22 April 2015: - Our last day in Cape Town

We woke up to another perfect day in Cape Town and headed off to Groot Constantia after breakfast. What a beautiful drive it was.

Groot Constantia is the oldest wine estate in South Africa and a provincial heritage site in the suburb of Constantia in Cape Town. "Groot" in Dutch and Afrikaans translates as "great" (as in large) in English.

Whilst on a cellar tour, we were exposed to the ins and outs of viticulture.  After the cellar tour our Belgian guests were treated to wine tasting while the Southdowns pupils were given some apple juice to enjoy. Conveniently we could get onto the hop on hop off bus on the Groot Constantia estate and we enjoyed a scenic drive to Camps Bay, our next stop.

What could be more enjoyable than lunch in Camps Bay with the tranquility of the mountains in the background and the breaking of the waves along the palm tree lined beach. 

Camps Bay

We left Cape Town with sad hearts and we would all like to return soon...

21 April 2015: - Hop on hop off

We could not but wonder if we would be lucky enough to enjoy another sunny day in Cape Town. To our delight it was a cloudless day and after breakfast we made our way to the Two Oceans Aquarium at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront.

With more than 3000 marine creatures on view – including sharks, turtles and penguins – the Two Oceans Aquarium is one of the finest aquariums in the world. Situated in Portswood Square at the V&A Waterfront, the aquarium showcases the unique marine life of the Atlantic and Indian oceans which lie on either side of the Cape of Good Hope.

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At long last we were given some free time. We could choose whether we wanted to stroll through the shops at the V&A Waterfront, enjoy a leisurely lunch or cruise through the channels around the upmarket residential areas of the V&A.

Built between 1666 and 1678 by the Dutch east India Company (VOC) as a maritime replenishment station the Castle of Good Hope is the oldest surviving colonial building in South Africa.

From 1678 it was the centre of civilian, administrative and military life at the Cape, until the settlement grew and some functions and activities moved from the Castle. Today the Castle is the seat of the military in the Cape, and houses the castle Military Museum and Iziko Museums of Cape Town and it was our next stop on our visit to Cape Town.

The best way to explore Cape Town

The Castle

20 April 2015: - Not Southdowns, but down South!

Another early morning ... we were quite used to it by now.

After landing at Cape Town International Airport we headed towards Cape Point. Our route along the N2 took us past many informal settlements and low cost housing. Our very knowledgeable tour guide, Rod, gave us information on these areas and one could not but wonder how people survive here. We left the N2 at the intersection with Baden Powell Drive and headed towards Simon's Town, where we made a quick stop for a light snack. At Boulders beach we visited the penguin colony and some of us just stayed on the beach to enjoy the beautiful scenery and sunshine. We all looked forward to our next stop at Cape Point.

At Cape Point we decide to walk from the visitor's centre, past the light house to the most south westerly point of Africa. This route is indicated in blue on the vertical aerial photograph of the area. We were in awe of the beauty of this place and often stopped along the route to just take in the scenery surrounding us. This was a perfect day with perfect weather and we could not be happier. After posing for a group photograph we were on our way again.

After a scrumptious late lunch at Kirstenbosch Gardens we headed toward Table Mountain. The cable car afforded us all a 360 degree view as the floor rotates. What an awesome sight this mountain is. The change in temperature was very evident and the higher we went the colder it got. Just as we walked out onto the mountain clouds started moving in and very soon it was completely overcast and bitterly cold. We left the cloud coverd mountain and headed toward where we would be staying for the next two nights.

It is impossible to describe everything we experienced - please enjoy the photographs.

Our hiking trail - marked in blue

We made it!

In the cable car

The view from the top of Table Mountain

20 April: - Cape Town - Happy 16th birthday, Bradley!

15 April 2015: - What does it look like when a leopard chases a herd of elephant?

After a good night's rest we were once again off on a game drive. Very soon we saw five elephants feeding very close to the road - what a magnificent sight it was. We were obviously on the look out for the big five. Fortune favours the brave and we were privileged enough to see two - elephant and buffalo. Much to our surprise we learnt that there also is a small five and an ugly five. Now, the search was really on.
In as much as we were searching for the big 5 we did not miss the sight of  a dung beetle going about its business, as well as, a chameleon.
The absolute highlight of the day was when Pieter spotted a leopard chasing a few elephant. Now we could tick another one of the big five off our list.
Later in the afternoon we were treated to an evening game drive. As we left our camp we were forced to stop as 30 elephant of all sizes crossed the road in front of us. Our checklist of animals spotted was further ticked when we saw hyena, a scary looking Mozambican spitting cobra, a spotted eagle owl and an very old buffalo bull. One of the game viewing groups came across a spectacular and frightening sight of a herd consisting of 100 buffalo.
That night reminiscing about the day we shared our experiences and recounting our sightings as we prepared for the journey back to Centurion the next day.

14 April 2015: - How to pitch a tent or not

With great anticipation we departed for the Kruger National Park. On the way there we stopped at the Lone Creek Waterfall. We live in such a beautiful country and love showing it to our new friends. The escarpment is characterised by a number of spectacular waterfalls which make an important contribution to the natural beauty of this region. This waterfall is situated in a tributary of the Sabie river, is 68 m high and originated as a result of the differential weathering resistance of the local rocks. Soon we were on our way again.
As we drove to the Kruger we dropped 1000 m and this difference in height was clearly evident in the difference in biomes. Upon entering the Kruger, what did we see first -,rooibokkies - natuurlik. We were very fortunate to also see many other animals, on our first day in the Kruger. Enjoy the photographs as I am not going to add a detailed description. I am using a Belgian keyboard and I am thus typing with 2 fingers.
We arrived at our camp, Malelane, late afternoon and wanted to quickly pitch the tents, which was easier said than done. Luckily the boys came to our rescue and we all have a roof over our heads tonight. After an evening meal of a tasty potjie cooked by Nico, we're off to bed early tonight.

13 April 2015: - The early rise

We left school this morning at 04h00 SHARP. It iwas quite misty along the way, but we're not in a hurry and the bus drivers were very careful. There was some nervous chatter in anticipation of the gorge swing at Graskop in the bus. 

We arrived at The Big Swing at 9:15 and without hesitation Alexander and Pieter stepped forward to be helped into harnesses so that they could step backwards off a platform to an 80 metres death defying drop. This brave move by Alexander and Pieter was an inspiration to the rest of the group and soon most of the group had completed the swing.

After a quick stop at Graskop we explored all the beatifull landmarks in the area such as God's Windows and The Three Rondawels.

The day ended with some swimming, a lovely meal and singing around the camp fire

10 April 2015: - Welcome to South Africa and Southdowns College

Today our guests spent the day at school with us. They were overwhelmed by the friendliness of our staff and pupils, our spacious campus and beautiful class rooms. 

An early morning meeting!

Southdowns College pupils waiting for school to start

The junior quad

"We like it here at Southdowns"

Southdowns College parents getting to know one another better

The day ended with a welcoming braai at The Kloppers.  It was awesome not only to get to know our new friends better, but also one another.

9 April 2015: - Meeting our new friends!

It was with huge exitement that Southdowns College exchange pupils gathered at the airport to meet their guests.