People Tell the Story: South Africa
When it comes to the history of racial segregation, South Africa’s is still very recent. From 1948 to 1994, legislation known as Apartheid divided citizens into four different racial groups – natives or black Africans, whites, coloured (mixed race), and Asians. Although deep segregation ended almost twenty years ago, there is still a stark sense of separation among its people. But, according to some people that we spoke with, it seems to be a separation that is mutually acceptable. This outlook made for an interesting lesson into the past and present state of South Africa’s people.
Read MoreExotic Eats: Southern Africa
The food in Africa as a whole was not my favorite. To be fair, a good majority of my time touring Africa was spent either camping or volunteering….not exactly the time for culinary greatness. While we tried to cook while camping, I think that I ate more PB&J in two weeks than I did during my entire childhood. And while volunteering in Zambia, we were served delicious comfort food (stick to your rib casseroles, roasts, and pastas) but it was not the authentic cuisine. However, there were a few dishes throughout our travels through Southern Africa (Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa) that are worth mentioning.
Read MoreWowed in Wine Country
Beautiful. Spectacular. Picturesque. Stunning. I could go on and on about the uniquely gorgeous landscape that makes up South Africa’s wine country. Mike and I were floored by the beauty at every turn (unreal views despite cloudy weather during our time…I cannot even imagine if we had caught a sunny day.) Thanks to this phenomenal scenery and surprisingly quaffable (to pay tribute to Sideways) wine, we thoroughly enjoyed sipping our way through Stellenbosch and Franschoek, the two towns that make up South Africa’s wine country.
Read MoreKnysna and the Garden Route
I didn’t know what to expect while touring South Africa. I had heard horror stories about crime in Johannesburg, rave reviews about Cape Town, and next to nothing about anything else. Given these expectations, Mike and I decided to focus our time around Cape Town. While we enjoyed the city itself, we absolutely fell in love with the surrounding areas. Within one hour of Cape Town lies some of the most idyllic wine country we have ever experienced (more on this later). And Cape Town serves as the ideal jumping off point for the Garden Route, a popular and drivable stretch of coastline dotted with picturesque towns in southeastern South Africa.
Read MoreOut and About in Cape Town
After close to two months in Africa and, most recently, two weeks camping through Namibia, we had been eagerly awaiting our arrival into Cape Town. We had heard only positive things about South Africa’s legislative capital and second largest city (behind Johannesburg). Both fellow travelers and friends who have either worked or studied there raved about it. We could not wait to spend a few days here as we were excited for a big city and were craving the hustle and bustle, bar scene, and culinary delights (we were in serious need of an upgrade from PB&J and various camping foods) that we had been hearing about. Although we were actually underwhelmed by downtown Cape Town, we soon realized that it’s surroundings are the big draw.
Read MoreGiving Back
A huge part of our journey is about giving back. While the personal travel is sure to dazzle, we are confident that it will be the volunteer experiences that will show us the most about the world and touch our souls. Read more...