Tonite we went to an eclectic restaurant for our farewell dinner. We arrived and had a group drum lesson. Supper was amazing. It was a selection of African dishes -- 14 courses!! Some of these were sauces but there were 14 items. Most came in little dishes so we didn't get a huge amount of food. All was delicious and none of it spicy which some people were very happy about. We arrived back at the hotel to hear an opera singer doing Phantom of the Opera. With 43 people arriving and clapping loudly, he decided to do about 4 more songs. What a neat end to the evening.
To give you some idea of our long trip tomorrow which none of want to face but we have to: We leave here at 1:30 pm Sunday which is 3:30 am for you. And we get into Kelowna at 7:30 pm Monday.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Table Mountain
This is Table Mountain with its tablecloth. The warm breezes come in from the Indian Ocean and rise up Table Mountain. The warm moist air condenses as it rises forming the tablecloth as the locals call it. We were very lucky in that it was clear up there the day we wanted to go. And there was no wind. If there is fog and wind the lifts shut down (as it did for several days before we arrived and the day after as well.) And if you are up on the mountain when the fog rolls in or the wind comes up, they sound a horn and you'd better get back to the gondola fast or you'll be left up there!
Saturday, February 26, 2011 continued
This morning we left in two small vans for a township abou 45 minutes away. Do you remember the pictures I sent from Soweto? Well, we were in one home which was one of the better ones. We met a lovely lady (Mama) who is 70 and runs a "homestay". You can stay with her from one night to several months (if you are in the township doing some work project). She loves doing it as she meets so many people and everyone shares their culture. She showed us how she made bread (already had some rising) and various other things (I have the recipes). While she was finishing up our lunch, we walked around the "shanty town looking "side (Not a shantytown as that has no services. Thisplace had electricity but no water or bathrooms in the "homes".) Most are metal sided, many with rocks holding the roofs down -- as per the picture I took in Soweto. Our guide lives there. We saw her bedroom -- lovely with a nice bedspread, pillows, etc. but not much bigger than her bed. She lives with her brother and aunt who have their own bedrooms. They share a cooking area and go across the street for the bathroom, shower and communal clothes washing stations. Kids and people everywhere as it was Saturday. We then walked back to Mama's for a delicious lunch.
We were back by 1:30 and spent the afternoon sorting our stuff out and packing. Re Don's suitcase, it finally showed up four days later all wrapped in shrink plastic. The zipper had been destroyed but nothing seemed to be missing until today. One souvineer (Eleanor's birthday present ) is missing. I guess we were lucky that's all it was. Don has bought a new suitcase and we hope to recover the costs from the airlines.
Tonite we head out for a farewell dinner at an "eclectic restaurant with feasting and entertainment"
We were back by 1:30 and spent the afternoon sorting our stuff out and packing. Re Don's suitcase, it finally showed up four days later all wrapped in shrink plastic. The zipper had been destroyed but nothing seemed to be missing until today. One souvineer (Eleanor's birthday present ) is missing. I guess we were lucky that's all it was. Don has bought a new suitcase and we hope to recover the costs from the airlines.
Tonite we head out for a farewell dinner at an "eclectic restaurant with feasting and entertainment"
Saturday, February 26,2011
This is our last day here and we have had some very interesting excursions. On Thursday we saw where the two ocean currents (Atlantic and Antarctic) currents meet at the Cape of Good Hope. That's not strictly true as it was so foggy we couldn't see the water. But we climbed up to the lighthouse. (I and several others climbed the whole way up and down, enjoying the exercise. The rest went up the funicular.) The actual meeting of the Atlantic and Indian oceans is 230 Km east of here. We then had lunch at a seafood restaurant on the way back to Cape Town. (Had another type of white fish.)
Yesterday we walked to the ferry which took us over to Robben Island which is where prisoners have been kept since the 1600's. Mandela was there as well. Our interesting guide had been a prisoner himself. He was a student radical and was sentenced to 5 years. They kept their minds active by thinking up ways to annoy the guards. At one point the place was a leper colony (1845 to 1941). He's a quote we saw written there: "The journey is never long when the destination is freedom." We walked through the cells, etc. Actually, one good thing about the place -- it was cool in the buildings (but probably cold in the winter.) They were given one mat and two blankets and were on food rations according to their race. Very unfair.
We had some free time which I used to have a nap. I was running out of steam. It was our day to sleep in but instead we got up early to go to a 7 am Rotary Meeting.
We were then picked up at 6:30 to go on a Jazz Safari --- eat your heart out Shannon and Robbie. We were taken in groups of about 9 or 10 to a musician's home. We got a fellow who plays about 15 instruments (favorite is piano) and has played on about 20 CDs. He started with an instrument which looks like a bow. The string part is a piano wire with a tuner at the bottom. The top of the bow has been carved a bit and he puts his mouth on it while he taps the wire with a thin rod. Very pretty -- ancient instrument which used to have animal tendons for the wire. We then had supper which his wife had made. Or at least some of us had supper. The lentils were really, really hot. I had warned Don so he took the rice, potato and chicken. Well, I ended up eating the chicken. Another fellow who can't eat hot stuff either, dumped the lentils over his rice which ended that part of the meal. Afterwards he played some of his own compositions on guitar an piano. Then his daughter came home and sang two familiar jazz tunes. He also played a melodian I think it was. Very entertaining. We then piled into our vans and headed for a jazz club which is in the townships. They have converted a home into this club. The band was good but amplified so way too loud. We got home about 1130. So this was a very cultural experience. Have any of you heard of Hilton Schilder? That's whose home we were in.
Yesterday we walked to the ferry which took us over to Robben Island which is where prisoners have been kept since the 1600's. Mandela was there as well. Our interesting guide had been a prisoner himself. He was a student radical and was sentenced to 5 years. They kept their minds active by thinking up ways to annoy the guards. At one point the place was a leper colony (1845 to 1941). He's a quote we saw written there: "The journey is never long when the destination is freedom." We walked through the cells, etc. Actually, one good thing about the place -- it was cool in the buildings (but probably cold in the winter.) They were given one mat and two blankets and were on food rations according to their race. Very unfair.
We had some free time which I used to have a nap. I was running out of steam. It was our day to sleep in but instead we got up early to go to a 7 am Rotary Meeting.
We were then picked up at 6:30 to go on a Jazz Safari --- eat your heart out Shannon and Robbie. We were taken in groups of about 9 or 10 to a musician's home. We got a fellow who plays about 15 instruments (favorite is piano) and has played on about 20 CDs. He started with an instrument which looks like a bow. The string part is a piano wire with a tuner at the bottom. The top of the bow has been carved a bit and he puts his mouth on it while he taps the wire with a thin rod. Very pretty -- ancient instrument which used to have animal tendons for the wire. We then had supper which his wife had made. Or at least some of us had supper. The lentils were really, really hot. I had warned Don so he took the rice, potato and chicken. Well, I ended up eating the chicken. Another fellow who can't eat hot stuff either, dumped the lentils over his rice which ended that part of the meal. Afterwards he played some of his own compositions on guitar an piano. Then his daughter came home and sang two familiar jazz tunes. He also played a melodian I think it was. Very entertaining. We then piled into our vans and headed for a jazz club which is in the townships. They have converted a home into this club. The band was good but amplified so way too loud. We got home about 1130. So this was a very cultural experience. Have any of you heard of Hilton Schilder? That's whose home we were in.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
African penguins
These are African penguins. They nest in the sand whereas the Antarctic penguins nest in beds of little stones. Note to Rob: This is the area where the great white sharks breach. The penguins must travel throught the GWshark's breeding grounds so are quite vulnerable to being eaten. The sharks wait underneath then go up like a killer whale to catch the penguins.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
The conditions at the Lanzerac Hotel weren't too good for blogging as I had to go on battery only. Also didn't have a lot of time after I got my battery charged up. It's great where we are now as I can plug in at the desk in our room. Wifi is also free!! We are in Capetown at the Table Bay Hotel which is right on the waterfront. I have the windows open and the lovely sea air is coming in. We travelled down here this morning (only a short drive as we were almost on the outskirts of Capetown when at Stellenbosch). Our first stop was the District Six museum. It was very interesting and quite sad. Our group was given a short talk by a man who had lived in District Six. What happened is that a lot of different races and cultures lived there very happily until apartheid came and the government didn't want them living in the same place. So over 7 years or so, they tore down this area of town and made people move to where the same races were. One sad story -- a colored man was married to a black woman. He had to go live with the coloreds and she and her 3 children had to go live in a black community. He had to ask permission from the police to visit her and was only allowed to do so every 3 months for 2 hours at a time. And this District Six wasn't a bunch of shanty buildings -- it was 3 to 4 story buildings with churches, stores, etc. Very sad. The whites were supposed to move there but none would. They are gradually building houses for those who want to go back -- on the same spot they were before. There is a map of the city on the floor of the museum and the former residents put their name on the spot where their house was.
After this we went up Table Mountain. That's quite a cable car ride. The car turns slowly around as you go up so you see all the angles. It is supposed to have the longest span in the world. I was fascinated by the trail under it. What looks like a steep wall has a trail wending its way up. Takes 2 1/2 to 3 hours they say. I wouldn't want to come down it. The mountain looks flat on top but isn't of course. It's got lots of rock formations. Will put a picture on later. It's soon time to go for supper.
We had a lovely walk along the waterfront. Lots of shops, both expensive and not. There was a very large craft market which I found interesting so left some money there!! We'll explore more another day.
This is a beautiful city -- lives up to its reputation.
After this we went up Table Mountain. That's quite a cable car ride. The car turns slowly around as you go up so you see all the angles. It is supposed to have the longest span in the world. I was fascinated by the trail under it. What looks like a steep wall has a trail wending its way up. Takes 2 1/2 to 3 hours they say. I wouldn't want to come down it. The mountain looks flat on top but isn't of course. It's got lots of rock formations. Will put a picture on later. It's soon time to go for supper.
We had a lovely walk along the waterfront. Lots of shops, both expensive and not. There was a very large craft market which I found interesting so left some money there!! We'll explore more another day.
This is a beautiful city -- lives up to its reputation.
View from 2 weeks ago
This is our cabin at Tau Lodge where we went on our first game drive. As you can see, it was on the edge of a watering hole. We could sit on our porch and watch the animals. There is an electrified fence between us and them. 
Moth
Note the camoflage this moth has. The tips of each wing appear to be snake heads and the edges appear to be snake skin. No self respecting bird would try and eat that!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Our unit at Lanzerac Hotel
Our unit is right above the life preserver. There are 15 units in this section of the hotel. We have two patios, one in front and one in back where the lawn is. Note the swimming pool -- 1800's style?
Monday, February 21, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
It has been four days since I last did an entry -- problems with Wifi access and we've been pretty busy. We spent two nights in Knysna (silent K). It is on a protected harbour so lots of sailboats. The entrance is very, very tricky so no boat is insured while going through it. We had a harbour cruise then went out for dinner. We went to an elephant park which was more interesting than I thought it would be as we got to feed them. Funny watching my elephant tell the next one to butt out when his trunk came over and tried to take the fruit I was holding. These are rescued elephants (orphaned by poachers). Our touring around in this area was along the coast.
We left Sunday morning for Stellebosch which is in the winelands area. What beautiful country as it is green with vineyards everywhere. Also fruit trees -- pears, peaches, apples. Lots of water here. In Port Elizabeth water is rationed. On the way we stopped at an ostrich farm. Saw how their managed it plus learned a lot about ostrich. Eg They mate every day and the hen lays an egg every other day. The keepers take the eggs away and raise then in an incubator. They leave her one, and because she can't count, she keeps laying trying to get to the right number for sitting on (about 15). They have to do the egg retrieval carefully as the ostiches get very aggressive. Two or three people go into the pen. One has a long tree branch which has lots of thorns on the end. Since the bird does't want his/her eyes damaged, that keeps them at bay. They have razor sharp (7cm long) claws so one doesn't want to make contact!!!
After all the info, we got a chance to ride them. My hand was first up so I got to ride first. I had no idea what to expect. Thought I'd go for a walk around the pen area. So the guys got me positioned correctly -- feel clamped around the bird, leaning back and hands hanging on to the wings. Then they started hooping and hollering so the bird took off at a full run!!! Very exciting!! Then when they tried to get me off the bird I still was hanging on tight till I realized what they were trying to do. What I didn't realize was that they were right beside me the whole way. Six of us got to go -- had to be under 150 lbs. (which I still am!! )
We then had a delicious lunch of salad with ostrich strips on top.
So after a very long day (830 to 6) we got to our hotel. It is supposed to be one of the most prestigous in the world! Very nice. Meals are an experience -- appetizer, special treat from the chef (raw salmon), main course, palate cleanser, dessert (beautifully arranged). Our room is huge with the longest tub I've ever seen.
Today we did a wine tour and tasting plus some shopping in some lovely little towns with neat shops. Also went through a museum showing houses from 1700 to 1850. The early one has an interesting feature -- the chair and table legs were very short. Since the floors were made of cow dung, the feel used to rot so they gradually had to cut them off. Another interesting feature -- in the attic was a coffin in which they stored their dried herbs until it came time to use it.
Enough for today.
We left Sunday morning for Stellebosch which is in the winelands area. What beautiful country as it is green with vineyards everywhere. Also fruit trees -- pears, peaches, apples. Lots of water here. In Port Elizabeth water is rationed. On the way we stopped at an ostrich farm. Saw how their managed it plus learned a lot about ostrich. Eg They mate every day and the hen lays an egg every other day. The keepers take the eggs away and raise then in an incubator. They leave her one, and because she can't count, she keeps laying trying to get to the right number for sitting on (about 15). They have to do the egg retrieval carefully as the ostiches get very aggressive. Two or three people go into the pen. One has a long tree branch which has lots of thorns on the end. Since the bird does't want his/her eyes damaged, that keeps them at bay. They have razor sharp (7cm long) claws so one doesn't want to make contact!!!
After all the info, we got a chance to ride them. My hand was first up so I got to ride first. I had no idea what to expect. Thought I'd go for a walk around the pen area. So the guys got me positioned correctly -- feel clamped around the bird, leaning back and hands hanging on to the wings. Then they started hooping and hollering so the bird took off at a full run!!! Very exciting!! Then when they tried to get me off the bird I still was hanging on tight till I realized what they were trying to do. What I didn't realize was that they were right beside me the whole way. Six of us got to go -- had to be under 150 lbs. (which I still am!! )
We then had a delicious lunch of salad with ostrich strips on top.
So after a very long day (830 to 6) we got to our hotel. It is supposed to be one of the most prestigous in the world! Very nice. Meals are an experience -- appetizer, special treat from the chef (raw salmon), main course, palate cleanser, dessert (beautifully arranged). Our room is huge with the longest tub I've ever seen.
Today we did a wine tour and tasting plus some shopping in some lovely little towns with neat shops. Also went through a museum showing houses from 1700 to 1850. The early one has an interesting feature -- the chair and table legs were very short. Since the floors were made of cow dung, the feel used to rot so they gradually had to cut them off. Another interesting feature -- in the attic was a coffin in which they stored their dried herbs until it came time to use it.
Enough for today.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Zambian/Botswana border
Forgot to mention that there are lines and lines of transport trucks on the Botswana side of the border waiting to cross by ferry into Zambia. They can take about 50 a day and often they have to wait 2 to 3 weeks!!!! to get across. They are prepared with food, etc. but I gather that the Zimbabwe women come over to this area as prostitutes. So that's one way AIDS gets spread. There were shower facilities for them.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Well, as you will see following this post, I'm finally back on Wifi so can send pictures.
We had a fabulous day yesterday -- went to ChobeNational Park which is in Botswana. We went by bus to the border then crossed the Chobe River in open aluminum boats. The river is the borderline between Botswana and Zambia where we were staying. We had to do lots of paperwork each time we crossed those borders. The first activity was a boat tour of the Chobe River. We finally had a good look at hippos. The river seems quite shallow with lots of grassy areas in the middle. After a delicious lunch at a lodge, we went on a game drive where we saw hundreds of elephants. What a sight! And many of them were playing in the water -- all ages. The youngest we saw was only a few weeks old.
We were beseiged at the border with the seller of carved hippos and rhinos. They are desperate to sell and it is quite distressing for us. I would buy more if they would let me alone so I could browse.
Our hotel at VFalls was definitely probably 6 star. Someone told me today that the going rate for a room there is $880 per night!!! There is a butler for each unit of 10 rooms. He/she stands outside most of the day waiting for something to do for us. So I gave him my dirty shoes -- got soaked from the falls then the red dirt stuck to them. He did a beautiful job on them. The president of Zambia was arriving today to stay there!! Lots of military around.
This morning we left for Port Elizabeth (I know I said Capetown in a few emails but that wasn't correct). We got to Joburg and had to pick up our luggage then go through customs again as we were now back in South Africa. Well, Don's suitcase never showed up and as we were extremely tight for time, we couldn't get the search started until we got into Port Elizabeth. So, the suitcase is either still in Livingston or has gone on one of the other two international flights which went out about the same time we did!! So, we don't have high expectations of ever seeing it again. But they have our tour guide's # and will contact him if they find it. It actually was an exhausting day for most of us as the airport hassle seemed endless. No more flights until we head for home thank goodness. The rest is by bus.
Port Elizabeth is on the Indian Ocean. Looks very prosperous though didn't see much of it. The drive from the airport only took about 10 minutes. Dinner at the hotel was good as usual.
We had a fabulous day yesterday -- went to ChobeNational Park which is in Botswana. We went by bus to the border then crossed the Chobe River in open aluminum boats. The river is the borderline between Botswana and Zambia where we were staying. We had to do lots of paperwork each time we crossed those borders. The first activity was a boat tour of the Chobe River. We finally had a good look at hippos. The river seems quite shallow with lots of grassy areas in the middle. After a delicious lunch at a lodge, we went on a game drive where we saw hundreds of elephants. What a sight! And many of them were playing in the water -- all ages. The youngest we saw was only a few weeks old.
We were beseiged at the border with the seller of carved hippos and rhinos. They are desperate to sell and it is quite distressing for us. I would buy more if they would let me alone so I could browse.
Our hotel at VFalls was definitely probably 6 star. Someone told me today that the going rate for a room there is $880 per night!!! There is a butler for each unit of 10 rooms. He/she stands outside most of the day waiting for something to do for us. So I gave him my dirty shoes -- got soaked from the falls then the red dirt stuck to them. He did a beautiful job on them. The president of Zambia was arriving today to stay there!! Lots of military around.
This morning we left for Port Elizabeth (I know I said Capetown in a few emails but that wasn't correct). We got to Joburg and had to pick up our luggage then go through customs again as we were now back in South Africa. Well, Don's suitcase never showed up and as we were extremely tight for time, we couldn't get the search started until we got into Port Elizabeth. So, the suitcase is either still in Livingston or has gone on one of the other two international flights which went out about the same time we did!! So, we don't have high expectations of ever seeing it again. But they have our tour guide's # and will contact him if they find it. It actually was an exhausting day for most of us as the airport hassle seemed endless. No more flights until we head for home thank goodness. The rest is by bus.
Port Elizabeth is on the Indian Ocean. Looks very prosperous though didn't see much of it. The drive from the airport only took about 10 minutes. Dinner at the hotel was good as usual.
Elephants
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
February 15, 2011
Hello from Zambia.
We flew here yesterday from Joberg where we'd spent the nite at an airport hotel. We saw Victoria Falls on the way in -- very impressive. After some down time in the afternoon we went on a train ride and dinner (Valentine's Day) The women all got a red rose then eventully we had a 6 course meal which was delicious. We were on the train for about 3 hours which was enough. It was rattly and swayed back and forth a lot -- old tracks?
Our hotel here is the Livingstone -- very nice and right on the Zambezi (spelling?) River which goes over the falls about a km or so away. There is a lot of volume right now so the mist is rising above the horizon. They call it the "smoke that thunders". Today we had a walking tour of the falls. Very, very impressive. We wore our ponchos and for quite aways it felt as if we were in a thunderstorm's major downpour. The mist was being driven under my sunglasses and hat. Quite something. Also were walking in inches of water as it poured down the stone walkways.
Right after this some of us went on a tour of a native village. There are 7000 people living there in traditional grass roofed huts. The walls are made from tree trunks then covered with the mud from the termite mounds.I took some stuff for the kids and was sorry as I soon had hoards of them around me and when they got agressive at grabbing I closed the bag and went away. I had notebooks, pencils and eraser/sharpeners. We went into one household's grounds and there are no parents -- died from aids. The grandparents are raising the kids and one of the "kids" has her own baby.
They have primitive cooking facilities -- in fact it is all primitive except the chief has satellite TV!!!
Tonite we had a boat tour of the Zambezi River hoping to see crocks and hippos. Did see two hippos as they just stuck their noses out of the water . But it was a nice pleasant ride with wine, etc. Trouble is some people really take advantage of the free booze and get very noisy.
Off to another later dinner (8 pm). We are getting used to going to bed on a full stomach.
We flew here yesterday from Joberg where we'd spent the nite at an airport hotel. We saw Victoria Falls on the way in -- very impressive. After some down time in the afternoon we went on a train ride and dinner (Valentine's Day) The women all got a red rose then eventully we had a 6 course meal which was delicious. We were on the train for about 3 hours which was enough. It was rattly and swayed back and forth a lot -- old tracks?
Our hotel here is the Livingstone -- very nice and right on the Zambezi (spelling?) River which goes over the falls about a km or so away. There is a lot of volume right now so the mist is rising above the horizon. They call it the "smoke that thunders". Today we had a walking tour of the falls. Very, very impressive. We wore our ponchos and for quite aways it felt as if we were in a thunderstorm's major downpour. The mist was being driven under my sunglasses and hat. Quite something. Also were walking in inches of water as it poured down the stone walkways.
Right after this some of us went on a tour of a native village. There are 7000 people living there in traditional grass roofed huts. The walls are made from tree trunks then covered with the mud from the termite mounds.I took some stuff for the kids and was sorry as I soon had hoards of them around me and when they got agressive at grabbing I closed the bag and went away. I had notebooks, pencils and eraser/sharpeners. We went into one household's grounds and there are no parents -- died from aids. The grandparents are raising the kids and one of the "kids" has her own baby.
They have primitive cooking facilities -- in fact it is all primitive except the chief has satellite TV!!!
Tonite we had a boat tour of the Zambezi River hoping to see crocks and hippos. Did see two hippos as they just stuck their noses out of the water . But it was a nice pleasant ride with wine, etc. Trouble is some people really take advantage of the free booze and get very noisy.
Off to another later dinner (8 pm). We are getting used to going to bed on a full stomach.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Sunday, Februarty 13, 2011 #2
Back again though you will be reading this in reverse order. I'm tired of typing a long blog then losing it when the hotel's Wifi goes down -- has happened twice.
The TAU Lodge was a wonderful place to stay. We all had individual cabins which were on the edge of a watering hole. So we often saw animals coming down for water. They had small porches for sitting on during the day. Our shower was unique in that it was outside, but private. Kind of neat. Our king size bed was covered with a huge mosquito net at night. Didn't have any mosquitos around and it is not a malaria area. The whole compound is surrouned by an electric fence so no need to worry about being eaten going back and forth after dark. The only nuisances were monkeys who would steal anything left lying around. We were instructed to keep our doors and windows locked. Apparently they love mediations so there were lots of jokes about Viagra.
The lodge has two floors with quite a variety of decks. We ate in various spots which made it interesting. Last night we were surprised with a barbeque/buffet out in the middle of the wilderness. I decided that I didn't need to go to the bathroom!!! The meals were too good and I can already feel a thickened waist! Problem is no place to exercise. We ate interesting things like Kudu which is an antelope.
The game reserve is privately owned and that is the best kind to go to for anyone thinking of going on a safari. You get superior guiding and see way more animals. This place was started in 1992 -- used to be a ranch with grazing. The whole thing is surrounded with an electric fence and borders on Botswana. All the animals have been introduced and they keep an eagle eye out for poachers -- less of a problem in SAfrica than other countries. There had not been lions or elephants in this area since the early 1800's.
The TAU Lodge was a wonderful place to stay. We all had individual cabins which were on the edge of a watering hole. So we often saw animals coming down for water. They had small porches for sitting on during the day. Our shower was unique in that it was outside, but private. Kind of neat. Our king size bed was covered with a huge mosquito net at night. Didn't have any mosquitos around and it is not a malaria area. The whole compound is surrouned by an electric fence so no need to worry about being eaten going back and forth after dark. The only nuisances were monkeys who would steal anything left lying around. We were instructed to keep our doors and windows locked. Apparently they love mediations so there were lots of jokes about Viagra.
The lodge has two floors with quite a variety of decks. We ate in various spots which made it interesting. Last night we were surprised with a barbeque/buffet out in the middle of the wilderness. I decided that I didn't need to go to the bathroom!!! The meals were too good and I can already feel a thickened waist! Problem is no place to exercise. We ate interesting things like Kudu which is an antelope.
The game reserve is privately owned and that is the best kind to go to for anyone thinking of going on a safari. You get superior guiding and see way more animals. This place was started in 1992 -- used to be a ranch with grazing. The whole thing is surrounded with an electric fence and borders on Botswana. All the animals have been introduced and they keep an eagle eye out for poachers -- less of a problem in SAfrica than other countries. There had not been lions or elephants in this area since the early 1800's.
Sunday, Februarty 13, 2011
I am back on line!! The wifi went down so was unable to send anything out after the last pictures. So here goes:
We have had the most awesome experience at Madwike Game Reserve. It met and exceeded our expectations. In the first 1 1/2 days we had seen the BIG 5 -- some guests never see all of them. Our ranger/guides were extremely comfortable with the animals and the places they had to drive so we could see them. The rangers are highly trained in many areas and must go through rifle testing each month (eg simulating a charging lion for instance). They are young guys and gals. Ours was Saun. So the BIG 5:
ELEPHANTS The first day we saw a whole bunch of them -- single males, young males pushing each other around and families. We had to get out of one area fast as the herd was approaching and we were in thick brush trying to see the buffalo -- no quick escape if trouble. Then we never saw another one except for a lone male who appeared in front of our cabin. Others saw them everday -- depended where the guides went. (The park is huge -- 22,000 acres)
CAPE BUFFALO These guys are hard to find as they are in very thick brush. We saw a herd of over 150 yesterday but after dark so no pictures.
LIONS These guys were hard to find but as soon as one guide spotted them, the rest came over. Only 3 vehicles allowed at any animal viewing at a time so they take turns. So we saw a couple of sleepy lone males
after dark then one evening on our way back to the lodge, we saw a pair walking down the road towards us. They split and went on each side of the vehicle. I could have reached out and touched her. The next day they were located so we all took turns watching their mating. -- over and over and I have the pictures to prove it. Our guide had never been that close to a mating before so he was pretty pumped too.
LEOPARD These guys are very elusive but we managed to get two sightings -- one in daylight so I have a picture.
RHINOS We had good viewing of these guys. One day was especially close coming within 30 feet of the vehicle. They sure are massive.
We saw loads and loads of other animals some of which are quite rare sightings.
Our schedule:
0500 -- wake-up call
0510 -- coffe, juice and tiny muffins
0530 -- game drive for 3 hours
0730 -- Coffee and biscotti out somewhere
0830 -- breakfast
morning then free to nap, etc.
1330 -- lunch
afternoon -- as the morning
1630 -- tea and snack
1700 -- game drive for 3 hours
1900 -- drinks and snacks out somewhere
2030 -- supper
We didn't find this schedule difficult, except we don't like going to bed on a full stomach.
We have had the most awesome experience at Madwike Game Reserve. It met and exceeded our expectations. In the first 1 1/2 days we had seen the BIG 5 -- some guests never see all of them. Our ranger/guides were extremely comfortable with the animals and the places they had to drive so we could see them. The rangers are highly trained in many areas and must go through rifle testing each month (eg simulating a charging lion for instance). They are young guys and gals. Ours was Saun. So the BIG 5:
ELEPHANTS The first day we saw a whole bunch of them -- single males, young males pushing each other around and families. We had to get out of one area fast as the herd was approaching and we were in thick brush trying to see the buffalo -- no quick escape if trouble. Then we never saw another one except for a lone male who appeared in front of our cabin. Others saw them everday -- depended where the guides went. (The park is huge -- 22,000 acres)
CAPE BUFFALO These guys are hard to find as they are in very thick brush. We saw a herd of over 150 yesterday but after dark so no pictures.
LIONS These guys were hard to find but as soon as one guide spotted them, the rest came over. Only 3 vehicles allowed at any animal viewing at a time so they take turns. So we saw a couple of sleepy lone males
after dark then one evening on our way back to the lodge, we saw a pair walking down the road towards us. They split and went on each side of the vehicle. I could have reached out and touched her. The next day they were located so we all took turns watching their mating. -- over and over and I have the pictures to prove it. Our guide had never been that close to a mating before so he was pretty pumped too.
LEOPARD These guys are very elusive but we managed to get two sightings -- one in daylight so I have a picture.
RHINOS We had good viewing of these guys. One day was especially close coming within 30 feet of the vehicle. They sure are massive.
We saw loads and loads of other animals some of which are quite rare sightings.
Our schedule:
0500 -- wake-up call
0510 -- coffe, juice and tiny muffins
0530 -- game drive for 3 hours
0730 -- Coffee and biscotti out somewhere
0830 -- breakfast
morning then free to nap, etc.
1330 -- lunch
afternoon -- as the morning
1630 -- tea and snack
1700 -- game drive for 3 hours
1900 -- drinks and snacks out somewhere
2030 -- supper
We didn't find this schedule difficult, except we don't like going to bed on a full stomach.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Tuesday, Feb 7, 2011
Today we had a half day trip to Pretoria which is the capital of SA. We heard a lot of history re the various wars between the British, Boers, Zulus, etc. Very interesting. Also found out that 93% of SA's electricity is generated by coal and the rest by nuclear power ( one plant).
The sides of the streets are lined with various stalls such as we've seen in many other countries. Everywhere it seems to be clean.
We had the afternoon to ourselves again then tonite had an African meal which was a little different from our way. We had some tasteless white stuff with a hot sauce on it, yellow tail fish, kalamari, hummus, lamb, salad and a normal dessert of choc cake, ice cream and fresh fruit. There was a drumming demonstration.
This is a cell phone tower on an artficial pole and disguised to look like a pine tree. We saw another which looked like a palm tree. The citizens of one city were quoted in the paper as being very unhappy with having it by their homes or children's schools. Also thought it was ugly.I found it an interesting concept.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Soweto picture #2
This is an idea of how it looks today, though many are much smaller than this and not quite so new.
Soweto pictures
This is one of the small slums we saw -- so consider it a "before" picture of what Soweto used to look like.Monday, February 7,2011
We had some good flights and some very long ones. The North American ones went smoothly as we managed to get between snow storms. It was interesting to see the "army" of snowplows, etc. working at Chicago airport trying to get the snow off the side runways.
We left Dulles, Washington airport at about 6 pm Sat and arrived in Johannesburg at 6 pm Sunday!!! With the time change, we were in the airplane for about 16 or 17 hours. We had a stop in Dakar, Senegal but weren't allowed to get off the plane. We stopped for gas and to exchange some passengers. So we were very tired but still didn't sleep well last night. Hope tonite we can get back on schedule. I think we are about 10 hours ahead of you.
Joburg is a very treed, green city but everyhing has been planted. There are no trees here naturally. The city is here because of all the gold down below -- mines are from 3 to 5 Km deep. It is on a "gold reef" of about 400 Km long. We spent the day touring Soweto which was a pleasant surprise. We always have thought of it as the slums of Joburg but not so anymore. It is considered middle class now though there are still a few slums to be seen. The population here is 3 1/2 million -- the same as Joburg. 99% are black but anyone can live here. They have their own shopping centers, parks,newspaper, radio station, etc. now. We toured Nelson Mandela`s home. On the same street is Desmond Tutu`s home -- the only street in the world where two Nobel Peace Prize winners live(d).
Our hotel is awesome and connected to two big shopping centers with restaurants plus the usual. We ate in Nelson Mandela square tonite. This afternoon we had a brief shower -- common this time of year but they don`t last long.
I planned to include pictures but I can`t seem to access the folder they went into so Samara`s directions don`t work. Will see what I can do tomorrow.
We left Dulles, Washington airport at about 6 pm Sat and arrived in Johannesburg at 6 pm Sunday!!! With the time change, we were in the airplane for about 16 or 17 hours. We had a stop in Dakar, Senegal but weren't allowed to get off the plane. We stopped for gas and to exchange some passengers. So we were very tired but still didn't sleep well last night. Hope tonite we can get back on schedule. I think we are about 10 hours ahead of you.
Joburg is a very treed, green city but everyhing has been planted. There are no trees here naturally. The city is here because of all the gold down below -- mines are from 3 to 5 Km deep. It is on a "gold reef" of about 400 Km long. We spent the day touring Soweto which was a pleasant surprise. We always have thought of it as the slums of Joburg but not so anymore. It is considered middle class now though there are still a few slums to be seen. The population here is 3 1/2 million -- the same as Joburg. 99% are black but anyone can live here. They have their own shopping centers, parks,newspaper, radio station, etc. now. We toured Nelson Mandela`s home. On the same street is Desmond Tutu`s home -- the only street in the world where two Nobel Peace Prize winners live(d).
Our hotel is awesome and connected to two big shopping centers with restaurants plus the usual. We ate in Nelson Mandela square tonite. This afternoon we had a brief shower -- common this time of year but they don`t last long.
I planned to include pictures but I can`t seem to access the folder they went into so Samara`s directions don`t work. Will see what I can do tomorrow.
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