the Waterfront. There are SO many interesting sights to see on the promenades of the Waterfront! From rastafarians, to seals, to the marimba band, to pirate ships, to the jazz trio playing in the amphitheatre....only to name a few!
Eventually, tired and feet aching, we head back to Somerset West. Being unfamiliar with the roads in Cape Town, we miss our turnoff on the highway. The next turnoff is to Rhodes Memorial, so we decide to stop off and go see it. We end our busy day having a braai with the Hutchons.
Sunday, 30th January 2011
The previous evenings conversation resulted in Wayne, Joshua, Damien and Angi having to wake up at 5:30am to go deep-sea fishing with Wayne's friend, Bruce. Excited and expectant we drag ourselves out of bed, get dressed and head down to Harbour Island. We find Bruce and the guys immediately start getting the boat ready and in the water.
With the boat launched, we get all the fishing gear ready and head off to the first reef. Within 20 minutes the fish-finder tips us off to what seems to be a school of fish swimming directly under our boat. We bait up and drop our lines down to see what luck we get. Ten minutes into our fishing, we start to feel bites. While concentrating on the horizon is on the top of most of our priorities, Angi seems to be focusing much more than anybody else. Things don't feel so good and although she REALLY wants to carry on fishing, eventually her head is lower than the fishing rod.
Meanwhile, Wayne is into the first fish for the day and not long after that Damien, Bruce and Joshua start catching. It seems like we'll be having Red Snappers for dinner tonight. After an hour we moved to the next reef and fished there for about 30mins. The swell is starting to get a bit rough and Joshua's stomach also starts to take a bit of strain, so we decide to head back to shore. Damien climbs to the front of the boat to pull up the anchor. While securing the rope in his hands, the boat rocking back and forth pulls the rope tight and with it, Damien's finger. It gets stuck between the rope and the metal loop it runs through and he has no chance of getting it free until the boat rocks to loosen it again. Once free, he checks to see if his finger is still there, which it is, and climbs back to sit down. Eventually, anchor up, we're on our way.
All in all about 20 fish caught between the guys, it was a good morning's fishing! Once docked in the harbour again, Angi jumped off the boat as if her life depended on it and headed for steady land, not looking back at the boat again! After 10 minutes she felt right as rain again! The boat gets loaded up again and we leave to go back to the house and show off the catch of the day. P.S. Please note, no photos of fish were taken due to the photographer being man-down!
After a little rest at the house, Damien and Angi decide to take a drive to Betty's Bay to go see the penguins at Stony Point. It's amazing how close those little guys get to you! While meandering down the wooden walkway, the penguins walk right underneath us! Not shy at all! The views on this drive are absolutely incredible and it's in moments of such majestic beauty that you're reminded of the romantic God we serve!
On the way back to Somerset West we stop off at Strand beach for Steers ice-creams and meet up with Hesphia and Ryan, friends of Angi's who have moved there from Pretoria. After much talk of skeletons and horror movies, it's time to head back to the house. But, not without Hesphia sending a "prezzie" with us, consisting of a selection of freshly made fudge from the Fudge Factory!
Back at the house that evening, we unwind after a busy day with a glass of wine and a fish braai.
Monday, 31st January 2011
Monday morning starts with a bit of a sleep-in for us and we take full advantage of the time to just relax! After milling around for most of the morning, we decide to head out for lunch to Butterfly World in Paarl. We start off in the restaurant, which is surprisingly cheap with amazingly big portions!
Having chosen the hottest day ever, we head into the "heated" greenhouse. From the moment we enter the door we are in a magical world of butterfly and all kinds of other creatures. Nothing being kept in cages, we have to watch our step as to not kill any of these beautiful creatures who aren't afraid of people coming right up to them!
Aside from the fragile fluttery, other creatures also roam this greenhouse. Some act like they are the be all and end all! The iguanas in particular don't move out of the way for anyone or anything! They are clearly "The Boss" in this place! Another cheeky creature hanging around is a cute little white-eared marmoset monkey. He is insisting on ambushing anybody who tried to open the door, which makes it slightly tricky to get into the arachnid room....and then out again!
Squeezing ourselves through the smallest gap as quickly as possible, we manage to dodge his tricks. This room is full of glass tanks with spiders, scorpions and the creepiest crawlies I could think of...Madagascan Hissing Roaches.
We wiggle our way back past the cheeky little primate and find our way to the last room of lizards and other reptilians. Here's a funny story we read on the one cage:
A student at Stellenbosch University decided he wanted an unconventional pet, so he bought a Dwarf Caiman online. He kept it in his flat for a couple months, until Cape Nature Conservation found out a little secret. That Dwarf Caiman wasn't what they said it was....it was a "slightly" bigger version, otherwise known as the Nile Crocodile! Consequently, it was confiscated as it is illegal to keep as a pet. Can you just imagine the horror on his face as he would've watched his "little baby" grow past 1.5m and very quickly on it's way to about 4m long eventually!!! You've gotta love internet purchases!
On our way out, we do a quick checklist to make sure that we haven't missed any rooms or interesting creatures. As we walk towards the exit, Damien spots some rose bushes with a VERY interesting looking bug on. These are THE COOLEST stick insects that I've ever seen!
Having completed the "sight-seeing" at Butterfly World, we head off to the next attraction we'd planned for today...Fairview Winery. We drive up the countryside landscape, park in the shade of the trees and head off towards the tasting rooms. This being an estate that specializes in both wine and cheese, we got to try them both at the same time.
Please note: from the moment that Angi met Damien until now, Damien didn't drink any alcohol.
Starting with the wines, we find some amazing dessert wines to try amongst the usual merlot, pinotage, sauvignon blanc, etc etc. After tasting a Sweet Red, Damien is hooked! He is determined that we buy two bottles to take back with us! The cheeses here are just as tasty and we end up leaving with two bottles of wine and a bag full of cheese. Before heading home, we take a quick walk through the estate to look at the billy goats and the gardens. The sign at the dam (to keep people away from it) was just so hilarious that we had to take a picture!
We head back to the house for an early night....tomorrow's going to be an early morning and a long day!
Tuesday, 1st February 2011
Early wake-up this morning, we're off to visit Angi's mom and brother at their new home in a little village in the Overberg called Greyton. We're meeting them in the closest town to them so that they can do all their banking, etc. Apparently the ATM in Greyton doesn't have enough cash in it for them to draw their rent money! Once in Claredon, we park and walk down the main road towards the bank. We wait outside with Chris (Angi's brother), while Cheryl (Angi's mom) goes into the bank. While waiting, the most hilarious bergie comes over to talk to us. Dressed in his shabby clothes, he adorns a purple glittery mask and a huge, dangling purple earring. As he walks over to us, he greets every person he passes...black, white or coloured. Everyone seems to know him too! A bit wary at first, we aren't very friendly towards him and we hold very tightly to our valuables. But the minute he starts talking, he has us in stitches! Joke after joke, we relax into his company and by the time he leaves we feel like friends! I don't think we will forget "Captain Jack Sparrow with his Golden Arrow and his wheelbarrow" in a hurry!
With the banking done, we head off to the quaint village of Greyton. The old buildings, the farm vehicles, the dirt roads and the abundance of farm animals adds so well to the "country-life" feel of this place.
En-route to Cheryl and Chris' house, we stop off at their favourite little spot, Vanilla Cafe, for lunch. Angi managed to keep herself entertained in the kids play park for a few minutes before ordering. With loads of catching up to do, conversation at the table isn't short at all!
Tummy's full, thirsts quenched, we head off to the other side of "town" to the new house. This place, nestled between the mountains, is so peaceful and restful! The house is lovely! Right on the banks of the Gobos River with donkeys and horses roaming around, and a fruit orchard for a back garden! The pets seem to love it there...those of you who know Angi's mom will no doubt know the pets!
After a bit of relaxing, we take a walk along the river. It's quite dry at the moment due to the heat and lack of rain, but it's still beautiful! Griff (the dog) is in his element during these walks! Angi, who'd decided to wear her brand new sandals that day, refuses to walk through the water with them because they would get ruined. Damien doesn't hesitate! He grabs her, throws her over his shoulder and walks through the water with Angi, Cheryl and Chris all giggling away! We reach the end of the walk and head back to the car to take a drive to find a fishing spot. We find the most beautiful part of the river, but aren't sure whether we'll be able to fish it so we leave the rods in the car and step out to admire the scenery.
After our little "expedition", we decide to head back into town to the old local pub called The Posthouse for a pint of locally brewed ale. Now, those of you who live in South Africa will know the Bells Whiskey advert with the man who uses his fly-fishing rod through the window of the pub to get the keys (which were locked inside) off of the bar. That ad, which sparked many to make use of the phrase "Get that man a Bells!", was filmed at this cosy little pub, in this tiny village. A very English countryside feel welcomes us inside this town's prized jewel. It even has a room to the side with couches, a fireplace and a bookshelf of books for your reading pleasure! The walls are lined with photos of the actors and scenes of the Bells advert, as well as frames filled with flies (fly-fishing) that were made by 7-9year old boys about 30 years ago. With just the four of us and the bartender inside, it already feels like "rush hour"! But, our barman ensures us that when there's rugby on, they pack in at least 70 people! That surely would be a sight to see!
After a very full day and some great quality time with family, we head back to Somerset West, stopping off at Simply Asia (at the mall) for some delicious Thai food!
Wednesday, 2nd February 2011
Wednesday is a lazy day for us. Every holiday needs a day or two when you just sit back and relax, not doing too much. After milling around the house for a couple hours and spending a little bit of time doing a puzzle, we decide to go take a look at Strand beach. The "best" part about the Cape is the amazing wind that can pick up whenever it feels like! By the time we arrive at the beach front, the wind means serious business! After a very sandblasted walk on the beach, we head towards the promenade of shops along the beach. Wanting to try something out of the ordinary, we spot a tiny little place overlooking the water called "The Belgian Waffle House". We take a seat and look through the most extensive variety of waffles on offer! Not sticking to the "norm", we both order savoury waffles. Angi - Chicken Curry waffle, Damien - Ham, Cheese and Pineapple waffle. Very, VERY light and tasty waffles!
Our hunger satisfied, we take a stroll back to the car via the rock pools. Although the wind is making it very difficult to see past the ripples, we spot 3 roundish shapes swimming around the biggest of the pools. Damien, of course, is suddenly wishing he had his fly rod with him to attempt conquering the wind and catching himself a stingray on fly! Not long after, we spot a sandshark swimming around after the rays.
While sitting and enjoying our breakfast, a couple of Angi's friends sms to ask if they can meet up with us somewhere in Somerset West. Kylie and Angi have been friends since about 2001 and probably haven't seen each other since about 2009, despite the fact that they both live in Pretoria! Kylie and her girlfriend, Lee-Ann are on their way to Cape Town for part of their holiday, so we arranged to see them on their way through Somerset West that afternoon. Another friend, Pravani, who doesn't live too far off from where we are, sms's to ask if we can meet up with her too. So we all meet at Mugg & Bean that afternoon for a short, but great catch-up session. Poor Damien being the only guy amongst the ladies!
For the remainder of the afternoon and that evening, we relax at the house and rest before our big road-trip day.
Thursday, 3rd February 2011
The big day has arrived! We've been looking forward to this trip all week! We're taking a road-trip around the Cape Peninsula (excluding Cape Point - why would you pay R75pp just to see a national park filled with baboons that are a nuisance!?). So armed with a mapbook AND the GPS, we head off along the coastline and start our route towards Cape Town, stopping at every and any place we feel like.
After passing by part of the Cape Flats, the first seaside town that we approach is Muizenberg. Having been informed by Donella to stop at a little deli called "Knead", we park and head over there for a breakfast snack. This little town seems to only exist for one thing...surfing! Every second shop that line the streets are surf shops! That, and coffee shops. There are plenty of surfers around to confirm the sole purpose of this place!
After our "snack", we head off to the next town. The great thing about the Peninsula is that these towns are so close together! Without really feeling like we'd left Muizenberg, we find ourselves in Kalk Bay. As you may remember from our first day in the Cape, we met up with a friend of Angi's named Steve. Well, Steve is currently studying theology at The Bible Institute in Kalk Bay. So, we arrange to meet up with him between classes. With a little bit of time to kill, we park nearby the Brass Bell (where we plan to have lunch) and take a slow walk up the road towards the college. As we walk, we pass the harbour, so we take a walk down to some rocks right by the water. After admiring the view for a while and, of course, taking plenty of photographs, we carry on towards the B.I.
We arrive at the Bible Institute in time for tea and join the students in the meal hall for their break. We get introduced to everybody and have plenty of conversation with a lot of new faces! It's amazing how friendly complete strangers can be! It also amazes me at how many conversations we end up in that are about piercings and tattoos! I guess it must just be an obvious subject to start a conversation with us about! Not too long after, tea time is over so Steve and the rest of the students must head back to class.
Having talked up quite a thirst, we head back down the road towards the Brass Bell. This restaurant is such an experience! There's nothing special about the restaurant service/food, but the location is awesome! The deck extends out into the water so that when you are sitting at your table you are surrounded by sea water! The waves break right next to you! It's so relaxing! We order food, relax a bit and then head off to continue our journey.
The next stop on our trip is a great little place called Fish Hoek. There's a place here where you can get the most amazing fish and chips, but having just eaten, we skipped that this time around. We drive to the beach and decide to take a walk along the promenade which extends out into the water. This town seems to be "the place" to go when you retire...especially if you're single! We have a good giggle as we pass by older people sitting on every bench in their costumes (speedo's and bikini's for some!) and we listen in on the men chatting up the ladies. It was really quite entertaining! We head back toward the car and consult the map book for our next stop.
Next on our route is the navy town of Simon's Town. This seems to be quite a popular place, coz the roads are chock-a-block with cars and we're struggling to find parking anywhere. Eventually we turn down an alley that leads to a parking lot nearby the harbour, so we park there and trust the car is still there when we get back! Being a navy town, the whole places revolves mostly around the harbour and the boats, so we walk down the pier and watch people setting boats up to sail away. While Angi takes photos, Damien looks to see if he can spot any fish in the water. A true fisherman!
With the heat as it is, we set off up towards the shopping centre in search of something to quench our thirsts. We look at all the crafts and curios at the stalls on the way. They really do make some beautiful things! We find shade and a bit of cool inside the shops and look around just so that we can stay cool for a bit. When we'd had enough of looking around we head back towards the car, only to pass by the sweetest museum. We pop in at the Toy Museum and are immediately thrown back to our childhood days as we glance over toys we used to own or remember playing with. The oldest toy in the museum is a doll that dates back to the 1800's! (See photo of dolls - it's the one in the top right hand corner.) We leave after purchasing an addition to Pops' car collection.
Back in the car, we continue on our route. The next stop is a very famous one...Boulders Beach, known for it's penguin colony. These little guys are so cute and seem to be so used to having people around. We realized just how "tame" they are when we saw a sign warning drivers to check under their cars for penguins before driving off! Penguins are gorgeous, but one thing about them that isn't so great is the smell! We don't hang around for too long, as we've already seen penguins a few days ago at Stony Point.
Although every beach along the West coast offers spectacular views, the one that really took our breath away was Scarborough Beach. With a beautiful stretch of white sand and clear, turquoise water and not much civilization in sight, this beach wins us over by far! It seems to be a bit of a hidden jewel as it doesn't seem to be very commercialized. We spend a little time there, then head back to the car. Time to get on the road again.
One of the attractions that should feature on everybody's to-do list for the Cape is the drive up to Chapman's Peak. Being very "weather-dependent", we were lucky to have such amazing conditions while driving up. This drive offers breathtaking views! Once you reach the top there is a small parking area to leave your car, while you walk up the stairs to the viewpoint. What an incredible sight!
With enough photos taken, we head back down the stairs and press on towards Hout Bay. Although all these towns seem to focus on fishing, this town seems even more of a fishing village than the rest. We take a walk along the piers in the harbour and are kept entertained by all the children and their antics! We pass a lady selling snoek from her "spot" (I can't really call it a stall, it was basically from the pavement!). We were intrigues to watch as she set aside all the "off-cuts", how her little boy found a use for them in the seal that was hanging around. He seems quite comfortable with this seal and it feels a bit like a show at Sea World as we watch him throw the pieces of fish to the seal and they get caught first time! I'm pretty sure that this is a daily routine in their lives! We grab an ice-cream and head back towards the car for the final stretch of our journey towards Cape Town.
Our original plan was to drive around the Peninsula to Cape Town, then once there to buy dinner and take the cable car up Table Mountain to watch the sunset. The weather, however, had a different idea. We call the cable car offices to check whether they were running, only to be told that the cable way had been closed due to strong winds on the mountain. I guess that's something we can save for our next Cape Town trip. Sun-burnt and exhausted, we had back to Somerset West.
Friday, 4th February 2011
Friday starts off on a bit of worrying note. For those who remember, on Sunday, Damien injured his finger whilst trying to pull the anchor up on the boat. After five days it still wasn't feeling any better...in fact, it was feeling worse! So, we head off to the hospital in Somerset West to try find out if it's broken or not. It seems today is a popular day for hospital visits! We wait for about an hour before anybody even sees Damien. In the consultation room, they decide that in order to check if his finger is broken, it is necessary to take his blood pressure, check his temperature, his ears and mouth and eyes! Maybe they just need to create work for the students!
When they seemed to be happy with the results, we were sent to a cubicle to wait for the doctor. Eventually, the doctor arrives! Only to send us to radiology to wait for the next doctor. We hand the file over in radiology and are told to wait until Damien's name is called. After two hours of waiting, Damien goes to ask how long it'll be until he goes in. The lady at the desk goes to check where his file is in the queue. When she returns, she informs us that they haven't yet created a file for him, so we will need to wait a bit longer! Fed up, hungry and irritated, we decide to just leave.
We head to the student-infested town of Stellenbosch. It is physically impossible to find parking in this place! After driving around the same block a couple times, we eventually find a parking spot and grab it! We walk up the streets, eyeing out the various restaurants that we pass. Around the corner, we spot a small restaurant tucked away from the rest. We take a seat at a table on the pavement outside and are immediately served with menus. We both order what sounded like a very interesting dish...a goat's cheese, honey and walnut open sandwich (more like toast). It tastes incredible! Those flavours go SO well together! Definitely something that we must try back home.
With our lunch nicely settled, we decide to try out a couple more wine farms. After consulting a map of all the wine farms in the area, we settle on Stellenbosch Hills for the first one. Not a huge estate, we are the only visitors there. We taste a variety of their wines and end up buying a couple to take home as gifts, as well as a bottle of pink bubbly to save for a special occasion.
Our next consultation brings Lourensford as the next stop...it's on the way back to the house after all. It's amazing the huge differences you'll find between one wine farm and the next! This place is enormous! It also falls into the more "posh" category! We enter through the beautiful archway door and are keenly drawn to try the wine and nougat tasting option. We are seated inside a beautiful art gallery which doubles as a tasting room and are served a variety of wines, with the most delicious nougat to accompany each wine. The last item we taste is a honey liqueur which is made from pure honey, no added sugar. At 24%, any more than a few sips of this is completely potent! It is, however, ideal for a topping on ice-cream, or something similar.
Once we'd had enough of wine, we head back to the house to just relax and unwind. We arrive at the house just in time! Wayne and Donella are on their way to Cape Town to go watch two of Damien's cousins, Justin and Kyle, play rugby and they invite us along with them. So we head to the rugby fields next to Green Point Stadium and find Justin and Kyle in time to watch the last five minutes of their match. Having arrived late, we leave after only fifteen minutes and get caught in the rush-hour traffic back to Somerset West. With Joshua in the car, we are provided with enough entertainment to last the whole trip home!
Back at the house, we relax and wait for Wayne and Donella to get home. This evening we are on babysitting duty with Joshua and Robyn (not that they are in any way difficult!). Armed with movies and pizza, there's not much that can go wrong!
Saturday, 5th February 2011
Another early morning for us today, but an exciting one nonetheless! Thanks to Wayne's brilliant contacts, he has arranged for us to fish at Lourensford Estate (where we went wine-tasting the previous day). We are meeting the farm manager at the entrance at 6.30am, so we need to get a move on! After meeting him, we follow his bakkie in our little Hyundai i10 to the spot we'll be fishing, tackling the seriously bumpy dirt roads. We were informed that our spot is at the source of the river, right against the mountain, and that only about fourteen people have ever fished there. This property is huge!
After about 40minutes of driving, we reach the spot we'll be fishing. It is completely wild up here! No sign of civilization nearby, but the most incredible views imaginable! With mountains on the one side and views of the ocean on the other, this moment in time will be very difficult to beat! The farm manager tells us a bit about the wildlife on the farm. There are five different leopards that have been spotted up here on numerous occasions, as well as an array of other wildlife! He explains a few techniques to us, as well as the way back to the gate, then heads off and leaves us to enjoy our first ever Cape Streams fishing experience. The water here is crystal clear and we're happy to have brought the newly bought underwater case for the camera along.
I'll tell you one thing, fishing here is not easy! With all the trees hanging over the water and all the rocks around, it's very difficult to cast your line into the water. Once used to it, we started getting bites from the beautiful trout in the water. These fish are so wild here, it's difficult not to scare them away. We're hiding behind rocks, creeping up quietly to the next pool, crouching down as low as possible and then casting to the spots we think may have fish in. The manager explained that any pool of water the size of a kitchen sink and bigger has a fish in it. After a few bites, we start to watch more carefully what the fish are doing. They aren't actually biting the flies. They are bumping them with their noses, obviously realizing that they aren't food, then swimming off. And that's that. Onto the next pool we have to move.
After a very tough, but breathtaking fishing session, we head back down the beat to pack up and head off to our next appointment: a braai and a bit of fishing with the guys from the Flytalk forum at Eikendal Wine Estate. We stop at the shop on the way to pick up drinks and meat to braai, then head out to Eikendal. We arrive slightly late and find Jasper, Roland and a colleague of Roland's there waiting for us. It's great to put faces to the names that we'd spent so much time talking to over the past few months!
Roland's colleague is keen to get into fly-fishing, so Roland is giving him some casting lessons on the grass next to the dam. We set up our rods and take a stroll to the bottom dam for a short fishing session before we braai. Aside from it being extremely hot, the wind is blowing like a machine, which makes casting very difficult. After about an hour, we head back to satisfy our groaning stomachs.
There's loads of chatter about fishing and the forum over lunch, as we all sit crowded together under the tree next to the Flytalk shop. Drinks flowing, chattering, the smell of a braai, amazing scenery and this beautiful sunshine weather create the perfect environment for our little "get-together".
Eventually everyone must get back to their individual lives, so we say our goodbyes and the two of us head back to the dam to fish the last bit of the afternoon that we have left over. With only about a half hour to go, it doesn't allow much time. Damien is determined to catch something, but Angi is quite happy to sit and take photos...this wind isn't ideal. In the last few minutes, Damien hooks a bass! He reels it in at leisure and is quite happy with himself that today wasn't completely unsuccessful! Now, he's ready to leave...so we head back to Somerset West, stopping off at a roadside shop to buy more wine as gifts to take home.
Back in Somerset West, Wayne and Donella decide to get fish and chips and take us all down to the beach for our last evening of our holiday. Armed with fishing rods, fish and chips, blankets and drinks, we head down to Bikini Beach for a wonderful evening with the family.
After dinner, the boys don't waste time in getting the fishing rods set up. They head off to the rocks to try their luck, with Angi hot in pursuit with the camera. The incredible sunset over the ocean makes for some beautiful photos!
No luck with the fishing, we head back to the beach where the others are sitting. The rest of the evening holds lots of chatting, relaxing and just enjoying hanging out with family. The most entertaining part being Joshua and Robyn trying to tackle Wayne to the ground!
En-route to the house, we take a drive up to one of the viewpoints that overlooks the entire False Bay area. Once home, we pack up all our stuff, then collapse into bed after an exhausting, but wonderful day!
Sunday, 6th February 2011
Up early again this morning as the dreaded day has arrived...home time. Forcing ourselves to accept the fact that our holiday is over, we pack the car, say goodbye to the family and head to Cape Town International Airport. After returning our rental car, we find our way to our check-in counter. Angi heads off to get us breakfast, while Damien waits with the luggage in the surprisingly long queue.
Angi returns, at the same time that Justin and Kyle join the queue to book in for their flight. A bit of chatting as we move along, but now it's moving pretty fast. We check in, find our boarding gate, eat our breakfast and wait for the boarding call. Finally, the intercom announces that boarding is open for our flight. Sunburnt, relaxed, revived, happy and totally in love with the Cape, we board our plane and head home to Gauteng.
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