Into South Africa - The Cape

So many times prior to leaving for South Africa I heard that Cape Town was a blend of San Francisco and Sydney.  I can't attest to Sydney as I haven't been (going soon though!), but after having lived in the Bay Area for 10 years with the last 2 in San Francisco I can say those comparisons weren't too far off.


Cape Town and its surrounding landscape offer so many wonderful outdoor activities, some amazing wine lands, breathtaking views against a magnificent city bordered by the ocean and the ever present Table Mountain, not to mention Cape Point, world class surfing and shark diving.


After the hectic travel to get to the US/Ghana game we finally were able to settle in to our lovely apartment at Mouille Point Apartments.  We were surrounded with striking sites as our backyard was a golf course, the only real estate separating us from Cape Town Stadium, and our front yard was the Atlantic Ocean.  With just a quick walk to the V&A Waterfront and De Waterkant we were in prime location to take in Cape Town.

Ensuring we started the trip with a bang, we rented a car and set off to Simon's Town, a quick 40 minutes drive down the coast line to dive with some Great Whites off of False Bay.  We signed on for an afternoon trip with African Shark Eco Charters and headed out to Seal Island for a date with some Great Whites.  After a quick boat ride out to the island, a little chum in the water, we got to see our first Great White in the flesh.  The size and grace of these creatures are a site to behold.  One of the things that surprised me most was how peaceful and harmless they looked gracefully swimming by our boat.


As the cage was lowered my heart started racing, but after a few groups went in (2 at a time in the cage) I was feeling confident and ready to get in and spend time in the water with these big boys.  After getting suited up and briefed on safety, I strapped on my wetsuit and weight belt and hopped in the cage.  Initially, I had a tough time breathing through the regulator and getting in a comfortable position in the cage as the ocean's movement rocked us back and forth the entire 30 minutes we were underwater.

After getting settled into the cage, and having a momentary freak out that I had nothing protecting my backside, I came face to face with the Great White.  It was a moment filled with so little fear I was really surprised.  Again, the grace and ease with which these wondrous creatures moved through the water was a site to behold.  They seem like an animal at such peace in its environment.  As we stayed down in the cage we were treated to a few more Great Whites, two circling around our cage at once.  The most striking trait of the Great White when you are face to face with them is their eyes.  The two black eyes looking at you head on leave no doubt this is not an animal to be tempted or played with.

After coming back up and seeing more Great Whites come up to the boat, we were treated to seeing a few Great Whites pop their head out of the water going after the seal cutout with their mouth open and razor sharp teeth ready to kill.  The razor sharp teeth coupled with their black eyes was such a sight to behold, and one that will be forever ingrained in my memory.  We were lucky enough to snap a few great action shots.

After the thrill of shark diving, something you need to do more than once in your life, we took the next day to relax a bit and explore wine country.  We booked through Redwood Tours, who specialize in personalized wine tours catered to small groups.  We had a wonderful guide for the day in Keith van der Schyff.  After doing some homework on wineries I sent Keith 5 wineries we want to hit up during our day.  After he initially questioned my itinerary, he agreed to let us go to one of my wineries of choice and then one of his.  Let's just say after that exercise we were on Keith's agenda for the remainder of the day.


We began the day at Fairview Wines in the Paarl region, which also produce their own cheese on site.  For just 25 Rand (about $3) we were given 7 pours of wine and a cheese tasting of about 10 different cheeses - a little more reasonable than Napa!  The wine was so-so and Keith took us over to Kanonkop in the Stellenbosch region, the second winery to ever produce the famed Pinotage South Africa is so well known for.  We were treated to five fantastic wines (only 10 Rand!) that included the Paul Sauer, a tasty Kadette and the real winner, their Pinotage.  I couldn't resist picking up a couple of the Paul Sauer bottles as well as the Pinotage, luckily Kanonkop also sold travel safe 6-packs which joined us on our travels the rest of the way.

From there we hit up L'Avenir where I felt the Cab Franc was the real winner.  Next, Keith took us to Rustenberg Winery (above), which was set against a beautiful backdrop of the mountains of Stellenbosch.  From there we were treated to an amazing lunch at Guardian Peak (view below), a part of Ernie Els Wines.   In Napa, Auberge de Soleil is widely known to have some of the most breath taking views in Napa.  Think of Guardian Peak as the Auberge de Soleil of Stellnbosch, except Guardian Peak is also a winery.  Wading through the menu was the toughest task of the entire afternoon, but after settling on stuffed quail breast and the roasted apple and raisin pork belly (below) we settled in for an amazing afternoon set against the striking landscape that is the backyard of Guardian Peaks.  All of the food comes with a recommended pairing of Guardian Peak wines, and I really enjoyed the Guradian Peak SMG that was paired with both of my dishes.

Our late lunch at Guardian Peak had to be the best way to wrap up a wonderful day of wine tasting in a beautiful region.  Keith was kind enough to take us on a quick tour of Stellenbosch after lunch.  He even stopped off in Stellenbosch and bought us an amazing assortment of chocolate truffles that became my early morning snack for the next week back in Cape Town.  During the trip we paid for not a single tasting outside of lunch and drinks at Guardian Peak.  And as we were dropped back of at Mouille Point, Keith charged us around 600 Rand for the entire day.  That was a days worth of transportation, an amazing and knowledgeable tour guide and wine tastings the tally came to about $80/person.  Kanonkop and Rustenberg are two wineries you can't miss and I can't imagine going back and not having lunch at Guardian Peak.


After watching Germany put a spanking on Argentina and spending a few days in Cape Town, we took an early morning boat ride from the V&A Waterfront to explore Robben Island - on July 4th nonetheless.  I have conflicting feelings about this trip because it was so so touristy from the moment you step on the overcrowded boat, but at the same time it was so amazing to set your eyes on the limestone quarry where Mandela and his fellow political prisoners literally slaved away while breaking up limestone.  His jail cell allows so many memories to rush through your body, seeing that cell and looking in Mandela's eyes today you get a sense that you can feel his strength and fortitude.


We were lucky enough to have an ex-political prisoner give us a tour of the jail and its surroundings.  You could hear such great strength and pride in his voice as he spoke about his experience and what daily routines were like for the inmates.  The views looking back at Cape Town were gorgeous, but you couldn't help but think about the political prisoners looking at something so breathtaking while enduring massive hardships, isolation and intense physical labor.  I'm really glad I went, but probably wouldn't go twice.


The next day we were faced with perhaps the worst weather of the trip, which wasn't all the bad other than the fact that we were planning to head to Cape Point where the weather would have prevented us from seeing much if anything of The Cape.  So we took the day to explore the Constantia wine region, just 20 miles south of Cape Town.  The winelands area is much smaller with only 5 vineyards, making it a much more manageable day.


Our first stop was at Steenberg, a newer modern winery with a golf course, spa, restaurant and  overnight accommodations.  Sav Blanc and Semillion were the focus and outside of their beautiful grounds I didn't care too much for their wine offerings across the board.  Next, we swung by Constantia Uitsig which had a quaint country feel with not a ton to see, but what we didn't know was that nestled next to the tasting room was an award winning restaurant that we needed to book well in advance for.  The wine was a bit better and I was absolutely blown away by their sparkling, I really regret not bringing a bottle or two back to the States.

Our next stop was at Buitenverwachting, meaning "Beyond Expectations".  While I have vivid memories of so many things during my trip, the sights at Buitenverwachting will not be one escaping my memory for years, apparently parts of Blood Diamond were filmed there.


Our final stop of the day ended with the epic sweet wine, Vin de Constance, that "helped Napoleon ease the misery of exile and was recommended by Jane Austen for a broken heart" in Sense and Sensablity.  The wine was so delicious and unique to its own form.  Had I not been gobbling up bottles from other wineries I certainly would have returned with more than two bottles.


The following day the weather cleared up nicely and we decided to make a full day of it with the Netherlands-Uruguay semi finals that night and a trip down to Cape Point during the day.  Looking back I wish we had taken an entire day to hike around the cape and explore all of the breathtaking sights it has to offer.  The few hours we spent there were all amazing, I just wanted to have my feet on that ground and my eyes looking out across the horizon for a few more hours.  For our trip down we drove on the east side of the peninsula past Simon's Town (where we went shark diving).  On the way back we came up the west side and had a breathtaking drive up Chapman's Peak and down into Hout Bay, I highly recommended doing the same route if you head down.

The toughest day of the trip followed after the Netherlands walked away victorious over Uruguay 3-2 and a night of partying with the Orange fans ensued. We drove two hours north of Cape Town to Die Strandloper at Langebaan where we threw down on a 4 hour 10 course meal, with all of the fish coming directly out of the bay we sat on.  Can't say I would do this twice, but it certainly was worth the experience.

We wrapped up our stay in Cape Town with a delicious meal at Aubergine.  It was the perfect way to end the trip and by far the best meal of the trip we had experienced thus far.  It was a five star meal, with fantastic service for a completely reasonable price, just like everything in Cape Town except for the World Cup gear.  The next day we headed off for the home run of the trip, Safari!


Safari post and a shit ton of pictures to come shortly...

Into South Africa - The World Cup

After three amazing weeks in South Africa, taking in the World Cup, diving with sharks, hiking and driving around the Cape, enjoying a 10 course meal on the beach and going on safari my mind is still racing with memories and relishing the unique experiences I was blessed to enjoy.

The trip was too memorable to cram it all into one post and to make sure I share it all, I wil break it into three parts: The World Cup, Exploring the Cape and Safari.

I began planning this trip a year and a half in advance, focused on making sure we had tickets to the games before we left.  Working with Destination South Africa we were able to line up match tickets, flights, an apartment in Cape Town and a 4 day safari at Pondoro Game Lodge.

The World Cup experience was filled passionate friendly fans, lots of vuvuzuelas, pre game and post game partying, beautiful venues and amazing matches.

We decided to go after group play when the elimination matches started, following the US route through to the semis.  

After traveling 17 hours from DC to Joburg, catching a 2 hour flight to Cape Town, turning back around the next morning to fly back to Joburg and grab a 3 hour bus ride to Rustenberg we were ready to take in the US/Ghana match (all the while trying to figure out what day it was, as my body certainly didn't agree with the time the sun decided to rise and set).

Driving to the game we were able to see the red earth Africa is so known for against the setting sun.  I found the choice of venue odd as Rustenberg is a relatively small mining town where little else but the game seemed to be worth stopping over for (unless of course you wanted to make your way to Sun City).

The match was filled with African support for Ghana (the only African team still left in the tourney) and was certainly the coldest night of the entire trip.  I found it to be a disappointing performance on the US part, and a game they could have won if the effort was there.  But after leaving the stadium and seeing the pure joy from 90% of the fans due to the Ghana result I was glad to see the nation continue to rally around them as the tournament continued.

After the game, another 3 hours bud ride, KFC in the airport at 4AM, waiting another 4 hours for our flight and a 2 hour plane ride to Cape Town we were able, and very ready, to settle into our apartment at Mouille Point.  We were situated directly across the road from the ocean with a deck looking back across an amazing landscape of Cape Town stadium, Lion's Head, Signal Hill, Table Mountain and downtown Cape Town.

We were able to pick up tickets to the Spain/Portugal game in addition to our US allotment prior to leaving the States.  The walk up to the stadium was memorable, with Spanish fans clearly outnumbering the Portuguese supporters, partying, chanting and dancing their way in.  After 30 minutes to get through a half assed security check we were 25 rows off the field watching Spain warm-up.

The game was electric, the play was dominated with Spanish possession and the work rate of David Villa up and down the left flank was astonishing.  Cristiano Ronaldo did nothing to persuade my current opinion of him as he spent an inordinate amount of time time throwing his arms up in disgust, diving on the field, complaining to the referee and using the utmost flair in the simplest of situations.

The Villa goal occurred right in front of us and as he slid to the corner flag just below our seats the place was going nuts with vuvuzuelas rocking and the Spanish fans merrily chanting.  After having gone to two games I could not help but notice the stark difference.  The venues certainly had something to do with the atmospheres at each, but the US/Ghana game felt like you were watching a JV game prior to the Spain/Portugal varsity match.

After the game we began looking for flights to Joburg for the Ghana/Uruguay game in Soccer City.  Unfortunately plane tickets were all $800+ and we figured instead of traveling to the game we would stick in Cape Town and buy tickets to the Arg/Ger game where the only travel we had to worry about was a 15 minute walk from the apartment to the stadium.

We ended up finding the ultimate salesman named Ahmed, texting us 5+ times a day to let us know all the tickets he had to every game even though we insisted all we wanted were tixs for Arg/Ger.  After a few days of haggling we were able to snag tickets for 1/2 the price of the flight to JoBourg.

Wading through an endless number of Argentina supporters and trying to find a bar with breathing room we wondered into the curiously empty Sugar Hotel in De Waterkant neighborhood of Cape Town.  As the pre-partying progressed we discovered the hotel was closed to guests and friends only, but were allowed to stay nonetheless; in all likelihood to the food and bar bill we were racking up.  The food was great and the location couldn't have been more perfect, pool side with a few of the fan parade that preceded each game in Cape Town.

We ended up chatting up some England supporters who were on their 8th World Cup.  After a bit of talking they were describing how they were at the Ghana/URU game and felt that the missed Ghana PK in the 120th minute might have been one of the most unique moments in sports and surely World Cup history.  As they explained, never has a home continent been behind one team (Ghana), and the collective silence in the stadium the moment the PK was missed was something that will likely never happen again.  With the entire stadium (minus a few thousand Uruguay supporters) fully behind one team that wasn't even the host country I'm not sure if saving a few hundred bucks was worth missing, but what can you do.

After missing the first Germany goal walking into the stadium, we were able to watch the Argentines take hold of possession, yet unable to do anything productive in the final 3rd of the field.  The German defense was impressive and their world class counter-attack was a sight to behold in person.  Their ability to take possession and drive down the field attacking the Argentina defense was done at such an amazing pace and with such precision that it made you really appreciate the German style of play (never ever thought I would be saying that).

As the Germans were unrelenting in their counter-attack, Argentina couldn't crack the German line nor put a dangerous dead ball on frame (and they had a host of opportunities), it was all to the massive disappointment of the ever active Maradona on the sidelines.  As the game got out of control with the Germans on their way to a 4-0 victory I found myself watching Maradona almost as much as the run of play.  The crowd cheered him on every time the ball came to his feet and he made a touch or two to get it back on the pitch, he was pure entertainment.

We rounded out our games with the semis in Cape Town where the Netherlands faced off with Uruguay. The amount of orange parading and partying around the streets pre-game was astonishing.  The fans were fun and ready to party as we found out during our pre-game festivities at Beefcakes, a gay burger bar which we were told by a local had the best burgers in town.



After burgers, fries, onion rings and some Carling Blacks we were treated to an amazing atmosphere and a fantastic game.  We were seated behind the goal that the Dutch attacked first and were two rows in front of the largest block of Orange fans in the entire stadium.  They were on their feet the entire game leading chants and cheers that somehow found their way above the vuvuzuelas and echoed out across the stadium.

As possession flowed back and forth to start off the game we were treated to an amazing angle on the best goal we witnessed, Van Bronkhorst laser into the upper right corner (watch it here if you haven't seen it, and watch it again if you have!).  If that ball continued on its path I swear it would have landed in  my hands, luckily the net was there.  The goal only heightened the intensity that the Dutch supporters poured into their team, chanting, cheering and dancing for 90+ minutes, eventually celebrating their teams 3-2 victory and trip to the finals.  I was psyched we got to see both teams in the finals play a match, and they ended up being the two best matches we saw.

We took in the 3rd place game and finals on a 21inch TV at Pondoro game lodge while on safari.  Waking up each morning around 5 to go on safari made it tough to stay awake for the games that were on at 8:30 local time, but I couldn't have been happier to see Spain prevail, especially after watching them play against Portugual.  Their possession oriented game that flowed through the midfield duo of the tiny Iniesta and Xavi was beautiful to watch (except for the finals, which was just ugly).

Overall, the World Cup experience was one I will never forget.  Every fan you encountered was happy to be there and celebrate their team and country.  No matter the match, supporters from all over entered the stadium drenched in their countries colors.  It was great to walk into the Arg/Ger game next to a group of Alergians done up in their countries colors.  The atmosphere was one of partying and celebration.

South Africa was a fantastic host nation.  The entire time I felt safe and secure, the people were always friendly and inquisitive, usually wanting to tell you that the other team they were rooting for outside of their own was the US (something I was a bit shocked by).  Sure there were the TIA (This is Africa) moments, which usually occurred at the airports, but all and all everything was first class.

While my first, this certainly will not be my last - already getting excited about Brazil 2014...