South African Road Trip

Knysna heads

I have been quite blog-lazy and engrossed in my holidays. I am not sure if bloggers are supposed to write whilst travelling… I think I fail spectacularly at this, but probably have more fun on my holiday. Anyway, we just returned from two weeks in South Africa. We were in desperate need of some first-world luxury (such as food-choice and shops) so we headed off to the Garden Route and Cape Town.

This part of the world is spectacular and reminded me so much of home. Stunning coastline, lush forests, wildlife galore… That said, the section of SA that we travelled certainly is a little microcosm of the continent – perfect for what we needed but probably not for those wanting a true African experience.

Foodie heaven

Getting our foodie and consumer fix was a prime focus and we were not disappointed. Fresh, local, seasonal produce abounds and the food quality is perfection. We stuffed ourselves silly dining on all the cuisines that we cannot readily get here in Tanzania. Italian, Japanese, seafood, Thai and lots of modern contemporary food. It was pure heaven and incredible value for money. From a T1 perspective this could have been a nightmare, but I managed to guesstimate carbohydrates and bolus correctly 90% of the time. The other 10%, who cares, that’s what holidays are for. Not only were we excited by the cafes and restaurants, but we wandered supermarket aisles in awe of all the food choices that we are no longer accustomed to. I think we have been in Tanzania too long!

Plummeting sugar up Table Mountain

After spending the night in Port Elizabeth we stayed at Addo-Elephant Park to get a taste of Southern Africa’s wildlife (some we literally tasted - whoops). Then we headed along the coast through surfer heaven Jacksons Bay, Plettenberg Bay, Tsitsikamma forest, Storm’s River National Park, stunning Knysna, ostrich capital Oudtshoorn, Franschoek wine-region and then on to beautiful Cape Town. Along the way we hiked, explored rock-pools (my FAVOURITE past-time), visited markets, beaches, went caving (made more difficult trying not to crush my meter stuffed in my bra!), visited the southern tip of the continent, ate… ate… ate…  All food, accommodation and activities were amazing value due to the plummeting rand (sorry South Africa).

Cape Town

Cape Town was such a pleasant surprise. It is modern and funky and there is so much happening. We found it safe and easy to get around. The shops and waterfront are modern yet have lots of character with excellent markets. Climbing Table Mountain was stunning, despite me needing to munch fruit and sweets most of the way because I forgot to adjust my basal insulin the night before (for non-T1s reading this - yes, it is very complicated!). At the top we were in icy cold cloud and wind, then the weather turned and we got the view and sunshine. It was in Cape Town that we ate the best Japanese food of my life and shopped up a storm. We managed to replace our holey underwear and shoes that have lasted us through our first two years in Tanzania. Exciting stuff.

Amazing holiday, exactly what the soul needed.

So, Type 1s reading this, what I want to know is this: Overnight travel is consistently extremely challenging for me and my blood sugars. The lack of sleep and small meals seems to make my sugars go extremely high to low, and makes what is already unpleasant an even worse experience. How do you manage this? Any tips?