Road Tripping

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Jacaranda trees – where I live, taken today.

In August I did a road trip on my own from Johannesburg down to Plettenberg Bay through the Karoo. Earlier this month I did it again, this time with my husband as driver and two American friends. This time we overnighted in Graaf Reinet 800 kms away in the most charming place, Kambro Cottages. The below photo is of the Valley of Desolation, a few kms  outside Graaf Reinet, taken at the top of the reserve, the next morning en route to Plett.

20141011_Valley of Desolation_resizedWe spent a delightful few days and nights in Plett and visited the newly established Plettenberg Bay Game Reserve a few kms outside of Plett. These are a few of my cell phone photos from the landrover – (see you tube link at end of blog for lion below on the move) –20141012_lion Plett_resized

20141012_cheetah2_resized_120141012_wild dog_resizedI could put in more photos of this place of beauty – and write of our time in Plett climbing Robberg, drinking delicious coffees here and there – walking on various shores, watching the waves crashing and receding –

All too soon it was time to leave Plettenberg Bay to Cape Town, about 600 kms or so away stopping in for breakfast at a delightful spot and driving much of the time in silence awed at the beauty of Nature.20141015_mountains_resizedWe spent just over a week in Cape Town. My husband attended an international medical conference for much of the time including the Saturday and Sunday morning which meant that during the day I was the driver, taking my friends here and there. My younger son Davey lives in Cape Town – he joined us with my American friends, when we visited Kirstenbosch Gardens, and took the cable car up Table Mountain.

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20141018_top Table Mountain_resizedThat’s Robben Island off on right where Mr. Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison. Photo taken from the top of Table Mountain.

My American friends have visited South Africa many times already; this was a trip with a difference. We met up with several Cape Town friends for coffee or supper, people who they knew about from my saying about them in the past, and now it was meeting face to face engaging in conversation. Most days it was Susan, Frederic and myself driving through to e.g. Muizenberg to view ‘Millionz-O-Doodz’ a canvas created by my elder son displayed at an art gallery, on another occasion to Kalk Bay and much beyond, through to Hout Bay and beyond, often times unsure where we were headed. I’m not GPS friendly –

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In the evenings the four of us would go out for supper somewhere, the food always delicious, beautifully presented, service attentive. Cape Town is known for its excellent food.

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We had lunch at The Vineyard in Newlands, Cape Town one day. It is so lovely. The above photo is from the entrance. Lunch tables are outside and under the oaks on the right.

We trekked out to Gordon’s Bay on Sunday aftrenoon, about a 3/4 hour drive away. The jetty is one I used to walk as a teenager with my parents when we lived there (when Moses was a boy). I usually visit Gordon’s Bay when in Cape Town and walk to the end of the jetty where the ashes of my parents were tossed in the sea many years ago and I say a silent hello while remembering them –

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On our way back to Johannesburg from Cape Town, we saw a different part of the Karoo and overnighted outside Colesberg, half way between Cape Town and Jo’burg.

It’s always lovely to be home and find the cats well, grass green, study quickly getting into its usual disarray. Our friends flew back to the States on Monday night – apart from the specialness of having them with us, I feel a sense of pride in some way in being able to show them parts of our beautiful country.

All photos above were taken with my cell phone. The you tube link below of the ‘lion on the move’ was taken by Fiona Smyth, fellow landrover passenger from Ireland, who took the movie and kindly forwarded it on to me. With her permission I’m adding it. Thanks to son Mike in Plettenberg Bay for editing. it’s about 40 secs.

44 Comments on Road Tripping

  1. First, I want to say that you look beautiful in that picture, the background offering such a sense of freedom. South Africa is a marvel. Thank you for sharing it with us. I’m glad you got to revisit the spot of your parents’ ashes.

  2. It all looks so beautiful. I would love to visit South Africa–is that where you’re from? I’ve been to Zambia and Zimbabwe, and that trip was the highlight of my life. I will never, ever forget it.

    • South Africa will knock your spcks off Holli – so come! Zimbabwe to the north as well as Zambia. .
      So come when you can! Yes it’s where I’m from…a died in the wool South African

  3. This particular image brought it all close … Robben Island off on right where Mr. Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison …
    Thanks for sharing.

  4. Susan, sometimes your posts are a delicious torment! All so familiar, all so long gone. Every stopping point from Graaf Reinet to Kalk Bay is rather like peeling plaster from a wound of longing. Not to mention climbing Robberg!

    Thank you for refreshing. One day? Maybe.

    • One day – not maybe but surely. Thank you for your comment Philippa, much appreciated.
      Delicious torment … how lovely to put it that way! May the ‘delicious torment’ spur you on to make the trip and for the wound of longing to be healed …

  5. Your road trip looks amazing! The wild animals are lovely, the scenery truly beautiful and the memories are positively heartwarming, I bet.

  6. Hi Susan .. you took me ‘home’!! all of the places I’ve visited, except Gordon’s Bay … loved being reminded of South Africa and its amazing flora and fauna … that lion video your Irish friend took is quite extraordinary – fantastic face … I’ve never really noticed them before, like that.

    I yearn for Kirstenbosch, the Vineyard – my uncle and aunt used to stay there … and then the Jacarandas – incredible colours … while the Valley of Desolation totally blew me away … when I visited years ago …

    Lovely – thanks for sharing with us .. cheers Hilary

  7. I can see you’ll never move. Maybe I will–California has nothing like this.

    Great pictures, BTW. I’m thinking of getting the iPhone 6 just for the image stabilization. I take too many blurry pictures. Your phone does an excellent job.

    • Thanks for coming by Jacqui! South Africa is a great place, much to offer though we are plagued by too much of the same that the rest of the world suffers …

      I dream of a fancy phone like my sons have .. those take really good pics. Mine is a Samsung Galaxy S 3 mini, nice and very inexpensive. Many of mine which I would never share are blurry too and not great but at least I can point and press and hope for the best.

  8. Oh Susan, what a lovely part of the world you inhabit! I would love to be your American friend coming for a visit.

    Jacaranda is such an exotic word to roll off my tongue; its blooms lovely; I will search web for a closeup of the bloom.

    Visiting on your pier brought tears to my eyes. God bless you and your parents!

    • Thank you for coming by Sammy D! A google search will yield interesting results I am sure re the jacaranda .. it has such a rrrrolling sound!!! Sounds like a Latin dance ..

      I would love you to come visit … a bit of plotting and planning and this could happen. I would happily help.

      Walking the pier (sounds like walking the plank) is always meaningful to me … thank you saying about your reaction Sammy.

      • A Latin dance – jaca-r-r-r-r-anda. I can see your twirling skirt now 🙂

        You are so sweet, Susan! Just keep taking those adventurous jaunts, winding your yarns and snapping your photos. I am there!

  9. Posted on my Facebook account so will go to close to 4000 people, Susan!
    This is what I said: My friend Susan’s wonderful traveling post…she is amazing, a beautiful soul who lies in South Africa…check out that lion video…
    OH, and by the way, is there no way to reblog your posts? Can’t see how…lots of love always, Mira

  10. Great post! Inspiring. I’m also amazed at how much there is to see in SA, and how much I haven’t seen. really sometimes am a tourist in my own country. That jacaranda looks ***AMAZING*** yoh. Really awesome pics.

  11. Absolutely beautiful! Thank you so much, Susan, for sharing this wonderful trip with us. I’ve enjoyed reading about it and seeing the lovely photos.

  12. It looks like the jacaranda tree is wearing clouds in the first photo. Your posts give me a unique travel experience from the seat of my writing chair – thank you!

    • Thank you for stopping by Marian! The cloud build up held a promise of rain, but it was not to be. Maybe tomorrow – we so need the rain, it is so hot!

    • Thank you Robert. I think next time I’ll do a blog on Africa and it’s size. It’s a huge continent with about 51 or 52 countries with their different presidents and governments. I know only a tiny part of it. South Africa is right down south on the continent, bordering Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mocambique, Namibia to the north. Swaziland and the tiny Kingdom of Lesotho are also included as border countries although they are landlocked with the Republic of South Africa…

  14. Such great sites! You are fortunate to have so much accessible to you. I think we all have a great deal that we can easily see if we manage to get out of the house and take advantage of travel.

    Lee
    A Faraway View

    • Thanks Arlee. Travelling abroad or to safari lodges here in South Africa has become less accessible to the ordinary person due to cost. I think this has resulted in some of us choosing to look around in our country and seeing places we haven’t before. There’s still so much of South Africa I want to see ..

  16. Susan, I so loved the tour of South Africa that you provided. Your photos were stunning, and I loved your descriptions. Plus, the video of the lion was fun. I wanted to go up and pet him as he looked like a kind and gentle soul. However, I suppose I was looking at him from this side of the video rather than there in person. What a delightful tour you provided… Thank you.

    • Thanks so much Gwynn. Wild animals get used to the shape & size of a landrover and if people behave themselves all should be ok.Too often people lean too far out of the window or stand up in the landrover to get a better shot of the eg lion which can upset the apple cart enormously. This was such a treat to be so close up, with engine idling just in case. I think it’s the closest I’ve ever been … I tried to take own video with phone but my hands were shaking a bit …:)

  17. This sounds like such a lovely trip Susan. I’m so glad I got to see you and Debora, and finally meet Susan and Frederic 🙂 hope all is well in Joburg. x Oda

    • Susan and Frederic loved meeting you Oda. We hope this happens again. Your beautiful cards have been received with such pleasure when I’ve given them out.
      All is good in Joburg thanks, hope same in Plett xx

  18. Thank you for taking us with you on your amazing road trip, Susan! I must say you take far better pictures with your iPhone than I was ever able to manage when I had one–beautiful shots of beautiful scenery. How perverse is it that the name Valley of Desolation is so appealing?? I should be off-putting, but instead it just fills me with “I want to go there” longing. Next time pop me in the trunk, okay?

    • Thanks Kern! The phone is a Samsung 3 mini, not fancy at all. If the photos are any good it’s because of the object being photographed 🙂

      The Valley of Desolation is so beautiful, not exactly the Grand Canyon in terms of size, but there is something of grandeur and desolation about it. The more I visit it the more I want to return.

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