Stellenbosch Lodge Country Ho

Stellenbosch is beautiful university town that looks like Clifton village, all street side cafes, chai lattes and shops selling expensive souvenirs. We had come to explore the area and spend a second day on the CooperTrooper wine tour. After learning which wines we liked in Robertson, and what to look out for when you buy wine so you don't end up ...

... afternoon was had by all. <br><br>Following a shower and change, we met up with our 2nd guide Suzanne and off for dinner at the Nations Kitchen. Shared a bottle (or 2) of Sauvigion Blanc with Jane (we are becoming creatures of habit) and had a lovely dinner of Karoo Lamb cutlets which were excellent. Following dinner, it was back to our accomodation for Kir royals at our place, followed by 2 bottles of champagne and lots of chat, looking forward to a good sleep a 6am start tomoz!!!

... I will try to explain as best as I can. Table Mountain is huge, 1073 meters tall, but the beauty of the mountain was seeing the thick mists floating over the top from the ocean. The clouds spilled over the peak like dry ice billowing out of a caldron on Halloween. Unforgettable. Anyway, on to the Robben Island tour. Touring the island on a dilapidated bus we heard a well-practiced oration on the history, the geography, and the geology ...

... us down to the cellers and let us taste a load of different wines. There was every kind of wine you could imagine. We learnt the difference between wine matured in woodbarrels and stainless steel barriers, filtered wine and unfiltered wine, port etc. The couple we were with were going on about tropical fruits and asparagus and all kinds of complex flavors and wine making techniques we'd never heard of. It was definitely educational. I like the sweet wines ...

... like that? I think he was drunk anyway. (The reception for the hostel was behind the bar--the bartender checked us in). The town of Stellenbosch felt a lot like an American college town. Also, after dinner and while bar-hopping that night, we were safely walking around the streets of town like we would in the U.S.--an interesting and liberating change from having to take cabs everywhere after dark. The next morning after breakfast, we decided to head back to ...

Hoi Allemaal, zaterdagavond zijn papa, mama en Jeroen eindelijk aangekomen in Zuid-Afrika!!! Super fijn om weer bij ze te zijn ... Nu alleen Jordy nog :( ...en mijn twee beste vriendinnetjes:D...Nog 3,5 weken en dan zie ik jullie allemaal weer! Even een korte up-date tot nu toe. Vrijdag heb ik een art les gegeven op school. Hiervan zal ...

... There are flowers out everywhere; sky-blue Morning Glory, and beautiful orange Black-eyed Susan growing wild by the side of the road, and they have little white egret-like birds. The crickets sing and the frogs croak in the evening and we can see the stars. We were shown the Southern Cross, which obviously I'd never seen before. The mountains are amazing, every time I look up they take my breath away, they are very different to the ones I grew accustomed to in India while we ...

... and all kinds of delights fills the air with amazing aromas. After a five hour lay over in Joburg, due to a plane malfunction before we were to take off, we finally arrived in the late afternoon, exhausted and hungry...winding around the roads from the airport to Long Street beautiful views of the bay, the ocean, and the landscape unfolded before our eyes, set against the beautiful Table Top Mountain and Lions Head. We get settled into the Cat ...

... rock climber it would have been a piece of cake, but for us (specifically Steph, Neca and I) it was a nerve-racking feat that only got worse as we tried to come back down. But the view from up there was pretty incredible and it was worth the risk. Plus, we were really proud of ourselves for braving it out. After a shower and some lunch, everyone boarded a ferry for Robben Island, where political prisoners (including ...

... systematically excluded from education, land ownership, and opportunity for so long that even after a decade of a free South Africa, a huge economic chasm lingers. How to realistically fix this toxic legacy is the real question. Adapting one of the most progressive constitutions in the world was a very important first step, but just changing the law so all are equal does not fix the under education, terrible living conditions, and other inequities that ...