A Magnificent Loop in the Southern Rainbow Nation (page 3 of 14)

Wow, Maps.me had you go down India Ravine 🤪. You’d have been better off without it for once. If I followed correctly, that’s pretty much the opposite of what you should’ve done on the King’s Highway in Jordan 😏 !

So funny! 😏 Next year, we’ll get everything in the right order 😛.

At Signal Hill, is that the concrete platform (🤪) you can see in gray on the paragliding photo?

No, it’s a pretty thick fabric anchored to the ground. It was really nice to relax there 🙂.

Well, here we go—professional, serious, heavy-duty, and a great promo! 😉

But if Ms. Redhead went up Lion's Head, the pressure's on for the photos!

Suspense, suspense...

(I wonder if, under that cloud on the left, you can see her trying to find her way?)

Suspense, suspense... 😛

If I followed correctly, she only brushed it in thought... But suspense....

No, no, it was on the program! I would’ve felt guilty coming back to the forum without going, for fear of Michel’s retaliation .

And I could’ve warned the Forum members!!! And saved Isabelle’s life in advance!!!!!!! Okay, fine, I’m getting carried away—after all, she made it out okay....

Ah! My savior...

Looking at the photos, I was thinking, "How on earth do they manage to go that way?" (impossible for me). So that just confirms it—never use Maps.me for hiking!

mapsme for hiking .... Régis .... 😕

mapsme for hiking .... Régis .... 😕

Well, I’ve never used it myself, but rouquine if .....

Looking at the photos, I was thinking, "How on earth do they manage to go through there?" (impossible for me). So this confirms: never use maps.me for hiking!

Yeah, and for once, listen to your husband . Well, in my case anyway . Seriously, since I’m short, I really had to dig deep—I was holding on with my arms and sliding down the rocks . Nope, no photos to prove it; the camera was safely tucked away in my bag 😉.

mapsme for hiking .... Régis .... 😕

Well, I’ve never used it myself, but rouquine if .....

I only used it to check if there was a path and... there sure was one, right! 😇

No photos at all! You can imagine it so much better!!! 😏😄😄

I turn back immediately.

Yes, you're right, that's what we should've done... but sometimes I can be so stubborn 😉 😛

I thought I’d find a simple travel journal, but instead I stumbled into something straight out of a crazy adventurer’s tale—off the beaten path, with views from above that are anything but ordinary. So from now on, I think I’ll be coming to you all with a lot more respect... 😉

No shame here. At the Golden Gate for a chill walk that was supposed to last 45 minutes. After a wild interpretation of the pseudo-hiking map... We climbed steep slopes, battled like crazy... To reach the summit. Found a sign saying the return path was closed. The other route... was a 2-day hike. So we went back down. Partly on our butts. Over 3 hours of adventure. My bad, my very big bad. Also the fault of some really confusing signs on the map and on-site. Left, right, north, south... total nonsense. It changes every time you turn around...

And no photos either! (At least none that are incriminating!)

I thought I was discovering a simple travel journal, and I ended up in some kind of crazy adventurers' thing off the beaten path, with extraordinary aerial views. So from now on, I think I’ll approach you with a lot more respect...😉

Oh yeah, for fifty-somethings... this is adventure 😛. We’re stepping out of our comfort zone 🤪 .

No shame. At the Golden Gate for a chill walk that was supposed to last 45 minutes. After a misguided interpretation of the pseudo-hiking map... We climbed steep slopes, struggled like crazy... To reach the summit. Found a sign saying the return path was closed. And the other route... was a 2-day hike... So we went back down. Partly on our butts. More than 3 hours of adventure. My fault, my very big fault. Also the fault of some really confusing directions on the map and on-site. Left, right, north, south... total nonsense. It changes every time you turn around...

And no photos either! (At least none that are incriminating!)

Phew! I feel relieved... I'm not the only one, then 😇!

Monday, December 24: Kirstenbosch – Robben Island

Even though we had a great night, waking up this morning was pretty rough. It took us a little over 50 years to discover that some muscles actually existed—real sore losers .

Anyway, this morning’s plan is the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, located on the eastern slope of Table Mountain. And guess what? It’s almost clear today !

We arrive at the garden shortly after opening (hours: 8 AM–7 PM). Entry costs only R70, and I say that because this garden is huge, super well-maintained, with stunning flower beds. It’s renowned as one of the most beautiful gardens in the world, and I can easily believe it.











Well! The problem… yep, it’s summer, and almost all the flowers are wilted. Here are a few survivors .













We’re pretty disappointed, so my husband settles for the few animals we come across .







Still, we stay for 2.5 hours, which gave us a chance to stretch our legs a bit, but this garden won’t leave a lasting memory. We’ve seen others that were much more beautiful.

At 11 AM, we stop by Bo Kaap, the Malay quarter famous for its colorful houses. Unfortunately, we don’t have much time and only spend about half an hour seeing the two main streets.









Did you see that, Régis? It’s the cousin of the one we had in Mexico ! Oh! And here’s our Toyota Avenza, still looking great 😛.



To be continued here

Ah! And here’s our Toyota Avenza, still looking great 😛.

The bright blue Cox the day before looks even better in the photo!

Too bad you were disappointed by Kirstenbosch 😕. Which gardens did you prefer?

Waooo, what a beautiful Toyota!! It looks a bit like the Toyota Innova that drove us around India for 3 weeks... but this one’s more recent. That’ll be for another travel journal though. Coming next!! (If that’s not some next-level teasing! 😛)

Ah! And here’s our Toyota Avenza, still looking great 😛.

The bright blue Cox looks even better in the photo!

Too bad you were disappointed by Kirstenbosch 😕. Which gardens did you prefer?

Yes, it really suits these colorful houses 😉.

We were disappointed with Kirstenbosch because we weren’t there at the right time, and I was still hoping to see summer flowers 😮. For example, the Deshaies Garden in Guadeloupe really left an impression on us, as did the Tropical Botanical Garden in Hawaii—even though they’re much smaller, they have a charm that this one didn’t. But that’s just our opinion; if we’d gone in spring, we might’ve felt differently 😉.

Hey! Let me know when you start your travel journal—I don’t check this part of VF, so I might miss it 🤪.