Morning This is our last day so we spend some time shopping for last minute souvenirs. I enjoy browsing through grocery stores when I travel (weird, huh?). I purchased a donut for 5 cents – again reminding me what a good value South Africa is. I tried on a $4000 Tanzanite ring, but am sorry to say that I am not bringing it home. We bought T-shirts, and dried jerky of the South African flavor – ostrich, antelope. I return my cell phone, and we retrieve our luggage from the concierge. Our flight departs at 5:30 and traffic is unpredicatable so we leave the hotel at 2:30. I know this will not be our only trip to Africa – just our first trip to Africa. Afternoon - Our flight stopped in Dakar, but we didn’t deplane. The stewards seemed to be concerned about a missing passenger. First of all they asked us to get all of our luggage out of the carry-on bins, and they came around to make sure all luggage was accounted for. I guess the mystery was still not solved, so then they came around and checked each of us off their manifest. It didn’t seem that they ever found who they were looking for, so I guess he got off the plane unnoticed. This time I watch 3 movies and sleep a little. I love to travel - that's why I decided to be a travel agent - but it's always good to get home. If you'd like to see more pictures of our trip, just email me out contact me at trvlsrc@sbcglobal.net.
Day 8 - Johannesburg
Kolo is our private guide for the day. Since I own a travel agency, I want to see the attractions that I would recommend to a client who only has one day in Johannesburg. Based on Kolo's recommendation, we totally change our itinerary to visit the downtown and suburbs of Johannesburg as well as the Apartheid Museum. Kolo points out Nelson Mandela’s home which is located in an exclusive area not far from where we are staying. We drive through the downtown area which is filled with stores and buildings, many which are vacant. The downtown streets were filled with black South Africans, but we didn't seea a single white person. Kolo explained that 20 years ago this area was predominantly white middle class, but they have all moved to the suburbs. Buildings have been boarded up to prevent the homeless from moving in. With unemployment levels at 35% (it used to be 50%), this seems to be where the unemployed black South African’s pass time.
From here we head for Soweta, where the Apartheid movement started. We passed one neighborhood with very nice homes, each one different from the other. Kolo pointed out one house where a businessman and his wife lived and then another house on the opposite side of the street about 4 houses down where the same businessman and Wife #2 lives. It seems strange that in a country with so much poverty, polygamy would be legal. I guess polygamy is just for the wealthy. Just a few blocks away from this affluent neighborhood were thousands of tin shacks known as shantytowns. The shacks had dirt floors, no toilets, and water is carried from a central spigot. However, the shack we visited was clean and the people seemed proud. There were clean clothes swaying on clothes lines, corn drying, and schools and daycares were filled with children playing. Bags of potatoes and cereal hang from the rafters of a covered shack where people can buy one diaper, one cigarette, or food for their next meal, whatever they have money for.
Kolo told us that he paid 11 cows for his wife’s hand in marriage. I thought he was teasing me, but he assured me that Lobola (the price paid for the right to marry a woman) is still practiced in South Africa. We passed a small herd of goats, and he told me that goats were still sacrificed for important occasions. There still seems to be a lot of tradition and superstition in Africa.
Our next stop is the Hector Peterson Museum. The Dutch descendants who immigrated to South Africa spoke Afrikaan. Black South African’s spoke English. The Dutch were in control of the country, and they changed the language used to teach in schools from English to Afrikaan. Afrikaan was seen as the language of the oppressor. In protest, school children in Soweta staged a demonstration, and resulted, killing young Hector Peterson. He was only 12.
I’d like to know more about the history of South Africa, so I’m looking forward to the Apartheid museum. First we stopped at a local café for lunch.
Afternoon - We spent several hours at the Apartheid museum. It seems that the black people of South Africa have come full circle. They fought so hard for their freedom, Nelson Mandela came into power and brought great progress to South Africa, and yet several years later, the government seems to be corrupted by greed and discrimination. So sad. It is a strange feeling to be the only caucasians in a museum that tells the story of black oppression. Dennis and I feel that this day is the perfect ending to our vacation as we have now experienced the history of South Africa along with the beautiful scenery and nature.
Back at the hotel, we decide to visit the same Italian restaurant from the night before – this time for pasta and sangria. Tomorrow afternoon we head home.
Day 8 - Our last game drive
Again our 5:30 wake up knock – our last game drive awaits. Our guide knows where the herds of cape buffalo are so we head out. The males hang out together in one herd, and the females with their calves were a short distance away. Some of the males had gray hair and wrinkled faces, just like an old person. We could drive right through the middle of the herd. It must have been breakfast time, because all of the calves were having breakfast. Their moms didn’t seem to mind. We saw a vulture and some other birds. We had to cut our game drive short as we were leaving this afternoon, but my first safari was everything I had expected it to be and more!
Afternoon: Arrival in Johannesburg was like arriving in Detroit (no offense intended) – just another big city. I’m not really that excited about this part of the trip, but we’ll see tomorrow. Maybe I underestimated Johannesburg. I definitely underestimated our hotel, the Michaelangelo, definitely a 5*. Our suite is beautiful, and the lobby is amazing. The hotel is connected to Nelson Mandela Square and the largest shopping center I’ve ever seen with every possible convenience you can imagine. Whether you need a grocery center, bank, beauty shop, or want to buy a car, it can happen here. We found an Italian Restaurant at Mandela square and had a pizza and 2 drinks for less than $10. Again I am reminded of what a good value Africa is. We only have one day to spend, so I asked the concierge to arrange a tour for us the following day which includes a tour of the Cradle of Humankind and the Lion Center. We return to our room to find champagne and fruit awaiting us. Life is good!
Day 7 - Safari
Our wake-up knock was at 5:30am, and I was so excited that I didn't have any trouble getting out of bed. We meet the group at 6:00 for tea, coffee, and pastries. It’s still dark and cool, and there are blankets and hot water bottles waiting for us in the land rover. Our group decides to rotate seats, so Dennis and I are seated at the top of the land rover this time. The first thing we see are giraffe. One crosses right in front of us. They are amazingly graceful with those long legs. We also see a couple of white rhinos – to me they are scariest looking of the big 5. The lions and leopard look like big kittens (Yes, I know they are dangerous, but they still look cute), and what can be cuter than a baby elephant. Then we see a huge herd of elephants. They form a line – mother – baby – mother – baby – mother – baby, and start walking right toward me.
I swear each one looked me in the eye. I was close enough that I could have reached out and touched them. The driver started the engine each time they got too close. I could feel my heart beating in my throat, but WOW – AWESOME! Let’s do it again! Our tracker picks up lion tracks, and we find 3 lioness. They split up and it looks like they are going after some prey, but they move away and it’s time to head back to the lodge where we are met by Crystal with a cold cloth and some Amarula cream liquer to warm us. I sure love this place!
After a fantastic brunch, we have a few hours to relax before our next game drive. We see monkeys right outside our window. I decide to play poker with several of the other guests. We use rocks and twigs for our chips. I'm lousy, but it was fun. We Our game is cut short because there are giraffes and warthogs right beyond the electric fence. It's interesting to watch the giraffe spread their front legs so they can kneel down far enough to get a drink. I run to get my camera and get some great shots. Of course, Dennis is already there with his camera. Our poker game is forgotten.
Afternoon: After lunch, we head out on our afternoon game drive. This time our guide decides to take us North in search of cheetahs (the second hardest animal to track). We drive at least an hour and see nothing. Just when John is ready to give up, he gets a report that they have been spotted by another group. We find two beautiful cheetahs and spend some time watching them. We then track some hyenas – scary looking creatures. We head home, but stop to have a sundowner (kind of like happy hour in the bush). A termite mound provides the backdrop for our bathroom. I think I’ll skip the drinks next time. As we head back to the lodge, we seen lions walking down the road. Our guide informs us that they are brothers. They are in no hurry. They just kind of saunter down the road. The only Big 5 animal that has eluded us so far is the cape buffalo. The night sky is amazing – I don’t believe I have ever seen so many stars. Our guide points out the Southern Cross. I feel very small.
Day 6 - Safari
Morning - As with most visitors, the safari is my dream come true. This is what I came to South Africa for. The rest was just icing on the cake. Our itinerary didn’t include a game drive the afternoon we arrived, so I was very anxious to see what the day would bring. Our flight from Capetown to Johannesburg was about 1 ½ hours. From there we changed to a smaller plane to Hoedsprit, about an hour flight.
One of the things that continues to amaze me is the level of service by South African Airways. No matter if you are in the air for an hour or 3 hours, you receive a meal and juice, sodas and even wine. Good Food, Unlimited Drinks, Service with a smile – that’s almost extinct in the U.S.A. After a 30 minute drive, we arrived at Jackelberry Lodge where we were met by our hostess, Crystal, with a mango drink and cold towel in hand.
Afternoon – Sweet! We are going on a game drive after lunch. We are taken to our suite – we have the Honeymoon Suite – maybe because I had told our tour operator that it was our anniversary. The room – unbelievable! Our four poster king bed had mosquito netting draped over it. Two of the walls were windows from floor to ceiling for viewing the outside, but with slats we could close for privacy. We had a sitting area, and our two decks had comfy chairs to sit in and relax. Our bathroom had a Jacuzzi tub and shower which led to our private outdoor shower. Everything we could possibly need was there – insect repellent, umbrellas, even a bottle of sherry and chocolates. It was very romantic – totally more than I expected!
Our first game drive – We headed out about 3:30 on our first game drive. We were in a land rover which had enough room for our driver – John, tracker – Lawrence, and 4 other guests. Dennis has totally gotten into photography, so I was afraid that he would be one of those annoying people who are always in your face, blocking the view of the other guests, but he did quite well and only got reprimanded once for standing in the land rover. Our driver pulls over and starts pulling leaves off a tree. He then starts handling them to myself and the two other women in our group. I don’t have a clue what he’s doing, until he informs us that this is our eco-friendly toilet paper. I’m glad I didn’t have much to drink with lunch!
It doesn’t take long before we start seeing animals – zebras and differing species of antelope. Kudus have beautiful antlers and ngalas look like they have long underwear on. We pass a watering hole and stop to watch a group of hippos. We see a baby hippo with his mother.
I’m a big hippo fan, so I can’t believe my luck that I got to see the hippos on my very first game drive. Then we see the elephants – in fact one walks right in front of us. Our guide later tells us that he will probably receive a “talking to” for allowing it to get so close. However, we weren’t following it – it walked right across the road in front of us. At this point it was getting dark, and I was wondering what we could possibly see in the dark. Ah, a leopard! He was trying to climb a tree to get some guinea fowl for dinner. Whoops! He fell out of tree.
Again he tries – no success. A third time we watch him climb the tree. At first I was rooting for the guinea fowl, but at this point I’m feeling a little sorry for the leopard. He has a cut from where he fell out of the tree. Amazing! Our guide says that leopards are one of the hardest animals to find, so we are feeling VERY lucky to have had such a great first game drive! We head back to the lodge to find dinner waiting. After a fantastic meal served out in the open, it’s time to head for bed. We return back to our suite to find our bed turned down with an animal bedtime story lying on our pillow. Cute! Our wake up knock on the door is at 5:30am.
Day 5 - Table Bay Mountain
Today is our 15th anniversary! What a way to spend our anniversary – Table Mountain . Francois and Marianne said we should get an early start as Table Mountain can be congested on weekends. You can walk or take a cable car to the top. We opted to take the cable car which rotated so everyone had the opportunity to take pictures out the open window. Looking out from the top of the mountain, I could only see the tops of skyscrapers through the clouds. Dennis and I thought it was an amazing view, but our hosts kept saying that they wished we could see it on a clear day when you can see the ocean.
We saw birds, lizards, and Dussies (rock hydrax which we learned are the closest relative to elephants). We got to meet Francois and Marianne’s daughter for lunch at a local restaurant close to her neighborhood. Heidi was very charming, and I’m glad we got to meet her. Our hosts needed to head home (about a 1 ½ hour drive), so we said our goodbyes, and Dennis and I headed back to the wharf to close out the day. We enjoyed the street performers: fire-eaters, singers in tribal dress, musicians playing local instruments, etc. The fog never did burn off, so we didn’t get to visit the island where Mandella was incarcerated. Others in our group had gone the day before, and said it was the highlight of their visit, so we were sorry that we missed it. The tour is give by former prisoners who were there at the same time as Mandella. Dennis bought me some earrings for our anniversary - they were silver with a unique design made out of elephant tail. Very appropriate for African I think. Since it was our last night in Capetown, we wanted to try a restaurant that had local specialties, so we visited the concierge desk, and she suggested Marcos. Instead of traditional African music, it was more like a African house band, but they were entertaining, and we tried some local specialties. We had mentioned to the concierge that we were celebrating our anniversary, and returned to find a chilled bottle of champagne waiting for us. The service at this hotel has been superb.
Day 4 - Cape of Good Hope
One of Dennis' good friends had a business contact in South Africa, and they offered to take us sightseeing on Saturday. Francois and Marianne were lovely. Their native language was Afrikaan, but they spoke excellent English. They were the perfect hosts, giving us tips on Africa and pointing out interesting spots along the way – the lighthouse where they got engaged, the Twelve Apostles, a castle in the hillside, and an ostrich farm. Francois hunts antelope and ostrich, and he brought some dried kudu and dried ostrich for us to try. It wasn't half bad (and no it doesn’t taste like chicken).
We first heard the term “Xenophobia” from Francois and Marianne. Oxford defines it as an "intense or irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries". I would define it as "the result of poverty". Even though unemployment levels have decreased over the past few years, they are still running around 25%. High poverty levels have caused contempt toward immigrants from other African countries who have started businesses or taken jobs that native South Africans feel are rightfully theirs. Arson and violence resulted in 88 deaths across South Africa. It is a very sad situation. The day we left home, the U.S. issued a travel advisory due to violence in South Africa. We were not aware of this, and it's probably just as well. However, we never felt scared or uncomfortable. In fact, unlike many countries, Africans actually seem to like Americans.
Since it was Saturday, we passed several local craftsmen on the side of the road, including a man selling purses, rugs and other items made out of the hides of zebra, and antelope. However, the most popular hide was the nguni cow hides which were white with sporadic black spots or white with sporadic brown spots. Who would have thought!
We bought an ostrich egg painted with pictures of the Big 5 (the 5 most dangerous animals hunted in South Africa - Lion, Leopard, Cape Buffalo, Rhino and Elephant). Ostrich eggs are so strong that an adult can stand on them without breaking them. They have to be strong to endure a 300 pound ostrich sitting on them during incubation.
Our destination was the Cape of Good Hope which would involve about a 4 hour trip south of Capetown. We passed fishing villages, a local parade, and even a baboon sitting on the side of the road watching the traffic pass by. There wasn't much traffic until we reached the Cape of Good Hope National Park. We all took turns getting our picture taken in front of the lighthouse, “Southernmost point of Africa” sign, and beach. One of the highlights I didn't want to miss were the JackAss penguins (so named because of the “Hee-Haw” sound they make) so we had to hurry to make it to Simons Town before it was dark. We were rewarded with at hundreds of penguins including babies with fluffy fur.
(I don’t know what a baby penguin is called and I'm not sure if it's called fur or feathers). After taking a million pictures we headed back to our home away from home, Table Bay Hotel. We had an excellent seafood dinner at Xios. Another big day tomorrow!
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