FUN-travel: South Africa – Eastern Cape

September 18, 2010 by · Comments Off on FUN-travel: South Africa – Eastern Cape 

The ABC’s of Africa

A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration
BB = Big Bummer
RBB = Really Big Bummer
TA = Totally Awesome
VG = Very Good

Day 11 – Monday, September 13 – Cape Town to Port Elizabeth to Alice – Full day tour – sunny, warm, high 70’s

Traditional Dancers

  • B – 9:40 am flight (means I have to be up and out by 8:00 am)
  • BB – plane delayed, doesn’t depart until 12:30
  • A – had Zuks (our guide) phone # so could call – arrive 1:30, drive on the settlers route
  • 1st stop Grahamstown, historical city called City of Saints because of its many churches
  • 2nd stop Fort Beaufort with Martelo tower, type of fort used by British in the 1800’s
  • BB – takes 3 hours and very hot – mid 90’s & windy
  • A – arrive Mak & Mak guesthouse (family home) – welcomed by traditional dancers (girls between 12 & 15)  have Xhosa traditional food for dinner

FF (FUN Facts) – getting the flavour of the difference between Westerncape & Easterncape – very rural areas with traditional huts

Day 12 – Tuesday, September 14 – Alice to Port Alfred – Full day tour – sunny, hot, high 90’s

  • 1st stop Fort Hare University – first black University in SA – educated many African leaders like Nelson Mandela & Desmond Tutu – tour their De Beers Centenary Art Gallery – featuring African art depicting life during Apartheid days in the Townships and rural areas – stop at archive building, 4 stories filled with 4 rotating art collections, audio & video, newspapers and books
  • 2nd stop King Williams Town via the Great place where King of Xhosa’s lives, have tour of complex, 40 huts each decorated differently for each of his chiefs and we see the King – go to the locals market in heart of city
  • 3rd stop home of Steve Biko, now a national monument

Cemetary of Steve Biko

  • 4th stop his grave
  • 5th stop (after 2 hour drive part through thick smoke from a wild fire) Barthust, historical little town where 1820 British settlers were distributed from to their different farms, some of them still there generation after generation
  • 7th stop Port Alfred – 4:00 arrive, beautiful scenic little town named after Prince Alfred son to Queen Victoria – stay at Link’s House and once again are charmed

    Women at Market

Not So FF – Steve Biko, anti apartheid activist died in the hands of the South African Police fighting for the liberation of the oppressed

Eastern Cape Recap: These were two very long and tiring days. If you are interested in the history of SA and want to experience small towns and villages and how the locals live, then you would appreciate it.