Peter and Simon Hamilton
Edmonton - Canada
8 December 2006
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I met Peter and Simon (father and son) at the Breakwater Lodge and transferred them to Avanti Guesthouse. After becoming acquainted (which certainly was very easy to do with this duo) J we started out on a Winelands tour/township visit.
Simon and Peter at Plattekloof with Cape Town in the background
At the Afrikaans Language monument
We had a wonderful cheese lunch at Cotage Fromage
We moved on to the township of Kayamandi where the following pictures were taken
With the Masakhane dancers at the Ikamva Lethu Centre
Vivi says "Lets dance Dr.Hamilton!" J
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click here to see Peter and Simon dancing with the Masakhane dancers
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We visited Lily in her Kayamandi home where she told us her life story
The inimitable Lily!
Peter and Lily
With Lily, her family and friends in Lily's home
Having fun in Nosandile's shack home
Meeting up with friends in Zone J, Kayamandi
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click here to see Peter and Simon in the St.Pauls Church in Kayamandi
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After our visit to Kayamandi we returned home to Cape Town and visited the Africa Cafe for an amazing African meal and experience
Day 2
Peninsula tour
We started our day with a visit to the Kalk Bay harbour where I took the above picture of Peter and Simon with a local fisherwoman
In Kalkies restaurant
Outside Kalkies where we had a great fish and chips lunch
With Just Nuisance in Simonstown
At the penguin colony at Boulders Beach
At Cape Point
At the most south western point of Africa
On Chapmans Peak
Simon saying "goodbye cruel world" at Chapmans Peak J
After returning to Avanti we moved on to the Cattle Baron Restaurant for a great steak dinner
Day 3
Drive to the Wilderness
We started our 500 Km drive to the Wilderness by stopping in at the Peregrine farm stall near Caledon
In Swellendam in front of the Dutch Reformed Church
Simon relaxing on the balcony of Great White guesthouse in the Wilderness where we overnighted.
The evening view from the Great White guesthouse balcony
With our waiter outside of CC's in the Wilderness where we had dinner.
Day 4
Botlierskop, Wilderness, Sedgefield and Knysna
A morning picture of Peter and Simon taken from the lounge of the Great White guesthouse
We traveled to Botlierskop game reserve where Peter and Simon went on a safari.
Safari pictures
Simon caught this amazing picture of a giraffe sticking out his tongue by shooting the picture through his binoculars
We stopped in to watch the paragliders at the Map of Africa
At the Map of Africa in the Wilderness
Simon contemplates 18 jumbo oysters at the Oyster factory in Knysna J
At the Knysna Heads
After checking in at Overmeer we visited The Red Square for a great dinner.
Day 5
Plettenberg Bay, Natures Valley, Treetops and Tsitsikamma
We stopped in at Plettenberg Bay
I took this picture of father and son in Natures Valley
Simon and Peter then went on the Treetop Canopy
tour in the Tsitsikamma forest. The pictures below depict the experience
At the highest bungy jump in the world viz. The Bloukrans Bridge - Nobody volunteered to jump! J
Peter, Simon, Dell and Shawn from Firefly restaurant where we dined in the evening
Day 6
Travel to Oudtshoorn, Cango Caves and Mooiplaas
A last picture at Overmeer with the Knysna lagoon in the background
At the small round church on Belvedere
Simon enjoys the feel of elephant dung at the Scarab paper factory JJ
Watching how paper is made from Elephant dung at Scarab in Sedgefield
Simon in the Cango Caves
Peter in the Cango Caves
Seen in the Cango Caves
Please
click on the above picture to see Simon doing a zipslide at the Cango fun park
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Please
click on the above picture to see Peter doing a zipslide at the Cango fun park
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file if you do not have a broadband connection.
Simon having fun on a swing in the Cango fun park
A funny sign seen at the Cango fun park JJ
Simon relaxing at our place of stay in the Karroo viz. Mooiplaas
Peter relaxing at the Mooiplaas pool.
Enjoying an ostrich barbecue dinner with some of the other guests at Mooiplaas
Day 7
Swartberge and Meiringspoort
We started the day with a tour of the Mooiplaas ostrich farm which was conducted by Koos the guesthouse manager
We moved onto the Swartberg Mountains where the photos below were taken
We found that my previous Canadian tourgroup's Inukshuk had fallen over so as proud Canadians Simon and Peter proudly rebuilt an Inukshuk
The pride of Canada!!
Where is Simon in the picture above?
Simon appears JJ
Atop of the Swartberge
In the valley at the base of the Swartberge
Simon displays his Coke bottle of pure mountain river water.
On the typical Karroo golf course of Prince Alfred
In the museum at Prince Alfred
Please
click on the above picture to see Simon enjoying the Meiringspoort waterfall
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Please
click on the above picture to see Peter and Simon enjoying the Meiringspoort waterfall
Please do not download this 2Mb
file if you do not have a broadband connection.
Simon enjoying the Meiringspoort waterfall
Another Inukshuk was left behind for Canadian visitors to see at the Meiringspoort waterfall
We had a wonderful dinner at Jemimas to end off our stay in Oudtshoorn
Day 8
Sabrage
Outeniqua Powervan
George airport
Simon doing sabrage on the Mooiplaas lawns
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click here to see Simon performing sabrage
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In the Powervan at the George Railway museum
Travelling and touring with Peter and Simon was an absolute dream come true in terms of finding the perfect visitors. We had so much fun together while we explored the Cape Town and Garden Rolute region. We shared and enjoyed so much while we were in each others company and what was so important was that we also learnt so much from each other. This whole journey was a wonderful experience that is going to be very difficult to forget as it was so memorable as far as I, as well as I hope Peter and Simon, were concerned.
THANK YOU FOR ALL
PETER and SIMON
Another BIG THANK YOU to you for your wonderful and generous donation in support of the kids of Kayamandi
Received 26 January 2006
Selwyn,
As usual I am very slow to reply. As I sit here I am listening to
awesome jazz from a CD I bought in Capetown. The sound is inspiring and
uplifting yet it originates from Soweto in the 50's and 60's during the
height of the evils of apartheid. To think that someone could make such
beautiful music in the midst of all that sadness is a testimony to the
human spirit.
We had an awesome visit and for Simon and me the highlight of
our extended journey was the trip we did with you. For me it was like
going on a journey with a close friend. On top of that the trip to
Kayamandi was, as Simon says awesome, the cherry on top. I was truly
humbled by the graceful and inspiring people that I met. To see such
dignity and positive energy amongst the squalor was the one of the most
moving experiences of my life. The energy and joy expressed by all those
desperately poor children was something to behold. I learned a lot that
day. Having been there I desperately want South Africa to succeed.
The other awesome experience was the joy, friendliness and
absence of resentment on the behalf the black population towards their
white ex-oppressors. Ubuntu! Disappointing was the apparent lack of
contrition on the behalf of most of the whites I met. They seem to move
around in their walled palaces, eWalli, pretending that apartheid never
happened and if it did someone else was to blame. I even started hearing
apologists defending the legacy of apartheid and claiming that the
"whites were also victims".
How can you forgive someone that refuses to be forgiven? Can you have reconciliation without atonement? I hang my head in shame as I stood idly by and let it all happen.
In closing I want to thank you for the camaraderie and all the joyous moments you created for us. Your boundless energy and knowledge
for a land that you love was exhilarating. The compassion and genuine
concern you showed towards you poorer off fellow citizens was
impressive. South Africa needs people like you to sow the seeds of
reconciliation and to help bring the new South Africa to fruition.
A special thank you for being so good to my son Simon.
Regards
Peter Hamilton.