January 2 - 7, 2008: Chiltern Farm, South Africa

After an exhausting two days of traveling from Seattle to South Africa, we found ourselves in Cape Town (Maarten’s old hometown), a lush and exotic city built between and around Table Mountain and the shores of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. This was not the harsh and extreme Africa that I had imagined, but I didn’t mind starting our trip with a bit of the “privileged” and “civilized” side of Africa.

Cape Dutch buildings at Boschendal Winery, Franschhoek

A car was waiting at the airport to drive us to the home of John and Margarethe Braithwaite (to whom we are extremely grateful for having done so much to help us prepare for our upcoming adventure – thank you, J & M!). Once there, we picked up our Toyota Hilux bakkie and took it for a drive to some of the local beaches. The verdict so far is that everything about the truck is awesome, except for its horrendous gas mileage (or kilometer-age, I guess – ug, I dislike having to think in the metric system!). It’s going to go even lower once the truck is fully loaded. (I swear I’ll ride my bicycle to work for the next 5 years to make up for our excessive fuel consumption…)

Eating smoked trout at Mont Rochelle Winery, Franschhoek

Anyway, the next day we headed east out of Cape Town, through the verdant, rolling winelands (stopping to taste wine at the Boschendal and Mont Rochelle vineyards in Franschhoek), and ending up in the Overberg (literally, over the mountains) at the Chiltern Farm, a sprawling apple orchard, to attend Anthony and Erin’s wedding. Anthony is a good friend of Maarten’s from boarding school in Cape Town, and the two of them spent many summers together at the Chiltern Farm when they were young. I was so glad to finally meet Des and Suzanne Mudge, Anthony’s parents whom I had heard so much about. They were so kind and hospitable, allowing us to stay in the accommodation of honor at the farm, “The Yellow Peril,” a bright yellow 1960s camper van outfitted with a bed, shelves and a fridge. It was awesome! Thanks so much for everything, Des and Suzanne!

The Yellow Peril, Chiltern Farm

The wedding took place at a neighboring farm, Bosmansrus, that has beautiful Cape Dutch-style buildings with white-washed walls and thatched roofs, lush manicured grounds covered in roses, bougainvillea, hydrangea and agapanthis, and ibis and peacocks parading around the lawns. It was such a beautiful place for a summer garden wedding, and the weather cooperated perfectly! The day after the wedding I had my first real South African braai experience, and was amazed by the pounds and pounds of coiled boerwors sausage and kebabs that were consumed (I definitely did my part, for sure!).

The Rocks cottage at Hangklip

A few days after the wedding we accompanied the new bride and groom and some of their immediate family and friends to the Mudge’s wonderful little cottage near Hangklip. It is aptly named “The Rocks,” as it is built into the rocky cliff just feet above the crashing surf of the Indian Ocean. The entire back wall of the house is composed of the natural quartzite cliff face. It was a perfect place for a few geologists to spend an evening enjoying sundowners and a fish braai!