Cederberg Mountains/ Back home in South Africa

View from the top of the mountain

Heading south from Sossusvlei, Namibia, we spent the night on the border between Namibia and South Africa—first in Fish River Canyon, and then on the banks of the Orange River in South Africa. By this time travel exhaustion had gotten the better of me and I decided to take a break from everything—jotting down notes, taking photographs, etc; I just wanted to enjoy a few days without any distractions.

Crossing into South Africa I was pulled aside by the immigration officials—they looked at my previous three tourist visas and my volunteer work visa, and queried why I was returning and whether I had plans to leave. I assured them that I was merely a tourist and had to scrounge through my backpack to produce my onward travel plans. With my passport finally stamped I crossed the border and had this odd sensation that I was home. I guess even though South Africa was a home away from home for me, I had spent a considerable period of time here and had grown accustomed to everything South African. After spending so much time throughout southern and eastern Africa, to arrive in one piece with all of my belongings was a great relief. On to the Cederburg mountains then!

We’d be stopping off in the mountains for some hiking, wine tasting, and general regrouping before the final push towards Cape Town, and the end of the trip (has it really been 6 weeks already?!?). The Cederburg area is gorgeous—San rock art can be seen in more than 2,000 sites, and there are dozens of hiking paths through the roughly 100km stretch of mountains.  Instead of following one of the many walking trails up the mountains, a small, hard-core group of us basically bush-whacked our way up the side of a cliff. It probably would not have been authorized by the parks authority, but we did it anyway.

I couldn't find out why this cross was here, other than to mark the highest point of the mountain and a perfect place to pose.

At the top of the mountain we were awarded with dramatic views of the valley below, including acres of vineyards and rooibos plants. I took it all in—this was my last night of tranquility before arriving at the hustle and bustle of Cape Town, the Mother City. I couldn’t wait to get to Cape Town, but I also didn’t want to leave my secluded mountain top and the comforts of camping I’d grown used to over the past six weeks. I dawdled my way down the mountain and arrived late for wine tasting, which was just as well; the wine wasn’t very good. No matter; I’d make sure I had plenty of time to enjoy some of the amazing South African wines in the Cape wine growing regions. I already had a packed agenda for my two weeks in Cape Town, and though sad to be closing this chapter of my African adventure, I felt satisfied with all I’d accomplished. I also had a long list of places I’d go back to. Africa really gets under your skin and latches onto your very soul if you allow it. I did, and it’s been the most rewarding experience of my life.

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