South Africa's post office tree

500 year old post office tree

Replica of the Caravel

It was a miserable day, and the rain had set in, so Matt and I decided to visit the Dias museum instead of the beach.

Here is just a little of what we learnt:

History of Mossel Bay

Bartolomeu Dias left Lisbon in 1487 with two caravels of 100 tonnes each.

He sailed along the coast of Africa. But due to bad weather, Dias sailed out into the open sea. As a result he overshot the Cape and rounded the southern tip of Africa without realising it. After sailing east to find the coast again, he had no luck. So he took a northerly course, and found land.

Finally he landed in a quiet cove in 1488, which he named "Aguada de São Bras" (watering place of Saint Blaize) later renamed Mossel Bay by the Dutch. For several years after the Portuguese used São Bras as a resting spot to take on fresh water and meat.

Post Office Tree

This story sounds like something out of a Terry Pratchett novel.

In 1501, another Portuguese navigator, Pedro d'Ataide, on his return journey from the east sought shelter in Mossel Bay after losing much of his fleet in a storm. He left an account of the disaster in a shoe under a milkwood tree near a spring. The report was found by the explorer - João da Nova - and thus the tree served as a kind of post office.

Since then, a boot-shaped post box has been erected under the now same Post Office Tree, and letters posted there are franked with a commemorative stamp. So this has become one of the town's biggest tourist attractions.

We posted a few postcards to Matt's parents.

Replica of Dias Bartolomeu's caravel


Mossel Bay's Maritime Museum, also within the Dias Museum Complex, houses a replica of the Caravel in which Bartolomeu Dias sailed into Mossel Bay. The replica was built for a voyage from Portugal to Mossel Bay in 1988 to commemorate the 500 year anniversary of the discovery of Mossel Bay and South Africa.

Mossel Bay: Where it all began

Day 6 - Mossel Bay

Mossel Bay is the spot where the first Europeans landed on South African soil, when Bartolomeu Dias rounded the Cape and arrived in 1488. 

However, Mossel Bay was occupied long before the Portuguese discovered it. Archeological digs have discovered that Mossel Bay's human history can be traced back more than 160,000 years. All human life today evolved from a core population that lived in Africa, and it is believed that Mossel Bay provided perfect living conditions for this original population who were the progenitors of modern humankind.

Mossel Bay is also regarded as the beginning of the 'Garden Route'.

It's a pretty amazing thought - that after a long and hot drive, we arrived at the beginning of all human history. 

After settling into our hotel, we hurried off to the beach for a refreshing dip in the rock pool. I was scared to go beyond the rocks into the open ocean. Sharks. 

We had dinner near the hotel. It wasn't very good, especially after Brinny Breezes. I would have to be Bill Bryson to elaborate wittily on how bad the meal was. 

We then walked up to Cape St Blaize Cave, right under the lighthouse and near another amazing natural rock pool. While it's not much to look at, it is regarded as one of the most important caves in the world. Archeological excavations have revealed that early man, believed to be San or Khoisan people, lived here some 164,000 years ago.

Today it a popular spot for whale watching during the right season. In fact, you can even watch from online.

Day Four – Cape Town, Camps Bay, Signal Hill, Castle of Good Hope

Unwelcome stranger to this woeful place
Adieu to friendship and to mental peace
Content is fled; o tedious time;
When sad reflection ponders o’er no crime
No cheering comfort glads the weari’d eye
As the incessant hours in dull rotation fly

These are the words etched into some of the prison doors at the Castle of Good Hope, the oldest surviving colonial building in South Africa.

Originally constructed as a timber fort in 1652 by Jan van Riebeeck, the castle took on its current stone form when the threat of war between Holland and Britain became imminent. Its purpose was to serve as a maritime replenishment station for the Dutch East India Company (VOC) ships.

Today it is a tourist attraction.

The fort has the shape of a pentagon with five corner bulwarks and an almost 10 metre high wall from massive boulders. It was a small town on its own, containing a church, a prison and even a bakery.

Matt and I struggled through this tour, as the sun beat down on us, and our tour guide was not the most engaging of storytellers. But the former cells of the prison were a definite highlight. Our guide told us that most of the prisoners were soldiers drunk on duty, but the castle’s prison was also used during the Second boer war.

He also said - with an absolute straight face, and sense of irony - that prisoners were tortured until they confessed. If they didn't confess, they were executed for their insolence. If they did confess, they were executed for their crime.

Here is another poem:

In the 61 Reg’t. there is a man
Who robs poor prisoners when’er he can
Paul Spencer’s his name I can’t mark it fuller
I know him well. He robbed me of a dollar

According to Wikipedia:
During the Second Boer War (1899-1902), the castle was used partially as a prison and the former cells remain to this day. Fritz Joubert Duquesne, later known as the Man who killed Kitchener and the leader of the Duquesne Spy Ring, was one of its more famous residents. The walls of the castle were extremely thick, yet night after night, Duquesne dug away the cement around the stones with an iron spoon. He nearly escaped one night, but a large stone slipped and pinned him in his tunnel. The next morning, a guard found him unconscious but alive.

This was day four of our holiday, and we were getting a tour of Cape Town by Matt’s sister, Kate.

We started the morning in Camps Bay, one of the most affluent suburbs in Cape Town. The beach sits at the foot of a magnificent mountain range – the twelve apostles. Trendy bars and restaurants populate the palm-tree lined beach.

We didn’t stop for a swim, but next time we must as the beach has blue flag status.

Instead, the car climbed up the windy Kloof Nek road as the beach winked at us with promises of cool respite (icy cool) from the African sun.

Tempting Camps Bay Beach

We clambered out of the car at the top of Signal Hill, and were rewarded with a view over Cape Town. The place is popular for sundowners, or even for a legendary ice-cream van (but sadly the ice-cream van was on holiday that day). Matt particularly liked the new stadium, built for the World Cup.

We got there a little early for the noon gun, which is fired every day from the hill.

We posed for a photo with Table Mountain behind us. A little bit different than the usual tourist photo on Table Mountain, because you can’t see the mountain when you’re on the mountain.

Side note: In fact, Matt and I have both been up Table Mountain before and to Robben island on a previous trip. They are both very much worth seeing, but we didn't repeat our adventures this trip.

Aside from the Castle museum, we also visited the Company Gardens, impressively large and the squirrels are so tame they eat out of your hand.

And we ended the day with a visit to Rhodes Memorial. Another memorable view.

Cape Town swimming with sharks, meeting cheetahs and wine in the mountains

Only in Cape Town can you start the day swimming in icy seas, meet a Cheetah for lunch and have sundowners of fine wine in the mountains.

Day Three - wine country 

Matt and I awoke to another glorious day. After months of London snow and miserable cold weather, we both eagerly jumped up and threw on our swimmers for an ocean swim. We walked from Kalk Bay to Muizenberg along the coast, a neighbouring seaside town on False Bay.

I won't lie, this far south, the sea is COLD. But it doesn't take too long to thaw out in the South African sunshine. For those that are allergic to sharks, there are a number of shark-free rock and tidal pools along the way from Kalk Bay to Muizenberg to dip into.

We stopped for breakfast at Knead Bakery, a bustling eatery directly opposite the beach. The coffee was great - I'd say it meets my high Sydney standards, and the food was superb. We both felt fortified for the walk back to Kalk Bay.

After picking up Matt's sister, our designated driver for the day, we began our tour through the wine region of Stellenbosch. Our first stop was Spier, a wine estate in the Stellenbosch region that also throws in a cheetah and bird sanctuary - Cheetah Outreach and Eagle Encounters. We went to both, and they were both special, never to be forgotten experiences.

Secretary bird

Martial Eagle - the biggest eagle in South Africa.

The bird of prey rehabilitation centre houses birds that have been injured, poisoned or fallen from nests. It is an awesome experience to be so close to such impressive predators. We saw eagles, kites, vultures and the bizarre looking secretary bird, a tall, long legged bird which karate chops snakes.

The biggest eagle was the Martial, which apparently can hunt an adult impala. The wingspan of a martial eagle is up to 230cm. 

The highlight is getting the chance to hold a Spotted Eagle Owl. We entered a huge aviary and donned leather welding gloves. As soon as Matt held out his hand, two owls landed on his arm - enticed up by a tidbit from one of the sanctuary staff.

The cheetahs at Spier have been raised by people and will never be released into the wild.

"They can't hunt. If we released a chicken in the pen, he wouldn't know what to do with it," says our guide.

Nevertheless, they are a powerful animal and one annoyed swipe of his paw would be enough to end this blog forever.

Before we enter the enclosure, the guide reads a long list of instructions: only approach Josie from behind; lean down on one knee; pat him only on the sides and back. The last thing we want to do is get on the wrong side of this animal.

However, Josie, the cheetah, dozes peacefully while we stroke him. I expected his fur to be rough, which it is, but it is not as rough as I anticipated. A truly amazing experience.

After a picnic lunch at Spier (you can buy the full deluxe basket, but we grazed on a simple baguette and dip),  we drove onto Meerlust wine estate to taste the Rubicon. This bordeaux blend is one of South Africa's finest wines.

The story behind its name is romantic: Rubicon was the name of the river that Julius Caesar crossed when he advanced upon Rome to wrest sole control over the ancient city from the senate and its ruling triumvirate of consuls in 49BC. The term 'cross the Rubicon' means you have made a decision and cannot go back.

The estate is also achingly beautiful in the Cape Dutch architectural style. It is worth a detour through Stellenbosch town to see more of these beautiful old buildings.

My favourite wine of the day was from Rust en Vrede. Nelson Mandela chose wine from this estate to be served at his Nobel Peace Prize Dinner. It has been nominated in the Top 100 wines of the world for four consecutive years. Now that's a list I'd like to drink my way through.

We ended our day sipping fantastic premium wine in the dappled light under an old oak tree. Cheers!

Costs


Eagle Encounter -  R30.00 for entry, which includes shows and holding the owls

Cheetah outreach centre: R10.00 for entry and R100.00 to stroke the adult cheetah (R200 for the cubs)

Meerlust - Tastings are R30 per person, but are redeemable against the cost of purchases. Groups larger than 6 are required to make a reservation.

Rust en Vrede - R40 per person to taste 4 wines, and R60pp to taste 6 wines, including two premium bottles.