After leaving cape town we headed for gourmet indulgence in Franschhoek. Literally meaning "French Corner" we weren't disappointed by the Vino and Fromage. With tastings for around a pound for 5 wines who would be? We managed 3 tastings(starting at 11 am), then 2 cellar tours, cheese platters, handmade chocs and champagne which were all washed down with a locally produced apple schapps at 43%! Walked, or possibly appeared to stagger, around the very beautiful and very sunny village. We were further spoilt by having the guest house to ourselves, pool and all!
We later left Franschhoek for Hermanus to Whale watch and Shark dive, slightly picking up the adrenaline pace! Although Hermanus has been voted the best place in the world to see the Southern Right Whale from shore we decided to try for a closer encounter out on the Indian Ocean. We were lucky enough to get pretty close to the whales and enjoyed a good few hours of watching the females protect their calves, water rise from the "blow holes", tails flap the sea and noses(calluses and all!) rise high in the air. Really incredible.
The following day we decided to greet a slightly more intimidating creature of the sea- the Great White Shark. We entrusted ourselves to Brian who'd "sailed the ocean for 50 years" (his skin certainly confirming this!) . We sailed out to Shark Alley and soon the Great Whites were as intrigued with us as we were with them. They enjoyed the bait of smelly tuna heads and from the surface we thought we were staring in Jaws, teeth and all! The time came to squeeze into the most unflattering wet suits ever followed by a nice squeeze into the "CAGE". With Mark at my side to protect me I've never felt so scared! No, we were surprisingly calm as the sharks circled the cage, looking somewhat graceful and slow moving- unlike Mark's movements after climbing out of the cage and just making the other side of the boat to vomit! What a sight-the sharks and Mark, least he did it with the wind!
So the wine, food and wildlife continue for another week here in South Africa....
We later left Franschhoek for Hermanus to Whale watch and Shark dive, slightly picking up the adrenaline pace! Although Hermanus has been voted the best place in the world to see the Southern Right Whale from shore we decided to try for a closer encounter out on the Indian Ocean. We were lucky enough to get pretty close to the whales and enjoyed a good few hours of watching the females protect their calves, water rise from the "blow holes", tails flap the sea and noses(calluses and all!) rise high in the air. Really incredible.
The following day we decided to greet a slightly more intimidating creature of the sea- the Great White Shark. We entrusted ourselves to Brian who'd "sailed the ocean for 50 years" (his skin certainly confirming this!) . We sailed out to Shark Alley and soon the Great Whites were as intrigued with us as we were with them. They enjoyed the bait of smelly tuna heads and from the surface we thought we were staring in Jaws, teeth and all! The time came to squeeze into the most unflattering wet suits ever followed by a nice squeeze into the "CAGE". With Mark at my side to protect me I've never felt so scared! No, we were surprisingly calm as the sharks circled the cage, looking somewhat graceful and slow moving- unlike Mark's movements after climbing out of the cage and just making the other side of the boat to vomit! What a sight-the sharks and Mark, least he did it with the wind!
So the wine, food and wildlife continue for another week here in South Africa....
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