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Home » Destinations » Africa » South Africa

Couchsurfing With Hannes

Modified: Jun 3, 2019 · Published: Oct 25, 2008 by Dave Lee |

Hannes considers upgrading to an Aston Martin

A benefit of spending so much time in Asia was the affordable accommodations. Single rooms with baths were the norm, and even if there were scorpions crawling around some of them (McLeod Ganj, India), the privacy was wonderful.

V&A Waterfront at night

Dorms are the norm at the hostels in South Africa, and they're not cheap. In fact, the prices are comparable to New Zealand, so I hit up Couchsurfing.com to try and find a place to stay for a few nights.

I received two positive responses. One from a DJ/music producer, and the other from Hannes, a doctor working for a health insurance company. I went with Hannes and it turned out to be a great experience. My first night, he cooked a traditional South African curry with chicken which we enjoyed with some local white wine.

Ostrich fillet

Another night, we went down to the V&A waterfront for dinner. I picked a restaurant which had opened in the past two weeks, and while the food was great, the service needed a little fine tuning. A German group next to us got upset about the improper size of a steak, and I overheard the floor manager telling my waitress to provide a steak knife for my ostrich fillet.

Noordhoek

One afternoon, we took a quick trip to Noordhoek beach, which is very wide at low tide and a great spot for the locals to take their dogs out for a run.  Horseback riding is also popular.  The water was freezing and the currents strong, so it is not ideal for swimming. One surfer was catching waves despite the chill.

Noordhoek beach

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About Dave Lee

Dave is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Go Backpacking and Feastio. He's been to 68 countries and lived in Colombia and Peru. Read the full story of how he became a travel blogger.

Comments

  1. crambox says

    October 25, 2008 at 4:49 pm

    Great stuff dave you took some amazing shots we need to get you a professional camera for your next rtw trip:) good pick couch surfing stay safe!!!

  2. crambox says

    October 25, 2008 at 11:49 am

    Great stuff dave you took some amazing shots we need to get you a professional camera for your next rtw trip:) good pick couch surfing stay safe!!!

  3. Kango Suz says

    October 27, 2008 at 11:34 am

    I don't know Crambox- I think Dave has a REAL future as a food photographer! The shots he gets of food are amazing- just like magazines- and they make you hungry. I want to know, Dave, if you ever 'primp' the food wait staff brings you to make it look as luscious as it does in your photos.

  4. Kango Suz says

    October 27, 2008 at 4:34 pm

    I don't know Crambox- I think Dave has a REAL future as a food photographer! The shots he gets of food are amazing- just like magazines- and they make you hungry. I want to know, Dave, if you ever 'primp' the food wait staff brings you to make it look as luscious as it does in your photos.

Dave at Ahu Ko Te Riku on Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile.

Hi, I'm Dave

Editor in Chief

I've been writing about adventure travel on Go Backpacking since 2007. I've visited 68 countries.

Read more about Dave.

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