The Long Drive back to Cape Town - Our Last Three Weeks in South Africa

Handy Quick Links to our Blog Highlights

How We Got Started | How We Do It | Countries and Territories Visited | USA Adventure | Iceland The UK Adventure | Our Travel Club Arrives in Paris | Capitols of N. Europe and Scandinavia | Russia and the Trans-Siberian Railway | South Korea | Japan | Australia | Bali & Indonesia | Malaysia | Singapore | Macau-Hong Kong | Southern China |  Zhangjiaije National Park | Central China | Terracotta Warriors | Pandas | Tibet | Nepal | India | Uzbekistan | Kazakhstan | Georgia | The Balkans | Eastern Europe | Italy | Ireland | Scottish Highlands-Outer Islands | England | Norway | The Baltics | Poland

Czech Republic | Kenya | Tanzania and Malawi | Zambia | Zimbabwe | Botswana  | Namibia | South Africa

Sorry folks.  No photos until after Cape Town.  My camera died and I had to purchase a new one.  Guess you'll actually have to read the text on this one...smile.

Departing the northmost region of Kruger we started our two-week drive back to Cape Town.  We staged our drive into six-to-seven hours treks in between stops.  Our first stop was in Polokwane, a large city halfway between Kruger and Pretoria.  There we enjoyed a great apartment for three nights.  The town is not a tourist stop and we were amused at how often we were asked why we were there.  We wandered the two huge malls, did a bit more shopping in preparation for the next three years on the road...it is time to replace most of our well-worn wardrobe and shoes.  The hosts were lovely and accommodating and the visit was pleasant.

Next up was the city of Newcastle halfway to the coast.  There we stayed for one night at a really nice B&B.  That evening we had dinner out and enjoyed meeting af ew locals...once again with the same questions.

Our next leg got us to the coast and the small village of Umzumbe, surf city for the Kwa-Zulu Natal coastline.  Just south of Durban, the town sits on a pristine beach with lots of waves.  We rented a room at a surf lodge for one night and enjoyed the views.  This was the first time in a while we had actually shared our space with other guests.  The four Turks were fun...20-somethings on a one-week holiday to learn hot to surf...and nine young women who made quite a bit of noise.  It was a memorable one night stay.

Driving further down the coast, our six-hour drive turned into eight as we were once again routed over windy country roads by our GPS...ugh.  We got to East London or another three-night stay at a really beautiful home...once again sharing the space with the owners and other guests.  The house was so big that we hardly noticed the other people.

Another six hours got us to Knysna where we had stayed a few months back.  This time we settled in for one night with a really lovely apartment next to the owners...possibly n most well-planned studio we've been during our entire journey thus far.

We had a shorter drive the next day...only four hours...along the coastline and into the town of Hermanus.  Situated just two hours south of Cape Town, we had a really lovely home for two nights with beautiful views of the mountains and coastline.  The beach was just a few blocks away and we enjoyed a lovely Tapas lunch on the cliffs at a special little cafe.

Our drive into Cape Town was along the Whale Coast Route.  Just beautiful.  We reached the city midday and checked in.  Our host was charming, open and accommodating.  Our last South African residence is two blocks from the beach on the third floor with big windows.  Just perfect for our Christmas week.

We did a bit more shopping and completed our wardrobe change, getting ride of most of our previous three years' gear and upgrading to what will be summer wear for most the remaining 2 1/2 years.  We did a few walks, shipped off a large box back home full of our South African finds, and relaxed.  I'm still nursing a bum knee that flared up a week earlier.  An elastic brace and some pain meds is helping.  Who knows what happened.  It certainly wasn't the case of any noticeable injury.  Here's hoping it returns to normal within the week.

For Christmas Eve we enjoyed dinner at the Hussar Grill on the beach and treated ourselves to a really excellent dinner.  Christmas Day started with a batch of homemade cinnamon rolls followed by a steak dinner at home.  Our last day was spend reorganizing and packing for our departure to Ghana.