17 September - Around Cape Town

My plans in the last 48 hours have changed a couple of times. Initially today I had planned to go on a cage dive to see Great White Sharks off the coast but as this would necessitate a 5am start and two hours or more of travelling - and not having booked it - I decided during the confines of the two day drive here I would rather just relax a little. I had then intended to drop my bags here last night in Strand and then continue to Cape Town with the others for dinner and a few beers before finding somewhere to stay in the city for the night. However, everyone's tiredness and our late arrival meant it made more sense to spend the night in Strand and catch a train to Cape Town in the morning.

Strand station was a five minute walk around the corner and there was a 7.30am train that would get me to Cape Town just before 9am; clearly a slow one as it is only 20 miles or so. I bought my ticket - under three pounds for a first class return - and waited. And continued to wait. It was thirty minutes before the train arrived and another two and a half hours before I arrived at Cape Town, over an hour and a half later than the scheduled time.

My plans continued to be disrupted. I had intended to meet Luke for breakfast but my late arrival, and his need to return east, meant that didn’t happen. I had then intended to go to Robbin Island with the girls but on meeting me at the station they informed me that there was no availability until Thursday. So, this being their first time in Cape Town, I suggested we walk to the more upmarket harbour area where we could get some lunch after exploring.

The girls went exploring while I settled down in the sunshine on the terrace of a restaurant overlooking part of the dock area, wine in hand. I do like this part of town. Looking across the narrow strip of this section of water I could see along one palm fringed edge of the waterside converted dock buildings, now exclusive looking apartments, no doubt expensive and no doubt the preserve of the rich. Yet, just a couple of hundred yards further round was the weathered bulk of an ocean going vessel and clear across the water the metal-on-metal clashing as workers repaired and maintained her. And behind all this, in the distance, the giant square massif of Table Mountain stood out against the blue of the sky filling the view, while nearer and just beyond the confines of the docks, man's contribution of square glass towers - banks and business - reflecting the blue sky but speaking more of avarice than nature. The contrasts of the view struck me as I enjoyed my wine and a salad.

The girls joined me and we shared lunch together. We then explored the streets, coming across the colourful Muslim quarter, houses in a variety of pastel colours along a few narrow streets. From here we headed to a rooftop cocktail bar that my brother had recommended, where we sat surrounded by old fashioned, highly polished American caravans. It was then time for one last drink in a bar before I headed back to Strand – this time by taxi – to prepare for tomorrow’s return trip to the UK.

16 September - To Strand

I rose at 5.30am and quietly headed outside from the dormitory as the day was waking. Sitting at the benches outside the main reception area I was able to hook into the WiFi and catch up with the world while enjoying the peace and coolness of the morning and the attention of one of the lodges three cats.

We had intended to have an early breakfast here before setting off but the staff failed to arrive in time so we headed out with a view to eating at our first port of call some twenty minutes down the road: an ostrich farm. However, their staff too had yet to turn up so we aimed for breakfast after having done the tour.

This part of South America is ostrich central. There are loads of farms and thousands of ostriches which are raised for their feathers and meat and skin (which makes a high quality leather). We learned a little about the farming, we stood on ostrich eggs (they are immensely strong) and I stood with my back to a bunch of ostriches while they manically reached around banging my neck to feed from the bowl I was holding in front of me; an ostrich neck massage according to the guide but more an ostrich version of Friday night to me! Overall it was an informative visit, rounded off with breakfast (at last!) and a look in the ostrich themed gift shop.

Our next stop was Cango Caves a little further along the road towards Cape Town. The 10am tour was fully booked though so we bought tickets for the next one and headed off to what we thought was a crocodile sanctuary further along. It turned out to be more like a zoo, albeit with high standards, but having spent a month experiencing the pleasure and thrill of finding and watching animals in their natural environment, seeing them presented here and confined in their pens was something I did not feel comfortable with, even though there were many I had not seen at Shawari. Luke had not visited before and I think he too had not expected this: I do not think he will be going back. Fortunately we had only a little time before we needed to head back to the Caves for our underground tour.

Cango Caves are natural limestone caves with some amazing stalactite and stalagmite structures. The main cave is a massive cavern but our trip was the 'adventure' tour and we went further into what was a surprisingly warm and humid environment. There were four areas that required us to squeeze our bodies through tight gaps of some feet distance, of these one was vertical, another required us to shuffle horizontally along a gap no higher than 18 inches and a third that required climbing up in a very confined space. The limestone rock was beautifully smooth which in some ways made squeezing through easier but it also meant that there was no purchase or decent handholds to allow for easy progress. Now I am not fat but I found it a tight squeeze in some places and the guide told us a story of a large American woman who, despite being told to wait, had tried to squeeze through the first gap after her group had gone through and got stuck. It had been eleven hours before a team managed to free her, eleven hours during which her group were trapped on the other side unable to get out.

I have always said I would avoid caving in confined spaces: the thought of being underground in long and tiny claustrophobic gaps with tons of rock above me has never filled me with enthusiasm. This experience was fine though and I enjoyed it, but I think it is as far as I am likely to go as far as caving is concerned.

Back out in the daylight and open air, we headed back to the vehicle and continued west. We had a fair distance to cover so only stopped to refuel and to grab a snack for lunch. South Africa continued to drift past and the landscape slowly changed as we got over the mountains and onto the plains and valleys towards Cape Town: the communities were still small and isolated but the hills and bush was interspersed with more cultivated areas the further west we headed. The day started drawing to a close and the night began to draw in; we would not make Cape Town until quite late. Fortunately I was being dropped off in Strand which was 25 miles this side of Cape Town but it was still gone 8pm when I stepped out in the dark outside Berlize's house. I was to stay here two days - alone as Berlize was on holiday in Europe - before heading home. It didn’t take long for me to unpack the little I needed in order to be ready for bed and I headed there as soon as I could to sleep away the weariness of the last two days.

15 September - Towards Cape Town

I woke early and headed to the common room for one last period of peace and quiet before my 7am departure. There were one or two repeat farewells as some passed through heading off on early day trips and then it was time to go.

There were three of us in the vehicle as we headed south from Shamwari: Luke, a colleague of his in the travel industry and me. We first headed to a sanctuary near Port Elizabeth where Ella and Michelle had been working for a week. A short stop to collect them and then the five of us headed off. Over the next hour my previous month slipped passed the window: we passed Port Elizabeth where I had first landed four weeks ago; then Jeffrey’s Bay where I had been surfing; and then we drove over the bungee bridge and passed the turning for the monkey and bird sanctuary that I had visited on my first weekend. It was then onward towards Cape Town and new ground for me.

We had stopped briefly for a coffee after which we had wandered through some forest to see the 'big tree'. It was nice walking along the wooden walkway through the shaded woodland, cool and protected from the sun, but the tree was really nothing more than billed: a big tree, protected by a simple wooden fence. Just along the path another tree stood protected by a similar fence, the 'not quite so big tree' I guess.

We passed through Knysna on the coast where we enjoyed dramatic views high above the sea of the coastline and the lagoon around which this town is built. And we enjoyed a civilised lunch in a waterside restaurant in the town before continuing our westbound journey. Hills and mountains slipped by and I enjoyed the views between typing a statement for the Shamwari management about Friday night for them to take to the local police. Today was largely about making progress rather than stopping too often, and with the exception of the occasional few minutes at viewpoints we mostly saw South Africa slip by the van windows.

By the evening we had made it to Oudtshoorn, a quiet town at the moment but normally a busy backpacker destination with a few nearby points of interest. We stayed in a simple but character laden backpacking lodge - the only people staying here that night - and enjoyed a couple of beers and some pool before heading out into the deserted streets to find some dinner. Our first choice restaurant turned out to be closed that evening so we ended up in a more upmarket place near our lodge but still with - at least to me - reasonable prices. With squid and wine inside me, and then a final beer and game of pool on my return to the accommodation, it was then time to retire in readiness for a long day tomorrow.

14 September - Last Day

I awoke late with a sore head (my fault) and a sore jaw from the fracas at the bar last night (not really my fault...). It was set to be a quiet and slow day of recovering - and my last day as tomorrow I leave for Cape Town on a two day road trip. It’s a shame I will miss out on the camaraderie of the usual Monday farewell but I was offered to share a trip with two people who left Shamwari last week and it struck me that I would get to see a little more of the country so I leave on Sunday now, rather than Monday.

I passed the day quietly, updating staff on the incident last night, doing the unavoidable questionnaire about my time at Shamwari and catching up with one or two people still here at the weekend but who had left before last night's brawl and who of course wanted to hear all about it. The day passed in a haze as the hangover slowly wore off to be replaced by the soreness of last night's scuffle. By the evening I was ready to face a beer and a final game of Uno amidst farewells to those who were still around for the weekend. It was then time to finish my packing and settle in for my last night here at Shamwari.

13 September - Community Support

My proper last day. We started at 9am in the small classroom where first I gave my presentation (it seemed to go down well) and then Jo, an Australian, gave one on the pangolin (the scales of which are more trafficked than rhinoceros horn). Finally the staff gave one on animal capture, a practice required when animals need to be moved or medicated. After this we headed off to Alicedale for our weekly afternoon helping in the community. Today we returned to the crèche where I had worked in my first week in order to finish building the slide we had started then. An afternoon of sawing and nailing, concreting and varnishing and the job was done. We threw in a bit of playing with the children too for good measure before departing amid waves from the youngsters.

The rest of the afternoon was spent back at the lodge before it was time to head off for my last night in town. I had sorted a couple of taxi runs to the usual pub and everybody was going. By 8pm we were all there drinking and dancing and enjoying a fun time, almost the only people there for most of the evening. It all turned slightly sour towards the end when some late arriving Afrikaans hunters decided to take exception to two of the young guys in the group and then me when I stepped in to calm things but none of that took the gloss from a great night.

12 September - Road Maintenance (and Animals)

I awoke early and relaxed in peaceful solitude with a coffee in the comfortable communal room until others started drifting in for breakfast. This was to be my last day on the reserve as tomorrow is the day we work in the community. Today the plan was to head off to the Born Free Foundation for a look round before undertaking a bit of road maintenance and then heading back to the lodge for a couple of lectures, including mine. There are two Born Free sites here, one on the north and the other in the south and today a vehicle was going to each. Last time I made the visit it was to the north and fortunately today I ended up in the vehicle heading south so it was going to be at least a little new to me. We headed out with Jamie who was in a rush to try and meet the tight timescale for the day. She should be in a rush more often.

The first thing that fate threw at her as we headed on the track heading over the hill just outside the reserve was a pair of lions lazing a few yards off the route. A 'five-star' vehicle was already there so we should not really have stayed anyway but normally we can get away with a few moments. Jamie was torn between our appointment and the lions and our appointment won out so it was a few hurried photos as we headed past. But the fates had more in store and not long after, as we sped along the dirt track heading south, we came upon three male lions, strolling along without a care in the world. Five lions within twenty minutes and on the day we had a tight deadline. In this instance we could only slow down to a crawl and follow from behind as they ambled down the road; there was no alternative route at this stage and the ethos here is not to interact with the animals so keeping a distance was our only choice.

After ten minutes of following, the lions decided to break away and head into the bush so we rushed on to Born Free and made it just in time for our 9am visit. It was clear to me on arriving that, of the two sites, this is the one for visitors: while the north is functional with the compounds all lined up next to each other, this site had a neat car park, tidy thatched roof buildings and compounds that you get to by walking along tracks through high shrub. The reception video and information area are exactly the same but the environment is clearly more visitor focused.

We saw the lion graveyard where lions that had been rescued to see out their days in their own 'little piece of Africa' had ultimately done just that, little stone mounds individually named and overlooking the plain outside the foundation site. We saw two compounds with lions and heard from the enthusiastic woman guiding us the stories behind their arrival and of those that had been in the compounds before (most seem to come from Eastern Europe and, strangely, France). And we saw a leopard. This was the only big cat I had yet to see here. Large, powerful and graceful, there was something about this animal that seemed to have a sense of purpose and presence that even the lions lacked and it was a shame that I had to see one from a viewing platform overlooking a compound and not out in the reserve.

The visit over, we headed out under a darkening sky and the first drops of rain. Originally we were going to join the other group in the north who were now trying to finish the repairs on the road we had started two weeks ago but as the few drops turned into a fine drizzle it was decided we would join them and then all head back to the lodge for lunch followed by lectures. But by the time we caught up with them, parked up at a high point overlooking the valley below, the sun was out again so we enjoyed our lunch in the field instead and revived the plan to try and complete the road work.

By the time we got to the work site the sun was out and we spent a hot and sweaty couple of hours working on the track we had started some days back, filling the rut with more stones and more mud dug from the sides. It was then time to head quickly back for presentations and, with Jamie rushing to try to maintain the day's schedule, this is when the fates jumped in for the third time. On the main track heading back towards the lodge we encountered a herd of elephants wandering towards us and stopping to feed occasionally on the shrubs and trees along the roadside. This was a family group of mothers and youngsters, about twelve in all, and we were going nowhere.

We pulled off the road as best we could and sat and watched, engine off. There is something special about sitting watching animals with only the sounds of their breathing and eating for accompaniment; it seems so much more close and personal. For some time we sat there as they moved slowly towards us and then in single file, slowly passed the vehicle. A few sniffs from trunks, elephants throwing dust and dirt over their backs and the matriarch turning and peering at us through the open back of the vehicle, her face and eyes filling the gap between the seats and the roof, made the whole experience so much more intense and all only a few feet from us as we sat in silence and awe.

The family group safely behind us we headed off again, but not for long. We soon came upon a lone male who was clearly following the herd we had previously encountered and so once again had to stop until he had passed. By this time it was going to be too late to do the presentations as we got back to the lodge not long before dinner so they were postponed until tomorrow. That evening however we did all sit in the communal room, lounging on sofas and bean bags to watch a documentary on rhinoceros poaching that the rangers had on their itinerary for us; they even got the kitchen staff to provide popcorn. For me it was a one hour film crammed into two hours and reflected much of what I already now knew but it helped pass the evening before one last giant game of Uno and bed. Overall it wasn’t a bad last day on the reserve....

11 September - Night Drive

As usual I awoke early and headed to the common room for some solitude, tidied the glasses and bottles that the younger set had left after their late night (10pm!) and settled to write my diary in quiet peace and tidiness with only the noise of the birds outside to distract me.

Today we are going out on the fortnightly night drive to try and spot nocturnal animals so the day is disrupted somewhat. We are not heading out until 11am but I am up because I need to do more work on my presentation for tomorrow. I have chosen my subject because remember learning a little about medicinal plants on a jungle survival course while in Belize and I was fascinated at just how much use could made of what you could find.

Three hours later, and my presentation almost ready, we set off for the reserve. I sat in the front with Jamie the ranger so I could pick her brains a little and maybe also pick a few exhibits for my talk. We travelled slowly south in the reserve and had a good morning: we saw a lioness laying in the shade of the brush but at just the wrong angle for us to recognise her; we spotted two rhinoceros without horns that had been transported to Shamwari as the last two survivors from a high risk poaching area; and we saw an elephant watering himself down in a muddy water hole. We also spotted the usual zebra and antelope and quite a few leopard tortoises. It was then time for lunch which we again enjoyed at a high spot overlooking the hilly landscape before heading off on a slow drive to a nice seating area by a river where the pre night-drive barbecue takes place. We came across a group of five white rhinoceros and sat for several minutes watching and identifying them as they grazed, moving slowly

towards us and then right past our vehicle. Not long after we were parked watching a herd of impala and a lone baboon keeping lookout for the rest of his troop, which we could not see but were somewhere out there feeding in the shrub. Suddenly they all took off for no reason that we could discern. Looking down the hillside away from the direction of flight we caught glimpses of a lioness moving through the acacia bushes a hundred yards away. We headed down and followed her as she strolled purposefully out of the shrub and along the dirt road that parallels the river. Jamie reported the sighting and we continued to follow to keep an eye on her until the five-star vehicles could arrive for a viewing and we could continue to our barbecue. We tried to identify her but couldn’t. In the absence of obvious scarring or other marks, lions are identified by their whisker patterns; the top row pattern of whiskers for any lion is very distinctive. It’s harder than rhinoceros notches but far easier than tears in elephant ears and it does require a good view and ideally a photograph from the right angle - which is definitely not from behind.

We followed the lioness for about five minutes before she headed into the bush up a game track where we could not follow. Not long after another vehicle arrived and we headed off for our barbecue supper in readiness for the night drive.

At supper we were joined by five members of the Shamwari anti-poaching unit who patrol the reserve with the aim of protecting the rhinos. There is still a thriving trade in rhinoceros horn and earlier this year Shamwari lost a rhinoceros to poachers. They gave us a talk on their role and demonstration of their dog's ability to bring down intruders before it was time for us to head out to see what was out there in the darkness. It was an overcast evening and as a result so much warmer than last time I did this. We shone torches into the darkness from both sides of the vehicles, swinging them from side to side, but it was to be a disappointing evening. We saw a few hares, the occasional jackal, some antelope and giraffes but very little else and none of the bigger beasts we would like to have seen. I guess that’s just part of the game when looking for wild animals in one hundred square miles of bush and grass plain.

We returned to the lodge to find the other vehicle had not returned. An hour late they arrived with such a different story to tell: a sighting of an elusive black rhinoceros, elephants and giraffes and the two lionesses and their eight cubs - that I had seen in my first week but not since - playing together. One of the lionesses was also seen stalking a baby rhinoceros although the outcome of that was not known. What a contrast. But for me, so much better to see hardly anything in the wild than to see everything in a zoo...