South Africa

Getting mobile ...

Due to the almost not existing public transport system here in SA, the upcoming winter and diverse security issues, I thought it might be the time to get a car. :) Therefore, I went with Bridget to Lakeside in Cape Town last weekend to have a test drive with the car of Bridgets friend Carmen. She will sell the car and after the test drive I made the decision to go for the car. So it seems that I´ll be a car owner next week and that I can start to explore a bit more of the Cape by myself. :)

After the test drive and so on, Bridget showed me a bit more of Cape Town and we stopped at the Waterfront to walk a bit around and to have some lunch. Sadly, the weather was too bad at this day to have more outdoor activities and so we decided to go to the Two Oceans Aquarium. The aquarium is really nice and you get a good impression of the underwater life in the oceans bordering SA.

I spent the last two days again at the Fynbos course. At Monday, we went to the Elandsberg nature reserve were we learned several new stuff about the Renosterveld (a vegetation type of the Cape Floristic Region dominated by Elytropappus rhinocerotis or Renosterbos / Rhinoceros bush). It´s sooo amazing ... at the first view you think that this vegetation looks more or less pretty "boring" because you can see only some shrubs but when you look in more detail, there are sooooo many species growing between and under the shrubs!! Within our 25x25m plot, we found 70 species ... and we don´t have the rain season, yet ... that means you can´t see all the geophytes which are also there. Today, we went to the Karoo desert botanical garden in Worcester were we had an introduction to the succulent karoo. Again: it is sooo excitng to see the diversity of all these plant species ... great!!

The car ... VW Polo Playa ... and please note: It is not white!!! :) (somehow the most cars here in SA are white ... quite boring ... isn´t it?)

Waterfront in Cape Town

at the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town

at the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town (search the seahorse)

at the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town

Fynbos course (3rd day) ... Elandsberg nature reserve ... Renosterveld vegetation

Fynbos course (3rd day) ... Elandsberg nature reserve ... lets start with the work