The day had come for leaving the USA and heading out for the Dark Continent, at least to the most Southern point. A couple of years ago, I had left Ushuaia in Argentina and made the trip down to Antarctica. Having stood on this most southern point in the Americas and the majestic continent of Antarctica, I was ready for a new low point in my life (that is geographically speaking).
Most of our group or 18 met in Chicago and began the journey across the Atlantic to London and then onto to Johannesburg by flying the world encompassing British Airlines. Two fellow travelers met us at our Pretoria hotel.
We left Chicago in the evening and arrived in South Africa in time for breakfast two days later. You would say that this is a long flight although an eight-hour layover in London was part of the adventure. Some people took advantage and caught the train into the city to visit the sights of London.
Day 3. In Johannesburg and Pretoria.
There I was in line to enter the country through
passport control. Instead of passing quickly through the line, the immigration
officer bellowed, “HOLD IT!” She stated, “Your passport is not correct. You
must come with me”. Just up the aisle of entry stations another from our group
was being told the same thing. Two of us were taken to immigration and were
told that our passports were too full and that we could not enter the country
because there was not enough room to stamp the passport. The back page did not
count. In all my travels no one has mentioned that you had to have an empty
sheet in the passport but it is a big thing in South Africa and British Airlines
was fined over $350 each for our transgressions and the airlines had to pay
because they did not (thankfully) stop us in Chicago.
A call was made to the American Consulate by the group leader in hopes that
additional pages could be added to the passport. The trip leader and our guide
pleaded with the American authorities to expedite this since the remaining
travel-weary participants were yearning for a shower and some food. The
Consulate was in the heart of Johannesburg, which is known as the most dangerous
city in the world. When the trip leader and guide went into the Consulate, the
rest of the group peered out through the bus windows at one of the most
fortified cities in the world. Johannesburg is known as the barbed wire city of
South Africa and is its highest crime center. My misfortune meant that the
group got to see this city.
My misfortune kept me in the airport but my prison was the Executive Lounge of British Airlines. Some posh place. Janye, from St. Louis and I had coffee and breakfast and all the niceties while checking email and having a shower. Our group outside had a trip around the city. No one complained on either side of the terminal fence but I have a piece of paper declaring that I was an unwanted person in South Africa. The only negative component of this experience was that we encountered nasty people. But this would be the only time during the entire trip. People of South Africa were warm, friendly and welcomed us cordially at every other stop.
Finally, after noon, we were freed from our “prison” and joined the rest of the group. First stop was at a shopping mall in Pretoria where we made purchases, found stamps, and I began my search for all the beer labels produced in the country. Also included was a tour of the national government buildings. South Africa has three capitols. We were able to visit Pretoria, which is one of the capitals. Pretoria is the location of the President and Cape Town is where the Assemblies meet. They did have another location where the Supreme Court met but that has been moved. In a country as poor and with as many problems as it has, paying for staff and building in three different capitols seems exorbitant. It does keep many people employed and that has merit.
Our first shopping stop came to be on that strip below the Union Buildings. On the grassy grounds below was the area where President Clinton came for the inauguration of Nelson Mandella. Our final travel took us out of Pretoria to the Vortrekkers Monument that was built under apartheid to honor the Boers in their struggles for control of South Africa. In the setting Sun, it was an impressive and massive monument. Our Pretoria hotel was the Arcadia Courtyard Hotel that was built around Boer or Dutch style country homestead. The administrative area was located in the oldest and refurbished portion and that is where we had happy hour in front of a roaring fire.
Have I told you already that it is cold in South Africa in July and August? Check the maps. Pretoria and Johannesburg are located in the foothills but all these places are a long ways South and this is their winter. People worried before I left that I would be too hot. I had checked the weather and knew that it would be chilly with temperatures as low as 40 degrees at night. With proper humidity and riding in the back of an open Land Rover, I can tell you that it is cool and bordering on cold at times. Dinner was at a traditional Afrikaans restaurant that we walked to just down the street. Life is quieter in Pretoria, this former capitol of Transvaal and the old Apartheid South Africa. This vehicle was on the walk to dinner. It is the vehicle used by the white rule to patrol black and colored areas.
I have a collection of stamps from this country that was made in the late 40s. Can you believe that I waited for 60 years to fulfill a dream of visiting Africa? I fell asleep filled with the joy of new discovery, and good food, and new experiences, and two new beer labels.
Day 4. On East to Umhlametsi Game Reserve through the Drankensberg Mountains.
The bus picked us up at 7 AM for the long and twisting drive up and over the highest and most northern parts of South Africa. We could have made the trip in half the time using one of the excellent freeways that crisscross the country but we took the scenic and slow route. While excellent for picture taking and viewing we took so much time that we almost missed our first safari game ride. We did forfeit lunch for that first adventure.
Our route this day took us along the Blyde River and in one spot the canyon of the Blyde forms a canyon that is said to be one of the largest in the continent. The walls of the mountains are multicolored as the minerals and lichens blend to add hews of color that adds to the intensity of the drive. Natural formations are found all along the way but one that attached itself to us all were those that were called “rondavals”. The huge rock formations of the Blyde Canyon were exact replicas of the traditional houses of the African native people. We would stay in some of those round houses later in the trip.
We arrived at Umhlametsi just a four PM and found our rooms, slapped some water on the face, and were ready to tour the preserve in the back of a Toyota Land Tracker that held easily nine people along with the driver. So two vehicles set out. Each went its own way. The vehicle that I went with always had Gideon, the African guide. The other vehicle went out with Willem, an Afrikaans guide, driving. They both knew the preserve well and communicated with the other vehicle via radio. We all presumed after our visit that Gideon could not read but he had memorized all the identification books and by thumbing through could find any bird. He could hear, see and intuit all the critters of that huge fenced in area.
Our location at Umhlametsi lies just south of Kruger National Park. We never entered the park but contracted the preserve that is privately owned for viewing game. It seems that the entrepreneurial spirit lives strongly in Africa. Those who can, buy up huge tracks of land that once sheltered cattle or sheep, and have fenced this land with strong high fences Then they have encourage d wild game to find shelter on the land. What game is not natural is procured from breeding programs or from over abundant animal species in the Parks. Reserves ring the entire South African borders of Kruger and provide a true protection for this special place. Our preserve had 13 lions, 10 or so white rhino, leopard, baboons, water buffalo, zebra, giraffe, wildebeest, warthogs, gazelle, waterbucks, too many birds, and assorted insects. Not a tree growing on that riverine plain, with open grasslands and mixed woods, was familiar to me. But, we saw them all and up close and both we and the animals were comfortable. Such a memory!
Evening saw us with a fine dinner catered around South African cuisine and served with one of the great South African wines. Life is good. Our home for two nights was the Kwenga Game Camp.
Day 5. Umhlametsi Game Reserve and the Kapama Research and Breeding Center.
An early morning game drive brought us into contact with all the same inhabitants of the Reserve. We added a few trees and lots of new bird sightings but few new big game animals. One new animal became listed when we observed a huge herd of water buffalo that had come to drink at a large dam. Water is important to all these animals, as natural Africa can be a dry place. Most reserves have developed ways to add and keep water. This morning was a bit cool even though all of us had layered clothing and bundled under the blankets provided by the staff. Hurry up sun was a frequent call.
We returned to the Kwenga Lodge for a late breakfast before heading out to the Kapama Center. This center is known throughout the world as a center for the protection of the Cheetah and the African Wild dog. Our first meeting with a local critter was one with “Roger”, the baby white rhino, that they had taken is because the mother was killed. Roger and his substitute mom, a white goat, were happy to see us and we were able to see a rhino up close and safe; something we could never do in the wild. Roger was just cute and his skin felt so, so, so rhino-isk.
We did a complete tour of the Cheetah preservation area. They have cheetah from the very young to those who will soon be sent to preserves or to zoos around the world. All depends on their imprinting by humans. This park sends its older and excess animals to other parts of Africa.
We then traveled back home for another run at riding the game track. Going at dusk is so different from riding and looking in the early morning. The first night out we found the lions fresh off a kill and lazy. The second night we found them restless and on the move. Rhinos always are found as a single or a mother with the young and head off soon after spotting humans. We saw them in the evening coming into the ponds to drink but had to maintain our distance. In the day Rhino are moving to find new food. Giraffes and zebra are just there. Gideon and Willem were familiar with the movements of the animals of the reserve and drove straight to those locations. When one found an exciting find the other would radio and we would join. Such fun.
Dinner was a traditional Afrikaans barbecue with three kinds of impala sausage, chicken and beef. Add more South African wine and the local drink called Amarula and one has a fine feast.
Amarula is a local fruit collected from the wild and made into a cream liqueur much like Baileys.
Day 6. From Umhlametsi Game Preserve to Swaziland.
Our trip into the kingdom began with an early morning tour of the game preserve and our last view of the wild animals of this preserve. This time out we would see a troop of baboons but no new sightings. It was fun to look for the critters that we had already sighted. One can never sees enough, as each image could be the last one. Of course, we stopped to take that last picture of the mother and baby giraffe that had greeted us the moment we arrived at the preserve. Then, we said our last goodbye to Gideon and Willem who had guided us so well.
Off to Swaziland, one of two independent kingdoms, situated in the heartland of South Africa. We would travel south into the mountain land of His Majesty King Mswati III. The Swazi tribe of people had escaped the Boers and Zulu during the 18th century by moving to the mountains that we were about to enter. The people have chosen to maintain a monarchy and have a king with absolute power. The King is loved by most but trouble is brewing with the economy that is based on primitive agriculture and tourism. Recent news reports tell that more than half of the residents will be receiving food allotments from worldwide humanitarian sources. And the horror of AIDS also hangs heavy on the inhabitants. While one of eight in South Africa suffer from AIDS or HIV the rate is one out of every three in Swaziland. The poverty, combined with AIDS, provides a dismal future for these people. The iron-hard rule of the King, who supports a huge group of relatives, places even greater hardships on the people and one wonders how the nation will survive.
The greatest challenge for this day would be that time spent in line at the border. The lines were long and the locals would sneak into line to speed up their movement across. The South African side was efficient but the Swazi border transit was chaotic. We had planned to have lunch at a Border restaurant but with the confusion and time spent decided to find food further into Swaziland. That choice was a good one as we found a café on a pullout near the top of the mountain road entering the heart of the Kingdom. The view of the valley was spectacular while adjacent to the café were a series of small shops holding very nice hand made Swazi crafts. We were happy and I am sure that the shopkeepers were equally pleased.
We entered the capitol, Mbabane, and found our way to our lodge for the evening meal and a welcomed rest. Like the housing that had previously served us, this lodging was excellent. As we rested before eating, a group of Americans came in to eat. This group was studying in Swaziland and South Africa for five weeks under Fulbright Scholarships. Most of them were teachers from New Jersey and New York. We chatted a bit, ate dinner and headed for bed. Riding in a bus can be very tiring.
Departure from the hotel after breakfast was quick and efficient. A short ride in the bus would bring us to one of the local markets. We arrived early and many of the shops were just opening. This market sets along the edge of the road and runs for a long way. Walking at top speed, one would take twenty minutes to cover the entire length of the stalls. You can imagine how long it takes to shop the entire market. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how one views shopping, we finished the tour. Bargains were offered to all of us, over and over. Items were very similar from stall to stall but one could find that special gift for folks back home if they looked carefully. The best part for most of us was the bargaining. You should see my deals. That mask will look great in the bedroom. I hope.
Off we went to the border with South Africa and another of those long and trying crossings. I think that the officials at the border see us coming. You can almost hear them say, “OH, Boy, another bunch of tourists that we can force to wait out on the street. Make them wait in line and see if we can irritate them by taking an hour this time.” At least we have a new stamp and can count a new country in our passports.
The final stop for the day was at Sodwana Bay Lodge within walking distance of the Indian Ocean. A swim was scheduled for that evening but the surf was crashing and the wind was blowing mightily. Needless to say, we were satisfied with a walk along the shore under a wonderful night sky that featured the Southern Cross showing the way to the southern horizon. For most of us the chance to swim in this new ocean would have been special. The wind continued to blow and the weather reports offered a chance of tropical storms. Tomorrow, we might be able to swim in the Indian Ocean but surely not tonight. The locals did provide a change of pace as they partied the entire night away some distance away in round huts just like ours. We weren’t invited and joined only in the sound adventure.
The lodge at Sodwana Bay featured single units stretched along a boardwalk. They were built with the straight poles of local trees and formed into the round structures so typical of African homes. Grass roofs completed the building. In this beach setting, the result was a quaint, natural setting that one imagines is the “real’ Africa. Later, when no air conditioning is available and the weather is hot, one would suppose that all the quaintness would disappear as the real Africa appears along with the mosquitoes. Coming to this shore in winter would be as delightful as coming to the shores of the Everglades in winter. Wait until summer.
Our first adventure of the day would be a trip to the dive shop to gather snorkeling equipment. Trying on wet suits is an exciting adventure any time. Sharks anyone? We gathered all the equipment and drove back down to the Cove on the Indian Ocean. Above on the dunes, the wind still blew; but here on the Ocean, the water was calm. We could snorkel and we did. That snorkeling adventure, the first for many, would be a wonderful introduction to the warm, clear, clean waters of South Africa. The time spent in the water was short but another memory is formed.
Time goes so quickly when one is having fun. We hurried back to the Lodge to shower and wash away the salt water. Then off we went to the next spot, the Hluhluwe Game Preserve for more rides through the African bush looking for wildlife. We boarded the two vehicles that would take us out to find new critters. The place that we were going to look was very different from Umhlametsi where we had begun viewing African wildlife. That first preserve was owned entirely by a person and the animals we were to see were on his land. Hluhluwe Preserve is a national park facility where anyone can go. The animals are not contained by a fence and roam freely. Elephants can be found here and we would see our first and only specimen on our first few minutes in this open park. What excitement. A young bull elephant prancing around along the roadside was our introduction and we took a bunch of pictures.
Driving back home in the African night showed us another side of the real Africa. Riding in the back of an open touring vehicle, exposed to the cool, damp night air is a part of Africa that few think about. Yes, it was Cold! When talking to people about going to Africa, one of the common topics mentioned was the concern over how hot it would be. How are you going to stand the heat? A lesson in geography would be good. We are going to South Africa during their winter. We all took coats and then added blankets on these night and early morning drives. Africa in our summer is cool and can even be cold. Tonight was cold. Would any of us trade being cold for a chance to see an elephant up close? You bet! Bring on the cold and bring on the elephants! We did not see another one.
Back at the Lodge, dinner, a South African barbecue, was being prepared. We ate outside in a very lovely rock kraal. Once the meal was finished a group of Zulu male dancers came to entertain. They drummed and danced and leaped to rhythms as old as Africa. One just has to experience the dance of Africa.
Day 9. Hluhluwe Game Preserve
This would be the first morning where we did not
have to rush. A late breakfast was served and we again boarded the vehicles for
a ride out into Game Preserve. This morning we would find a group of
hippopotami bathing in the river. Usually, these animals spend the day in the
water and come out at night to feed. We watched as they swam to the bank and
headed into the grass on shore. The cool weather and the cloud cover must have
been enough protection from the sun to allow them to come ashore.
Returning down the main road of the park, we encountered a number of lions.
Unlike the first encounter with these majestic animals, all of our sightings
were of solitary animals or those in pairs. We watched a male follow a female
in heat. The two were on a love tryst and were unconcerned with the half dozen
vehicles full of picture taking tourists. These two lions will mate twenty
times during that day. Along that same road, a group of 4-6 warthogs were
digging and rooting. Cars were parked all down the road. People were hanging
out the windows taking pictures. Out to the side was a pregnant female lion,
which also saw the warthogs. She obviously was thinking of dinner and we
watched for almost 30 minutes as she crept through the grass in a failed attempt
to make a kill. The amazing part of all this was the complete lack of concern,
by both the lion and the warthogs, for our presence.
Our drive home to the lodge was relaxed and seeing the lions doing their thing was on everyone's mind. I had taken a digital camera along and had taken a bunch of pictures. One thing that is wonderful about the digital is that you know when the picture is good. I have a great telephoto lens on the Olympus that I have so I could zoom in on the critters. That helped. We are going to combine pictures and send a copy out to the group. Hurray for technology.
After lunch, we contracted with our guide for a walk through the African bush near the lodge. That walk ended up being very relaxing and we saw many birds up close and personal. Behind the lodge was a large tree with three huge mud-filled nests. At first, I thought they were termites, but when asked, Rob, our guide, told us that they were Hamerkops. We saw the birds on the walk and they are a throwback to some ancient order of birds. Weird and they do look like a hammerheaded bird.
These last two days since leaving Swaziland have been spent in Kwazulu-Natal, the province or state of the Zulu people. Unlike Swaziland, the Zulu people have chosen to be a part of South Africa and have faired much better. Of course, the land is much more productive with huge pineapple, sugar cane, and other tropical fruits and vegetables growing in abundance. Kwazulu-Natal is also the southern border of the malaria belt so that health issue is less of a burden.
We departed Hluhluwe and drove the day to Simunye with only minor stops. Lunch was on our own and that took place at one of the many truck stops along the major highways of the country. While some parts of South Africa are very primitive others are amazingly modern. The truck stop is one of those up-to-date entities of the country. The workers may live in huts without electricity or plumbing but they walk to work at the truck stop that has every modern convenience. We ate this time at Wimpies, a national hamburger chain. McDonalds is in the cities but not out in the countryside. While in the store at the stop, I discovered a bag of ingredients to make the local beer. At the cost of a dollar, one can experiment a little. My son-in-law will be the guinea pig. He does not know that yet.
Our drive for that day ended at a country ranch site where the next adventure would begin. Earlier, we had been warned that only daypacks could be taken to our new lodge and that all the heavy suitcases would remain on the bus. The lodge for the night was an hour walk down in the valley of this canyon we were facing. Three choices were approved for getting down there. We could walk. We could ride a horse or we could ride in an ox-cart. I walked and we all made it down to a traditional Zulu village and our nights lodging.
A large South African company, Protea operates hotels throughout the country, primarily in large cities, and owns this “hotel”. Two of its outlying operations are based on traditional Zulu villages. We would drive close to the other site, Shakaland, the site of the filming of Shaka, the movie of the Zulu hero.
At Simunye, the company had built the individual units of stones and rocks collected from the stream that flowed through the valley. Each unit was built to fit on the side of the canyon and, therefore, was unique. The bathtubs were stone and the showers were gas operated and of questionable consistency. Water came from the stream. Lights were candles and flashlights. Walking was tricky but the people were wonderful. So was the food.
Before dinner was served, we crossed over the stream on a wooden hand-bridge and were welcomed by the local chief in the traditional manner. We waited at the gate and called out that we were coming in peace and he asked us to come up and take part in a welcoming ceremony. That ceremony involved drinking locally made beer from a communal gourd or calabash dipper. The beer takes some getting used to. I cannot wait to see if this is how the beer-making package that I had purchased the day before will turn out.
The evening was culminated with a troop of local young people dancing the traditional dances. I have a good shot of the group dancing, illuminated by the fire light, that took me back 50 years in my imagination to when I was leafing through the pictures of the latest National Geographic story on this same part of the world.
Breakfast. People have asked me questions about the food. The traditional breakfast that was served consists of many choices. Usually, two types of sausages were served along with bacon. Their bacon was more like ham and was usually not crisp. Scrambled eggs but usually you ordered eggs the way you like them. Several kinds of toast were usually available but, in general, the bread was great and locally baked. Always yogurt and usually a number of dry cereals are available. The local muesli or granola is wonderful topped with fresh yoghurt. Fresh fruit was always served along with a number of canned varieties. Coffee was usually instant. Red Bush tea became the favorite for many of us. This is a local, non-caffeinated, tea collected from a South African bush. I still have some tea bags if some of you want to try it. We did eat well.
After breakfast, we walked up to the local village for talking and demonstrations on traditional Zulu culture. We visited all the buildings in the village. Each was constructed for a traditional use and they included beer making, blacksmithing, granaries, and sleeping. The cattle are housed in the center of the village.
Upon our return from the village, we loaded our luggage into vehicles and began the ascent back to the bus for our ride to the airport in Durban. Same choices out as in. Walk, ride horses, or ride in an ox cart. I rode the horse up and found some new muscles to stretch.
The bus ride to Durban was uneventful. We did
find some time to stop and walk on the beach of this lovely Indian Ocean city.
The airport is like any small city airport in America and quite efficient.
Security is less stringent though. Next stop, Cape Town, another capitol of
South Africa.
At Durban, we bid goodbye to our driver, Ralph. Ralph is Zulu and one fine
driver. He became a very intricate and involved part of our group and we all
liked him very much. Ralph had grown up under apartheid and came to our group a
little unsure of how we would be towards him. He had never driven Americans
before and never a bunch of old teachers. That last day was touching because as
a part of any tour, one is asked to offer a tip to the guide and the driver. We
all made comments on his tip envelop and added the suggested amount of about
three dollars a day. The generous tipping policy makes driving and guiding
tourists one of the most sought after jobs in developing countries. Goodbye,
Ralph, you were great.
But first, the trip to the end of the Earth and some lessons on European navigational history. The Cape of Good Hope or Cape Point lies south of Cape Town and a good drive from the city. The drive takes one along the edge of a rugged coast that is interspersed with white sand beaches. The most scenic drive was closed because of a storm caused landslide had taken out a portion of the road. Our detour took us down the center of the peninsula, through ostrich farms, and finally to the tip of the continent. We could ride or climb to the top of the peak where a lighthouse and visitor center is housed. I walked up and back in the cool clean air.
After visiting the Cape Point visitor’s center, we drove north to find a place for lunch.
Simon’s Town is a quaint village on the shore of False Bay off the peninsula of the Cape of Good Hope. The town is one of the oldest on the Cape and our café served the best and freshest fish. I tried Cape Town Oysters too. Nice. We had a chance to buy more local souvenirs. Actually, this was the last roadside craft fair.
Backtracking a bit south, we came to Boulder Beach which is a national park set up to protect the African Penguin. We hiked down along the shore to get pictures of these special and highly protected birds. Like all penguins, they offered many photo opportunities. Nothing walks like a penguin.
Now back to town for the last evening of shopping. Our hotel was located in the rejuvenated harbor area and shopping lay close. A craft mall was just across the street and the Victoria and Albert Mall would rival any found in the USA. Another fresh fish dinner wandered into the schedule. This evening would be cloudy, rainy and a bit cold. We all ran from shelter to shelter to escape the bursts of cold rain. Some had wanted to make the climb in the early morning up to the top of Table Mountain. That was not to be. But tonight we would have to pack for the trip back as we had a late check out and would load the entire luggage in the bus and unload it at the airport tomorrow evening.
The real test for many would be getting all the things that we purchased into the luggage we had brought. I had been leaving a trail of clothing and gifts along the way but still the space began to look smaller and smaller. Three masks were the problem. I had gotten such good deals and promised my friend Harry in Springfield one for his new house. People want you to bring things back but little do they realize how much a problem all the requests can become. Jewelry is better.
Day 13. Capetown and one back to the USA through Heathrow in London.
The last day of this trip was about to begin with a late start from the hotel. Some of us wanted to walk over to the Mandella Museum that was located in the harbor where the ferry leaves the mainland for Robben Island the notorious apartheid prison that held him in captivity. We had hoped to go there but the weather had cancelled the trip for the past two days. No wonder! No one ever escaped from Robben Island! The museum is less that spectacular but it does bring one face to face with that hidden, and for this group, a rather unspoken part of our trip. Everywhere one sees the results of apartheid but we never really talked to people about what it was like. Ralph, sort of, stayed away from that discussion and Jeremy, our guide spoke to us about the relics of apartheid as we drove by. But Jeremy, too, was white and he experienced all this from the other side. Coming face to face with the inhumanity of humankind can be a harrowing and mind blowing experience.
After the trip to the harbor, we boarded our bus for the last time and headed back south to the wine growing region of the Cape known as Stellenbosch. We had lunch in one winery/restaurant and tasted wine in another. Finally, to the airport for departure to Chicago via London. Two, Molly and Lea, would stay back for a couple of days of peace without the bunch. Lea would continue in Africa as a teacher in Namibia and Molly would return to Crystal Lake to prepare for the coming school year. All of us would look on the two weeks as a gift to ourselves. I think that most of us would return. While at the Botanical Garden we were offered the leaf of a Silver Tree that grows naturally, only on the Cape. Taking that leaf with you means that you will surely return to Cape Town. Most of this group of travelers were retired so returning may be problematic. There is so much to see out here on this great Earth of ours.
My next trip will be to India in January and February. And on Saturday, I will fly to Florida to be Grandpa for a week. Two little wild girls can be as wonderful to see as a pride of lions
Dr. Bob Williams
618.650.3788
