As we drove off for another pre-dawn departure at 6 we all drifted in and out of consciousness due to the early start.

Our first stop was at a reasonably large town called Springbok where, seeing as it was the last travel day of the tour we treated ourselves to a Wimpy breakfast each! We set off again chomping on our takeaway, stopping at a few more petrol station / toilet combinations to break up the 680km (420 miles) journey south to Cape Town.

Slightly later than expected at 4pm and after 6 weeks spent mainly in the African wilderness we arrived at the metropolis that is Cape Town, in stark contrast to many other African cities we have been through. This one having more of a Western feel due to the high rises, modern infrastructure and sheer size.

On arrival we grabbed our stuff out of the truck one final time and checked into our hotel room, an actual room with brick walls and everything! Due to a cock-up during the planning phase of the Hanes Honeymoon (guilty as charged!) we only had one full day in Cape Town and having arrived and seen what it was like we were immediately kicking ourselves about this.

Having spent an hour or so in the room sorting ourselves out we went out with Jingsu and Nell down to Long Street for a pre-dinner drink, an end-of-tour dinner having been arranged for 7pm.

After a drink in an Irish bar (of all places!) with good music we made our way to the restaurant where, despite a somewhat limited menu, a good meal was enjoyed. We had even arranged for Sean to join and it was great to catch up and swap stories with him having not seen him since Livingstone in Zambia. It was sheer good fortune he happened to be in Cape Town at the same time.

Leaving the restaurant after the normal fiasco of paying the bill in a large group, Kirsty and I made our way back to the Irish bar avoiding the also normal fiasco of a large group coming to a consensus of where to go next.

Luckily the rest of the group followed our lead and the evening was spent dancing away to the live band that was performing there.

Breakfast was served in the hotel, the last meal of the tour. After the emotional goodbye we took ourselves out to explore Cape Town eager not to miss out. It was irritating that Table Mountain was still covered in cloud (the famed tablecloth) and so not worth ascending. Instead we dropped our bags off at our new hostel before strolling down Long Street taking in the bars, restaurants and various shops that line the street.

Looking for a Bureau de Change we turned right and walked for two blocks to St George's Mall, a street with more mainstream shops. There was also at one end, near the cathedral, a delicatesson-style food market on the street. Eyeing the various stalls and taking into account we had just eaten more bacon and eggs than strictly necessary we made a mental note to return for something later.

Continuing on through the town we made our way to the Victoria and Alfred waterfront, a redeveloped area which is located close to the working harbour. We spend some time here browsing the various shops hunting for our own African souvenir before stopping at a fast food establishment for a belated lunch.

We wandered around near the waterfront before returning to the city centre via a different route. The whole time we were out it was spitting with rain and Table Mountain remained stubbornly covered in cloud.

Arriving back at the food market we were disappointed to learn it had gone, clearly only there for lunchtime and our various attempts to get a bite to eat along Long Street failed.

Back at the hostel we bumped into Babs and Tim who have also booked the same place. After a natter we left them and went out to an Italian Restaurant for a quick cheap Italian meal before heading up the hill to yesterday's hotel and our pre-arranged meeting point.

It was so good to catch up with the others and hear what they'd been up to. We took a little time deciding what to do and where to go as a few people wanted to do different things. Eventually we found a cafe which suited us all and after a coffee and hot chocolate it was time for one final goodbye to the group, many of whom we'd been on the road with for 40 days. It was an emotional goodbye, quite horrible as it was somewhat sad.

We returned to the hostel and took a little time to reflect on our African experience. Cape Town itself is definitely a place we want to visit again and take more time to explore, in particular Table Mountain (I'm still kicking myself now!).

We turned off the lights in readiness for our half-a-night's sleep.