Afrique Du Sud Backpackers Website

Afrique Du Sud backpackers has a new website. After many years of using the free hosting service offered by Mweb, Afrique Du Sud Backpackers has taken the plunge and registered their own domain. I did the site update for them using a template from Styleshout.

Site Summary for www.afriquedusudbackpackers.co.za

• Home Afrique du Sud is the best-positioned seaside backpacker lodge/hostel in Cape Town. It nestles comfortably between the Atlantic Ocean and Lion's Head.
• Accommodation and Facilities Position, position, position - close to the sea and Olympic size seawater swimming pool. Only a short bus ride to Waterfront and city as well as famous Camps Bay and Clifton beaches.
• Cape Town Backpacker Tours Afrique du Sud Backpackers has a up-to-date, well organised and informed tour desk that will be able to help you with any adventure you might want to go on.
• Cape Town Backpacker Information Backpacker Information on the cable car, tablemountain, Cape Point, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Robben Island, The Company's Garden, Constantia Vineyards, Boulders Beach, Chapman's Peak Drive, Beaches and the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront.
• Contact and booking information page Online bookings
• Resources on the web What Afrique Du Sud Backpackers has found out and about on the web for you.
• Book a Southern African Hostel Secure online bookings provided by hostelworld...

Fiat Strada 1.6 ELX Review

Fiat Strada 1.6 ELX

So I took the plunge and took ownership of the newest car I have ever owned. Whilst shopping for the bakkie there where three different options. The Opal Corsa Utility, the Ford Bantam or the Fiat Strada. I didn’t even consider the VW Citi pick-up or the Datsan 1400 (sorry Nissan). I wanted a vehicle designed after 1980.

After a lot of umm-ing and ah-ing I decided to go the Strada Route. What did it for me were the longer service intervals (20 000km’s), the value for money and the derrière (I still cannot get used to the Opal’s gangster-rapper booty). Logically the Opal Corsa utility would probably have been the safest bet given its perceived reliability and build quality. They say you have to own (and ride) an Italian at least once. This is my chance.

So here is what I bought. Fiat Strada 2007, 1.6 ELX with 32 000km’s on the clock. One previous owner (or that’s what the salesman said at least).

First impressions

The bakkie is incredibly smooth and quiet. I had gotten quite accustomed to my noisy, cranky and difficult CITI Golf 1600 (300 000 plus kms on the clock - it can be forgiven). The Strada cabin is rattle free on all road surfaces and at all speeds. It’s still a novelty for me to be able to converse at normal volumes driving at 120 on the highway. What does help is the air-conditioning and the fact that for the most part the windows stay up. Another upshot of the air-conditioning and the closed windows is less pleading at the window by every robot beggar and/or coat hanger salesman.

On a negative note the quality of the materials used on the dashboard and those used for the switches are definitely of the cheap and nasty type. I can foresee in a few years a visit to the breaker yards hunting for second hand switches to replace those that have not stood up to the rigors of everyday use. As for “classy/sporty” silver center consol, you are more likely to find a “classy/sporty” Rosettenville hooker… The consol is cheap. Finsh and klaar...

Sitting in the Strada

Ergonomically the interior is fine. The seats are comfortable (though not easy to adjust) and the steering wheel can be adjusted for height (not reach). The stalks have a positive action and feel like they will last the distance. Behind the passenger seat is where the full size spare wheel can be found. Underneath the seat I have managed to fit what I consider travel essentials: warning triangle, jumper cables, tow rope, basic first aid kit and lastly but never to be forgotten – tool-in-a-can spray… Behind the front seat is where the jack and basic tool kit is strapped to the floorboard. What is nice is that there is enough space behind the driver seat to stow either a laptop or a small weekend tog bag. When the seat is back in the driving position those items cannot be seen from the exterior of the bakkie. Less chance of a smash and grab temptation for would be thieves. The dashboard does however lack nice hidey-holes for other nick-nacks like minister Manual’s damned logbook. Also how difficult can it be to design a dashboard with cup holders without breaking the budget. A simple four-centimeter deep cup/can size holes will do!

Driving

The engine is quiet and never sounds like it is going to be ripping up the tarmac anytime soon. This vehicle was designed as a workhorse – not a racer. The 1600 engine has enough power to keep the vehicle going with relative ease. If you want to move things along a bit then you definitely need to move the revs over 3000. Between 3500 and 6000 the engine has a lot of pull and inspires confidence. After 6000 it starts sounding strained and a gear change is an order. Gear changes are smooth with a nice light clutch action. I did manage to scrape the bakkie into reverse a few times. The owners manual suggests waiting two seconds before engaging reverse, using their guideline I have not scraped the reverse gear since.

The Fiat Strada has power steering, which is wonderful in city traffic and for parking. Out on the open road I miss the lively feedback that I got from the Citi Golf steering wheel. I could always feel how much grip was available and when those grip levels where being lost. With the Strada it’s more a case of part faith and closely watching the nose for any clues as to front wheel grip.

On the road handling

I have found the handling to be very good for a bakkie. The Strada handles better with a half load on the back (+- 325 kg’s). Its sits tight on the road and never feels like it is straying off line. With an empty load it certainly feels twitchier, particularly on rutted dirt roads. I recently drove the Outeniqua pass with a half load and was impressed with the Strada’s cornering and braking ability. With my old Citi Golf I would definitely have cooked the brakes going at the same pace down the pass.

Instrument Accuracy

I have been disappointed by the error rate in the speedometer and the trip meter. According to my GPS when the speedo says 120km/h I am actually traveling at 107km/h, at 60km/h, true speed is 55km/h. I know they design a certain error margin into the speedo but the margin on the Strada seems too high. The trip meter also over reads. When it says you have traveled 100km you have in reality traveled 94km etc… Not good for calculating consumption figures or when people give directions that require accurate distance measurement. So far the fuel gauge has been spot on. Every time the fuel light comes on I fill up to the first click and it takes +-50 litres. My worst figures for the 50l were 550kms with the best being 650kms. The air-conditioning eats a lot of fuel in the city but hardly makes a difference on the open road. I have gotten into the habit of turning the aircon off when I overtake on uphills. The difference in power is tangible.

Overall Impressions

I am happy so far. I am holding my breathe for the 40 000km service as Fiat’s service reputation proceeds it. I am also a little dubious of the quality of some of the cabin finishes. I am however confident in the engine/gearbox/chassis combination. It feels right. Time will tell with this Italian (or is that a Brazilian of Italian descent).

Backpacking South Africa

Alternative Route has been busy out on the web designing and releasing a new management site for Alternative Route clients. Backpacker Information is a dual site that showcases the work done under the "Mkoya Travel Marketing" banner and also allows Alternative Route clients to upload and modify information for their adverts in the Alternative Route Travel Guide. Of course travellers can also visit the site and make use of the Travel Guide. Also out on the web the Backpacking South Africa site has been updated using the Moola Magic website as a base. Unfortunately the site is beyond our control now so there are some things we would have done differently regarding the moving of the site (301 redirects etc...). All in all though the site is a huge improvement over what was there before. I am interested to see how the search engines and the viewing public take to the site. The design intention was to keep everything quick, easy and smooth. We are busy with the design and layout for the next edition of Alternative Route Backpackers Guide which will be released and distributed in December and the very early part of January. For the first time we will be coming out with one edition a year and will be printing +-15 000 more books.

Unexplained traffic

For some reason Google has favoured the Alternative Route sister site South African Backpackers and the traffic on the site has quadrupled in the last two weeks. Why this has happened is a mystery to me. SA Backpackers was the first site I built in 2001 and in the beginning of Alternative Route SA Backpackers provided all the website traffic.

Public Transport in South Africa

For the first time in many years I am taking public transport on a long distance trip.

<strong>First Impression</strong> - The bus was late!

<strong>Second Impression</strong> - Hey the view from up here is awesome... The seats relatively comfortable and the fact that I am not driving is a relief.

Whales in False Bay

Yesterday I went for a drive with Sadia to Kalk Bay to pick-up the post and get my weekly Olympia cafe croissant & coffee fix.On the way there we had already spotted some whales in the bay near Muizenberg. Close into the shore they were probably as close as 100m from the rocks.

The whales spotted in the bay are mainly the Southern Right Whale. On the way back we went up Boyes drive and stopped at the shark spotter viewpoint. Have a look at the Shark Spotters website for more information.

The Shark spotters viewpoint is always a good place to stop if you want the lowdown on marine movement in the bay. It was a good day as we spotted three different groups of whales in the bay. Kenneth from Simonstown Backpackers has the fortune of watching the whales daily from the balcony at the backpackers.

77 dead dogs, 3 dead cats, 1 dead cow, 1 dead goat but the sheep w ere lucky

On the road again... This is a serious quick trip around the country. I left Cape Town on Thursday. 3 days later and I find myself in Port Edward at Ku-Boboyi. Today was a heavy day driving through the old Transkei (an old homeland or Bantustan) - no fences and many stray animals. Thus slow speeds.

All the dead animals got depressing in the end. Normally I would do this stretch over 2 days, I think the break in the trip would soften the site of so many flattened animals...

Lesotho

I always enjoy arriving in Lesotho. From the moment a person steps onto Lesotho soil the pace of life slows a little and the prevailing tensions and undercurrents of South Africa disappear. Traveling into South Africa's neighbouring countries gives me a chance to be a foreign tourist again instead of a South African traveling on business through my own country.

Lesotho is a poor country that sits as an island surrounded by its bigger more wealthy neighbour - South Africa. Lesotho's relative lack of natural resources has ironically spared it some of the violent history of South Africa. It can be guaranteed that had diamonds or gold been found in Lesotho 150 years ago it would have been swallowed first by the british and then by the union of South Africa. Part of what makes Lesotho unique from the perspective of its neighbour is the fact that the territory was never conquered in the same way that say the Zulu and the Xhosa territories were conquered. When Lesotho became a protectorate of Britain it was more a case of opportunism instead of conquest that drove its decision to become a protectorate. Lesotho needed a big brother to protect itself from the expansionist boers and the british provided the needed protection.

Travelers cannot help but notice the soil erosion that affects the farming areas of the countryside. Huge dongas are carved out by water as parts of Lesotho quickly lose some of its most valuable topsoil. I was always thought in school (during the days of Apartheid in an all white school) that this was due to bad farming practice and ignorance on the part of the uneducated masses. What was not mentioned in my schooling was that the Basotho lost huge tracts of arable farming land to the expansionist boers thus forcing the basotho to farm on land that is not suited to agriculture. Post 1994 there have been rumblings from Lesotho that they would like some of their stolen lands back. The South African government is intransigent on this matter. What has been happening though is that wealthy basotho farmers are starting to buy up the land bordering on Lesotho.

What I also find interesting traveling through Lesotho is the influence of the Roman Catholic Church. All the statues of Caucasian Jesus and Marie's seems a little out of place in the middle of Africa. They do however make great backdrops against the mountains.. I think someone should invent an African Jesus. Maybe even a Jewish Jesus!

My first stop was Malealea. I arrived relatively early and took the opportunity to relax a bit. There was a whole lot of kids on the property receiving shoes from a dutch charity organisation. It was great to see all the kids lined up excitedly getting their new shoes. Chatting to Di, the owner of Malealea, Di mentioned that the shoe handout is a annual ongoing program.

At sunset I moved on down to the mini amphitheatre to watch the Malealea Choir and Band. Check out my YouTube video... Any comments would be appreciated.

After a hearty meal prepared by mama Dora I settled in the bar to watch the South Africa/Sri Lanka cricket match. The match was painful and right at the crucial moment of the game the power generator went down and Malealea was plunged into darkness. The next day when I was back within cell phone reception I sms'd the office to get the final result.

In the morning I packed up early and made my way to my next stop in Lesotho - Semonkong. Along the way i stopped in for a cup of coffee at Morija Guest House. Lebaka is a great host. If you stay there try and have a look at the wonderful blanket trunks that they have in each room - they are wonderfully colourful examples of chic-kitch religious iconography (yes - try say that last phase 10 times in a row)... For a nice description of Morija town check out this address: http://www.morijaguesthouses.com/about.html

The road to semonkong is one of my favourite drives around Southern Africa. The road is a big climb that start in Maseru and goes through the university town of Roma up into the mountains and down to the town of Semonkong. The altitude at the highest point of the drive is 2800m above sea level before you drop down to 2400m at Semonkong. Have a look out for the Semonkong lodge signs along the way.. Also be on the look out for 'perky breast mountains' - you cant miss them. FLICK PICTURE of the road to Semonkong..

I pulled into town and headed straight to the Semonkong Lodge & Pony trekking Centre. I had an interesting discussion with Johanathan and Armelle the owners of Semonkong about tourists that come to Lesotho and give the kids sweets. Any where that you drive in Lesotho kids will come to the side of the road, hold out their hands and yell sweets (repeatedly). Johanathan has a good point when he mentions that in most western societies we are taught from the time we can start communicating and comprehending that we should not accept sweets from strangers. Then we grow up and teach our own kids the same thing. Why is it then that westerners that travel through Africa think that all of a sudden its all right to give sweets to African children. Of course this is indicative of the old colonial mindset that we (the white people) are trustworthy and can safely be considered the guardians of the natives.. Little thought is given to the fact that these kids that we give these western gifts to have no access to any reliable form of dental care let alone primary health care. The sugar in sweets also robs these little bodies of much needed vitamins and minerals further adding woe to the health of their lives. Another thought worth considering is to imagine that you were not in rural Africa and that you were in a westernised city. How would the general populace view a person who stands outside the school gate giving out sweets? Chances are you will at some stage be questioned about your activities with whisperings that you might be a potential pedophile. Yet tourist think its fine to give sweets to african kids.. Have a look at the Semonkong FAQ page.

Talking of kids and cultural differences..Clowns without borders were staying at Semonkong for the night. Armelle had manages to go see one of the performances they had given at a schools and was impressed with the fact that humour can be such an universal common factor between people of such different cultural upbringings. The performances went down well.

The next morning I made my back to South Africa and on to Johannesburg through the Free State.. I was sad to leave Lesotho again.