Magaliesburg and Surrounds

We spent our New Year’s Weekend at Lover’s Rock Family Resort. Lover’s Rock is not really a resort but rather a camp site, although there are cabins. The camp sites have loads of shade and grass and as long as it doesn’t rain, you can even settle on a site with only a little grass. There is a pool with a small water slide and a 200m hiking trail. So for activities, I suggest you go look for it! The ablution facilities are a bit disappointing so don’t expect The Ritz! But still, it’s a safe area, close to the surrounding sights with low prices.
http://www.loversrock.co.za/

The top attraction, for me, was the Magaliesberg Canpy Tours. It is situated at the Sparkling Waters Hotel and Spa not far from Rustenburg. The activities keep you busy for about 2 to 3 hours and it includes use of the hotel pool after a day of hanging in the air. This activity is suited for young and old scared and brave! You just can’t join in the fun if you are pregnant! I am a real ninny regarding these type of activities and I loved it!
http://www.magaliescanopytour.co.za/

The other fun thing to do is visit the Blaauwbank Gold Mine. It’s a tour through an historic gold mine including a demonstration of gold panning. And yes, you get to see real gold with that excersise!

http://www.wilparkgroup.co.za/blaauwbank/index.htm

You can also go to Maropeng, which I didn’t get to see, but I hear it’s really interesting, especially if you are open to the thought of evolution.
http://www.maropeng.co.za/

There are lots of hiking trails for the nature enthusiasts and shops and tea gardens for the shop-a-holics amongst us.
http://www.magaliesburg.co.za/

Cheap holiday: South Africa

Thanks to the global financial situation, South Africa is one of the most affordable destinations to visit. Today’s Exchange rate is US$1 = ZAR9.8. You will get a lot for your money here. But do take time and go to a local grocery shop on your first day. I have taken a few things from the Pick ‘n Pay online shopping list to give you an idea of what things cost. Pick ‘n Pay is a good quality food market. Some outlets have clothing and home wear as well as toys and outdoor and DIY products.

1 Kg Steak – R70 (you can pay up to R100 for a steak in a restaurant – and if you stay at an expensive hotel you will pay even R300!!)
Cigarettes (Camel 20s) – R20.80
Jumbo eggs (6) – R8.99
1 Kg Apples – R12.99

Even though South African eat relatively healthy, we are slowly but surely following the USA to obesity. People prefer fast foods due to our hectic life styles. If you do visit South Africa, try our fresh foods, but if you do need some comfort from home, here is what you will pay:

Big Mac – R15.50
Coke – R4.29 (330 ml/can)

If you like a drink every now and again, local beers and wines are very well priced. But do look out for LOCAL beers and wines. You will pay a little more in bars, and a lot more in hotel bars. Have the locals tell you about bars in the vicinity!

Millar – R5.69 (330 ml/bottle)
Windhoek Lager (from Namibia but surely one of the best – R5.29 (340ml/bottle)
Jack Daniels – R149.99 (750 ml bottle)

You also need to shop around for accommodation. Don’t go to the very famous names like Hilton and Holiday Inn. Have a look at these websites:

http://www.threecities.co.za/
http://www.legacyhotels.co.za/NeedFlash.htm
http://www.premierhotels.co.za/

And if you budget is tight, search online for guesthouses. They are affordable and the food is always good.

It is rather safe to rent a car but be aware that we drive on the left side of the road; our speed limit is in kilometers and our taxis don’t follow the rules of the road. Also, don’t leave anything in your car. While you are driving, put handbags/cameras/laptops etc under you seat, or in the boot. “Smash and Grab” is very common at intersections.

You can enjoy loads of activities and most info is available online. You just need to know where to look!

We hope to see you here!

Resources:
https://www.pnponline.co.za/default.aspx

Cape Town: Departure

Our final day started by going to the V&A Waterfront for the morning. Our instructions were to hand the car over to the rental company at 13:00, so we really did not have that much time. We had a quick brunch at the harbour while watching seagulls eat anything possible.

http://www.waterfront.co.za/Pages/Welcome.aspx

If you have time there are many things to do, from Heli-Flips (which are totally overpriced for the average South African) to a visit to the Two Oceans Aquarium. We went for a quick visit to the old fort! It is worth it if you know a little about South AFrican History!

http://www.aquarium.co.za/

Many tour operators depart from the waterfront on fun activities such as shark diving, whale watching, sand boarding and harbour boat trips. Just be sure to dress for all seasons because the weather can change in 30 minutes, especially next to the water. It can either be freezing cold, or you could sustain serious sunburn!

After handing in our little Corsa keys, the rental company gave us a lift to the Airport – so much time is wasted at airports waiting… and Cape Town Airport is awful. There is not much to do so bring a book or magazine to keep yourself busy – and maybe some toys if you have kids.

Getting back to Johannesburg was much less painless than going to Cape Town. The flight was smooth and the view was great!

Cape Town Day 3

After the previous day's excitement we got out of bed a bit late. Seeing that it was such a beautiful day, we charged off to Table Mountain. For R130 or so for a return ticket, the trip is more than worth while. Stepping into a revolving cable car is quite an experience. It can take 60 people and you hardly feel any shaking.

On top of the mountain you can have a lovely walk on safe walk ways. Apart from bumping into the odd tourist it is very enjoyable. Beautiful views of the city and the ocean are in abundance. One would think the restaurant is exclusively for international tourists but funnily enough the pricing is reasonable. All products are bio degradable even plates and cups. They have a great buffet breakfast which you can have outside with the view of the ocean.

You can also hike up the side of the mountain but I suggest you do one way with the Cable Car and hike the other way. Also let people know you are planning a hike because many people have gotten lost on the mountain – especially in the winter when the weather can change in 30 minutes from sunny to misty.

After Table Mountain we drove down to Hout Bay, which is a lovely drive along the coast, passing beach areas and shops.

Hout Bay is a small harbour town with a few fabulous restaurants but we opted to braai a snoek which you can buy in the harbour from the fishing boat. You can also feed the seals in the harbour at R5 per fish head. Look out for the “Soap Girls” next to the harbour. They are quite entertaining!

http://www.790tv.co.za/index.php
http://www.myvideo.co.za/video/hout-bay-soap-girls-ep1

Our day ended off with a visit to Blouwberg Beach with the most famous view of Table Mountain. Being hungry once again a pizza had to suffice and then bed!

Day 2 Cape Town

Saturday was AIRSHOW day! We really wanted to leave the house by 06:00 but we just couldn't get up! What a pity because getting a good spot is essential. We found parking and rushed to find a spot to get comfy... but the mud from the previous 7 cold fronts (and that means rain) cause wet feet and cold toes!

The show started with a bang and it really carried on until 16:00. There was always something to look at! Have a look on Youtube and search for AAD 2008 - you'll see a few videos!

The toilets were extremely clean - thousends of people flocked to the airshow and the toilets were asif they were never used! There were enough coldrink stands, food stands and safe parking.

I would reccommend this to anybody - except is you really dont like noise or mud :)

Cape Town Day 1

We got up on Friday morning, hoping for sunshine... and thank goodness it was the case - if only for a short while. It was cold though but nothing we couldn't handle. We had some light breakfast and went to the Waterfront to get tickets for the Airshow. Running up and down for a while, we finally got tickets, rushed to the car and set our GPS for Vergelegen Wine Estate.

After driving about 30 minutes we drove into a beautiful piece of the earth. Suddenly we didn't care about the rain and the cold. We dove straight in for some wine and even bought a Cabernet! They charge R30 per tasting (3 white wines and 3 red) and R10 extra per glass. We then went for a walk through the gardens, strolled trhough the museum and then we saw the big trees.

http://www.vergelegen.co.za/Content_1010000000_heritage.htm

This wine farm apparently has the oldest trees in the country... so do yourself a favour and go see this wine farm. There are so many to choose from but this one is special.

Second on our list was lunch! We didn't really know the route to Stellenbosch but we found our way into town. We had a lovely lunch at a restaurant I don't know the name of but it is situated next to a Mopanie Silk Shop. There are also a few nice things but really not for my small budget.

We then decided to go to Die Bergkelder. http://www.bergkelder.co.za/index2.html. This is not a wine farm but a cellar where wine is matured and stored. The tour consist of a walk through the cellar and a tasting of about 6 or 7 wines for only R20. The guide was very informative and she engaged with the group.

We really wanted to visit more farms but there was no time - seeing that the GPS was not working as it should have.

Next we drove down to a new farm called Asara. http://www.asara.co.za/. we were too late for a tasting but instead had drinks in the bar with friends. This estate has a lovely view of the mountains and such a nice, warm atmosphere!

After our long day we crawled back to our little flat. We ate a little dinner and went to bed. Saturday was the big Airshow day so we had to get up EARLY!!!

Day 2 will follow soon.....

Cape Town: Arrival

And so we decide to go to Cape Town for the Africa Aerospace and Defence Expo at Ysterplaat Air Force Base. I booked a great little guesthouse come backpackers in Table View called Elements. Our Mango flight would depart at 18:40 on Thursday. Thank goodness we did an online check in so we had great seats! Due to very bad weather in Cape Town we could only arrive at 23:30!!!!

On arrival we accepted all the car rental terms and conditions and tried to find our way to Table View. Tired and cold we just passed out!

http://ww6.flymango.com/
http://www.elements-capetown.com/
http://cybercapetown.com/AroundAboutCars/

Watch this space for Day 1!!