March 2nd 2018 – Cape Town

It took us longer to leave the airport because my luggage was missing. We were going to be on the road for two weeks, staying at different B&Bs and camps every night, so how were they going to find me?

We planned this road trip with our guide, whom we’ve met on our last trip to Southern Africa, to drive us from the West to East Coast visiting Swaziland and Lesotho en route.

Itinerary details: Cape Town, Tsitsikamma National Park, Graaft-Reinet, Kimberley, Pretoria, Graskop, Kruger National Park, Swaziland, Golden Gate Highlands, Lesotho, Underberg, Durban via the Garden Route, Panorama Route and Sani Pass.

Total KMS (approximate) 4,745

Total Hours– 60 hours

On the way to the hotel ‘Daddy Long Legs’ placed on the ‘quirky’ Long Street I asked the guide if I could buy some extra clothes on Long Street. He confidently said ‘yes, there’s a ton of options cheaper than the Waterfront’. As we pulled into Long Street, uncertain by what he meant by ‘a ton’ because adorning myself in souvenirs or African traditional dress was not my thing. As I’ve been to the Waterfront last year, I asked if we could go there after checking into Daddy Long Legs. The ‘boutique’ hotel was an old town house in Victorian style. We had to climb a long flight of stairs to arrive at the reception. Welcomed by creaky floors and claustrophobia, we were shown to our rooms. I had to climb another flight of stairs to reach my room, the whole place felt wobbly.

I wanted to GTOH (get the F out of here). It was tucked in between an unwelcoming grocery store and a mobile phone shop while being approached by random people. Later in the evening, on the way back from the Waterfront, the guide drove around in circles, until we reached Daddy Long Legs. Perplexed, I asked myself  ‘why are we going around in circles?’ It’s a pretty straightforward street.

He advised us to leave to Hermanus the next day at 6am to avoid the rush hour traffic. I said ‘it’s Saturday tomorrow’. He said ‘Oh yes, it’s Saturday, so we leave at 7am’.

He drives around in circles and doesn’t remember the day.

Day 1 didn’t go as planned. We envisioned resting at Daddy’s and then dining at a restaurant down the street. However, we rushed to the Waterfront before it closed in order to buy necessities until my luggage arrived. On the way back, we dined at Charango Grill and Bar, a Peruvian restaurant with a really cool vibe.

My room was okay-ish, I didn’t feel safe, the lock was awful given the street’s rep. It was an invitation for an easy break in. I could have pushed the door down with my broken foot too.  People were partying till late – of course it’s the weekend and why not? I was the grumpy poos and barely slept. My luggage was the least of my concerns.

Tomorrow was going to be better.