Most of the long-term guests of the hostel are moaning about the exceptionally wind- and wave-less season. December and January haven’t had much to offer for all those skilled wind- and kitesurfers, that come to Cape Town for 20+ knots and 3+ metres waves. For myself it’s been pretty alright, given that I would not yet go out with waves above 3 metres. Once they do become too big I can go to the Rietvlei lake of Cape Town or to the beautiful lagoon of Langebaan to enjoy some flat water.
That said we have already had a few days with no wind or just enough wind for the kite surfers but not for us wind surfers. Fortunately the countryside around the cape of good hope is stunningly beautiful with green mountains above 1000m, winding roads, plenty of dirt tracks and thousands of hiking paths through jungle like forests with lots of baboons and grassy highlands. And from everywhere you seem to have a gorgeous view of the coastal villages, the white beaches, the valley of False Bay, the wine fields or Cape Town itself.
I have only seen a fraction so far, drove along the Chapman’s Peak Scenic Road, climbed the famous Tafelberg twice, descended by the Kirstenbosch botanical garden, rode mountainbikes over well shaped tracks in the Tokai forest and discovered hidden windsurf beaches near the cape. Whatever I did, I was impressed by the beauty of the countryside that shows a big contrast to the rather dry backcountry of South Africa.
Other activities I have done include a golf driving ranch, an indoor climbing centre on the only rainy day we had so far, reading, chatting, cooking and table football at the hostel and of course lots of paddling/wave surfing.
Of course there’s a lot more to discover in South Africa. Safaris, hiking in the national parks, the garden route, the south coast towards Port Elizabeth and Durban, Lesotho and Swaziland and of course Jo’burg. A country with diverse cultures and a complicated history. But I won’t see any of this. I’m not trying to excuse myself, it’s the choice I’ve taken, to set my focus entirely on surfing. But for sure there’s a lot to come back for, not only the fabulous water sports!