4 days down the line......

We do have an amasingly beautiful country, however if you experience it through the eyes of foreign travellers it just becomes so much more obvious.
For the first time in my life I did a coach tour around the Peninsula on Saturday and what an experience. We did all the real touristy stuff, like the boat trip to Duiker Island from HoutBay harbour to see the seals, the visit to Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point, the ride up to the Light house ( I walked) the penquins at Boulders and a walk through Kirstenbosch. The best of all was the fact that out tour group were so taken up with our wonderful city. It was really like the sense of well being that we all experienced with the World cup.
On Sunday morning we picked up our motorhomes. We went home quickly to pack our things in and I am surprised that there was anything left in the house . Luckily we had dropped Ebony of at Bert's house on the way, otherwise she would have ended up in the van as well. I am sure she would have love it, however she was very excited about her holiday away as well.
Our first stop in our motorhomes was Mountain Breeze Caravan park just outside of Stel;lenbosch. What a beautiful setting, in the shadow of the Stellenbosch mountains under the tallest of tall Stone Pines. The best was the  Mountain breeze farm stall, with wine on sale on a Sunday. I very quickly educated our new friends that a good bottle of wine does not have to cost more than R20. They bought into this immediately and have not looked back.
On Monday we were off to Onrus via Mooiberge Farm Stall, for more under R20 wines, strawberries and anything generally available, necessary or not. We took the Clarens drive route, which at the best of times is a world class drive and out group really experienced it as such. We first stopped off in Hermanus for more shopping. When you camp you are forever in need of more stuff, mostly of the "in case" type. The park in Onrus is beautifully situated and there is a wonderful walk along the coast on a well maintained foot path. All the way along there are little plaques in memory of people which just adds to the enjoyment of the walk.
Today we drove to Swellendam and we are spending the night in the Bontebok National Park outside Swellendam. It is a park we have not been to for many years and it is now hugely improved. The camp sites are well situated, the ablutions are the best we have experienced so far and ther are fantastic new chalets. Not sure how much they are per night, but I would think that it would be well worth while to explore the possibilities to stay over in  them. This park is so close to Cape Town that we should really visit it more often.
Tomorrow we are off to Montagu and then Oudtshoorn and more adventures. The motorhome thing is very new to us, however our fellow travellers are all seasoned caravanners and motorhomers. All 4 couples are our sort of age and sort of retired and chilled in the way they do their holiday, so there is lots of stopping, tea drinking, slow cooking/braaiing at night and much appreciation of good wine. So life is good at the moment.