Staring blankly out onto a cold, damp English street, I am feeling rather sorry for myself. Just a few days ago, I was smiling blissfully in the warm sun at the Red Herring in Noordhoek, appreciating how much awesome stuff there is to do in my good old hometown. But alas, here I am now, shipwrecked in one of the coldest European winters in decades…sigh.
Luckily, my time in SA was memorable enough to get me through the cold month that lies ahead. It’s hard to pick a favourite from all the fun stuff I was able to do, though the two surfs I managed to squeeze in probably get the top spot. I am not much of a surfer in terms of ability, but I think I deserve high marks for effort after getting out of bed at the crack of dawn on two consecutive weekend mornings.
On both occasions the waves were only moderately good, but still, being out with your buddies on the water as the light rises into the day with the perpetual promise of the perfect ride spurring you on – that’s hard to beat! The great cappuccino from Knead on the Muizenburg beachfront to warm up afterwards was worth waiting for as well.
One of the reasons I love Cape Town, is that you get sea and mountain (and a lot more besides) all in one wicked package. So another definite highlight was a lazy afternoon walk up Lion’s Head. With its sweeping views, this truly is a magnificent spot to visit and for those of you lucky enough to be in the mother city full time, please please get out and get up there, there are some of us over here who can’t and you have to carry the flag!
Besides the regular Table Mountain routes, I did quite a bit of other hiking while I was back home, including an exhilarating charge around the Panorama Route in Jonkershoek outside Stellenbosch. Now I realise that Quellies is a separate city and all, but its proximity to Cape Town does lead me to cheekily consider it a part of my home too – especially since there is so much lekker stuff going on there.
With the wind pumping and the light fading, my four friends and I completed the bone-crunching 17km in a little over four hours – the epic view (I understand now why it’s called the Panorama Route!) making up for the terrific aches in our muscles and joints.
Above all though, the thing I miss most about SA when I am away and what I enjoy most about being there, are the people. Whether locals or invasive species, most of the people living in South Africa are a pretty terrific bunch, and I greatly enjoyed hanging out with friends old and new while I was around – thanks to you all for making the effort to see me!
I am sad to say that I probably won’t be back in SA for a while. Luckily though (after this cold month in England that is) I have another great outdoor adventure to look forward to: the 30-day Life 2 The Limit survival challenge! Yes, myself and nine others will be spending the whole month of April this year on a deserted tropical island with our only provisions being what we can each fit into our five-litre dry bags (not a lot of space at all I can tell you!). Besides testing our physical and mental limits, we are also hoping to raise money for some very worthy charities and we need your support.
To find out more about what we are up to, the organisations we are supporting and how you can be involved, visit www.life2thelimit.co.za. And remember to get out into that wonderful nature, it’s a privilege that is too easily appreciated only once it is gone. Cheers for now.
