South Africa: Oudtshoorn (Monday 03Dec12)

Oh my word! What a day! I was up at 7am without an alarm. I packed up the car again, had breakfast and headed towards the Cango Caves. I had a lot to fit in today and I am pleased to report that I got it all done. It also helped that it was a lovely sunny day again.

My first stop on route was the Cango Ostrich Farm where I did a tour of the farm with three Johannesburg lads and a group of Kiwi guys. We had a talk on what the ostriches were farmed for, the history of Oudtshoorn and the farming process. I didn’t realise that so much of the bird was used. Not only are the feathers and the meat, but the eggs and the skin which is used to make very expensive leather. We were all allowed to hold an egg which I have to admit was heavy and then we were allowed to have a look at the new hatchlings in the incubators. They were so cute. It was only after having an omelet that morning made of ostrich egg did I discover just how high in cholesterol they are which makes no sense as the meat is really low in fat. Our guide allowed a couple of the guys to touch one of the tamer birds. One of the boys got a surprise when the guide got the ostrich to plant a kiss on his face. It did make me giggle. We when walked round a few of the pens until we got to the riding pen. Four of us were allowed to ride an ostrich as long as we were under eleven stone. It was only me and one of the Kiwi lads that volunteered. I lasted all of about 10 seconds before I fell off but it was fun. We were then allowed to feed them. Our guide made me put a jacket on, gave me a big tub of pellets to hold against my chest, and then backed me against the ostrich pen. She called it an ostrich massage, I had beaks and necks all around me, and I couldn’t see a thing. It was well worth a visit.

It was then on to Cango Caves where I bumped into the Johannesburg lads again. They had also signed up to do the Adventure Tour. I have to admit when our guide starting to explain what we would have to go through, like “Devils Chimney” and “The Coffin” I was beginning to wish I had chosen the easy tour. However, it wasn’t as bad as he made out. The only thing that did surprise me was how hot it got down there. The whole group was sweating and our clothes were wet from perspiration and the water from the rocks as we slid through certain parts of the tunnel. The first two big chambers were really impressive with all the rock formations, stalagmites and stalactites. The chambers were so big that they used to hold concerts in them.

My next adventure was at Cango Wildlife Range where I had promised myself to give crocodile cage diving a go. I paid my entry fee at the gate and then headed straight for the crocodile pen. I was a lot more worried about breathing underwater and the goggles than what I was about the crocs but once I the first one slipped into the water I must admit I was a bit scared. There was a shout from above to look to my left. I had all three crocodiles round the cage. They look big when you look at them from the top of the water but when you look at them from underneath you really get to see how big they really are. Those teeth and claws! I’m so glad I didn’t do the guided tour until after I had done my dive as I learnt the true power of a crocodiles jaw. I didn’t hang around for all of the tour as it was back to seeing animals in cages. After what I have seen in the last few months I didn’t really want to see cats locked up in pens so I collected my diving photos and left.

On my way here to Mossel Bay I stopped at the Klein Karoo Ostrich feather factory shop where I brought myself an ostrich feather bolero. The ride to Mossel Bay wasn’t too long and I have booked into a Guest House called Bar-T-Nique for the night. I had a tried Kingklip tonight which is a white fish. It was really nice. I’m so tired after today’s events though.

Cango Ostrich Farm