Tsitsikamma National Park, Canopy Tour by zipline, Monkey Land

Camping on the Storms River and enjoying some family bonding time in the tent…..as if 18 days in a van driving throughout South Africa isn’t enough.

We traversed the canopy of the Tsitsikamma Forest on zipline this morning. There were 10 lines which took about 1.5 hours. We were 20m in the air. If we get better internet connection sometime we will post some video. Annika proclaimed it awesome. We appreciated that 57% of our “tourist money” went to support a local community initiative of feeding school children 4 meals a week, HIV education and afterschool programming for kids.

Monkeys roam freely and we walked amongst them! A white gibbon put on a good show and the capuchin and spider monkeys were all over the trees, ground and nearly over people’s feet. I was fascinated and didn’t want to leave. Obviously a tourist place but very educational and a local guide answered every one of my questions.

On the way to Oudtshoorn we stop and meet Peter and Julie Middleton (brother to Mike, the new men’s soccer coach at GAC). We enjoy beverages with them at the Yacht Club right on the water while learning about shantie towns, water shortages and the municipality strike.

Ostriches are farmed in this microclimate between two mountain ranges in Oudtshoorn. Seventy percent of the world’s ostrich production is here. The meat and leather are of greatest value while the eggs and feathers are less valuable. An ostrich egg is equivalent to 24 chicken eggs by volume and 36 chicken eggs by nutritional value.

At the hostel tonight Mark chats with a 22 year old from Scotland who has traveled all over the world and a 60-something man South African politician. Also at supper we chatted with a family from Belgium now living in South Africa. It is interesting to get the local perspective on the shanty towns, social progress since apartheid and answers to our many questions as foreigners. Hans and Mark eat kudu, crocodile, springbok and ostrich meat for dinner. Mark gives rave reviews to the crocodile and Hans likes the ostrich.

Deb