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Monday 4 August 2008

Southernmost tip of Africa

A short stop at Agulhas cape, the southernmost point of Africa. Not a lot of things to do except taking pictures, scratching the sand to collect shells or visiting the former lighthouse which has pride of place over the rocky peninsula.

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We leave again towards Gansbaai where we've taken an appointment with the great white sharks. En route, we cross a couple of whales which associate with the cold waters of this place. Calm and serene contemplation before the great dive among the sharks which is planned for tomorrow....

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Sunday 3 August 2008

too short sojourn at Tsitsikamma

the trip nearly ends and despite all the gorgeous landscapes we saw for these almost 2 months, the insatiable desire to want more, to go and meet unknown lands is still itching. And during this African escapade, one of the elements we involuntarily disregarded was the hiking. Essential component to live at the pace of the nature and the people we meet on the way and we call out to share a slice of life.
The otter trail in the Tsitsikamma national park- a 5-day coastal trek – in some way gives us a few regrets. We only walk 3 hours on this track and feel the urge to go more ahead. In the ocean, down below, a colony of dolphins play with the shapely waves. Rare appearances of humpback whales force the stop ; we admire their mighty jets of water which split the surface. They go back and forth with caring little about the onlookers sitting on the rocks. Onlookers we'll remain until we're back at the car park.

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After the coastal landscapes, we head for the Bloukrans bridge. An ordinary bridge thousands of vehicles take every day. But underneath the road activity, between 2 blocks of reinforced concrete, the bridge has its hour of glory. A world title at stake, the one of highest bungy jump in the world. 216 m of pure adrenalin.
The approach, with the sensation to have the feet in space, depicts the background. Then we arrive on a large concreted platform. Guardrails surround all the area except in one place... Shortcut to join the bottom of the valley. The wait seems interminable and somehow stressful looking at the face of the other harness-equipped mad people. That's my turn. The staff kits me out and put me at the edge of the parapet, with the toes beyond. It's high... Very high. Masochistic feeling of paying too much to be in this awkward position. The arms held-out, short of breath and the look towards the horizon. I throw myself. The drop seems endless, maximum rush of adrenalin. A few unique seconds of indescribable joy.

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Wednesday 21 November 2007

Visual hunt of the sperm whales in Kaikoura

The car is nice this morning. Our calves relax while we leave the distorted land of the middle of the southern island. Towards the beach and the Kaikoura peninsula. Talk about it to the whales lovers, they'll know what it is about.

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A few kilometers away from the coast, a great fault dips the sounder waves more than 1000m deep. A depth where the abyssal creatures swim in a black and silent world. A dark and unknown world which keeps the greatest legends going.
A boat agency has the monopoly on the cetacean watching and on the price too. Through a sonar, they pinpoint the sea mammals and then, head towards the echo. A spray of water pops out the vast blue expanse and like kids, we dash towards the balustrades to watch the beast. A smooth and shining hump goes beyond the ocean surface. The giant of the sea stores cubic meters of air for half an hour. Then, its powerful tail rises and the animal dives for several hours. We'll see three sperm whales with the same emotion.
On the way back, dolphins swim close to us and play with stem of the boat. Some of them jump off into the air before returning to the pack. Everybody is on the deck and hounds the fleeting appearance of the bottle-snouted animals.
The dolphins swim away and we get in the pier. After this fascinating interlude, we walk again on the terra firma.

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