Noel Goes To Africa

If there must be a single thank you in researching this trip, it must be the forum on Tripadvisor. The threads are all relevant and helpful. Since January 2010, I switch on the netbook and type www.tripadvisor.com and go the South Africa forum. Things to do, places to see, people to watch etc. I feel like I'm already there. I even managed to contact a fellow Malaysian to ask Malysian related questions regarding South Africa, and got my answers immediately.

Accomodation
From the forum, I found my favourite accomodation site, www. sa-venues.com.za. I like how they have the map first up so you basically know where you are. As you do more clicking, you feel you are getting hold of different areas in Cape Town and the Garden Route. I get most feedback from the selected establishment within 24 hours which was really helpful as we were anxious about accomodation getting thin nearer to the event. Most have the prices upfront but because of the World Cup, you need to confrim with their reply.

Almost all forum members agree the guesthouses are better choices for accomodation in SA ( the quality are really good), unless it's a short business trip. With our diet restrictions, it was a no brainer for us to go for serviced apartments or guesthouses with kitchenette.

Most accept credit cards but some require you to send money to South Africa. I was not happy to do this nor do I have the time and patience to go to a bank so I only chose the ones that accept. All charge a 2 percent surcharge but at least you know you've definitely getting the room

I also used www.booksure.com but this site requires you to pay upon booking with the credit card so this might be a problem if you are only fishing.

As for prices go, most places in/near cape town cost R1000 or more, even double rooms in a backpacker. I only managed to find one place near the university that charge R850 per night after I have made payment to a place closer to the stadium.

We only decided to get car hire after confirming our flights. As there is no flights available closer to match days, we end up with at least 5 days prior so we might as well do more sightseeing. In the end I got stuck with an accomodation within walking distance to the stadium without needing it. I must say, again, all forum members advise airport to airport car hire as there is no solid public transport in Cape Town. You would actually use more money if you have to pay for airport transfers, day tours, taxis to dinners etc. I did not feel comfortable about driving in a foreign country at the begining but one has to start somewhere After more reading, it seem silly not to.
Now, we are planning to drive all the way to Addo!

So my advise is read more aricles, blogs, experiences and ask more questions before you decide you can or cannot. Tommorrow, let's talk about car hire. I am still very confused about it.

Less than one month to go. Oh, what a feeling!!

Still, lots of loose end- international driving licenses, hotel voucher printouts, gps programmes, packing!!
Been teaching Noel the frequents Q+A of travelling. " Noel, where are you going?", " Africa!". "Noel, where are you from?", "KL!". He also knows giraffe, elephant, lion, cheetah, tigers, rhino and birds. He has a Barney trolley bag for his toys for the trip.

We have always made a photobook after our travels with Noel. This is a month long trip so a photobook doesn't seem able to cut it. It's Africa. It's a safari. It's a World Cup event. This is huge!! Only a travelogue would do it justice. This is especially for Noel's reference when he goes off with his buddies in the future

Here is our itinerary, after endless blogs readings, forum questions and looking at photos of accomodations. Of course, the main concern is safety for Noel. Having had two admissions under his belt under the age of two, we had a lot of restrictions. Carpets, pets, long car rides, noise, smokers to name a few. Mommy is also 4 months pregnant so more limitations, but there no travel without adventure. So, here we go:

Day 1: Arrive at Cape Town Airport@ 6pm. Pick up game tickets! Pick up car. Drive to Greenpoint accomodation.
Day 2: Check out weather. Table Mountain is on top of the list because everyone says it's weather dependent. Otherwise, Q+A waterfront, Aquarium.
Day 3: Sleep in day. Maybe Kirstenbosch Garden. Heard only super things about it.
Day 4: Township Experience. While this may not be on everybody's list, it is a must for us. Coming from a colonised nation, we are keen to see why these people are still held back and how we could help.Lessons to be learnt.
Day 5: Drive around Atlantic Seaboard. Small hikes. ( We are staying at Hout Bay at the end of the trip so more sightseeing later)
Day 6: Winelands tour. Arif never seen a vineyard before. Nor had a drop of alcohol. Goody-goody two shoes
Day 7: Museums etc. Maybe Daddy might want to go shark diving?! at Gaansbai.
Day 8: Match Day!!!

Time to head out for more South Africa! The Garden Route-
Day9: Check out of Greenpoint. Drive to Mossel Bay (2 hours). Overnight in Mossel Bay. Short, relaxing trip.
Day 10:Drive to Addo (4 hours). Heard beautiful scenery along the way. Can't wait!
Day 11: Addo- Safari day
Day 12: Addo- more safari.
Day 13: Bye-bye safari. Drive to Knysna ( 4 hours) Overnight Knysna. Again, heard only how beautiful this town is.
Day 14: Sightseeing around Knysna.
Day 15: Drive to Oudtshoorn ( 2 hours)- the ostrich's mecca! Cannot imagine how Noel would react to an ostrich. A lot of people seem terrified of them Overnight Oudtshoorn. We can't stay longer as we have another match to catch soon!
Day 16: Drive to Montagu ( 2 hours). Decided we can't afford long car rides so try to break the journey as much as time allows. Overnight Montagu

Packed days! Time to wind down.
Day 17: Drive to Hout Bay ( 4 hours). Our final pit stop before we fly home but still 5 days away)
Day 18: Match Day. Will have to drive to Greenpoint for the game so some logistics to worry about here.
Day 19: Cape of Good Hope, Cape Point- finally.
Day 20: Simon's Town, Boulders Beach etc. Apparently an awesome drive!
Day 21: Already the last full day in South Africa. Everyone wrote the only bad thing about SA is you simply must come back. We'll let you know.
Day 22: Fly out at 6pm. Must work out time to airport etc.

For those who are interested, I'll follow up on all the costs we ll have along the way. Hopefully tomorrow I could write about the sources I've used in making the reservations ( cars, tickets, accomodations)
and comment, price wise how the World Cup has affected our budget ( I mean, exploded it to the skies!)