Stellenbosch

Can you think of a better place to go wine tasting? .
...Neither can I!

After Anna and Wellyna went back to Grahamstown, I traveled on my own through four towns along the Garden Route. South Africa has an amazing hostel system and a great bus (Baz Bus) that takes backpackers door-to-door to each hostel. I've been very impressed with how well it's set up. On average, a dorm bed costs R120 (about $13) per night and many of them include a light breakfast, coffee, tea, shuttles, and helpful customer service. I don't know if I can ever go back to spending $100 on a hotel room in the states after this!

View from my balcony at the Banghoek Place

My first stop was Stellenbosch which was a great stop after the craziness of Cape Town. The town itself is small and quaint, but it's also a college town so it has that feel as well. It was amazing to immediately see Afrikaans take over here. English has been the dominant language everywhere I've been so far, but in Stellenbosch, the street signs are either first in Afrikaans then English or only in Afrikaans. Some people here, especially the older generation, do not speak English at all. It's funny that everyone here knows what my last name means. Apparently, however, I pronounce my last name incorrectly. Every time I say my last name (and subsequently asked to repeat and then spell), they say, "Oh! You mean Dunk-air." No, I mean Donker but sure, I'll start pronouncing my last name differently so you will understand and be satisfied. I'm also frequently asked, "You know what Dunk-air means, right?" Yes I do; I know my last name means 'dark.' They are often impressed that I actually know...

I booked a dorm room at Banghoek Place, but I got so lucky because no one else came to stay in that dorm either night I was there! I had the whole room to myself! The room even had a balcony overlooking the grounds and the mountains. A break from people was honestly needed...cities drive me crazy after a while!

The area of Stellenbosch is known for its wineries, so of course I booked a wine tour. At the backpackers, I met a couple of Americans from Chicago and the joined the tour as well. I can't even begin to explain how amazing it was to go wine tasting with beautiful mountains as the backdrop. The tour group leaves every day at 10:00 and returns at 17:00 and only cost R450 ($50) for the whole day including a cellar tour, wine tasting at four wineries, cheese tasting, lunch, and a safe designated driver (the tastes here are a bit more than a taste)! Interesting fact about Stellenbosch: If you visited four wineries every day, it would take you somewhere around 200 days to visit all the wineries in the area!