Oudstshororn - the Ostrich capital of the world

Friday, March 16, 2007
Oudtshoorn, Western Cape, South Africa
My attempts at paragliding in Wilderness failed as there was no wind, so I never got to go. After Wilderness I went to Oudtshoorn which is the Ostrich capital of the world (I ate one for breakfast)! Upon arrival I visited the wildlife sanctuary that they have there. The best part of the sanctuary is the cheetah conservation centre. They have various big cats there, including a really beautiful Jaguar and a white tiger. I got to go in and play with the cheetahs which was good fun. They were purring so loudly and you could feel them vibrating as you touched them. There were two of them and they kept fighting between themselves for my attention which was a bit intense! I spent the following day exploring the Cango Caves, which was really good. My photos didn't come out too well so there are lots on ringo that will just look like pictures of the dark! I enjoyed the day, but there was some pretty small holes and gaps to squeeze through and I'm not quite sure how some people in my group managed to get through as I was struggling sometimes.

After my brief stay in Oudtshoorn I headed to Cape Town. I met back up with my mate Chris so it was good to see him again. So far I have been to the Cape of Good Hope and the Peninsula (I even did a bit of biking here), seen the African penguins that have a beach all to themselves, been to the planetarium (twice!) and the museums, visited the markets, witnessed various muggings, taken a tour on Robben Island and been out a hell of a lot and spent far too much! My plans before I go home are to climb and abseil Table Mountain, visit some wine regions and go diving with great whites, but time isn't on my side as I leave early on Thursday.

Chris has gone home now, but tomorrow the two other guys I met in Mozambique and traveled with will be arriving. It's crazy as I keep on bumping into people that I have met along the way. Tonight was insane - it's St Patrick's Day and Ireland won the cricket (I actually watched the end of the match and secretly enjoyed it)! Cape Town is going crazy, but I have come back to the hostel now. Trouble is there is an Irish pub right over the road so I can't sleep - hence I'm online! There's also a fire raging through a nearby forest that seems to be in control now, but has been going for about 9 hours already. Helicopters were flying overhead with buckets of water that seemed to do nothing.

I probably won't write agan until I get back to England. Would be lovely to hear back from you all and see what you're doing these days. I'll be back in Telford for a short while after I've stayed in London for a couple of days, so no doubt I'll be out at the weekend. I think a visit to Sheffield is in order too, especially once Rees gets back from Afghanistan, so I'll see most of you really soon anyway,

Vicki. x

For photo highlights of Wilderness and Oudtshoorn:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1567&l=44b6d&id=507899698

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