South Africa...

The stark contrast in breath-taking scenic road trips and a vibrant city compared with the harsh reality of those living in townships in such close proximity to each other was the biggest eye opener when visiting Cape Town.

 

Although the purpose of our trip was once again for the England cricket tour, travelling after Christmas and into the New Year offered a unique experience welcoming in the New Year in a completely different country...it being well into 30 degrees definitely was a change from London!

 

The Southern Sun where we stayed couldn't have been located better for anyone travelling who wants to get out and see as much as possible. Either a short walk down to Long Street one of Cape Town's busiest eating locations with a very animated night life or a taxi into the V&A Waterfront where you can have dinner with a view into the harbour with Table Mountain in the background.

 

 

Not only where there's a huge variety of restaurants the V&A Waterfront is also the first stop for the tourist hop on-hop off bus tour around the whole of Cape Town, it the easiest way to see everywhere in the city but also the most affordable!

 

Stopping first at Table Mountain National Park. Everyday hundreds of tourist either hike or take the cable car to the top of the mountain to see the spectacular views over the city, although we didn't get the chance to go all the way up we did manage half way after waiting in the queue for 4 hours in 36 degrees we were lucky the views did not disappoint...we made the mental note to book online next time to avoid the wait!

 

 

The second stop was at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens one of the largest in South Africa found at the base of Table Mountain covering nearly 1,300 acres, Kirstenbosch is made special by the aim to focus on plants that are native to the Cape including a profound display of the Protea flower.

 

The next stop was one of my favourites of the tour in Hout Bay, a small quaint harbour situated on the Atlantic Seaboard of the Cape Peninsular. As Hout Bay is a large tourist attraction many of the locals set up small market stalls with various souvenirs to generate a small income. It also had some of the most incredible restaurants with any fish caught fresh off the harbour.

 

 

 

The tour then took the western coastal road from Llandudno up to the Clifton Beaches, this stretch of road offers an insight into some of the most expensive areas in Cape Town. The Clifton beaches and apartments have some of the most scenic views from the property which explains the hefty price tag that comes with staying in them. Camps Bay Beach usually one of the busiest in Cape Town is one of the main tourist hotspots with the largest white sand beach littered with restaurants shops and hotels.

 

One of our next stops was Stellenbosch a wine region in Western Cape. We visited the vineyard called Zevenwacht where we had a guided tour around the winery seeing where the grapes are harvested followed by the process they go through while they are maturing of course we couldn't pass up the opportunity to sample the wine of the vineyard!

 

 

We then took the southern most coastal road down through Chapman's Peak Drive, the direct road down towards Cape Point. Chapman's Peak we were told is one the most highly requested stop of points on the drive with the view of the ocean. It has also been used as the main location in multiple car adverts and film scenes where the stretch of road is set into the mountain side. Chapman's Peak leads onto Noordhoek Beach, in my opinion the most picturesque in the whole of Cape Town, the white sand appears to stretch for miles with small thatched cottages littering the banks, the sort of view that really needs to be seen to be believed.

 

 

 

Next on our list was Boulders Beach in Simonstown, a little sheltered beach covered in ancient granite boulders with hundreds of African penguins. To see the penguins in their natural habitat without disturbing them was another highlight of the whole holiday, its fascinating to sit and watch them or walk in amongst them roaming around its hard to believe how tiny some of them are up close.

 

 

 The last stop on our bus tour was the most Southerly accessible point of Africa - Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope, based on the Atlantic coast.

 

 

 Its would have been really difficult to visit South Africa and not take the opportunity to visit a Safari, we when to Aquilla Private Game Reserve where you're given a unique opportunity to see all of Africa's wildlife up-close in a jeep car. The 6 hour drive around vast grasslands looking to see the animals in their natural habitat was an experience that I will never forget especially with the fleece souvenir we came home with...we definitely didn't expect the weather to hit 10 degrees when we turned up unprepared in our shorts and t-shirts!

 

 

 

Lastly the real reason we were in South Africa in the first place...the cricket of course. England were in the middle of a 4 test series against South Africa with the New Years test being played at Newlands, Cape Town. For anyone bought up in England where the test venues have mainly large stands and lots of seats its quite a contrast how beautiful Newlands is with the iconic Table Mountain in the back drop.

 

England were already 1-0 in the series having won the Boxing Day test in Durban so confidence was high in the build up to the match. With England winning the toss and finishing the first day in a strong position, there wasn't anything that could prepare for the first session of day 2. With Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow striding to the crease to begin the second day from the first over there was a buzz about the way they were playing, with a sense of urgency and determination Ben Stokes in particular hit the ball to just about every corner of the ground racing to a record breaking maiden double century, while Jonny Bairstow continued at the other end also reaching his maiden hundred in test match cricket. I feel lucky to have been in the crowd that morning to witness the class and skill level from both players to complete such a dominance over the opposition. The match ended in a draw however I don't think I will ever see a test quite a good as that again.

 

 

One thing I've come to experience from various cricket trips both in England and around the world is the amount of people you meet. When sitting with the same people for 5 days of a test match you are able to make genuine friendships based off the mutual love for the game that's got both of you in the same place. You'll invariably bump into the same people on each of the tours or throughout the summer which make the sport and its fans all the more special.

 

All in all I don't think I've ever been on a better holiday than Cape Town aside from the cricket the amount there is to see in the country and the kindness of the people I would love to go back and explore the places I missed and much more of South Africa!