2015 has started off wonderfully here at Ticket to Ride in South Africa. After a just week the group is already tightly knit and have bonded so well, all eager and excited for the journey ahead. We were all well acquainted on the opening evening when Chris Bond and Linley Lewis got a fire going for the group and gave them their first taste of a traditional South African Braai (Barbecue). The next morning we went straight into the surf lessons and the guys got their first taste of what lies ahead for them over the next 10-13 weeks.
Cape Town is one of the favourite stops amongst the Ticket to Ride riders as it really is a beautiful place with so much to see and experience. We first visited the Hout Bay Market where the group got to experience a bit of local culture and enjoy a tasty lunch in a beautiful setting which ended off with a drive around the iconic Chapmans Peak, overlooking the beautiful bay surrounded by mountains. One of these mountains is the well known ‘Sentinal’, it is especially well known in the local and international surfing community as it over-looks South Africa’s best known big-wave spot, Dungeons.
We also spent a day driving through to the nearby Kalk Bay harbour where the group had lunch at the famous Kalky’s restaurant that serves fresh fish caught by the local fisherman. From there we headed to one of our most anticipated destinations whilst in Cape Town, Boulders Beach. It is well known as it hosts one of the largest African Penguin colonies on some of the most beautiful and pristine beaches in Cape Town. The guys enjoyed the afternoon mingling with our feathery friends in and out the water, sun-bathing, rock jumping and swimming.
Even though it is Summer in South Africa we have been blessed with some consistent swell and excellent surfing conditions. We had a big swell hit the coastline and decided to drive through and have a look at Sunsets, another Big-Wave spot in Cape Town near Kommetjie (Home to some of the countries best surfers) the group was in awe with what they witnessed and had a thousand questions for Cape Town trip leader Cameron Gouws who himself is a Kommetjie local and big wave charger at Sunsets.
The group has progressed a lot in just a week here in Muizenberg and everybody is progressing nicely, we have had great learning conditions so far and this has assisted the group immensely as they were able to catch plenty of waves and really work on their techniques. Fitness is a big part of surfing and after a few days of just surfing we took a day off to head up to the Silvermine Nature Reserve to do some swim training in the reservoir. After the hard work we all enjoyed a leisurely picnic and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in the sun surrounded by the beauty of the reserve.
This is just the beginning of another great Ticket to Ride trip with so much to still look forward to, keep your eyes peeled for more to come soon 🙂
Luke Geldenhuys
Blurb
Cape Town sets the bar high for the next 9 weeks in South Africa, surfing our way along the coastline.