Swellengrebel Hotel Swellendam

... a whale. Would you believe it there one is, just playing there a little way out, he jumps up and splashes down, then rests a little before doing it again. All that time looking, then just as we are about to leave we see one.<br><br>The drive to Swellendam is just as fun as the drive down, miles of perfectly straight road where we see what the car can do, followed by a drive through the mountains, I wish the car was a 1.6 instead of1.4, but these VW's really are nice cars.<br><br ...

... House, the oldest house in the town which has been restored and opened as a life-style museum. In 1853 22 year old Pieter Joubert was sent by his father to build the house for the family. I guess I those days one didn't need a degree in bricklaying, he appears to have a made a good job of the build as it is still standing today despite being badly damaged by floods in 1981. It was interesting to see how the early settlers lived, the Joubert family were ...

We set off for Montagu and Route 62, calling in at the Olympia Cafe in Kalks Bay for a take-out coffee and a quick look at the harbour and the local fish. Then we hit roadworks for 30km.... Finally arrived in Montagu late afternoon, which is a beautiful little village set in a gorge. We found a very nice place to stay, wandered around a bit and then found a very nice place to eat dinner, in the courtyard of a Cape Dutch mansion under a 100-year-old pear tree.

... For example, after asking someone for help in locating an ATM in Cape Town, having tried a nearby ATM that seemed to be broken, the woman offered to leave her office and come with us to see if she could be of assistance.) After checking into our incredibly cute cottage room, we left for De Hoop - an almost 90,000-acre coastal reserve apparently mysteriously seldom visited, given its incredible beauty. We ended up on the "long road ...

... take more time if we wanted. The Rough Guide listed the Tradouw Guest House in the Klein Karoo (Karoo is  Khoi for 'hard and dry') small town of Barrydale, along Route 62 (the 'back garden' route). What a find. Owned by what is listed in the guide book as 'a gay couple' (as if that is particularly notable), it is a little guesthouse with character and a joie de vie. Filled with record covers of all sorts of music from Led Zepplin to Lawrence of Arabia, it has a lovely garden terrace ...

... the picturesque Franschhoek Pass where we narrowly missed a baboon crossing the road! Followed the N2 through to Swellendam. Planned on checking in and then heading into the town of Swellendam but the hotel exceeded our expectations and the lure of lazing round the pool at the lovely Rothman Manor was too strong to overcome! So we spent the rest of the afternoon lazing by the pool writing postcards and jacuzzi, watching the ...

... these obscure, off the beaten path locations which made the trip that much more special. Even in the small village of Swellendam we asked where the winery was or how to buy the wine and they didn't really know. We ventured off on this trip with the intention of immersing ourselves in the cultures of the places we visited and it's really easier said than done. I don't know how Rachel found them but they enhanced our experiences exponentially.

... is the end of the line. I did a bit of hiking in the nature reserve just outside Swellendam and it was nice. Other than taking a slip on a rock (which then also proceeded to take a couple of layers of skin off my hand) it was good. The weather has been slowly turning the closer I have gotten to Cape Town. There has been alot more overcast days and more rain but still tolerable. I just hope I get a couple days of sunshine when I'm in Cape Town.

... taking an occasional bite off the bait, which was on a rope right beside the boat. These were all great whites too; the first couple we saw were maybe 2 - 2.5 meters long. Those things are scary looking I tell you, they are eating machines. They open their mouths bigger than their heads, and you can see right through them out their *******. Viscious looking teeth, but so elegant under water, so smooth and powerful. They were amazing really. When it was my turn to go in the ...

... room. At the end of a looong dirt driveway we found a gorgeous (but booked) farmhouse. Out came the guidebooks and we tried again. We were lucky at our next stop: The Pond B&amp;B (100 Rands per person). Set back from the road in the midst of a huge and lush garden, we were shown (by Zita, our hostess) our room. Actually a decent size apartment with living/dining room, kitchen and bedroom. Behind the apartment is the water lily covered eponymous pond. Frogs ...