September kicked off with a four-day canoe adventure on the Orange River with my MBA classmates. Beginning its 2000km+ journey in the Drakensberg Highlands of Lesotho, the Orange – recently renamed the Gariep – River is South Africa’s foremost waterway. In its lower reaches, the Orange traces the South Africa-Namibia border and our multi-day camp-out canoe safari focused on the stretch of water snaking through the heart of the Ai-Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park .
Felix Unite (www.felixunite.com) – leaders in multi-day Orange River canoe safaris – put together our guided and fully catered trip: a stunning excursion deep inside the ruggedly beautiful Richtersveld and a much-needed escape from the GSB classroom! Drifting along the languid river, we passed through a geological wonderland of contorted red rock canyons. However, the episodic appearance of rocky rapids ensured we kept our paddles and life jackets close at hand, and it wasn’t long before the notorious Sjambok Rapid took its toll on our flotilla of glass-fibre boats. Only five of twelve canoes made it through unscathed, while everyone else enjoyed some mandatory ‘bonus’ swim time! The next hour was spent bailing out boats, collecting equipment bobbing in the eddies below the rapid and drying everything out.
Having been fortunate enough to tackle the Orange on numerous previous occasions, I’ve also had the opportunity to write and publish a couple of magazine features on these popular and highly rewarding canoe safaris over the years…
https://www.stevecunliffe.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Explore-Namibia-Gariep-River-Canoeing.pdf
Regardless of how many times I get to experience this magical river, I never tire of spending quality time on the Orange. I would classify the rapids as ‘fluffy’ rather than terrifying, but it is – in my humble opinion – the extreme arid beauty and mesmerising star-strewn night skies that make this canoe safari so enjoyable and utterly addictive. Check out www.felixunite.com/river_trips/orange_river for further details or to make a booking.
Despite the fairly heavy workload involved with finishing off my MBA, I still managed to find a smidgen of spare time to hit the Table Mountain trails. The highlight being taking part in the inaugural Cape Town Ultra Trail Run (www.ultratrailcapetown.com). Tackling the full ultra was way beyond my current levels of fitness and training, so I opted instead for the short course route above the City Bowl. Starting from the city centre, we initially ran through the Company Gardens and Greenmarket Square before ascending through Bo-Kaap to traverse the length of Signal Hill, circling around Lions Head and then up onto the lower contour of Table Mountain before a final bone-jarring descent back into the City Bowl. Surprising even myself, I somehow managed to clinch a rather flattering 7th place on this hybrid 20km urban-trail run!
September and October also necessitated a final big push with my thesis in order to overcome the final MBA hurdle. My topic involved conducting an actor network analysis of the various social and environmental networks operating in the Bergrivier Municipality (www.bergmun.org.za). The research portion of the study demanded I take regular data collection excursions up the West Coast. On one of these occasions I was fortunate to be accompanied by my wife and young son for a couple of days in Velddrif (www.velddriftourism.co.za).
With a stunning seaside location overlooking Laaiplek Beach, Sunset Villas (www.velddriftourism.co.za/content/sunset-villas) boasts ocean-view sunsets of the highest order. Our unit comprised two en-suite bedrooms, an open plan living room, dining room and kitchenette, as well as a balcony with braai and five-star sea view.
Late October also saw the long-awaited publication of the final instalment of the Central Kalahari adventure that I shared with my brother-in-law in Botswana late last year. If you haven’t read our tale of breaking down deep within the CKGR with only lions and Cape cobras for company, then you can access the SA 4×4 feature covering this epic adventure here: https://www.stevecunliffe.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/SA-4×4-CKGR-Cover-Feature-Proof.pdf