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South
Africa is more than a place you merely see, it’s a country to
experience with all five senses. It’s an emotional encounter
that makes one want to return and so I have now on my 5th
visit to this land of beauty and freedom. It is a land of
contrasts where traditional African ways are blended with those
of modern Europe.
Here we are
more a traveler than a tourist as we set out on safari changing
hotels each night. We follow the Garden Route, the premier
tour route preferred by locals. I bring in tow a way-cool group of 45
singles which includes a fighter pilot, 2 physicians, 2
psychoanalysts (who came in handy for me), mother/daughter,
father/son, the uncle of Julia Roberts and one of my favorite
clients whose passport stamps trump mine, Frank.
Carol
Gardner is our omniscient and omnipresent guide for the entire
trip. With such energy and enthusiasm, she’s like a meerkat
popping up every minute to meet every need. Her knowledge knows
no bounds and her passion for her country was infectious. She
taught us the good, bad and the ugly. We learned about history,
tribal customs, apartheid and Aids. |
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Suzy at the Hermanus Whale Festival |
As we passed
endless shantytowns of tin shacks, we understood why the unemployment
rate was at 39%. This is the wealthiest nation in Africa, but its
resources are stretched due to the influx of 50,000 refugees each year
from neighboring nations. We learn that when a man erects a hut on
your front lawn, after 72 hours you must allow him to remain or find him
a new place to settle. In a population 30% white and 70% of color,
reverse discrimination occurs for jobs. There are 11 official
languages in South Africa. Most speak Afrikaans, a language
derived from the Bushmen and Dutch. There is an indescribable
warmth and friendliness in the people here. “Ubuntu” is their word
for welcome. They have no word for stranger in their native
tongue.
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When I say
I’m taking a group to South Africa., the geo-illiterate think
I’m going to the southern part of Africa. This is the upscale
country of the continent where one can get all the creature
comforts within their adventure. We follow the Western Cape,
the hot spot at peak season and a totally malaria free zone.
Here the seasons are reversed from the US and it is spring. Our
quest is to see the Big 7. On Kenya trips we searched for the
Big 5 (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and Cape buffalo), but
here we add the whale and shark. Personally speaking, I’ve
embarked on the most profound journey of my life. |
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The Garden Route of the Western Cape |
Terry and I planned
to marry onboard South African Airways flight #2973, an aviation first.
This was the flight we met on 9/22/02 as he was a client of mine then
heading to Krueger. It was our dream to tie the knot here. [If
interested, see the attached
story on the wedding.]
Day 2 – Cape Town
rules with incredible natural wonders and trendiness. A cross between
San Francisco and Rio, I could certainly reside here. We do a full day
Peninsula tour including Camps Bay, Fish Hook, Simons Town, Hout Bay and
more. Along the spectacular coast we saw whales breeching. The
highlights included a cruise to Seal Island, a hike among thousands of
penguins and funicular up to Cape of Good Hope where the Atlantic and
Indian oceans merge. There were many great Kodak moments. At night all
scattered to the famous V&A Waterfront with its plethora of pubs and
cafes.
Day 3 – We head to
laid back Hermanus for a whale of a good time. The annual whale
festival is on led by the world’s only “Whale Crier” who blows his horn
at each sighting. Whales gather here every September to mate. The
clear bays are nurseries for mother and calves. There are about 5000
Southern Right Whales named centuries ago as they were the right whales
to hunt. They have no teeth and swallow up to 400lbs of fish per day.
My supplier said we should see thousands gathered here in protected
bays, but locals told me they were shy today and only a few surfaced.
Nevertheless it was a great free day of festivities. The whole town
goes whale-gaga and we loved mingling with the friendly locals.
Springtime is in
bloom now with a kaleidoscope of geraniums, lavender, canola, starburst
and colorful protea. My wedding bouquet was calla lilies. Here they
grow like weeds. We spent the night in the charming tiny town of
Arniston. Our hotel sat ocean’s edge surrounded by mountains that were
dotted with lighthouses.
Day 4 – We depart
through majestic mountains and Mossel Bay famous for their calamaris
that are the size of steaks. Our destination was Oudtshoorn, “Feather
capital of the world.” Since 1864 this is the world’s foremost supplier
of all things ostrich; hide, meat and feathers. We visit a huge farm to
witness mating and hatching. Some got to ride the oddball creatures.
Next stop was a wildlife center for an opportunity to get extremely
close to various native animals. We had our photos petting leopards,
lion cubs and a pigmy hippo named Humphrey. This was home to Duma, the
famous cheetah from the movie of the same name. Rare white tigers are
bred here. There are only 300 left on earth. Many in our group partook
in the worlds only “caged croc dive” where they were lowered by cage
into the warm water and surrounded by chomping jaws. These Nile crocs
are huge. One bite and could break your spine and shatter all your
ribs. This place provided many thrilling encounters.
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Our final
stop was the famous UNESCO Cango Caves, Arica’s largest show
cave. I nearly opted out of going as I’m not a cave woman. It
was however, incredibly impressive as we walked chamber to
chamber in massive dry caverns which are a mere 800,000 years
old.
Day 5 – We
arrive to lovely Plettenberg Bay. First tour is Monkeyland, the
world’s first free roaming mutli-specie primate sanctuary. Here
it’s all about rescue of previously abused monkeys, baboons,
apes and lemurs of Madagascar. They tried to steal our
belongings at our outdoor lunch. Later we visited the Elephant
sanctuary for a hands on interactive educational tour. I didn’t
know African elephants could be tamed like Asian or Indian. We
learned that no other creature is as understanding as the
elephant which |
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In the
spectacular Cango Cave |
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can learn,
remember, meditate and conceive such things man can hardly
perform. We enjoyed a Trunk-In-Hand tour where we walked, fed
and examined by touch its ears, tail, tongue and tear ducts.
That was sweet. The trainers were Zulu-men. I departed giving
them a thumbs up. With big grins they thanked me. I didn’t
know this gesture in Zulu signified they were highly fertile.
We spent 2
nights at Whalesong Lodge overlooking the ocean and a favorite
of all. Here a surprise wedding reception was arranged for us
with cakes, local wines and more from our US supplier. After
Frank made a heartfelt toast, we all sang “Going to the airplane
and we’re gonna get married…” Dinners were on our own.
Everything is so affordable here that we often ordered 4
courses. |
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Connie hands on with the elephants |
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"Roughing it" between
safari drives |
Suzy with
Humphrey the baby pigmy hippo |
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Day 6 -
We’ve traveled to Knysna, oyster capital of the world. There we
boarded a ferry and sailed to Featherbed Nature Reserve. 4x4
Jeeps then took us to the summit of the Western Heads for
breathtaking views of the sea. From there we did a downhill
hike through forest to the crashing waves on the coast. (It’s
the most dangerous bay on earth for boats which sail these
waters and thus are unable to even get insurance.) A fresh
seafood buffet greets us at the Food Forest set under a canopy
of milkwood trees. In departing this little piece of paradise,
I noticed the pier is black covered in mussels. Rare seahorses
are bred here. These remarkable creatures mate for life and
it’s the male that gives birth.
In the
afternoon we joined Ocean Safari’s in search of whales, dolphins
and sharks. For me, this was the highlight of the trip. It was
so unique how they launched our boats like rockets into the
Atlantic. |
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Meg looking for whales |
These
research boats allowed us legally to get extremely close to whales. Our
boat came upon two 50 ton whales mating. One was the size of Moby Dick
that gracefully arced as the other slapped its flipper with a cascade of
water. It was like seeing 2 motorcoaches rolling in the water.Another
boat spotted 2 pods of 20 whales playing together. This eco-adventure
was a powerful experience that left us in stunned silence until our
departure. Fighting the surf on our return to shore was like storming
the beaches of Normandy (sans bullets) and very thrilling.
Day 7-9 – We set
out for our longest drive of 4 hours to our game reserve. The scenery
was unblemished under the African sun with rolling hills, indigenous
forests, golden beaches and sand dunes that spilled into the sea. We
arrived to luxurious Kariega, a private reserve with an abundance of
game that was a world apart. Set in 14,000 lush acres bordered by the
Bushmans rivers, it was stunning. We passed the electric gates to see
herds of gazelle, water buck, antelope and wildebeest. The landscape
was a giant lawn for the omnivore wildlife to satisfy their appetites.
Total comfort was
provided in our exquisite chalets. Some in our group had their own
private swimming pools. All meals were included. The variety of fresh
local dishes was a culinary feast. As Terry tried to nap after lunch, a
dozen monkeys surrounded his balcony and one managed to unlatch his
chalet door. It peered in to see if a raid was possible. He chased
them away and outside saw colorful birds fill the trees with a backdrop
of 3 giraffe.
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Five game
drives were provided and at the sunset photo stops wine and
beverages were added. Our ranger guides were excellent and
these were the most comfortable safari jeeps made. Conservation
here is paramount. In nature nothing is guaranteed. I’ve known
friends to spend thousands of dollars on African safaris and with rain they
saw little of anything. The benefit of a private reserve is guaranteed
sightings. This was just a taste of what Africa holds but here we
obtained the best photography ever within mere feet of lions, elephants,
rhino and countless more animals. The Cape buffalo is the most
dangerous animal on earth due to its unpredictability. It’s the only
animal a Masai warrior will run from.
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Lions in the grass |
Cape Buffalo is the most dangerous animal
in Africa – but not this one. |
Several here
had been semi-domesticated and suddenly approached our jeeps. One client reached
out to pet it as if it were the barnyard cow. It remained calm but
rage could occur within seconds. For free time we enjoyed a river
cruise among hippos and hiked on marked trails. No where else have I
been able to walk among wild eland and zebra in the bush like I did
here!
Our farewell “Boma
dinner” of traditional cuisine was set under the stars of the Southern
Cross. The local staff sang and danced by a bonfire. It was a perfect
end to our journey well done. We departed from Port Elizabeth via Dakar
Senegal back to Washington and I reflect. I must arrange more trips to
Africa from Victoria Falls, the Serengeti, Sahara, Nile, Great Rift
Valley, Red Sea, the pyramids and more. It’s the wonders in these life
changing places that leave a traveler with the greatest impressions.
And I’ll return again to this little kingdom of South Africa with its
limitless horizons and promising future. Our next adventure will be
Swaziland & Kwa Zulu Natal.
The day we left,
our suitcases had swelled double in size from all the affordable
souvenirs. As our driver Johann loaded them, I hugged him goodbye. He
drove us 1473 kilometers (900 miles) with an ever present smile. I say
goodbye to Carol who went beyond the call of duty to please us. For a
moment in time, she was like our mother. Then goodbyes were exchanged
between my wonderful group who met as strangers and in the end felt like
family. On return home I unpacked with delight to see my ostrich eggs
have made it without a crack. Among the backlog of emails was a special
one from “The ZA Show.” I did a live worldwide radio/podcast interview
the next day. The subject was why I love South Africa. I was so
relaxed it went without a hitch.
What is a podcast?
Learn about it here at
The ZA Show.com
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Bushman River |
Kind of like the Beverly
Hillbillies |
Great photo opportunities |
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Grace & the Gang |
Cory, Matt & Ben |
Unbelievable photo! |
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