Long time no blog … well, I’m about to make up for that. Warning: it’s a long one.
Executive Summary
We just got back from an amazing week in South Africa, a trip that exceeded all expectations! I never imagined that I would go to Africa and now we both want to go
back for more. John had the opportunity to lead a workshop and speak at a conference in Johannesburg. My first thought was “No way are you going there”, and that grew into me joining him and extending the trip to do a Safari in Kruger National Park before the conference and a tour of Cape Town and area after. Given the timing of our departure, we called the trip our 3.5 year honeymoon.
While our trip was only a week it felt like we were gone a lot longer. We had delicious food every night and the hospitality was top notch. We got into a routine of early to bed and early to rise (with no coffee I might add) so we could fit everything in. We saw a plethora of animals at Kruger Park, including the Big Five and we took in the spectacular beauty of Cape Town’s peninsula. We only saw a small part of South Africa (SA) and every place we went to was so beautiful it made us want to explore the country (and the rest of Africa) more.
PrologueWhile the main goal was to have fun, we were a bit nervous about this trip, as we had read and received lots of warnings about the crime situation in South Africa. Some of the highlights: Johannesburg was generally considered the most dangerous city in the world in the late ‘90s, and SA still has 20,000 murders per year. Armed robbery is common, as are carjackings, so accepted practice is to run red lights at night. Carjacking has occurred on approach roads to Kruger Park, and tourists have recently been robbed at gunpoint on Table Mountain in Cape Town (all places we were going).
Not much you can do if you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, but we planned ahead to avoid the wrong places as much as possible, and had all of our transportation prearranged. We also left our jewelry and watches in London, and tried to look as uninteresting as possible, to decrease our chances of being targets for theft. Also John took a karate class in October, although he couldn’t walk for three days afterwards.
Without wanting to spoil the plot, we were lucky and had absolutely no problems, and felt safe the whole time we were there. (But if you’re going, be careful.)
Chapter 1 – Arrival & Kruger National ParkOur journey to SA started early on the morning of Friday, February 23rd, with our cab pick up at 4:00am to take us to Heathrow. This was the first of four early mornings in a row. The smooth flight, through Amsterdam on KLM (like on our first honeymoon), got us into Johannesburg (Joburg) at 10:30p.m. and we stayed at the airport hotel.
Our only stupid tourist move of the trip: on arrival we walked out of the airport looking for the shuttle bus to our hotel (the hotel is located 500 meters from the terminal, but we had been advised that it’s not safe to walk there). A “helpful” gentleman asks if we are looking for the Southern Sun shuttle, which we were, and proceeds to lead us around the corner on a dimly lit shortcut to where the shuttles wait. About 20 seconds later he points us to our shuttle and asks for 200 Rand in return (about C$35). John gives him R50, and he says “More”. John gives him another 50, and he says “More”. John says what we’ve given him is fair (hoping we don’t get stabbed as result), and he says, “Ok, enjoy your stay”, and walks off. So we paid him about $17 for 30 seconds of work, but we had to laugh at our own stupidity.
Saturday, February 24th -- Kruger National Park
We were up on Saturday morning for our 7:15 pick up to take us to Kruger National Park. Kruger is in the eastern part of SA and it is huge, about the size of Wales or Israel. In our van, we were accompanied by a Swedish family with three boys and a Swedish couple. It was a hot, sunny day despite being the rainy season, and we couldn’t believe that by 8:30 the sun was higher in the sky than at noon in London. Being below the equator meant the sun was in a different part of the sky and I was constantly confused about what direction we were headed.
The four hour drive to Kruger was beautiful; it started out like Alberta prairie and then got more lush and rolling. The landscape was so inviting. We were all dropped off at Phumulani Lodge, just outside Kruger’s Numbi Gate. We scoped out Phumulani’s compound; there was a very African, open air reception/lounge/bar/dining lodge with a thatched roof that opened onto a patio and pool area, and there were 17 huts for accommodation. The huts were well spread out in the woods and our hut, #3, was off by itself. We had a deck with lounge chairs, a well appointed bedroom including a mosquito net over the bed, a large bathroom with a tub and big slate tile shower. (Further to the mosquito net, we were taking anti-malaria pills as advised, but I don’t think I saw a mosquito the whole time.) We enjoyed lunch at the open air lodge. I was in heaven: It’s not that often that I am so warm that I don’t fear getting a chill that causes me to pull my sweater on. There was no chill-fear that sunny Saturday afternoon.
After lunch, we headed out on our first game drive, both decked out in safari clothes (Christmas presents). Our guide for the weekend, Sindy, picked us up in an open air, covered jeep and we headed into Kruger Park’s higher rocky area. In addition to being a wealth of park and animal information, Sindy had amazing eyes: after growing up in and around the park he could spot animals long before we could see them. We cruised through the park, the hot air blowing through my hair, spectacular scenery, sun shining – I didn’t care if we saw any animals – I was loving it as is.
It’s not common to see animals in the hot afternoon because they are hiding in the s
hade trying to keep cool. But, we did see a few herds of impalas (graceful, elegant, deer like creatures), kudus (bigger impalas), hippos and a few rhino toilets. We did lots more driving and we soaked in the views of the new territory. Near the end of our three hour drive, we spotted an elephant! Barely though, as he was well hidden behind a tree, but we were thrilled none the less (little did we know what we would see the next day). On our way out of the park, we saw a dead kudu and her baby; they were killed by a lion after the kudu gave birth. Reality check.
On our return to Phumulani, we enjoyed a beer by the pool and then a fabulous dinner. We were in bed and asleep by 8:30! We were exhausted after our two days of travel and we had to be up and ready to leave on our game drive at 5:30 the next morning.
Sunday, February 25th -- Kruger National Park
We boarded our jeep, along with the Swedish family at 5:30, and our excitement was enough to make us forget our coffee cravings. It got light out very fast but it was cool and cloudy so we cozied up under a blanket in the front seat. We headed deep into the park. The terrain changed so quickly and was so diverse; that is why there are so many different animals in the park. I had set my sighting expectations low, so as not to be disappointed, and I sure wasn’t.
Our first sighting was a white rhino and right after that, a large male eleph
ant. He was off in the trees but we got some good shots of him. John pulled out the binoculars (thanks again C&P, they came in handy) and zoomed in on the elephant, but he quickly realized that they weren’t necessary as it the elephant started walking straight for us! He ended up about 20 feet away - big highlight.
Next up was a herd of zebras; I find their stripes captivating, especially on their faces. Sindy, our guide, said we had to press on though because he had heard on the radio about a leopard sighting. We bolted down the road and paused for a moment to see a giraffe and a buffalo. We arrived at a clearing, and lying under a tree was a leopard! She was tough to see, the binocs were clutch. We noted a heard of impalas up wind, perhaps her next meal. We watched her for a while and then went back to see some giraffes who had now been joined by zebras. All of this before 7:30! Four out of five of the Big Five, namely rhino, elephant, buffalo, and leopard, leaving us only the lion left to see. In the next hour, we saw some warthogs and some wildebeests, and then the rain started. The front plastic window of the jeep wasn’t up so we got soaked, but eventually we stopped to put it up.
At 8:30 we were dropped off at one of the camps in Kruger for breakfast. It was in a lush area, overlooking a river and had accommodation, camping, a restaurant, a shop, and picnic areas. The sun emerged and dried our clothes, and we wolfed down the hardy breakfasts that Phumulani had packed us. Then we walked along the river path and I jumped when we saw several foot long, colourful salamanders.
We set back out in the jeep and our next sighting was a small tortoise crossing the road. Sindy got word of some lion, so we sped off in that direction. There were two males, lying down deep in the trees. We watched them through the binocs and then one got up and limped away. He had an injured front leg and was very skinny as a result. That completed our Big Five count – what could possibly be next?
We took a road along a river and saw hippos, crocodiles and storks on the shore. Then we came across five female lions relaxing in a dry river bed! After that we saw another elephant, an eagle and more buffalo. The terrain kept changing and was so scenic. I was itching to get out of the jeep and hike … until we saw four more lionesses, the hunters. Down the road from the lions we saw a herd of mama and baby elephants walking up a river bank – another highlight. We like elephants.
The Swedish mother in our jeep wanted to see more hippos so we drove to large pond and there were about 20 hanging out in the water, which is where they spend most of their time during the day. Note: hippos have killed more humans than any other African animal; apparently they are very territorial and can run like crazy. They were accompanied by some crocodiles and we saw some storks and a kingfisher on the shore.
It was still overcast as we headed to a different lodge for lunch around noon. The lodge was on a swamp about 10km from Mozambique, and we could see more hippos, buffalo and crocs. We watched the rain move towards us; it was torrential when it reached us but stopped long enough for us to get back in the jeep. The rain socked in and it was more rain than I have seen before (and I lived in Vancouver in Jan/06). The muddy ground turned into flash floods, water rushing everywhere. The rain poured in the side of the jeep soaking John, and it poured through the front onto our feet turning our shoes into swimming pools. Oh well, that made it more adventurous. We huddled under the blanket on the three hour ride back to Phumulani. We had a few stops for animals: a monkey, a bunch of baboons (one male sitting on the road was peeing with his unit out in full view as we went by, others were huddled together on a rock trying to keep warm in the rain), another elephant, four rhinos and more baboons (several babies were riding on their moms’ backs, super cute).
After drying off and warming up back at our hut, we played some cribbage in the lodge. We wanted to walk as we normally do so much of that on our travels, but in the interest of safety, we didn’t. Dinner was even better the second night, after which we played more crib (by candle light for a while because the power went out). We had another early bed time as it sure is a long day when you are up at 5:00. I was lying in bed and John was curiously wandering around the bathroom and bedroom. He suggested that we tuck the mosquito net into the mattress and I thought he was being overly cautious until I saw the large spider and mini salamander that he had seen in the bathroom. He did not tell me until the next morning of the larger lizard he saw walking up our bedroom wall…
Monday, February 26th -- Kruger National Park, and Johannesburg
The Numbi gate was closed when we headed out on our early morning game drive Monday morning so we had to drive half an hour to another gate. That allowed us to see some new territory and some local villages. It was overcast but not raining. Once in the park, we drove through a flat dry area and caught a glimpse of a cheetah running after some kudus. Sindy advised that June was the best time to see lots of hunting. Everything is green and leafy in the rainy season and the watering holes are plentiful, both factors making it harder to spot the animals (we were lucky). In the dry winter, there are no leaves and all the animals congregate at the limited water holes. Sindy said you can just park at a watering hole and watch the action.
A herd of buffalo (hundreds of them) had been through the night before. We saw a few of the abandoned males in the brush and one old guy on a river island to make it easier to protect himself.
We had breakfast at the same spot as the day before, but this time it was a buzz with monkey activity. Monkeys everywhere; running, jumping, playing, stealing foo
d. We ate while watching them and then did the same foot long salamander walk as we did on Sunday. We also noticed several bats hanging from the thatched roof of an eating area. The little guy on the porch at West Hawk seems like nothing now.
We were picked up from there by a van with all of our bags, and we were taken on the Panoramic Route back to Joburg. We left the Kruger Park terrain and our elevation climbed. Thick lodge pole forests, round hills, waterfalls, rainforest, ravines… The landscape changed about every half hour and so did the weather. It monsooned again and then we entered a thick fog, which inhibited most of the panoramic views.
Our first stop was at a waterfall but we couldn’t see it. The rain paused for our next stop which was at a waterfall set in rolling hills. I just wanted to hike! Next was God’s Window and while God kindly paused the rain again while we got out to explore, he forgot to de-fog the window. As we couldn’t see the view, we hiked up a trail and within 10 minutes we were in a rainforest! Our legs were grateful for the little jaunt. When we came out the other side of the rainforest, we were at the edge of a cliff and met with a wall of white. Pretty cool even without the views! The sun came out as we lunched on savoury pancakes in an old gold mining town, Pilgrim’s Rest. From there it was a five hour ride back to Joburg. I enjoyed the scenery for a while before falling sound asleep. John said it turned into “Alberta Prairie” again.
Chapter 2 - JohannesburgAs we entered Joburg, we passed a bad accident that had just happened. The police and medics weren’t there yet. First on the scene was the area Armed Response team (comforting). Whilst sitting in traffic, John and I sat in the back of the van, following all of the safety tips we read, but the Swedish kids up front (who had commendable behavior for the entire 7 hour journey that day) did the opposite. They had their bags were in full view, had their cameras out, started making faces at and taking photos of the people neighbouring cars, and then they opened the window to chat to some guy selling bowls at a traffic light! We weren't that impressed, but we did manage to make it safely to our hotel in Sandton (a suburb of Joburg).
We were advised not to walk anywhere except for to the conference centre next to the hotel and the mall across the road. We had dinner at the hotel and I watched the Oscars replay while John prepped for the next day. We couldn’t believe how much we did in one day and one weekend.
Tuesday, February 27th – Johannesburg
John was giving a workshop at the conference all day Tuesday, and I was under strict orders to stay in the hotel so that he wouldn’t worry about me. I didn’t have a problem with that. I was happy to have a relaxing day enjoying the hotel amenities. I hit the treadmill in the gym, had a leisurely breakfast, sat in the sun by the pool and did some blogging by hand (ie journal writing), then went back to the gym. John met me there when he was finished around 3:30. His workshop had been well received by the delegates.
We ventured out across the road, explored the mall, admired Nelson Mandela’s huge statue in the square named after him, and then John showed me the conference centre. There were security guards all over our hotel, in the parking area and patrolling the mall. We enjoyed a crib game by the pool and then went back to Nelson Mandela square for dinner.
Wednesday, February 28th – Johannesburg and Cape Town
John was at his conference in the morning and he gave a presentation at midday (which also got good reviews – so proud of my man). It was Day 2 for me of being a Lady of Leisure. I did a repeat of the day before - gym, breakfast and pool - accompanied by the other wives of delegates.
We had a safe and quick ride to OR Tambo airport early afternoon to catch our flight to Cape Town. At the airport were greeted by a sign saying “Enter at your own risk” and we saw another sign inside that said “Check Weapons and Firearms here”. Disregarding the newspaper articles about incidents of crime we read while we were there, overall Joburg seemed safer than we expected but we were happy to take the necessary precautions. In reality, we were confined to the generally white, upper middle class suburb of Sandton, where businesses have relocated after abandoning Central Joburg, and where every house is surrounded by a six foot wall, lined with barbed wire and topped with electric fencing. Not exactly genuine Joburg. Next time we’d like to see the Apartheid Museum and Soweto (the largest township established under apartheid). I was skeptical about these tours as I didn’t want to gawk at others’ misfortune, but John read that the tours are run by Soweto residents and the money goes to benefit the area.
Chapter 3 – Cape TownWe arrived in Cape Town early evening and were picked up by our hotel driver. We drove past a township, by the university and a famous hospital (where the first heart transplant took place), past Table Mountain and to the Victoria and Alfred (V&A) Waterfront where our hotel was. The hotel was much nicer than I was expecting and the service was outstanding; the online photos did not do it justice.
We were happy to be able to walk through the large V&A Waterfront area (it is a tourist area and well patrolled by security). It reminded us of Victoria Harbour and Granville Island combined. There was an African singing troop playing in the square, which of course I adored as it reminded me of Paul Simon’s Graceland album. We had a beer at Mitchell’s Scottish Ale Brewery in honour of Mom’s family, and then dined on a delicious meal at a Cape Malay restaurant (actually Indonesian, not Malaysian, influenced by the Indonesian slaves brought in 300 years ago). Food everywhere was quite reasonable, granted our sense of reasonable may be warped after being in London and Oslo.
Thursday, March 1 – Cape Town
We started the day with a half day tour of Cape Town’s City Bowl and Table Mountain. The City Bowl is the downtown area and so named because of the surrounding mountains which form a bowl: Table Mountain (TM) which is big and flat on top, Devil’s Peak, Lion’s Head, and Signal Hill. It is very common for clouds to form over TM and cascade over the edge; locals call it the Table Cloth.
It was a sunny day but there were a few clouds over TM. We headed there first and took the rotating cable car up. On the way up and from the top there were spectacular views of the whole peninsula and city. We had a good walk on the paths, admiring the views and the flora which is unique in the world. After that we went to the Cape Town’s fortress, and drove through Bo-Kaap (the Malay Quarter which has distinctive colourful houses) and other City Bowl sites. At the end we walked through the Company Gardens (the Dutch East India Company) and visited the main museum. There was a really interesting display of 150 years of the Cape Argus Newspaper; we spent all our time there. We enjoyed all the parts of the tour but we were disappointed that we did not have more time at each stop and we felt it wasn’t worth the money. We did get some interesting SA history tidbits and tips for traveling to other parts of Africa from our guide.
The tour finished early afternoon and we decided to take
advantage of the sunshine. We got a ride down to Camps Bay Beach, a beautiful long stretch of white sand, blue water and big crashing waves, and we rented some lounge chairs and caught some rays. The wind kept us cool under the hot sun which was good because we were too wimpy to attempt a swim in the Atlantic. Damn cold! The Indian Ocean on the other side of the peninsula is supposedly warmer but was a further drive, and it is also home to more Great Whites. Once we were sufficiently fried, we had ice cream, got a scenic ride back to our hotel, enjoyed dinner at the Waterfront and hit the sack.
Friday, March 2nd – Cape Town, Cape of Good Hope
We were up for our 8:30 Cape of Good Hope tour departure (much easier than the 5:30 safaris). The day – pure sunshine, no clouds, hot. TM was totally clear. The tour took us down the Atlantic side of the Cape peninsula to Cape of Good Hope and then back up the Indian side. There were five other travelers in our van, two British couples and an Aussie lady.
We drove along the coast and admired Clifton Beach and then got a good view of Camps Bay Beach where we were the day before. Next we entered Hout Bay and from its harbour we got on a boat for a quick ride out to Seal Island. We could smell the seals as we approached (very distinctive odor and certainly not pleasant). There were hundreds of them sunning themselves on the warm rocks and playing in the water. Fun to watch. Out past the island in the ocean, we could see a spot where waves were breaking. In the winter, waves there can get up to 20 metres high and they host extreme surfing competitions (
http://www.redbullbwa.com/gallery/index.php?id=11).
We took Chapman’s Peak Drive along cliffs overlooking the Atlantic. It was like the Sea to Sky highway from Vancouver to Whistler but not as safe. It took our breath away for more reason than one. We passed a gorgeous, very long beach, moved inland and passed an ostrich farm, and then hit the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. Driving through the reserve we saw baboons and wild ostriches, and made our way to the Cape of Good Hope, the most south westerly point of Africa, where the oceans meet. It was a bit of a let down because for some reason we were expecting the waters to meet distinctly, like the Fraser River into the Pacific, which they didn’t. We had to settle for cliffs, a rocky beach and just plain ocean (oh darn).
We drove around the bend to Cape Point and hiked up to a lighthouse with incredible views of the cliffs, beaches, Indian, Atlantic, and mountains – big highlight. The walk worked up our appetites and we had lunch at The Boulders, more delicious food and fun conversations with our fellow travelers. The restaurant was overlooking False Bay which is renowned for its Great White sharks (breeding ground) and also for its surfing (feeding ground). The beaches have shark lookouts. Check out some amazing photos of Great Whites breaching in False Bay at
http://www.apexpredators.com/store/showCategoriesProducts.asp?categoryID=6.
From there we walked down to a nature reserve to see African (formerly known as Jackass) Penguins, which are native to the area. We saw them on the beach, playing in the water and waddling through bushes. There was a mama scolding her baby and moulting ones that didn’t move much because they were fasting. To get cool air into their bodies, the penguins keep their beaks wide open, like dogs panting. All very cute.
Driving up the Indian side of the peninsula we went through Simon’s Town, home of a big navy base. The route took us into Cape Town but on the back side of Table Mountain. The Atlantic side of the peninsula was a desert and this side was very lush and green, a perfect locale for the Botanical Gardens. We strolled through the gardens, set in behind TM, and admired the unique flowers and plants. One of the flowers had petals that looked like bird feathers! John’s Mom and Grandma could have spent days there, no, likely weeks.
As we came into the City Bowl, TM was clear of clouds but Lion’s Head had a tuft of white on it. To the locals, that means rain will fall the next day. We could have used a nap when we got back to our hotel but our efficient concierge had got us a table at Mama Africa for dinner, an African Restaurant back in the City Bowl. It was a lively place with a great atmosphere. I had kudu and springbok stew and John had mango chicken (both very yum). We enjoyed the live African music and had a chuckle when the second song they sang was a cover of a British boy band tune. It was a lovely way to spend our last night in Cape Town.
Saturday, March 3 – Cape Town and the journey home
On our last day in SA, we slept in a bit, checked out and enjoyed breakfast at the V&A Waterfront. We wanted to do a tour to Robben Island, home of the Alcatraz-like political prison where Nelson Mandela was held for many years, but they were all booked up and we were tight on time. Instead we went to the District Six Museum. The sixth district of Cape Town was a vibrant mixed community and in 1966 it was declared a “white area”. By 1982, 60,000 residents had been forcibly removed to a township outside of Cape Town, their houses flattened. This of course happened all over the country during apartheid. We soaked in all the history the museum had to offer, not just about District Six but also about Cape Town.
As predicted by the Lion’s Head cloud the day before, it rained and really cooled off. Our hotel driver picked us up with our bags and took us to the airport. It was 2:00pm and the start of our 24 hour journey home. Cape Town to Joburg, 7 hour layover, overnight to Amsterdam and then a connection to London.
At the Johannesburg airport we caught a glimpse of the big red sun setting over the horizon, and then we sat in a restaurant overlooking the runways, planes and a big, brilliant full moon. We toasted our amazing trip and started discussing our next African adventure. Perhaps a hiking safari in Botswana for our 10 year anniversary?
John, you did a superb job planning the trip. Thank you.
r a wonderful few days with them, we were very sad to see them go yesterday. Having them here made us feel like we were back home in Vancouver.
zed, and in doing so have lost of bit of their charm. The Kings Arms is true to form. We walked in at 7:30 and headed into the back. Just as we sat down, a man sitting on a stool at the bar passed out, fell backwards, hit is head on the table right beside us and then hit the ground with a thud. He lay there in a heap, a trickle of blood running out of his head, and the waitress returned to the room with a resounding “Oh, for f*** sake…” with a perturbed tone, like this was an everyday occurrence. Welcome to London K&J!
r a wonderful few days with them, we were very sad to see them go yesterday. Having them here made us feel like we were back home in Vancouver.
zed, and in doing so have lost of bit of their charm. The Kings Arms is true to form. We walked in at 7:30 and headed into the back. Just as we sat down, a man sitting on a stool at the bar passed out, fell backwards, hit is head on the table right beside us and then hit the ground with a thud. He lay there in a heap, a trickle of blood running out of his head, and the waitress returned to the room with a resounding “Oh, for f*** sake…” with a perturbed tone, like this was an everyday occurrence. Welcome to London K&J!
