路過津巴布韋／李明熙
出門兩個多月，以為事事利順之際，來南非前夕，差點在維多利亞瀑布燒鬚。
以前來過贊比亞的利文斯頓，對這小鎮頗熟，這次停留 5 日，看過旱季的維多利亞瀑布後，便在酒店埋首工作，沒有特別觀光。鎮內機場離巿中心只有 10 分鐘車程，我們航班是下午 1 時，打算早餐後到巿內逛逛。
收拾行裝，心血來潮覆閱機票，才發現起飛的是在鄰國津巴布韋維多利亞瀑布機場，不在贊比亞。機場和邊境有 20 分鐘車程距離，看看手錶，是早上 9 時，只要前一天的政變不影響徒步過境，從酒店到機場雖然迂迴，未至生死時速。
連接兩國的維多利亞瀑布大橋，建於 1905 年，19 世紀末英國人希望用鐵路把開羅和開普敦連接，鞏固在非洲的軍事勢力，計劃最後因經濟大蕭條和世界大戰受阻，事與願遺。
今天的維多利亞瀑布大橋，是贊比亞和津巴布韋共同擁有的重要旅遊業「橋樑」。兩國關口都設在橋頭，對旅客來說，這 250 米長的大橋是兩不管地帶。關員會查問是到橋上觀光或是離境，觀光的便留下護照，憑短暫出境紙取回護照。
持特區護照入境津巴布韋免簽證，但 Kim 的美國護照要付 30 美元，若我們早發現，定會在津巴布韋留幾天。跟的士司機閒聊幾句，問政變對生活有影響嗎？他說，大部分國民都想推翻政府，過去試過多次政變都沒改變，對今次亦不樂觀，但意想不到這次成為國際新聞。
我們順利登機，來到南非開普敦，打開電視，看到津巴布韋總統穆加貝的下台宣言，相信今次的穆加貝政權，跟我們口袋中那些早已停用的數千億津巴布韋貨幣，一同成為歷史。
South Africa Wine Country／Kimberlogic
After about two months in Africa being at the mercy of public transportation, taxis and my own two feet, arriving in South Africa I found myself back in the saddle again on another self-driving adventure. Renting a car in Cape Town is the only way to explore the western cape. There are trains and buses that can get you to any of the towns that we visited, but the most exciting part of visiting these places is what we saw and did on the way to them.
The western cape is such a beautiful place and has everything you could want. From mountains and beaches to vineyards and forests, even the vibrant downtown of the city. Leaving the city of Cape Town, our first destination was the town of Paarl, to the east. Paarl is in the heart of wine country, so that is what we focused on while visiting this area.
Not knowing too much about wine, we really didn’t know where to begin with our time in these wine valleys. Luckily for us, South Africa makes it easy to learn about and enjoy their wines. Every few kilometers, or less, there is a different vineyard that is open to the public for tours, tastings and shopping. All you have to do is pull in, park and they take care of the rest.
The first vineyard we stopped at was the famous Fairview. Some vineyards just make wine, some also make other kinds of spirits or craft beers, and some make different kinds of food products like breads, cheeses, chocolates, etc. Fairview has everything. They are known for their wines and cheeses, but they also have a bakery, deli, restaurant, shop and goat farm. So we tried their wine and cheese tasting which was six wines paired with six cheeses. Fortunately, the tastings are small and we had plenty of time to explore the grounds and interact with the goats before leaving.
- Fairview has everything.
The next day we visited the artsy little town of Franschhoek. The town has cute little shops and restaurants, but the draw for tourists is their wine “train”. Since we wanted to see more of the surrounding areas and fewer wineries, we decided to check out their Sunday market instead of the train. The market was fun and had great food, art and neat souvenirs. Our favourite part of visiting Franschhoek was the drive up the mountain to see the view of the entire valley. On a warm sunny day it was picture perfect from the top.
On our way back to our Airbnb in Paarl, we stopped at Boschendal Estate, another well known winery in that area. On a Sunday afternoon this looked like the place to be. People were enjoying catered picnics on the lawn, the restaurant was packed, kids playing everywhere and people enjoying wine. We stopped for a quick little wine tasting and chose a bottle to bring home for dinner that evening.
That evening, our Airbnb host family prepared a traditional South African barbecue, or braai. From the moment we got off of the plane in Cape Town, people of this country had been extremely friendly, but our Airbnb host took it to another level, treating us like part of their family. We ate and drank for a few hours that night, enjoying their outdoor patio.
Things happen at a slow pace in South Africa, so we tailored our activities to that. We moved a little slower and took our time to enjoy the surroundings and savor the little things along the way. Instead of packing our day full of activities, we decided on a driving route and let the activities present themselves along the way.
我們的 #Home2HomeTravel
