South Africa TravelBlogue (Part 3 - Great White Shark Cage Diving)

SATURDAY 11/17

GREAT WHITE SHARK TOURS – GANSBAAI (http://www.sharkcagediving.net/)

On Saturday morning my mom and I hopped in our rental car and set out for Gansbaai. The small coastal town is known for fishing, great white sharks and whale watching. It took about 2.5 hours to get there and we had a close call on the road when we were only a few miles away from our destination. A small pick-up truck carrying sheets of corrugated metal suddenly lost part of its load. The truck was directly in front of us. Three long sheets of metal flew up into the air and hovered there for a split second before plummeting down to the ground in three different trajectories. Luckily my mom had enough time to slam the brakes (even though it meant stalling the manual transmission car) and we didn’t even come close to hitting the metal with our tires. Once everything was holding still and the truck pulled off the road (a car traveling in the opposite direction had signaled to them that something was wrong) we cautiously started the car again. If there was ever a time to give a “look that could kill” this was it. As we passed the pick-up truck I gave one of my most hostile you-almost-killed-us looks of all time. I hope they got the message and they never make the mistake of carrying an unsecured load again.

We finally got to the little house where we were meeting up with everyone who had signed up for the noon shark cage diving trip. Unfortunately we weren’t going anywhere until 1 pm. (They did that thing people do where they tell you to be somewhere at a certain time because they’re counting on you getting lost, and then you arrive on time only to find out you’re “early” and you’re stuck with nothing to do for an hour. Actually there was plenty to do once I started imagining the number of ways a shark could kill a person.) We snacked on some lunch items the staff put out and tried not to laugh out loud when one of the Icelandic tourists revealed his cackle of a laugh. I think everyone was a bit high strung considering what we were about to do.

Finally the clock wound down and we went out to the patio for a quick run-down of how to use the cage we would be in. We weren’t supposed to wrap our fingers around the exterior bars for grip because we’d be exposing our fingers to the big guys with triangular teeth. Instead there were a few horizontal bars on the inside of the cage including one we’d use to push ourselves under water and a lower one that we could wrap our feet under to hold us in place. Many people have asked me if I had to be SCUBA certified to do this. The answer is no – the cage is securely attached to a boat and the top two feet of the cage remains above water. All of the divers stay above water (safely enclosed in the cage) until the guy controlling the bait line catches the interest of a shark. Once the bait guy is somewhat convinced the shark will follow the bait over the cage he says, “Watch the bait – down! Down right!” or “Down left!” It is then up to you to push yourself underwater and get your face as close to the front of the cage as you can so you can see something.

These instructions all sound fine and good when you’re standing on solid ground. However, the process of actually boarding the boat while a guide is cheerfully pointing a handheld camcorder at you is hardly a reason to rejoice. You’re just thinking, “Well, this is the end.” The worst part is seeing how nervous everyone else is. It just confirms that there is a good reason you had to sign your life away in the company’s waiver. The boat ride was pretty rough but we got to see a whale breaching in the distance. When we got out to the diving site we could see the cage floating on buoys. We realized that there were three sharks circling it. They were ready to play! 

The crew anchored the boat and dragged the cage over to prep it and attach it. The designated chum guy started mixing up a barrel of fish blood and guts and dumping it over the side. The bait guy started throwing out a line with a really thick and buoyant seal-shaped silhouette attached to it. The sharks were definitely interested in that.  Another guy called for a group of 7-8 volunteers to get wetsuits in the cabin.

My mom was in the first group of volunteers. She was worried she’d get seasick if she waited on the boat too long and then she wouldn’t be able to get into the water. Her group included a lot of hyper Irish men and when they got in the water they couldn’t stop talking about how cold it was. They had some good viewings and I think they were in the water for about 20 minutes.

I ended up going in the third group and I’ll tell you putting on that slightly damp wetsuit was a bit of a battle. A deck hand helped me get it on and zipped up. Next we walked over to another guy who put a weight belt on us. That thing had to be about twenty pounds. Last stop was to get a diving mask put on over our eyes and noses. Then it was MAN OVERBOARD! Seriously they were just like, “Okay, now hop in there.” Sorry but do you know what you’re asking me to do? We had to get into the cage through an opening at the top and then go to the far end of the cage to make way for the other 7 people in our group. I made it in alright (mostly because someone was holding my weight belt so I didn’t drop into the water like a rock) and moved over. The only problem is I immediately thought I wasn’t going to be able to put my face under the water. Luckily I managed to do it and my 20ish minutes in the water were great.

"Hop in? Seriously?!"

Here sharky, sharky, sharky

Surprisingly being in the same water as the sharks isn’t very scary. You are in a very secure little environment and the water was so dark and dreary you couldn’t really see more than the outline of the sharks. When you tell other tourists you’ve done it they’re like, “No way! You must be an adrenaline junky!” but this is really something that people who are into nature would enjoy. Plus it helped that we didn’t see the sharks actually kill anything.

Okay maybe they're a little scary

After my group went people were allowed to go in for their second time. My mom hopped right in and had better viewings than her first time in. The way back to the little house was long and cold (it had become very overcast) but we were able to recover and get on with our day in a short while.

BETTY’S BAY PENGUIN COLONY

After we left Gansbaai we headed to another small town to see the Betty’s Bay Penguin Colony at Stony Point. We were planning to see the most well-known penguin colony (at Boulders Beach) two days later but my mom heard this penguin colony was a must-see. Unfortunately we didn’t get there before it closed at 5 pm. We were sad to see the locked gate (which prevented us from walking the boardwalks to get a closer look) but we could see hundreds of penguins covering the landscape. Some of them were kind enough to walk under the gate and up to the nearby grassy areas – perhaps for some evening nesting time. If you ever go to Cape Town you simply have to make your way to this place. It is a little remote (watch for a brown and white “penguin crossing” warning sign on the main road – it will lead you toward a maze of tiny beach roads and ultimately to a small parking lot) but completely worth the search. Just be sure to get there before 5 pm!

South Africa TravelBlogue (Part 2 - Robben Island)

FRIDAY 11/16

ROBBEN ISLAND WORLD HERITAGE SITE (http://www.robben-island.org.za/)

On Friday morning my mom and I returned to the V&A Waterfront and headed straight for the Robben Island Ferry boarding dock. We had purchased our tickets online ahead of time and we were once again happy to have good weather. The ferry ride was a bit choppy but we survived.

Once we arrived on the island the passengers on the ferry were split up amongst three awaiting buses. The first phase of the tour was on the bus and to be honest it went by a little too quickly. We passed by the leper graveyard where the leper ward had previously stood. (It was burned down long ago because people were concerned the infectious disease could penetrate the building materials and make healthy visitors sick.) Only a fraction of the graves are marked and I believe they have found at least 1,000 additional bodies using underground imaging technology.

 

Robben Island has served many purposes over the years. It has been used for various forms of imprisonment since the 16^th Century. (The long swim back to the mainland was a successful deterrent for preventing escapes. Only a handful of people actually attempted to escape.)

From 1961 to 1991 it was used as a maximum security prison for political prisoners. Nelson Mandela was incarcerated there as a political prisoner from 1963 to 1982. If you have seen the 2009 film “Invictus” you may remember seeing the South African national rugby team on a tour of Robben Island

The visit had an especially profound effect on the team captain, played by Matt Damon, as he prepared to compete in the 1995 Rugby World Cup. The teammates were shown the prison cell where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated and the limestone quarry where he and his fellow prisoners were forced to work without protective eyewear or respiratory filters. My tour bus passed by the limestone quarry briefly but we weren’t able to get out of the bus to get a closer look.

At the end of the bus tour (which lasted for about an hour) we went to the maximum security cell blocks for a tour given by a former prisoner. Our tour guide was named Jama and he was a political prisoner on Robben Island from 1977 to 1982.

He showed us a large concrete group cell which had a thin mat on the floor which is what the prisoners slept on until bunk beds were added years later. Once the bunk beds were added to the cell the capacity was doubled. The room we were in could hold 20-25 bunk beds. It would be very tight quarters for 50 men.

We continued the tour of the cell block and Jama shared a lot of memories of his time on the island. It definitely sounded like monotony and limited time outdoors were big challenges for the prisoners. Even though the work in the quarry was difficult at least they were able to be outside. At one point the people in charge of the prison decided to mix criminal prisoners with the political prisoners in order to make life more difficult. Jama didn’t remark on this very much but it sounded like this simply provided the political prisoners with more recruits for their various causes. They kept the peace and spent the late evening hours in small group political discussions and playing games to pass the time.

As we neared Nelson Mandela’s former cell block things felt a little tenser. People were anxious for a look at Mandela’s cell. First we were shown the courtyard where prisoners would continue to work on the limestone blocks that were mined from the quarry. There was an area in the back of the courtyard that Mandela was able to use as a garden. When he began writing his book “Long Walk to Freedom” he would bury the manuscripts in his garden for safe keeping.

After waiting for a few other groups to clear out we started down the interior hallway to Mandela’s cell. The scant furniture was arranged in the same was it had been during Mandela’s stay. You’ll notice there is no bed – only a sleeping mat.

After leaving the cell block and exiting through another courtyard we had the choice of walking to the nearby penguin colony or back to the ferry. My mom and I took a quick detour and found the penguins but they were very far away. We knew we’d see more a little later on.

GREENMARKET SQUARE (http://www.sa-venues.com/attractionswc/greenmarket-square.htm)

After returning from Robben Island we made a trip to Greenmarket Square to buy souvenirs and get some Christmas shopping out of the way. It took a bit of searching and several U-turns but we finally got there. The only problem was once my mom and I arrived were totally overwhelmed by the vendors. It was about 4:00 and we assumed they’d be closing up shop around 5 pm so we tried to be quick and get a look at everything before we started buying stuff. Unfortunately there was no way to “be quick” because the second you picked something up the vendor would pick up three other similar items (or completely different items) and follow you around telling you they’d give you a good price. If you’ve ever walked the souvenir stalls in Puerto Vallarta you’ll know what I’m talking about. The difference between this experience and my experience in PV is that it was easier to barter in South Africa. In Mexico they play a very coy “How much are you willing to give me?” game while in South Africa they will just come right out with a price and then drop it if you frown pathetically enough.

My mom completely shut down during this experience. This is honestly the worst way to shop. Everything starts looking the same and you feel guilty for not helping out people who need the money. You don’t feel good about the quality of the products and you don’t know if you’re getting a good price. I found that the cure was to just start buying small stuff even if I didn’t know who I was buying it for. That way I got my buying muscles warmed up and when it was time to make four bigger purchases I was ready. (Plus my decimated cash supply necessitated some pro-level bargaining.) While this shopping excursion was probably the low point on our morale scale during the trip I’d still have to say it was worth it to get some Christmas shopping done. In a sense it was kind of a necessary evil. I would suggest going to this place on your last or second-to-last day in Cape Town (only for an hour or so) once you are familiar with the general pricing of things and you know exactly how much money you want to spend.

TO BE CONTINUED!

South Africa TravelBlogue (Part 1)

It all began on Tuesday, November 13^th…

TUESDAY 11/13

Stella was battling a cold but she was still willing to wake up at 6 am to drive me to the Salt Lake Airport. Now that’s a true friend! My itinerary to Cape Town was going to make for a very long day. The airplane tickets were reasonably priced ($1,700) but I had to make two different layovers. First I flew on Delta to JFK (a 4.5 hour flight) and then I had a 3 hour layover before flying to Amsterdam overnight. I didn’t have much luck sleeping on the 7 hour flight. It was my first experience flying on KLM and I found the seats to be super uncomfortable.

WEDNESDAY 11/14

When I disembarked in Amsterdam on Wednesday morning I had to kill about an hour before my mom would arrive and meet me at the gate. (She was flying SFO-SEA-AMS-CPT.) I bought my traditional airport snack (a double chocolate chip muffin) and settled in at the gate. An airline employee made an announcement in Dutch and I had to ask the guy sitting next to me for a translation. The time passed easily as we continued chatting. My mom arrived and before I knew it and we were able to board without further adieu.

The flight from Amsterdam to Cape Town was a bit of a challenge, namely because it was 11 hours long and completely during daytime hours. (It would have been easier if it were an overnight flight.) I was flying KLM again and once again found the seat completely uncomfortable. I tried watching movies to kill the time but I had a bad headset and it took me a while to give up and go get a new one from a stewardess. By and by we made it to Cape Town just before 10 pm. We were greeted by the husband of the woman who owns the B&B we stayed at and he drove us to our destination…

THE HOUSE ON THE HILL (http://www.houseonthehillct.co.za/)

 

We booked Room 1 for the duration of our stay in Cape Town (six nights total). Our room was spacious (it is designed for triple occupancy but there were just two of us) and we had an en-suite bathroom. We totally loved staying at The House on the Hill.

THURSDAY 11/15

When we woke up the next morning we had a great continental breakfast at the B&B and then we were picked up by an employee from Tempest Car Hire to go sign papers for our cute little rental car. Their office was just a few blocks away. After everything was final we were able to get back to our B&B and make a plan for the day. Since the skies looked clear and there wasn’t a great deal of wind we made a beeline to Table Mountain.

TABLE MOUNTAIN (http://tablemountain.net/)

Table Mountain is certainly a wonder of nature. Basically it is a massive “flat” mountain that looks a bit like a table. It overlooks Cape Town and its mountain range stretches all the way south to Cape Point. In order to get to the top you have two choices: hike or ride the aerial cableway. Due to a number of reasons my mom and I chose to ride the cableway. We bought tickets online before leaving the states. (You save 10% off the ticket price and you don’t have to wait in line to buy a ticket when you arrive.) We were aware that the cableway could close at a moment’s notice due to inclement weather. We were so happy to see blue skies! We zipped up to the top in no time and were up there for an hour checking out the views. 

We were trying to figure out what to do next when a very animated 83-year-old mountain guide crossed our path with four British tourists in tow. There were headed to the summit (highest point) of Table Mountain to see Maclear’s Beacon. The guide, Clem, invited us to come along. For the next two hours we walked with Clem and the other tourists soaking up new views and tidbits of Table Mountain history. It was a great little hike.
 

When it was finally time to descend the aerial cableway we decided to drop the rental car and some of our things off at the B&B and then walk to the Victoria & Albert Waterfront (V&A Waterfront or just V&A for short). 

VICTORIA & ALBERT WATERFRONT (www.waterfront.co.za/Pages/home.aspx)

It was fun walking to the waterfront because we could take a look at our surroundings. (When we were driving and we had to concentrate on where we were going.) The tradeoff was we felt a little more vulnerable. We had heard so many warnings about the dangers of touring Cape Town but I can tell you right now the only shifty person that ever approached us was a backpacking tourist asking for spare change. Despite the slight inconvenience of having to lie to someone’s face (“No, sorry, we don’t have anything”) we made it to the waterfront unscathed.

I had heard that the V&A Waterfront was a mecca for tourists and indeed it was our “safe” place. The place consisted of a sprawling shopping center, at least a dozen restaurants (ranging from the mall food court to plush steak houses), a lot of fun souvenir shops and a Ferris wheel for good measure. There were lively street performers and my mom bought CDs from the two musical groups we watched. There was also a group of stunt/dance performers who put on a riveting show. (The Limbo is hard enough with a broom – they did it with fire!)

Table Mountain looms in the background

These guys are very brave!

 

Our first visit to V&A was great and we scoped out the boarding dock for the ferry to Robben Island which we would be taking the next morning. 

TO BE CONTINUED!