24 days: The Strange and Wonderful

We are coming to the end of our first month in South Africa. We have toured three distinct regions so far, and I find myself amazed at the beauty of each. Cape Town and the surrounding wine regions are stunning and there is so much to do that we could have easily spent 3 weeks in each area. And Kruger National Park and the nearby Panorama Route likewise kept us in awe with its amazing vistas and wildlife. I am looking forward to the next seven weeks as we discover four more regions: the wetlands of St. Lucia, the Dolphin Coast on the Indian Ocean, The Drakensburg Mountains, and the Famous Garden Route.

Today is the first day of inclement weather we have had in over 3 weeks. It is pouring rain so we have decided to stay home, kick back and do some reading and writing and wash some clothes. This week we have had the pleasure of staying in a 3 bedroom, two bath villa on the golf course at the Sabi River Sun resort. The resort grounds are quite stunning, built around natural marsh land, complete with hippopotamuses and monkeys. I almost wish I golfed...

We have a huge outdoor dining room with a large braai (a South African BBQ) that looks out over beautiful trees and a water feature. Braais are BIG in this country so most of our accommodations have had lovely outdoor areas. Unfortunately, here in this part of the country there is malaria, and while braais are popular, window screens are not. We are amazed that we find ourselves in this luxury villa, but cannot open our large patio doors to the braai area because the mosquitoes come in. Since our arrival here we have been annoyed that we are unable to open a door or window. We are both on malaria prophylactics, but are still a bit paranoid: might have something to do with getting dengue last year and typhoid in 2016.

This week ran into the strangest (and most frustrating) situation of all. I had booked a couple nights at an Airbnb in Hoesdpruit for us to stay in when we leave here. Hoedspruit is a small town where the airport is. It is kind of a gateway to the private safari lodges to the east and the mountains and Panorama Route to the west. We rented our car there upon arrival, and need to return it on the 26th before we go back to Joburg to catch our flight down to Durban. This week I discovered Hoedspruit does not have any public transportation: no busses, no Ubers, and no taxis. So once we return our car, we have no way to get to our overnight accommodation, and no way to get to our shuttle the next morning. After spending hours trying to solve this conundrum, we ended up having to book another accommodation - thus paying for two nights twice. The new accommodation is next door to where our shuttle picks us up and a 15 minute walk from the airport where we have to drop the car. So Sunday will see us walking down the highway hoping to avoid wild animals. It’s crazy! With our luck, that is when we will see leopards! People come to Hoedspruit from all over the world to safari, and there is no such thing as a cab?? Seriously? I suspect the reason is because all the safari lodges have their own jeeps that pick people up at the airport, and no one, except me I guess, bothers to stay overnight in Hoedspruit. Sigh.

Safari is an experience everyone should try to have, and while private reserve safaris are incredibly expensive (our two days cost over $3200), it does not have to be that way. This week, for the cost of my time share exchange fee ($300), a rental car ($10/day) and $80/day in park fees, we have experienced the thrill of seeing animals in the wild. We have seen as many animals on our own, as we did with the guide and trackers at Simbavati River Lodge.

Self driving in Kruger was fantastic. January is the worst time of year to do it - and we knew that coming in, however, we were awed by the sightings we did see. We got VERY close up to elephants, giraffe, zebra, warthog, water buffaloes, kudu, impala, sable antelope, hyenas, water buck, and countless buzzards, eagles, kingfishers and other beautiful birds. We also saw crocodile, baboons, vervet monkeys, hippos, turtle, lizards, and rhinos. Unfortunately we did not see any lions or leopards. We spent 24 hours driving on our own in search of them, but were not successful. However, being held hostage by an angry giant male elephant, and almost hitting a girafe with the car when it stepped out from behind a tree, and having to back up a long way on a skinny scary road because 50 water buffalo decided to use the road to come our way, all made up for the pesky felines who eluded us.

So my best advice to you if you are considering a trip to South Africa is to - if you can afford it - do both like we did! A 2-3 day private reserve safari and a few days self driving in Kruger. Staying in Hazyview is the perfect location for that as it is 30-60 minutes to all the major Panorama Route sights (caves, waterfalls, canyons etc), 10 minutes to the Kruger Park gate, and there are lots of high quality time share resorts here.

So 24 days into this epic journey and we are mostly thrilled with our choice to come to South Africa. For the most part we have felt safe, and we are impressed with how clean everything is - a nice change from the endless dirty streets of Mexico. Stay tuned for more adventures  and be sure to check out all the pictures and videos on my Facebook page.

PS Since posting this, it has come to my attention that the airport I thought we were returning our car to, that was a 15 minute walk to our accommodations, is not the airport we actually have to go to. Turns out it would be a three hour walk from the real airport. So after much more scrambling we have found someone who for 430 Rand (about 43 CAD) will drive us. Sheesh.

From Wine to Wild

Coming from the Okanagan wine region made touring the Stellenbosch and Franshoek regions in South Africa very interesting. The topography there is similar, with stunning mountain vistas and rolling vineyards. What was remarkable was the vastness of the wine farms, the history of wine in that region, and the interesting new ways they are practicing viticulture. There are a number of grape varietals grown here that are not common back home, but the area in particular grows fantastic Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, and of course Pinotage - a varietal developed right here in South Africa. Wine farms here are destinations: huge areas with vineyards, gardens, restaurants, stores, olive groves, orchards, picnic areas, art, amphitheatres, etc. There are smaller boutique wineries popping up too, like back home, and farmers are beginning to experiment different pruning styles: one is vertical...growing each vine separate and vertical, like an apple tree, and the other very trendy thing here is bush vines. Basically they do not prune, and just let the vine grow wild. The vines tend to develop large branches close the the ground and very very deep roots. This then adds a level of minerality to the grapes that pruned vines might not have.

The wine region - which is only an hour from Cape Town is warmer than the city, and we found it very pleasant there. There were quite a few really great restaurants, three markets including a slow food market, natural reserve areas with trails to waterfalls, and unparalleled views from everywhere! We left the wine region after a few days and flew through Johannesburg to Hoedspruit where we were picked up and taken to a lodge on the Timbavati Private game reserve. This large reserve is open, fence free, along Kruger National Park, so the wildlife moves freely in and out of the park. The area where we were is known for its large cats: lions and leopards. There is also an abundance of rhinoceros, elephants, and all manor of antelope, wildabeast, warthog, and innumerable amazing birds. The advantage of doing a safari on a private reserve versus the national park is that the trackers are allowed to take the jeep off road, so you can virtually get within touching distance of the animals. And much like the deer or bears in Canadian parks, the animals have grown up seeing cars and people and they are not afraid and go about their business eating, hunting, and sleeping. In Kruger Park, where we are now, you must stay on the roads with your windows up, and fines are hefty for breaking those rules. We look forward to doing some early morning drives this week, and then enjoying the pool at our resort. Kruger Park is 20,000 square kilometers of bush, tropical forest, mountains rivers teeming with life. The disadvantage to coming here in South Africa’s summer is that wildlife is harder to see in the lush green foliage. There is water everywhere, so animals do not have to congregate around sparse water holes. Game is harder to find, and yet, the beauty of the bushveld was amazing, the bird song enchanting, and there were baby critters to be spotted. Leading up to my trip I read a number of Wilber Smith books - historical fiction about South Africa, and it has been fun seeing the many things he describes. He tells the story of how the settlers from Britian, Holland, and Portugal virtually wiped out most of the wildlife here, and it was not until the late 1800’s that the first national reserve was created in the hopes of saving the animals. There is always a lot of uproar on social media when people see pictures of trophy hunters with dead elephants. It seems so tragic. But here is the truth: The park can only sustain an elephant population of 8000. elephants eat an enormous amount of vegetation, and they kill thousands of trees. By 2012 in The greater Kruger there were almost 17000 elephants. If they are not controlled through hunting, they would devastate the ecology and all the other animals, including those that are endangered, would be at risk. Unfortunately, the Rhinos have not thrived as the elephants, and they are at great risk due to poachers. The market for rhino horn in China, Thailand, and Vietnam is huge, due to their belief that it is an aphrodisiac. I would like to post some more pics, however we seem to be having trouble transferring them from my phone to the ipad where I do this blog. So in the meantime, be sure to check my Facebook posts for lots of pics.

Western Cape

South Africa, after only one week, has me spell bound and in deep contemplation. I don’t even know where to begin to share all my thoughts and impressions. There is a lot I want to capture, to remember; So this post is tidbits. There will be no pervasive theme or chronological order...just stuff I find interesting about this country.

The first thing that comes to mind is BEAUTY. I have been to 45+ countries and this is one of the most beautiful by far. And I have only been to one small part of the country - the province of Western Cape. It reminds me a bit of Canada - in particular, the south Okanagan where we live, and also parts of southern Alberta where I am originally from. No wonder I love it here so much and I guess I am not surprised that there are so many South Africans Living in the Okanagan. Although similar, there are notable differences: the flora stands out. There are unique flowers and plants, trees and shrubs that I have not seen before.

Another thing that really stands out is that there are a lot of black people here. It isn’t unexpected of course, just so noticeable and something I am not used to. In western Canada, we see Asian people everywhere, we live and work beside people of Asian descent and we are used to that, used to the accents. Well South Africa is very multicultural, like Canada, except more that 70 % of the people are black. And among the black people there are a number of very distinct cultural groups and lots of languages being spoken. There are eleven official languages in South Africa. How cool is that?

I feel safer here than I thought I would based on the government travel reports, but truthfully, if you have average awareness of appropriate behaviour in a developing nation where there is a lot of disparity, and if you do not travel into the townships, it feels as safe or safer than Mexico. People are friendly and polite and street vendors or hawkers are less agressive than in most tourist places. My only complaint so far is South Africans are incredibly impatient drivers! We have been constantly honked at if we are even one second late after the light turns green. People drive fast and aggressive. Not to mention they all drive on the wrong side of the road.

Something we found kind of weird was that in the suburbs, where we are staying this week, there are horse drawn carts everywhere...just plodding down major roads. These carts are licensed as are their drivers...just like cars...and they go around collecting scrap metal. Usually the carts are driven by some Rastafarian type dude with a few kids in the back.

I also want to share some thoughts on the areas of the Cape, and what might make sense if you were to take a trip here. I think we made a good choice by staying close in for four days, then renting a car and moving to a central suburb for another week, then a few days in the countryside in wine country. In town we stayed in Sea Point. The area was mixed, meaning there is a mix of housing, a mix of people (not all rich and white), and a mix of shops, restaurants, and tourist attractions. We were a block to the hop on hop off bus stop, a block to the miles long promenade along the water, a $5 Uber ride to the waterfront, the museums, the markets etc. Spending four days there allowed us to see all the major sights without worrying about parking.

There is ALOT of traffic in Cape Town, and as you have to drive on the opposite side of the road, it can be a bit overwhelming. By using busses and Uber to get around initially, our senses were adjusted to the backwardness of the roads, it gave us a chance to get our feet wet and our bearings about what was where, what direction was north, etc. By the end of the four days we knew the layout of the city, where the major arteries were to get to the outlying areas, and we knew to look right, not left when crossing the street. Then we moved to Edgmead, a suburb that was central to everything...close to the major highways to take us north up the coast, east into wine country, and south down to the cape penisula etc. And being in the suburbs with the car gave us a chance to get used to driving without the chaos of downtown. We have a great cottage on a secure property with a pool, a full kitchen, a washing machine, internet, Netflix, secure parking...everything we need...for less than $50 a night. We are 12 minutes from the closest winery, 20 minutes to the botanical gardens, 10 minutes to the beach and 2 minutes to the grocery store and pharmacy.

All in all I am incredibly impressed with the Cape Town area, and have enjoyed every moment, save for the hacking and coughing I have been doing for a week now. I have a very bad cold or flu that does not seem to be getting better, and a few times I have had to just stay in bed for awhile. No make matters worse, Stephane broke a tooth yesterday so before heading to Stellenbosch, our next accommodation, we will be seeing the dentist.

My only disappointment so far has to do with great white sharks. I had planned on going cage diving with the sharks, but apparently in 2018 the sharks started disappearing. Between 2008 and 2017 there were over 250 sightings a year, and for unknown reasons in 2018 that dropped to 50. Then nothing since until...get this...this week, the first great white shark was spotted in False Bay - the first in 20 months. $250 dollars to go cage diving in the hopes of seeing one shark is a little rich for my budget...but darn it anyway, I truly wanted to be terrified by them!

Perhaps I will use the money saved for some paragliding and buy a nice bottle of Pinotage - South Africa’s signature wine varietal....

South Africa First Impressions

We have only been in Cape Town five days, and judging South Africa by just one city on its west coast is like judging all of Canada by Vancouver, however, I can honestly say Cape Town is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to. It is the perfect size, half a million people, spread out around (literally around) three  main mountains lending stunning views from almost everywhere in town. And because part of the city is on a point surrounded by the Atlantic ocean, on one side of the mountains there are beautiful water views from almost everywhere, and on the other side, differing mountain drama and rolling hills covered in vineyards. Add to that a stunning and well-planned waterfront complete with canals, an historic downtown with green spaces, markets and lovely colonial buildings, and volumes of great eateries. Summer weather is not too hot, dry and not humid, with lovely sea breezes. I do believe Cape Town is worthy of its title of most beautiful city in the world. The only thing that hangs dark over that is the horrific reality that is the Cape Flats, a sad consequence of aparteid.

Apartheid was an ideology introduced by the National Party of South Africa in 1948. The philosophy was to separate - or set apart - white people, black people, coloured people, and “other” people.  People were removed from their homes by force, and segregated by skin colour. Blacks and coloured people were relocated to what is now called the the Cape Flats where the government build “temporary worker accommodations” because technically, all blacks were considered to be resident of their cultural “homeland” - a similar concept to that of First Nation reserves in Canada. The government of the day did not really anticipate the blacks not returning to the Homelands, and the “temporary” housing developments were clearly not adequate. Later, many more illegal migrants from other parts of Africa settled in the flats, building shacks of corrigated tin, cardboard, and wood. These “slums” are easily seen as you drive from the airport into Cape Town. Water, streets, electricity, and other infrastructure is limited, and the crime you hear and read about in Cape Town mostly takes place there. Of the 2000+ murders in Cape Town last year, only 80 took place outside of the Cape Flats. Poverty there is abject, illiteracy abounds, and crime is proliferate.

When Apartheid ended in 1994, I suppose we all thought things would improve, but for those in the flats, things actually got worse. Tribal factions began fighting for power, criminals fought for control of drugs, and for the average poor black, things were terrible, and still are. While some blacks have been able to pull themselves out of poverty and make better lives for themselves, for the most part, the problems are getting worse. Unemployment is near 27% and migrants from even poorer countries like Zimbabwe are fleeing here, adding to the overcrowding of the townships. South African blacks are hostile towards those from other countries because jobs are already so few...

As a white person staying here you do not really see or experience this horrible Apartheid legacy. We have been wine tasting and strolling down beautiful streets, hidden from the reality that is, much like we do back home when we put on the blinders regarding our own poor.