NATAL and UMTENTWENI November 2012

Monday 26 November

Everything went very smoothly until we reached Durban and had problems with hiring the car from Hertz. It wasn't their fault but our credit card was blocked by Santander, and you cannot hire a car with out a credit card. Hertz were very good and allowed us to use their phone to contact the bank in Scotland. We were on the line for over half an hour and they didn't bother about the cost. The problem was that we should have told the bank that we were going overseas and after we used the credit card last week for the rental in Cape Town they immediately blocked any further transactions. This was why we had difficulties when trying to book the flights online. The main difficulty was proving who I was to the bank's security. When they asked me when we had made the last payment to the card and for how much I started to ask Moira. I was told in no uncertain terms that it was a breach of security to ask my wife. These people are from another planet and are completely divorced from reality. Eventually we satisfied them on my identity and they reinstated the card after giving us a dressing down for not abiding by the rules and not informing them when we were leaving the UK. The Hertz girl waited patiently while we got it all sorted out and I think she found it quite amusing. At the end of it all we were given an upgrade of car and it was a brand new Toyota Etios.

We left the flat in Cape Town at 8:00 and the drive to the airport was quiet with very little traffic on the roads. It turned out to be a fair distance and took over half an hour to get there. We then had to drive through the drop off zone and out again to get petrol to top up the car before returning it to Hertz. We had two hours to wait for take off and we had a flask of coffee with us for refreshment. The airline was Mango, a budget outfit but they didn't have all the baggage restrictions like Ryan Air and we put most of our gear in the hold at no extra cost. It took ninety minutes to get to Durban, the new King Shaka airport a good distance north of the city. The flight was uneventful all the excitement was after we landed.

Once on our way south the drive was easy, straight on to the N2 motorway all the way to Hbberdene. We stopped there to stock up with some food before continuing to Umtentweni and home. We got the keys from Alison and were soon in the house. The garage door was broken and wouldn't move meaning we had to leave the car in the communal parking area. The house itself was all right, needs some painting and some tiles are cracked but not much to do. I got bedding from the loft along with cooking and eating utensils. Moira made a nice chicken curry and we got to bed early after going through a mountain of mail that was waiting for us.

Tuesday 27 November

What a difference the service is here than in the UK. First thing this morning we phoned a company that installed and repaired automated garage doors. They said somebody would be out late in the afternoon but if it had been an emergency and we couldn't get the car out they would have had a mechanic out immediately. They arrived, a little bit late, and repaired the door. I expected the story that such and such was broken and we would need a new part, delivery sometime. But no, although he said the size of door should have a bigger spring he did the job and the automation is working perfectly. He said they would send a bill, it was just a call out according to him and a few rivets as parts, a couple of hundred Rand, a bargain.

Another pleasure was purchasing a fridge freezer. Our old one we knew was kaput. We went to the furnishers in Port Shepstone and selected the one we wanted, delivery that day. Only an hour after we returned home it arrived, great service. 

The bank wasn't so successful an experience. We were to collect the credit and garage card I order last week from Cape Town. As usual there was a long queue at the enquires counter. Why have banks not realise that most everyday banking is now done on the Internet and they don't need so many tellers. People only now go to banks when they have a problem or something that can't be dealt with on the web, more bank employees are needed at the enquiries desk. It's not just a SA problem but also happens in the UK. We got our garage card for petrol purchases but no credit card, because the old one had expired so long ago we have to re-apply. I don't know why they couldn't have told me this when I phoned them last week.

The weather wasn't very good today, there was rain when we got up this morning and it was cloudy and dull all day. It didn't really matter as most of the day was spent getting more of our stuff down from the loft and getting settled with all our bits and pieces around us. We got the TV down and found a video recorder. We were able to play an old video after dinner, it was from the BBC 'Waking the Dead' series. Unfortunately it was a two part episode and we don't seem to have recorded the second part.

Wednesday 28 November 

We were up early and after a cup of tea got a few more boxes and bags of our stuff down from the loft. After breakfast we drove into Port Shepstone where Moira dropped me off at the gym before doing more shopping. I had rejoined the gym here yesterday, it only cost R720 for three months, very reasonable. I spent an hour working out and was pleasantly surprised at all the equipment available, a lot more than when I trained here previously. Moira picked me up after I had tired out my upper body with lots of heavy weights and we headed for the Spar supermarket for more shopping.

When we arrived home it was a quick cup of coffee then out for a walk. It was a nice day today and very warm. We headed down to the bowling green but there was nobody there, the weekly social games were this afternoon. From the club we made for the beach, only a few fishermen about and the wind coming from the sea was quite chilly. On the way home we stopped off at the library, renewed our membership and picked up a couple of books and magazines. 

The afternoon I spent relaxing and reading, even nodding off to sleep on occasions. Moira went to the TV company in town and renewed our satellite TV account. When she got back and set up the box it wouldn't work, probably a problem with the dish or LNB receiver, more expense tomorrow. 

Another expensive job is painting the outside of the house. Moira phoned a guy who advertised in the local paper and he turned up late afternoon. He will email his quote to us this evening. We asked him about repairing some cracked floor tiles and others that are sounding hollow underneath. He said we had a big problem there and that the tiles had probably been laid before the concrete below had matured and settled properly. He told us that he had to redo all Pat's, the old dear in the house at the bottom, when her tiles started popping up one after the other. It would be a big job and a huge inconvenience to us while the work was in progress. He said that trying to lift one or two tiles that were damaged or hollow below might create more trouble when it disturbed the adjacent ones.

When he left we went down to see Pat. She confirmed whet we said; all of a sudden her tiles just began lift and popping up with a bang. She said the same thing happened with Kubus next door to her. They tried to claim from the builders insurance and guarantee but were told the tiling wasn't covered. The guy had told us that the cost was in the region of R5500 not including the tiles. We decided to just leave it as it is, and completely retile if it becomes necessary.

After dinner and the washing up completed I sat down to read one of the books from the library. I couldn't keep my eyes open and was dropping off to sleep. I went to bed where it is more comfortable and was soon asleep, it was only 8:00. Either getting up early in the morning or the tropical air is making us tired as Moira was exhausted as well. 

Thursday 29 November 

I'm quickly getting back into the South African time routine of up early and to bed early. I was at the gym this morning at 6:15 am exercising my legs while Moira, not quite in the same time frame, was still in bed. She was up when I returned and had the breakfast ready for me when I finished showering.

The TV is now working, the dish and LNB were all right it was the DSTV box that was faulty. A new one cost R600, our costs keep mounting up. Another expense was getting the front door repaired where it had swollen and was catching on the floor and jamming. I managed to get the telephone number of a guy who did work for us before, and he did the job in the afternoon. The door is opening and closing now without jamming but the door is in bad shape along the bottom and we may need a new one eventually.

We went for a walk around the block before lunch. Nothing much has changed since we were last here, it all looks the same. The weather wasn't very good, it had been raining earlier in the morning and now it was arm humid and clammy, typical for this time of year.

The boxes and bags from the loft are getting emptied and stored on the wardrobes. The place is beginning to look respectable and tidy again. We were able to relax and listen to the audio and watch some TV. On satellite there is the BBC Entertainment channel but they seem to put the rubbish on it. Plus rubbish for other UK channels, like 'Deal or No Deal' and 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' and you have to suffer adverts.

The good news today from the bank was that they are issuing me with a new credit card. I had expected to have hassles and an argument there.

Friday 30 November

I was out early again this morning to the gym. The weather wasn't looking too good and it began to rain as I headed along road into Port Shepstone. I had an hour's session working on my arms and shoulders before heading back for a showers and breakfast. It was now raining quite heavily.

Moira went into town mid-morning to pay the rates at the Municipality office and arrange further payments to be taken by standing order from the bank. I stayed in and watched the end of the Australia v SA cricket test match from Perth. SA didn't do very well and were all out for 225, but the Aussies were worse and at close were just over 100 for 6 wickets. 

The rain continued for most of the day, we had planned to go for a walk after lunch but it was too wet. I repaired the cupboard doors on two of the kitchen units where the hinges had come adrift. It looks much better now.

After dinner I spent the time reading and listening to Classic FM on the radio. I went to bed early but Moira stayed up and watched a film on the TV.

A WEEK IN CAPE TOWN

Wednesday 21 November

The weather was looking much better today, the sky was a cloudless blue when we got up and had breakfast. We went out just after 8am and the woman in reception told us where to find a Nedbank branch, it wasn't far from where we walked to yesterday evening. We drove there and parked the car, a guy in a uniform told us that it was paid parking, R7/hour and he had an electronic gadget to record the time we started and how much we paid. This was different from the unofficial guys that used to offer to watch your car in car parks. He also informed us that the bank which was very close didn't open until 9:00. We went for a walk and returned just as it opened.

The bank seemed to be a lot more friendly and obliging than their counterparts in the UK. Moira got the cash card sorted out, the old one had expired and they issued a new card, with the SA flag on front, there and then. The woman also came with us to the bank telephone and put us in touch with the credit card division, this saved us using the cell phone and using up our money waiting for a call centre to answer. Eventually the credit card situation was corrected and a new will be sent to the Port Shepstone branch for collection when we get there next week.

With our financial situation in hand we set off for a drive and view the coastal scenery. We drove south along the front to Hout Bay. This took us passed the Twelve Apostles mountain range that runs parallel to the coast. At Hout Bay we parked at a shopping mall and tried the new cash card out at an ATM, it worked and we have plenty of ready cash now. We had a walk round the bay and into Mariner's Wharf where there are plenty of restaurants, fresh fish outlets and sailing trips out to view the seals at Seal Island. The price of the sailing trips in glass bottomed boats was very reasonable at R50 each. We may do it before we leave but at the moment we have had enough of cruising and the sea. There was a beautiful big harbour and marina with lots of fishing vessels and yachts. The bay is beautifully surrounded by mountains, at one side the end of the Apostles range while on the other is Chapman's Peak.

From Hout Bay we picked up the reverse of the Two Ocean's running route which I'm very familiar with and drove over Chapman's Peak drive. A lot of work has been done over the last few years on the drive which had been damaged by rock slides. The rock faces had been shored up and supported in places but a lot of work is still taking place causing hold-ups in places with traffic lights. To pay for all this they have made the drive over the peak a toll road, it cost R35 to drive over it, well worth it for the magnificent views. We parked near the top and I took a number of photographs of Hout Bay and the mountains, this is the wonderful panorama, especially on a clear sunny day like today. We had a cup of coffee from our flask with a rusk to dip in, we haven't had a muesli rusk since we were here last. At the bottom on the other side we found another parking spot and admired the beach at Noordhoek. This was where on our first visit to Cape Town I went in for a swim with Suzy and Margaret, the water was freezing. This is the Atlantic Ocean and the currents are coming up all the way from the Antarctic, if you travel the short distance across the peninsula to the other coast on the Indian Ocean at Muizenburg the sea is lovely and warm.

From the foot of Chapman's we took the Ou Kaapse Weg into the city. This is the old Cape road and winds it way up over the mountains then down the other side. We could have quickly made our way into the city by the motorway but chose the normal roads instead. This took us through the suburbs of Tokai, Constantia, Wynburg, Claremont, Newlands, that are all part of the familiar Two Oceans marathon route. We negotiated our way through the city centre with me navigating and Moira avoiding the reckless stopping starting of taxis. We reached Signal Hill and found a parking spot below the Lion's Head to have our picnic lunch. 

After our meal we started off climbing the Lion's Head. It was a spiral route that wound its way round the free standing conical peak. The going was fairly easy until we reached a plateau just below the rough rocky scramble to the summit. There was a German woman tourist sitting on a rock who said that there wasn't a recognised route from there and you just made your own way, her husband was making his way up but she let him go on his own. Moira decided to do the same and sat down with her and chatted. I began to scramble up the rocks and the woman shouted that it wasn't the way. Eventually I found the route she suggested and it turned out to be a well defined path which, though a lot of hands and knees scrambling was required in places, it was fairly straight forward. There was lots of people on the route and we shouldn't listen to advise from those who give up, because Moira missed the reward of a most spectacular view. It was a complete circular panorama of Signal Hill at the other end of the Lion's Rump, the bay, Table Mountain, the City far below and to the south the Twelve Apostles. The only downside was the couple who appeared to think it was a good idea to sit and relax to pop music blaring out from their smart phone. It was a bit more difficult going down with my stiff old knee joints but I was soon back with Moira then together down the rest of the way to the car.

We drove on the road along the Rump to Signal Hill and got a good view of the docks where we arrived yesterday. We found a path and followed it to see if it led down to Sea Point but there wasn't any signs or people on the route were just strolling about from Signal Hill like us and didn't know. At the car park on the hill we saw a motorhome from Germany. He had stickers from countries all over South America and now it looked like he was touring Africa, we still have a lot to do in ours to catch up!

Before returning home we drove over to the cable car station at Table Mountain. The cable car wasn't running today, they said it was due to high winds but I didn't notice anything more than as light breeze on the Lion's Head. He said that it might run tomorrow but Friday would be better for us, they give pensioners a concession on that day. At the tourist info office there we got the way to the start of the route to Signal Hill from Sea Point and will try that tomorrow. Going back we intend to take Kloof Road down the other side of Signal Hill to Sea Point but took a wrong turning and ended up in the Camps Bay area before reaching the coast road back, a long detour.

Back at the flat we tried the TV but the offerings for entertainment here are pathetic. After dinner Moira tried to book flights for Durban online but the site wouldn't accept our UK credit card or the debit card we got today at the bank. Moira thinks she might have to phone Alec and get him to book the flights for us. It had been another active day and we were both very tired, we were in bed by 9pm.

Thursday 22 November

It was another beautiful day again and we were out just before 9am. Moira drove in towards the city centre and today we picked up the motorway south to Muizenberg. From there we followed the coast road to Fish Hoek and Simonstown. Shortly after the naval base at Simonstown we arrived at the Boulders, a rocky cove that was the home of the African penguins. 

From the car park there was a boardwalk all the way to the beach at the far end of the cove. There was a visitors centre where it was R45 entry and at the other end it was also R45 to get on the beach to swim. We had hoped to see some penguins without having to pay but were out of luck and had to part with our money. It was well i suppose reasonably priced and the centre was nicely laid out with boardwalks going round the cove in either direction. There were lots of information boards about the life cycle of the penguin and on the beach about a hundred of the little creatures were standing about. A lot were moulting and this process takes 21 days when the fluffy brown coating comes off and the shiny black and white coat appears. Until the final waterproof coat develops they can't swim and forage the seas for food, they just stand about doing nothing. Along the other boardwalk we spotted lots of penguins under the trees and bushes sheltering from the now hot sun, there were also individual plastic shelters that had been built for them to live and breed in. It was a very good excursion and it was very busy with everybody madly clicking away on their digital cameras. 

We continued driving down the coast intending to make for Cape Point but at the entrance gate to the National Park they wanted R90 each. We decided not to bother and took the road over to the Atlantic coast and parked at Scarborough beach for our picnic lunch. There were plenty of large breakers and there were a few surfers and windsurfers braving the cold waters in their wet suits. We took a walk along the hard packed silver sands to a rocky promontory to watch the pounding surf.

From Scarborough we head up the coast to Kommetjie. From there we had the option of spending another R35 to go over Chapman's Peak or take the Ou Kaapse Weg over the mountains. We chose the cheaper later route then picked up the motorway again back to the flat. We had a cup of coffee first then set out to find the route to Signal Hill from the flat.

It wasn't far up the road from Inverness to pick up the track. It was a fairly easy walk as the trail only climbed gradually across the face of the slope. It was very pleasant and we had beautiful views all the way of Sea Point and the beach below and the Lion's Head towering in front of us. The track came out at the road near the Hindu temple on the rump. We thought about taking the road down the other side of the mountain to the coast but decided it was too long and just returned by the track. 

Moira had got in touch with Alec to book flights for us to Durban on Monday. He could have done it successfully with his credit card but unfortunately this credit card has to be shown when checking in. Moira tried phoning the airline and things appeared promising until they tried our UK credit card, it was again rejected for some reason.  They last option was to try booking at the supermarket Checkers which Alec told us was an agent for the airline. Moira walked to the local branch and everything went well and she paid with her new Nedbank debit card, the price was even lower than on the Internet and we saved R600. Now our transport arrangements were settled we both felt more relaxed.

It had been another tiring day with the heat and our walking, so it was another evening for taking it easy. Nothing worth watching on TV but Moira had picked up the new Weekly Telegraph that came out today so we had something to read and caught up with the UK news.

Friday 23 November

This morning we were out early and ready to start climbing to the top of Table Mountain. It was a lovely day again and no wind so the cable cars were running. The road up to the cable car station was lined with cars, people were out early as well to get to the top the easier way. Moira parked about a kilometre on the other side of the station and at the beginning of the Platteklip Gorge route to the summit. It was direct route to the top with just a series of zig zags to reduce the steepness. We were surprised at the number of people out on the trail of all nationalities. It was very warm even just after 9:00 and our backs were quickly soaked in sweat. Moira was back to her normal when climbing steep mountains, a stop every few steps for a rest or to gossip to other relaxing climbers. It was another case of magnificent views all the way, the main vista being the city, harbour and bay that stretched out below us.

It took 90 minutes to reach the top and this mountain is good that you can see the top and not what you imagine to be the summit, only to find another climb when you reach that target. There was a map of the summit as we came out of the gorge and showed different walks over the flat top. We picked the route to Eden valley and it was only a short distance to a point where the track dropped down past a series of reservoirs to Constantia Nek. We sat on a rock and admired the view all the way over the Nek to Hout Bay and Chapman's Peak. After a refreshing cup of coffee from our flask we made our way back to the top of the gorge and chose another walk on the top, this one to MacLair's Beacon. This was fairly long, 45 minutes, to a large cairn, going through the fynbos vegetation of the Cape province with lots of bushes with the protea flowers developing. We had lunch at the beacon, it was 3500 ft. high, so would be classified as a 'Munro' in Scotland. There was an alternative route back, not recommended in misty or windy weather, that we took.  It ran in places close to the edge but the weather was calm and fine so there wasn't any danger and we were rewarded with more outstanding views.

At the top of the gorge again we made our way now to the top cable station. This was very busy with the crowds who had come up in the cable car. There was an easy route round this section of the flat summit and a paved pathway with information boards at different intervals pointing out the views and giving details of the vegetation and the wildlife. We were disappointed that we didn't see any dassies or rock rabbits. The last time we were on the top there were hundreds of the little creatures, we asked about them and were told they must be sleeping.

We took the cable car down, today was pensioners day and we were allowed the concession of R50 each for the ride. It only took about five minutes but it was good. The floor of the cab revolved so we had a complete circular view as we descended. I got lots of photographs. At the bottom we had the kilometre to walk down to the car and it was a relief to get finished, we were very tired having been on the go for about seven hours.

When we arrived back at the flat a woman told us that we had missed out on a complimentary breakfast and would we like to go tomorrow. It was at a nearby hotel and we arranged for 9am in the morning. We didn't do much more tonight, we were both slightly burnt on the face and neck by the sun and that had also exhausted us. It want long after dinner that we were in bed and sound asleep.

Saturday 24 November

The breakfast at the Protea hotel was very nice but as the saying goes 'there are no free lunches'. We didn't have to pay but wasted a lot of time having to fend off the sales pitch for us to purchase more time share. We have endured this sort of thing before and should have been more aware of what was coming. Anyway we didn't buy anything. 

We had walked to the hotel so returned to get the car then headed for Hout Bay for the sail to Seal Island. It had been raining when we woke  this morning but the sun was out when we walked to the hotel but it came on again as we drove down the coast. The rain became heavy and the wind was strong churning up the sea and producing big surf. Under these conditions it didn't seem likely that the boats would be sailing and it wouldn't be enjoyable anyway. Instead we parked near the shore and watched the waves and read our books which we had brought along.

We had a picnic lunch with us and had it here; the rain was off now and the sun shining again. The decision was to head back, park the car at the flat and walk to the V&A Waterfront. It was a nice walk along the esplanade but now the wind was really strong and gusting from the sea. At the Waterfront we had a stroll through the large shopping Mall. The shops there were very classy places and their prices reflected this, but nobody was shopping in them. I think most people just go to these places window shopping not buying. The marina was full of big leisure cruisers offering trips around the harbour and bay, there was even one that was rigged like a pirate ship. There were lots of restaurants and a big wheel - the Cape Town Eye? We just did window shopping as well and soon we were on the track beside the Green Point soccer stadium towards home.

We called in at a bistro near the flat and had a drink before heading back for dinner. After the washing up was completed we watched a 'Harry Potter' film on TV. It wasn't very good and disrupted at very short intervals with adverts. Hopefully the wind will have dropped tomorrow and it will be dry for our sail to see the seals.

Sunday 25 November

We managed to the sail from Hout Bay this morning. The weather was lovely, sunny, blue sky and very little wind. So it was surprising when they told us the boat wasn't going to the island as the water was very choppy beyond the point, they said like a washing machine around the island. They said they would take us out off the bay to see the view of the mountains from there and would then go to a spot in the bay to see the seals. We decided to go out anyway. After sailing out of the harbour the SA equivalent of the RNLI rescue service roared up along side in a fast speed boat and a rubber dinghy. Trainee lifesavers then fell in the water from the speed boat and our craft threw a line for them to be pulled aboard. Any that didn't manage to catch the line were picked up by the 'rubber duck'. This went on all the way out from the bay with two or three repeats by one guy who couldn't catch the rescue line.

Once clear of the shelter and the calm waters of the bay the sea did get quite rough but not so bad to prevent us proceeding further. There were a couple of guys in canoes paddling happily over the waves,totally unconcerned. The views from out at sea looking back towards the high mountains surrounding Hout Bay were magnificent. It wasn't long before we were turning and heading back to the harbour. There was another session with the lifesavers on the return and it was annoying that we paid money to see the seals but instead being, supposedly, compensated with people falling off boats. We did see seals eventually in the harbour, about twenty resting on an old boat tied up at a quay and others at the end of a jetty. We could have seen all we saw from the boat by just walking around the harbour which we intended doing anyway once we docked. These cruises are certainly a very good earner for the owners, the boat had two bus loads of Japanese tourists and a lot of passing trade like ourselves, all at R60 each for a  forty minutes sail. I also wondered if they ever did go anywhere near seal island or if it was just a con.

We did take a walk around the harbour and out along the jetties. We reached the spot where the seals were lazing about on the old boat. We were able to spent a lot longer watching them and taking close-up photographs. On the way back to the car we took another detour out another jetty where all the fishing vessels were tied up. We were also rewarded by the same outstanding mountain scenery we had from the boat. I had the daypack on my back with the picnic lunch so we sat at the end of the pier and had a cup of coffee from the flask while soaking up the sun and admiring the vista.

From Hout Bay we drove to Constantia Nek and parked at the start of the hiking trail there. We had lunch and read the 'Sunday Times' before heading out for a walk. The route was the part of the Puffer race along the middle of the peninsula from Cape Point to the Waterfront. It leads up to the top of Table Mountain and when I ran the race I fell coming down the other side and broke a bone in my hand and had to bale. The route was called the jeep track on the notice board and came out at the reservoirs, below the top, that we spotted when up there on Friday. It was a steady steep climb and I don't remember having to run up anything as hard, after already being  three quarters of the way through the race. When we reached the reservoirs it flattened out and it was a pleasant walk to where the flat summit of Table Mountain could be seen. At that point we turned back, we had been climbing for nearly two hours. It was a bit cool at the reservoirs but warmed up as we began to descend. The views from here were over the Cape flats to Muizenburg and False Bay. It had been a lovely walk and there seems to be walking trails all over the Cape, it has been very enjoyable break and certainly worth a return and longer visit.

We drove back along Rhodes Drive, the route of the Two Oceans Marathon, another thing I would like to come back to do again. When clear of the mountains we picked up the motorway around the north of the city to Sea Point. We were back at the flat in time to watch the Brazilian Grand Prix on TV. It was quite good with lots of thrills and spills in the wet rainy conditions there. It was another early to bed night, we head for the airport in the morning for the plane to Durban and home to Umtentweni. 

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