So we're now in South Africa.

W left Namibia experiencing one of the trip's easiet border crossings and heading to the wine regions. Our last night camping was on a farm where they grow a variety of wines and we got to sample them all! Really stunning wine, and port! They then treated us to a traditional chicken poikee (like a stew) with the usual overdose of carbs. The africans always accompany every meal with rice, bread and potates!

We're now in Cape Town. The first day we arrived we did a township tour (shanty towns). It was interesting but we also felt full of mixed emotions. We felt uncomfortable walking through peoples' homes, we were paranoid they felt like we were looking at them like animals in a zoo. But our guide insisted the people were pleased to see us as they wanted us to see how they live as they feel they are the part of SA the government try to hide. They dont want to be simply swept under the carpet. We tried their local beer (hmmm...perhaps its a acquired taste!) and had lunch in a local bar.

Unfortunately we later found out that it is quite common for township tour buses to be hijacked and so many now have police escorts. hmmm you get an idea of the problems here.

The rest of our time here we have visited the beautiful waterfront area, Robben Island (which onced housed Nelson Mandella as a Political prisoner) and we went on a day trip along the coast to Cape of Good Hope (most south westly tip of Africa) and Cape Point. It is really stunning along the coast and at last we did some exercise as we cycled all along and then hiked up the cliff. Our guide, Isaac, was really great. A local man, he was really knowledgeable and informative.

Cape Town is a beautiful place but you do have to constantly watch your back and this is very tiring. It has a terrible problem with drugs, what the locals call tic (meths) and it makes people very desperate. CT also has the highest reported rape rates. What is most disturbing is that most of these rapes are on young children. The myth that HIV will be cured by having sex with a young child is proving a hard one to dispell. They also believe having sex with a white person will cure you too. We have learnt so much from the taxi drivers (you have to get cabs everywhere as it is not safe to walk), they are positive about the future, especially about the jobs and money the rugby world cup will bring in 2010, but clearly there are still some horrendous problems.

We've had a wonderful time in Africa, all two months of it. But are ready to leave and explore Australia. We leave tomorrow and arrive in Perth on Friday. Please keep your lovely messages coming, they mean so much to us.

Love and miss you all loads

Mr and Mrs B xxxx