South African Adventure

This is an update on our trip to South Africa. Click here for the photos.

We left at 10am on Thursday February 15th and finally arrived in Cape Town at 7:30pm on Friday February 16th. We connected through Washington and Johannesburg for a total of 24 hours of travel time.

My cousin picked us up at the airport and drove us to Simonstown where we spent a couple of days with my Uncle and Aunt and my cousin once removed, all of whom I haven't seen in 25 years. Our last family visit was when I was ten. It was a real pleasure reconnecting with family after so many years and catching up on stories and histories. Not having had any blood family in Canada growing up, it was visceral for me to experience the closeness that one shares with Uncles, Aunts and cousins even when you don't know each other very well and/or haven't seen each other in so long.

We spent our first day at the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point. This was our first introduction to the South African landscape. It is unique and truly beautiful. Africa as a continent pretty much has cliffs around its entire perimeter. This makes for some awesome views and spectacular drama in the form of crashing waves. Cape Point is awesome in that you really are at the most south western tip of Africa. There is nothing on the horizon but water. Dan and I spent a good amount of time debating whether we really were witnessing the two oceans mixing or not. Depending on how passionate you are about geography you can help us settle it. :)

After a marvelous 2 days in Simonstown reconnecting with family, we headed up to a private game lodge near Kruger National Park which is about an hour's flight from Johannesburg. The safari presented us with an unprecedented opportunity to get up close and personal with many animals. In fact, our entire trip had a predominant wildlife theme. We encountered 27 animals during our trip, beginning with almost running over an African penguin on our way from the airport to Simonstown.

The safari really was a high point. We saw the big 5 (elephant, lion, leopard, rhino and buffalo), something that cannot be guaranteed. By the way, we were informed that they are called the big 5 not because they are large animals, but rather because they proved to be the most trouble some for the original settlers. We were very lucky when it came to our journeys into the bush. We saw the same pride of lions three times and we saw two different leopards, plus a cub plus seeing one with a kill (didn't see much, but I'll never forget the sound of that leopard's dinner). Elephants were numerous, including many babies. Then there were all kinds of Impala and Kudo. Personally, Impala were my favourite. They are so elegant with rich colouring and very lean and muscular bodies. Our lodge was very rustic. They only take 10 guests at a time and as a result was very intimate. There was no electricity so we survived by lamps at night. The lodge is not fenced from the game at all and as a result we had some hyenas visit us the night we had a braai (bbq). Yes they are similar to dogs, but the females are very large and I'd never want to have one as a pet. After three nights and 6 safari drives we said goodbye to our hosts and headed back to Cape town.

In Cape town we stayed in a revitalized area called Waterkant. It is comprised of beautiful homes that are in the process of being restored. It is a trendy area with wonderful restaurants, clubs and shopping. While in Cape town we visited Table Mountain, Camps Bay, Clifton Beach, Sandy Bay, the V&A Waterfront, toured the Townships, meandered through Kirstenbosch botanical gardens, walked along Long Street, experienced Green Market Square and ate like kings! The food is much like Canada in that it is influenced by the many cultures that have settled and passed through the country. We sampled Ostrich, Springbok, many SA wines and Roiboos tea (my personal favourite). While in the city I enjoyed having to drive on the 'wrong' side of the road. I managed not to badly except for the two flat tires - both at the same time. Long story, but needless to say we survived. We also experienced the reality of the socio-economic status of the country and narrowly escaped a pick pocketing (in broad daylight on a busy street in a 'safe' area). Not to worry, no harm done and nothing lost. Regardless of these two low points, we still had a wonderful time in Cape town and would definitely go back.

From Cape town we headed into the wine region for a couple of days (Franschoek). Along the route we were again presented with the stunning scenery of South Africa. The mountains, valleys and vegetation really are magnificent. In Franschoek we had booked a very nice Inn to stay at. When we arrived we were informed that our room had experienced some "mechanical" issues and as a result we had been upgraded to a suite. What a treat!!!!!! The bathroom was as big as our living room with a huge tub right in the middle (you could walk around it). Given our good fortune we decided to live it up a bit and spent the afternoon by the pool, soaking up the sun sipping Champagne. I could definitely get use to that lifestyle!

Franschoek was settled by the Huguenots and as a result has a wonderful French country feel to it. This also extends to the food. Again, nous avons mange comme les rois! While here we toured a number of wineries included the largest one, KWV. It was very educational for both of us. I think I may have found my new calling!

From here we drove east through more mountains, valleys and orchards to arrive on the coast at Hermanus. Hermanus is a very popular whale watching location. While we were several months too early, we still managed to soak up the views. Hermanus is perched atop cliffs. There is a great path along those cliffs which we spent a number of hours hiking along enjoying the sound of crashing waves on one side and decadent mansions on the other.

On our final day we drove back to Cape Town via the coastal route and again were taken aback by the beauty of it all. We spent a little more time with my cousin and then we headed back to the airport for another 24+ hour trip home.

In summary, South Africa really is a magical place. It is definitely a country in transition. It possesses all the cues of a 1st world nation but still suffers from it's 3rd world roots. There is a distinct presence of rich and poor, poverty and excess, haves and have nots. This social reality is surrounded by some of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen. Canada has the majesty of the Rockies, the serenity of the prairies and the metropolis of Toronto, but SA's landscape is more rugged, sometimes austere but no less beautiful.

Given the opportunity, I would definitely go back. In fact, I plan to and I encourage you to do the same.