On the way to Oudtshoorn which is about 80 km inland from Mussel Bay, we stopped at one of the many ostrich farms in the area. South Africa produces about 90% of the world's supply and this area has been the ostrich farming centre for some 150 years. We toured the Highgate farm learning that ostrich lives for over 50 years, laying in captivity about fifty eggs a year each weighing around 1.2 kg. Every part of the bird is used, the feathers for dusters (and striptease!), the skin for handbags and the flesh is a cross between white and red meat.

We stayed the night at the Kannaland Lodge one of the numerous cheap but good-value B&B hotels which have rapidly emerged all over South Africa since "D" Day.

We continue to move west through several mountain passes, the most spectacular being the Seweweekspoort which goes through a deep valley in the Klien-Swirtberge mountains. This pass is world famous for having spectacular rock layers in numerous colours which have been contorted in every direction by earth's movements millions of years ago, some of the layers rise vertically while others almost form a complete circle. We had lunch in the village of Matjiesfontein which for about 150 years many of the rich and famous would stay in search of quiet.

At this time of the year, the roadside through the mountains is ablaze with wildflowers of every colour, particularly vivid oranges and purples. We traversed the Waboomsberge mountains via the Rooihoogtepas to cross into the Koo Valley which is a rich fruit-growing area and marks the beginning of the wine route which we start to explore tomorrow! It is a very wide flat valley which is covered in vines and fruit trees, many of which are in blossom with colours ranging from white to beautiful lilac.

We are staying for three nights at The Grand Hotel in Robertson which is one of South Africa's more famous wine regions. The town is surrounded by the Langeberg mountains and at this time of year, some of the peaks which rise to 2,500mts are snow-covered.

A local farmer runs tractors trips from his farm in the valley to a hiker's lodge located on the mountaintop. It involves very steep climbs along torturously narrow paths with shear drops at many points. George took the opportunity to walk up some way hoping that his heart would appreciate the exercise! We stopped at various points to enjoy the breathtaking views as well as to take a close look at the protea (the national flower of SA) that grows wild on the mountainside. We also enjoyed soaking up the sun at the hiking lodge as well as a glass of the local muscadel.

Some rural parts of SA stick to the tradition of shops closing from lunchtime on Saturday and reopening Monday morning, Sundays are days of rest and church going. We spent the day at the Avalon Springs Hotel in Montagu which is a timeshare resort located on a spa spring, nestling at the closed end of a rocky valley. The weather was perfect without a cloud in the sky and the spa water in the various pools ranges from a pleasant 25C to 35C. A delightful day.

Continuing our journey west we arrived in the town of Strand where we are staying at the Strand Pavilion timeshare resort. It is located on the beach and our apartment has a lovely view over the bay and mountains which today are topped with white clouds. During the route, we went through the famous Stellenbosch wine area which is located in a very wide flat valley which is full of vineyards and fruit orchards. We also had our first distant view of Table Top mountain which today had its tablecloth on!

We explored on foot much of Sea Point's beachfront in the morning and then Doug and Ivy surprised us by announcing that they had tickets for all of us to see the matinee performance of the Les Miserables musical. Stig Rossen was excellent in the role of Jean Valjean as was Richard Kinsley as Javert. The scenery and props were extremely elaborate, particularly the student's barricade. It was an excellent presentation which we both thoroughly enjoyed, after which we went to The Waterfront in Cape Town which being Saturday evening was milling with thousands of tourists, after some window shopping we had a pleasant Chinese meal overlooking the harbour.

After an early morning walk, we initially drove along the western edge of the Cape peninsular which has a rocky mountainous coastline, the road barely hangs onto the side of the mountain with long vertical drops to the sea below. The road over Chapman's peak was completed in 1922 and is regarded as one of the world's most spectacular marine drives cut into the cliffs, having dramatic views over Cape Town as well as several fine beaches along its 11km route.

We then crossed to the eastern side of the peninsular to Simon's Town where en route we watched about 5,000 walkers taking part in a charity event, after which we strolled to Bolder Beach which is home to a colony of Jackass penguins. Jackass penguins are much smaller than King penguins and also appear a little clumsy on land, however, when in the water they are jet-propelled and can turn with amazing speed.

Moving further south we drove to Cape Point after entering the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. Cape Point has a lighthouse on top of a high peak and marks the western edge of Africa before ships can continue their easterly journey. Somewhat like Lands End, there is very little at Cape Point but it attracts large numbers of tourists all wishing to see where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet.

We then moved 3 km west to The Cape of Good Hope which is the most south-westerly point in Africa where we came across a British lorry with about 24 Brits on board. Many similar vehicles drive the 6,000 or so miles from the UK through to the tip of South Africa and back again in about six months, camping outside or living inside canvas-sided vehicles as weather or the local terrain permits.

Took the cable car to the top of Table Mountain which provides magnificent views of all points of the compass. We had to queue for two hours as each of the two cable cars only take twenty-five passengers at a time and to our annoyance pre-booked coaches were taking priority. The weather was ideal being warm and calm which contrasted strongly to yesterday when it was very windy and the mountain was covered in clouds. The top is a rocky relatively flat area which can be walked around in about 40 minutes, but with so many different views it takes a lot longer. Doug cooked the evening meal again which was excellent, he certainly is a good cook.