So best laid plans went again by the wayside.  We have been meaning to stay more up to date with our blog, but it simply has not been the case.  Apologies for those that have been looking, but I hope that everyone can understand.  Internet access has sometimes been hard to come by.

 

We left South America Dec 19 and arrived in South Africa the next day.  It felt a little strange to be getting on a plane and not going home, but bring on another continent!  We had been very much looking forward to the change of scenery. 

 

Just before Christmas we stayed in a region outside of Cape Town called Stellenbosch.  Really beautiful area and our first taste of South Africa.  The area has tons of vineyards, and we biked around one day in 38 degree weather to visit a few of them.  Aside from the sweltering heat, we really liked the vineyard tours.  Went hiking at a nature reserve full of protea plants.  Yes there is a pattern to these travels...  After a few days there we headed to a resort for a taste of paradise.

 

We were treated to the resort, for Christmas and Rosanna's birthday, by her father and the place was amazing.  Set above the Atlantic Ocean, south east of Cape Town, the resort is situated on a 1000 hectare private nature reserve.  The area preserves a rare type of vegetation called fynbos.  It includes one of the largest Milkwood Forests in South Africa, with trees more than 500 years old.  We were treated to horseback riding, whale watching from the beach, a cave tour, a flower safari and bird watching.  The food was fantastic and deliciously fattening.  I brought Rosanna breakfast in bed for her birthday. Definitely a huge change from our travels, and extremely appreciated. Thank you!   We of course missed family and friends during our stay, Christmas is never the same without the people you love around.



We left the comforts of the resort on Dec 27th to pick up our car in Cape Town and start our self drive through South Africa.  Along with car we also picked up a travel companion, Allison a friend of Rosanna's who would be joining the tour for a little under three weeks.