September and October 2004.
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Saturday 25th Sept. 2004.
The morning starts raining but then slowly clears up to a sunny afternoon.
The town is into the full Whale Festival swing - with my backpackers lodge and every other accommodation bed being taken – there are 50 beds here at Hermanus Backpackers, all taken and I have never seen it so busy. Makes for a lot of fun as you are always bumping into someone new and friendly – and the evening Braai & pool matches in the bar have become legendary for their good spirited competitions.
Spend a few days wondering around the festival with its many craft stalls, mobile sound systems blasting out all sorts of sounds – eat your heart out Notting Hill !!!!! Theres loads of roads closed off and every single piece of available land in the small town centre has suddenly been turned into a temporary car park. The Capetownians have arrived and have totally taken over the place.
I discover that there are some new restaurants and bars, since i was here last (Jan. 2004) – theres an extremely trendy new bar called Shimmis with its 2 x1210's and pumping JBL sound system. Lovely décor, comfy seats and cos its on the 2nd floor & positioned on the cliff top, you get an excellent view of the whales and the people walking around the streets below you.
Lovely evening drive out towards Stanford for a great sunset and visit the 25 km long Grotto beach.
Sometime last week I was offered to go into business with an internet shop and a brand new idea (and yet to be built) mobile internet long-caravan that will be taken to all sorts of out door events – not a bad offer at all but I have other plans – so had to politely decline.
With one of the guys from the Hostel we go Sand Boarding up a huge sand dune, with 6 gorgeous ladies – 3 from Slovenia, 2 South Africans and 1 Austrian. After afew slow down hill attempts and many falling over sessions, we soon get into the knack of how to do it and are at least moving rather than falling onto our butts every 2 second.
The views are fabulous – with the sea and beaches only afew 100 metres away and the Mountain coastline background being stunning.
After 4 hours of zooming downhill we drive to a deep river gorge with high rock cliffs – and proceed to dive & jump into the freezing cold water – very much needed as we are totally covered in sand and very warm. Most refreshing.
The weather has suddenly turn out to be sunny every single day and averages about 25 degrees in the midday heat. Today (thurs) its 27. So slowly the tan is coming along – well seeing as I originally started with that famously pastey colour of “English Grey”, I then need to proceed thro into the white zone, then pink, then salmon pink, then red, then finally slowly increasing darker shapes of brown. I think I have now achieved the off-white colour successfully.
With tanning you can also easily go thro the stages of what the South Africans call
“a Farmers Tan” – tanning on your arms (below the t-shirt sleeve) – above the neck upwards – and your lower legs – with the rest of you being as white as a sheet. A highly comical look I am sure, but that’s one look I will be trying my best to avoid :-)))
Went Paragliding off the local mountain top – about 300 metres high, with absolutely amazing views of the whole of Walkers Bay and at this height you can actually see the whales a lot easier, as from the cliff tops down at sea level you only really see their humps. Even saw one whale do 12 monsterous leaps in a row out of the sea and was able to catch it on film.
Visit Hermanus Golf course, which is a very prime and proper place, with very manicured grass and dress codes that are strictly enforced – so me arriving in flippies, shorts and t-shirt means I was lucky not to get kicked out instantly. In those situations I adopt a strong posh English gents accent of Lordism and pretend I am looking to buy the whole place – soon gets people running for cover :-)))
Zoom over to Cape Town for a day – to look at loads of cars at my friends Anthony dads work – he works for the Govt dept that sells off old Govt vehicles – so over 50 different motors - police cars, ambulances, mini-buses, jeeps, bmw, vw, range rovers, opels, audis, masdas. All sold off at auction once per month at rock bottom prices, with about 200 buyers turning up – only thing is that they don’t allow you to test drive them or even start the engines. UUMMM not ideal for my first car purchase, but one contact well worth bearing in mind for the future.
Looked at loads of houses to buy and rent – unbelievably house prices have gone thro the roof and are up by 20% since Feb 2004 – that’s £10,000 more in 7 months – absolutely outrageous.
Plots of land have tripled or quadrupled – from £7500 or £10000 to £30000 or £40000 – even more outrageous. With the prices continuing to grow and bank interest rates are still set to go down – so anyone wanting to invest in a property over here had better buy NOW.
So I need to get a house immediately but obviously wont be doing that until I get confirmation of my 2 year business visa – same with buying a car – pointless spending money on items when I might not even be let into the country. Immigration takes about 6 to 8 weeks to process, so I haven’t got too long to wait and gives me quite abit of time to look at everything on the market.
Estate agents are weird here – as its such a small and close knit town – every house is on with every agent – most strange. There are afew sole-agency properties but they seem to need to be hunted down.
Have been meeting loads of friendly locals and travellers alike – even bumped into a UK actress who has been in Eastenders and is one of the girls who works in the office in “The Green Wing” that mad comedy series set in a hospital on Channel 4.
Have already sold 3 dvds of people Sand Boarding and Paragliding – so Percy Tours has already started trading – which I am much relieved about as it shows that there are many business opportunities out here especially when I haven’t started trying to get any business yet.
Well its now Thurdsay 30th Sept, and to be honest it has all been so surreal that I am finally here after working so damn hard in UK for 9 months, that I have to keep pinching myself.
Anyway that’s it for now folks.
Cheers and loads of love xxx
Percy "The Sand Dune King"
www.percytours.com
Designer Tours of Hermanus, Cape Town and the Western Cape region.
----------------------------------------
Saturday 25th Sept. 2004.
The morning starts raining but then slowly clears up to a sunny afternoon.
The town is into the full Whale Festival swing - with my backpackers lodge and every other accommodation bed being taken – there are 50 beds here at Hermanus Backpackers, all taken and I have never seen it so busy. Makes for a lot of fun as you are always bumping into someone new and friendly – and the evening Braai & pool matches in the bar have become legendary for their good spirited competitions.
Spend a few days wondering around the festival with its many craft stalls, mobile sound systems blasting out all sorts of sounds – eat your heart out Notting Hill !!!!! Theres loads of roads closed off and every single piece of available land in the small town centre has suddenly been turned into a temporary car park. The Capetownians have arrived and have totally taken over the place.
I discover that there are some new restaurants and bars, since i was here last (Jan. 2004) – theres an extremely trendy new bar called Shimmis with its 2 x1210's and pumping JBL sound system. Lovely décor, comfy seats and cos its on the 2nd floor & positioned on the cliff top, you get an excellent view of the whales and the people walking around the streets below you.
Lovely evening drive out towards Stanford for a great sunset and visit the 25 km long Grotto beach.
Sometime last week I was offered to go into business with an internet shop and a brand new idea (and yet to be built) mobile internet long-caravan that will be taken to all sorts of out door events – not a bad offer at all but I have other plans – so had to politely decline.
With one of the guys from the Hostel we go Sand Boarding up a huge sand dune, with 6 gorgeous ladies – 3 from Slovenia, 2 South Africans and 1 Austrian. After afew slow down hill attempts and many falling over sessions, we soon get into the knack of how to do it and are at least moving rather than falling onto our butts every 2 second.
The views are fabulous – with the sea and beaches only afew 100 metres away and the Mountain coastline background being stunning.
After 4 hours of zooming downhill we drive to a deep river gorge with high rock cliffs – and proceed to dive & jump into the freezing cold water – very much needed as we are totally covered in sand and very warm. Most refreshing.
The weather has suddenly turn out to be sunny every single day and averages about 25 degrees in the midday heat. Today (thurs) its 27. So slowly the tan is coming along – well seeing as I originally started with that famously pastey colour of “English Grey”, I then need to proceed thro into the white zone, then pink, then salmon pink, then red, then finally slowly increasing darker shapes of brown. I think I have now achieved the off-white colour successfully.
With tanning you can also easily go thro the stages of what the South Africans call
“a Farmers Tan” – tanning on your arms (below the t-shirt sleeve) – above the neck upwards – and your lower legs – with the rest of you being as white as a sheet. A highly comical look I am sure, but that’s one look I will be trying my best to avoid :-)))
Went Paragliding off the local mountain top – about 300 metres high, with absolutely amazing views of the whole of Walkers Bay and at this height you can actually see the whales a lot easier, as from the cliff tops down at sea level you only really see their humps. Even saw one whale do 12 monsterous leaps in a row out of the sea and was able to catch it on film.
Visit Hermanus Golf course, which is a very prime and proper place, with very manicured grass and dress codes that are strictly enforced – so me arriving in flippies, shorts and t-shirt means I was lucky not to get kicked out instantly. In those situations I adopt a strong posh English gents accent of Lordism and pretend I am looking to buy the whole place – soon gets people running for cover :-)))
Zoom over to Cape Town for a day – to look at loads of cars at my friends Anthony dads work – he works for the Govt dept that sells off old Govt vehicles – so over 50 different motors - police cars, ambulances, mini-buses, jeeps, bmw, vw, range rovers, opels, audis, masdas. All sold off at auction once per month at rock bottom prices, with about 200 buyers turning up – only thing is that they don’t allow you to test drive them or even start the engines. UUMMM not ideal for my first car purchase, but one contact well worth bearing in mind for the future.
Looked at loads of houses to buy and rent – unbelievably house prices have gone thro the roof and are up by 20% since Feb 2004 – that’s £10,000 more in 7 months – absolutely outrageous.
Plots of land have tripled or quadrupled – from £7500 or £10000 to £30000 or £40000 – even more outrageous. With the prices continuing to grow and bank interest rates are still set to go down – so anyone wanting to invest in a property over here had better buy NOW.
So I need to get a house immediately but obviously wont be doing that until I get confirmation of my 2 year business visa – same with buying a car – pointless spending money on items when I might not even be let into the country. Immigration takes about 6 to 8 weeks to process, so I haven’t got too long to wait and gives me quite abit of time to look at everything on the market.
Estate agents are weird here – as its such a small and close knit town – every house is on with every agent – most strange. There are afew sole-agency properties but they seem to need to be hunted down.
Have been meeting loads of friendly locals and travellers alike – even bumped into a UK actress who has been in Eastenders and is one of the girls who works in the office in “The Green Wing” that mad comedy series set in a hospital on Channel 4.
Have already sold 3 dvds of people Sand Boarding and Paragliding – so Percy Tours has already started trading – which I am much relieved about as it shows that there are many business opportunities out here especially when I haven’t started trying to get any business yet.
Well its now Thurdsay 30th Sept, and to be honest it has all been so surreal that I am finally here after working so damn hard in UK for 9 months, that I have to keep pinching myself.
Anyway that’s it for now folks.
Cheers and loads of love xxx
Percy "The Sand Dune King"
www.percytours.com
Designer Tours of Hermanus, Cape Town and the Western Cape region.
