I’ve been taking a breather from posting on my blog – a personal travel journal. It’s primarily for reference, since experiences and memories fade and become hazy over the years. This trip began in Kraków Poland in January 2024, and so far, South Africa is the 7th country visited. There’s much to contemplate.
I’ve visited South Africa many times, and posted about favorite places in the Western Cape. Posting requires time and focus. Although I’ve been resolute in keeping up with posts, at this point in my trip, I’ve decided to spend more time enjoying experiences, and less time describing them. Words never quite capture the reality of exceptionally beautiful places like South Africa.
Accommodation
When traveling, I spend at least a month in each place visited, and accommodation is the “trickiest” planning part of long-term travel. An ideal accommodation is a place where you have privacy and can recharge and relax. In many countries, especially during times of economic challenge, short-term rentals have become a side- business and source of additional income.
I prefer booking through websites, but they often fail to portray accurate and honest descriptions of properties, and you can’t always trust the reviews posted. They make money when accommodations are booked, so that’s their main concern. Even if a property is listed on a website, maintenance issues are referred directly to owners. In foreign countries, dealing directly with owners is a losing proposition. Once they’ve collected your payment, you’re on your own. If the property is listed on a website, you have the option of writing a negative review. However, most busy tourists are distracted and rarely take the time to write reviews. This leaves their fellow travelers exposed to the same discomforts they encountered due to the dishonesty of rental agents and landlords they represent.
Over the years, I’ve become “savvier” and more cautious, but hesitantly accept that many advertisements and property descriptions are woefully sketchy and inadequate, and that probably won’t change. Landlords can be shameless in luring people to their vacation rentals. Often, they live far away, don’t keep up with even basic property maintenance, and are unwilling to incur the cost of hiring a qualified property manager. Key information is often omitted, like the upstairs apartment is being remodeled, the property is on the market for sale, or there is no heating system… o(
Finding the right rental and location within your budget is challenging, and it’s disheartening, if you become the victim of poor maintenance and less-than-honest advertising. Long-term travel requires research, but even so, be prepared for disappointment, especially in Africa. All in all, it’s part of the experience, and must be taken in stride. Getting upset doesn’t change anything, but at least you know where you won’t be returning!
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“Africa is a huge, wild, beautiful continent, and you feel its massive, powerful presence from the time you step foot on African soil.”
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Windy Weather and Whale Watching
Spring weather in the Western Cape is marked by wild south-easterly winds, a.k.a. the Cape Doctor. Windy weather makes boat-based whale watching in Walker Bay disappointing, since it drives mother whales and their calves to calmer waters.
My boat-based trip was the first for several days – other outings were cancelled because of high winds. Although the Walker Bay looked calm from afar – it was anything but that! It was a rough ride, and the boat rocked continuously for the entire two hours. Thankfully, I didn’t get seasick, but several people were heaving. We saw whales – mostly Southern Rights – but their massive bodies were quick flashes in the water. There was one gorgeous fluke, but no breaching.
During my last Walker Bay whale watching trip in July 2019, we saw tons of whales, so I thought September – considered a prime whale watching month – would be better. None of my photos turned out. With the boat continuously rocking back and forth, it would take a nimble and seasoned professional to photograph lightning flashes of whale bodies. For me, the magnificent, colorful sky vistas were the highlight of the boat trip!
Napier, Arniston, R319
Since arriving in Hermanus, I’ve taken several daytrips, and last weekend meandered my way from Hermanus through Bredasdorp and Napier to Arniston. Napier and Arniston are sleepy little South African beach towns about a 1.5 hour drive from Hermanus. Napier is in the Cape Agulhas Region near Arniston, Struisbaai, and L´Agulhas – the southernmost tip of Africa. I’ve explored Struisbaai and L´Agulhas during previous trips. This time, I enjoyed pristine Arniston beaches and took a long walk along the coast.
The last leg of the drive to Arniston is through De Hoop and De Mond Nature Reserves. De Hoop protects a major wetland and is home to many bird species. A portion of the wetlands area along the R319 Highway was flooded, and driving through water that was almost up to the door handle was scary, but I made it.
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“Honey Badgers often come into conflict with beekeepers when they destroy beehives to feed on honey and bee larvae. This causes significant financial damage to beekeepers, who sometimes resort to cruel and lethal methods against honey badgers.” rawhoneylove.co,za
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On the way back to Hermanus, I stopped at Napier Farmstall for a bite to eat The fresh fish cakes were yummy, and I bought a jar of badger-friendly raw honey.
Along R319, I saw chacma baboons and guinea fowl. On the other side of a blind curve there was a small flock of guinea fowl gathered on the highway. I slammed on the brakes, and luckily, they scattered, so I didn’t hit any birds. Also, there were Africans walking along and across the highway – terrifying to me, especially when children are involved.
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“While load shedding has affected small and large businesses alike, it has also compromised access to quality education for children in remote and rural areas.” United Nations South Africa
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Power Outages
South Africa is facing a serious, continuing “energy crisis”. Parts of the Overberg experienced surprise power outages over the weekend – not part of Eskom’s “scheduled load shedding”. The outage on Saturday was brief, but on Sunday, it lasted over 24 hours and was quite unpleasant…
Eskom, load shedding, and South Africa’s power problems are nothing new. I’ve posted about them in the past. I ended up throwing out some spoiled food and will never again make shopping trips purchasing perishables for more than two days at most. It was a windy cold weekend, requiring many layers of clothing to stay warm. Fires in the fireplace helped, and I used up all of my firewood.
Information about South Africa’s ongoing power struggles is available, and old, failing equipment breakdowns occur on a regular basis. Scheduled load-shedding is expected, but when there’s no advance warning, it’s especially troublesome for families and small businesses.
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“Power cuts have continued, and by 2023, reached their worst level, with outages occurring nearly every day for up to 11 hours a day. President Ramaphosa appointed an electricity minister, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, and released an Energy Action Plan to end power cuts.”
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Cape Town
I found an agreeable accommodation in Cape Town and am excited to spend time there again! I’ll be enjoying Table Mountain and the beautiful city through October – BIG smile…
More later…
Beautiful.
Your writing has a way of resonating with me on a deep level. I appreciate the honesty and authenticity you bring to every post. Thank you for sharing your journey with us.