http://www.colchestertocapetown.com/blog/index.php http://www.colchestertocapetown.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry090327-212611 The West way down approximately 1000 road miles further.

Our plane took off on time from Cape Town International Airport early Saturday morning on the 28th of February and approximately after five thirty UK time we touched down at London’s Heathrow airport.



Our land rover left the following Friday from the port of Cape town in a container (high cube), Kindly organised by Hemisphere Freight and Peter Meihuizen from Meihuizen International. We are very grateful for their support through out and also that of MSC. The Land rover duley arrived at the Port of Felixstowe 19 days later (Wednesday 25th March). After a routine scanning it was released by Customs on Friday 27th March 2009.

We are all extremely appreciative for all the support from companies and individuals that contributed to our fundraising efforts for WaterAid. We will continue fundraising through out the Summer and Autumn when we hope to culminate every ones efforts at a Two Trips Ball.



]]> http://www.colchestertocapetown.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry090228-090525 The Tank
Cape Quarter, De Waterkant Street, Cape Town 8001, South Africa‎ - 021 419 0007‎. This is great if you enjoy Sashimi or Sushi, but in the complex of the Cape Quarters there is a good choice of restaurants. Historically the Cape Quarters I am told used to be where slaves were sold many years ago.

The Headquarters Restaurant, a very interesting place and the best steak in town. No Menu because all they do is Sirloin Steak, rare medium or well done. The Headquarters restaurant is part of a bigger complex, The Cape Heritage Hotel has to offer. The Caveau Deli and Resturant, Simply Asia Restaurant, Africa Café and the Savoy Cabbage Restaurant.
92 Bree Street
Heritage Square
Shortmarket Street
Cape Town
Tel: 021 424 8154

In Long Street an Old School Friend of Charlie’s, runs a Tapas bar called The Fork. Ed Saunders has created with his partner a friendly restaurant providing great food at sensible prices.



Kennedys Cigar Lounge and Restaurant, still offers great atmosphere. Downstairs the Dubliner @ Kennedys offers great live pub music during the week and Jazz on Sunday evening.



The Farm Stall just south of Napier is a quaint and charming place to stop off at if you want to try some good old fashioned quality food on your way down to L`Agulhas.



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Struisbaai has a population of 1200 and L'Agulhas a population of 600, this weekend they expect 30 to 50,000 visitors at the Yellow fish Festival. we took a look earlier this week, at the most southern point of Africa in L'Agulhas where the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans meet.

Hemisphere Freight organised the return of the land rover from Cape Town through Meihuizen International.
This Morning I met Peter Meihuizen from Meihuizen International and his colleague Shehanial Jacaobs who will be dealing with Customs before exporting the vehicle.

Peter Meihuizen gave me an hour of his time this morning and shared some interesting information. The indigenous people of Cape Town the Hottentots’ were nearly completely wiped out in the mid 19th century by Tuberculosis and the remaining blacks are now virtually all Xhosa from the Eastern Cape. There are a few thousand San from Namibia in the Western Cape as well.

To catch up on the Angolan Oil situation, the biggest problem the exporters are experiencing in Cabinda is the shallow draft, along the coast, of only about three point five to four metres. This does restrict heavy loading of vessels’. 70 % of the oil from Cabinda appears to be going through Chevron Oil to the States and the balance to Europe through BP.

The Township area of Cape Town still cover a vast area but this has been reducing in recent times.


This Weather Spider wouldn’t sit still for the Camera and ended up a little worse for off…

]]> http://www.colchestertocapetown.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry090223-075226
Schalk Burger runs a mainly Land Rover garage, specialising in service, maintenance and repair work on Land Rovers and other 4 X 4 vehicles. We called in for a gear box top up, just under a litre of ep 90, plus the labour, he charged us an astonishing 22 rand. With 14.6 rand to the pound at the moment this represented reasonable value. A good recommendation for any other over Landers. Address to follow…]]> http://www.colchestertocapetown.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry090222-072436
Here at last...

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We left after breakfast, heading out with some locals down a deep sand track south. The coast line very beautiful, the sand quite hard work for the landy. The tyre pressure reduced to one bar gave us a better foot print for travelling.

The tracks along the south coast are very unreliable and pita out to nothing or into the sea at various intervals, so unless you have good shocks, low pressure for your tyres and plenty of time and fuel I suggest an alternative route. The reward for taking the time is awesome some scenery and some scary driving.

After mid day we headed away from the coast and caught up with a local Afrikans farming family to compare notes. Hannes and Friedel Eksteen, treated us to some refreshments (water melon and juice) before giving us a farm tour with the rest of the family, Kay, Anina, Jane and his son Lochader.
Hannes farms 1000 ha with 400ha in wheat and 600 ha being grazed by his 500 Nguni indigenous cattle (started in Egypt) and 400 sheep (200 marino and 200 indigenous).
With one to five tonne per ha depending mainly on the rainfall, Hannes has to watch his inputs. Currently the wheat prices ex farm are £164.00 per tonne. One fungicide after flag leaf and two herbicides, pre-em, roundup(1L/ha) and trifluralin(2L/ga). The seed is direct drilled. A neat combination drill/sprayer.

Hannes employs 3 local people, and explains at the moment politics of Zimbabwe haven’t affected them yet. The population in the western cape is around 3 locals to 1 white, but closer to Kruger and the eastern Transvaal there are 100 locals to one white. The pressure for land reformation is a mounting reality. The local people wanting to go back to grazing the land, the whites are currently intensively farming. Land prices in the Western Cape are currently approx 2500 rand per ha (£722/acre).


Finally we got to Cape Town at eight thirty…..
There’s been some changes here. Long Streets restaurant Kennedy’s once a very up market restaurant is now part Irish Pub called the Dubliner, good fun but totally different.



]]> http://www.colchestertocapetown.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry090220-060733 Once across the border most tend to head straight for Cape Town missing out the West Coasts of South Africa, we were told not to. Hannelese said take the time to sample the Western Cray Fish and enjoy the Western Coastline.

We reached Port Nolloth and Mac Dougals Bay, both out of Cray Fish, we headed south through the diamond mining areas to Hobeklipbaai. and once their met up with Brian and Michel. This great couple run the restaurant next to the Bay, call Merdas. Named after their daughters Meridith and Jadas. No Cray Fish, but Brian went in search and came back with a couple for his wife to cook.




Three years ago De Beers, employed 1800 people in the diamond mining business locally. Now with just 600 left they have been hit by the recession in America, as this is they’re main market. Brian says that De Beers plans to make many more redundant, leaving a work force of only 100 employees. The diamonds are mined in land, along the west coast line. Also in the ports there are many boats that hoover the seabed. The ore is usually bagged into 10-20kg bags and sorted ashore, although some of the boats sort at sea. Many of the diamonds harvested here we were told were for industrial use. Larger diamonds can be found up the Orange river and near Kimberly. Colour, shape, weight and clarity determine the price.



According to Brian the diamond mining has existed only recently at Hobeklipbaai, last 30 years. The town developed as a result of the fishing for Cray fish, which Michel’s father and grandfather have both harvested as skippers. Now days the crates used for harvesting are not used so much as the ring nets are more effective. Hake heads and Sardines being the most common bait.


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We left Arebbusch campsite, Windhoek after breakfast and coffee with Jean and Hannelese and made our way to Maltahohe, and at the Maltahohe Hotel we were directed east out of the town and after crossing the bridge turn left, heading 40 km North, to a Pan that was described in the papers as a worth while visit.

The Pan is 400ha plus and after the rains fills with water which brings the Pan alive with colour from the water lilies that lie dormant. A fantastic sight, and then back to the B1 heading south, stop to camp at Keetmanshoop.


]]> http://www.colchestertocapetown.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry090218-094224 We left the Cardboard box and joined Jean, Hanellie and family at a site just outside town.



This morning...
After a little confusion over the repatriation fee Martins finally was given his Passport back complete with South African visa valid for one month. So at this point we would like to thank all those at the South African Embassy especially the consulate Mrs Jane Mashamba for making it possible for Martins to complete the London to Cape Town trip.

We can now start to weave our way down finally to Cape Town.


This Evening Hannelese cooked the remainder of the Oryx for a great starter, and Jean prepared a Brai for us and a German couple, and later during the evening another German family turned up in an overland truck and Jean invited them to join us.

Ronnie, Natalie and their daughter Jasmine, left Germany on the 27th December 2008 travelling down the east side of Africa, crossing to the West through the Caprivi Strip.

Ronnie is looking to store their truck in Windhoek, and will fly back to continue to explore Africa at a more leisurely pace for future holidays.



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Last night Hannelese and Jean, William and Jean Pierre arrived and joined us for supper. Their journey from Congo DRC through Angola had been very similar to our experiences, their ferry crossing of the Congo river less busy and less hassled.


The two boys had been treated to some new farm equipement.

It appears most of Angola’s revenue is coming from Oil and I will update the production soon, although it is reputed to have overtaken Nigeria’s. Most of the oil coming from Cabinda a small part of Angola cut off and surrounded by the Congo.
Angola’s current oil production of 2.1 million barrels a day produces an expected revenue for 2009 of 42 billion $ and this is already in the spend budget. One third will be used to improve living standards of the ordinary Angolan. They also wish to improve the once prosperous agricultural sector and the general infrastructure roads etc. From what we could see the Chinese are heavily involved with the roads and the news papers report the Americans are involved with the oil extraction in the enclave of Angola around Cabinda. 779 million barrels expected this year giving 2.1 million dollars per day producing in oil alone 42 billion dollars.

The government have promised one million new homes for the poor over the next four years costing an expected fifty billion.
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