We are in Grahamstown at the HEFMA conference and have thoroughly enjoyed our time here. Our hosts have looked after us exceptionally well and we have eaten far too much for our own good. the South Africans have a fixation with meat to them it isn't a meal without at least three types of meat, I do not think that I have eaten so much meat ever!!!!!
We have had a busy time since our last post and we have continued to struggle find either an Internet cafe or the time to up date the blog. Once again because of technical difficulties we will have to upload photo's later.
Our drive up the coast from Capetown through Stellenbosch, Franchoek, Mossel Bay, Knysna, Addo and final Grahamstown was magnificent and vitrually trouble free apart from a minor issue with petrol (I forgot to fill the car up but more of that later). We have seen so much in terms of wildlife, people and the sights of the Eastern Cape. It is hard to pick a highlight of this part the trip but it would have to be a toss up between the Cheetah at Knysna and the eleplhant herds at Addo.
We leave here tomorrow at lunchtime (Friday 12:35pm) and should be home on Sunday at 0930.
I will update this later!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Photos added - check all posts!
In Stellenbosch having a great time at the wineries, have added photos to the old posts. We are very tired now from almost two hours on the computer so signing off. We will posts some more soon!
Monday, October 12, 2009
The Sharks and the Mountain
We arrived in Capetown on the train at 16:00 on Friday afternoon. The Capetown Station is a bustling place although not as load, dirty and interesting as Jo'burg's, we were able to walk out of the station, ask one of the ever present and friendly security guards the direction to our hotel and we were here within 5 minutes. The Fountains Hotel is central and a good quality hotel although the first room they gave us was right beside the lift well and looking onto a light well, the second one has a view, sunlight and is much better.
The Sharks
On our arrival we found a message from White Shark Ecoventures letting us know they would pick us up at 05:30 so we organised a 04:30 wake up call. There was a mix up and we got left behind so we joined a later trip (08:00). The 1 1/2 hour drive to Gambaii was interesting although the "luxury coach" turned out to be a Mercedes van with less leg room than a Jetstar plane and seats far less comfortable.
The trip out of the harbour to the viewing grounds was interesting; after we boarded the boat we were launched into the sea off the trailer, we then passed through a gap in the reef that was not much more than 15m wide into a 25 km/hr "sea breeze" and a 1 - 1.5m swell. As advised we took seasick pills before we left and boy am I glad we did. Those amongst us who didn't really suffered. On the way out we saw a Right Whale and her calf.
Even before we had completed dropping anchor a 2.5m Shark appeared. This started a pretty spectacular 2 hour interaction with 5 - 7 individual sharks ranging in size from 2.5 - 3.8m. Deidre did not go in the cage but viewed the action from the upper deck of the boat and probably got a much better view than I did (Barry is the one on the left of the photo holding on to the outside of the cage). The water was cold and the visibility about 1.5- 2m but the the experience of being in the water with such a large animal was very exciting particularly when they hit or attacked the cage. We have a good video but our photos aren't spectacular.
The Mountain.
To the shock of the Hotel staff we decided to walk up to the Lower Station of the Table Mountain Cable car. This is only a walk of 5 - 6 kms uphill in very warm temperatures but very interesting and pleasant. When we got there we queued firstly for tickets and then for the cable car for a total of 50 minutes. Each cable car takes 65 people and has a rotating floor so everybody get a view, quiet cool really. The cable car rises some 1650m above sea level and Deidre was quite nervous about the height and how we were going to get down. After spending some time looking around the top of the mountain and getting 360 degree views of Capetown, the coast line and the ocean we set off on our descent. We walked across the Western Table to the War Memorial and then down the very steep Platteklip Gorge, then skirted around the face of the mountain on the upper contour path and dropped down to the lower station.
The track was very good although the steps were big for Deidre and even I struggled on some of them. We walked about 15kms total and it took us about 3 hours to get from the top of the mountain back to our hotel, we were a little weary, stiff and footsore.
The Sharks
On our arrival we found a message from White Shark Ecoventures letting us know they would pick us up at 05:30 so we organised a 04:30 wake up call. There was a mix up and we got left behind so we joined a later trip (08:00). The 1 1/2 hour drive to Gambaii was interesting although the "luxury coach" turned out to be a Mercedes van with less leg room than a Jetstar plane and seats far less comfortable.
The trip out of the harbour to the viewing grounds was interesting; after we boarded the boat we were launched into the sea off the trailer, we then passed through a gap in the reef that was not much more than 15m wide into a 25 km/hr "sea breeze" and a 1 - 1.5m swell. As advised we took seasick pills before we left and boy am I glad we did. Those amongst us who didn't really suffered. On the way out we saw a Right Whale and her calf.
Even before we had completed dropping anchor a 2.5m Shark appeared. This started a pretty spectacular 2 hour interaction with 5 - 7 individual sharks ranging in size from 2.5 - 3.8m. Deidre did not go in the cage but viewed the action from the upper deck of the boat and probably got a much better view than I did (Barry is the one on the left of the photo holding on to the outside of the cage). The water was cold and the visibility about 1.5- 2m but the the experience of being in the water with such a large animal was very exciting particularly when they hit or attacked the cage. We have a good video but our photos aren't spectacular.
The Mountain.
To the shock of the Hotel staff we decided to walk up to the Lower Station of the Table Mountain Cable car. This is only a walk of 5 - 6 kms uphill in very warm temperatures but very interesting and pleasant. When we got there we queued firstly for tickets and then for the cable car for a total of 50 minutes. Each cable car takes 65 people and has a rotating floor so everybody get a view, quiet cool really. The cable car rises some 1650m above sea level and Deidre was quite nervous about the height and how we were going to get down. After spending some time looking around the top of the mountain and getting 360 degree views of Capetown, the coast line and the ocean we set off on our descent. We walked across the Western Table to the War Memorial and then down the very steep Platteklip Gorge, then skirted around the face of the mountain on the upper contour path and dropped down to the lower station.The track was very good although the steps were big for Deidre and even I struggled on some of them. We walked about 15kms total and it took us about 3 hours to get from the top of the mountain back to our hotel, we were a little weary, stiff and footsore.
Friday, October 9, 2009
The Train Trip
Hi all
Yesterday the 8-9th of October we got on the train bound for Capetown. It was called the Premier Class train and wow were we treated like royalty. We started with a glass of bubbly and nibbles in the lounge car. We relaxed in our cabin and watched Jo'burg and the surrounding area pass by. Dinner at night was a 4 course meal. When we got back to our cabin our seats were now 2 beds.
The next day we had a full breakfast, morning tea and once again a 4 course lunch and the food just keeps coming. We arrive in Jo'burg as 2 blimps and we don't want to see any more food . What a great trip. The scenery and the relaxation that went with it were superb.
The next day we had a full breakfast, morning tea and once again a 4 course lunch and the food just keeps coming. We arrive in Jo'burg as 2 blimps and we don't want to see any more food . What a great trip. The scenery and the relaxation that went with it were superb.Today we are waiting for our pick up to go on a shark dive. It is a lot colder in Capetown. It was always hot in Jo'burg and it averaged between 22 and 29 degrees.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
The Cities of Pretoria and Johannesburg
The flight to Jo'burg was uneventful (no lost luggage) although we had to sit in different seats, we were met by our transfer driver and whisked off to Pretoria.
Pretoria.
Our hotel, the Arcadia was a 3 star basic hotel but it was clean and tidy and the service was good. The Arcadia was just down the hill from the Union Building (South Africa's administrative centre) and in the middle of a bustling commercial and residential area where we were definitely in the minority.
Although we didn't visit the CBD of Pretoria we walked around an area of 4 - 5 city blocks close to the hotel. At no time did we feel unsafe in the sea of African faces. Any people we had contact with were friendly. Pretoria is called the Jacaranda City and the streets are lined with these introduced trees and present a colourful display.
Pretoria.
Our hotel, the Arcadia was a 3 star basic hotel but it was clean and tidy and the service was good. The Arcadia was just down the hill from the Union Building (South Africa's administrative centre) and in the middle of a bustling commercial and residential area where we were definitely in the minority.
Although we didn't visit the CBD of Pretoria we walked around an area of 4 - 5 city blocks close to the hotel. At no time did we feel unsafe in the sea of African faces. Any people we had contact with were friendly. Pretoria is called the Jacaranda City and the streets are lined with these introduced trees and present a colourful display.
The highlights of Pretoria were the Voortrekker Monument and Museum and the Afrikaans Cultural Centre. The Voortrekker celebrates and commentates the great treks into the northern hinterland by the Afrikaans people in the 1800's and the Cultural Centre celebrates their achievement, language and culture.
We also visited the Union Buildings and I had a really good guided tour of the University of Pretoria (but more about that later).
Johannesburg
We both found Johannesburg more interesting than Pretoria it seems to hold more history and culture from both the old and new South Africa. We spent all day yesterday touring; firstly a 1/2 day tour of Soweto and then a visit to the Lesadi Cultural Village.
We also visited the Union Buildings and I had a really good guided tour of the University of Pretoria (but more about that later).
Johannesburg
We both found Johannesburg more interesting than Pretoria it seems to hold more history and culture from both the old and new South Africa. We spent all day yesterday touring; firstly a 1/2 day tour of Soweto and then a visit to the Lesadi Cultural Village.
Soweto was so different for what we had imagined. Soweto is a city of over 2 million people mainly African peoples representing all the major tribal groupings. It is a city of contrast with affluent suburbs with very nice houses. Our guide told us that there were several millionaires living in the City and he showed us some of their houses. We also saw the house of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Winnie Mandela.
We were taken to one of the poorest areas of the city an shantytown and despite having to step over a dead rat found the experience enlightening. We were guided through the township by a young unemployed man named Eric (his African name I cannot pronounce), he gave us a short history of the town and explained about the lives of the people. We found the houses to be spotlessly clean with gardens growing, serviced by electricity but only one water tap per street. The water was the same as we got in our hotel so it was safe and clean.
The people we met were very proud and friendly.
Razor wire around everything, some good vegetable gardens, even some lawns and a day care centre for working parents in the squatter camps.
The highlights of this part of our day were the visits to Nelson Mandela house, the Hector Peiterson Museum (the first child to die from police bullets in the 1976 student protest against the introduction of Afrikaans as the language of instruction in schools after years of struggle English is the language of instruction) and finally the Catholic Church where these children sheltered from the police.
All and all an emotional and humbling experience.
The visit to Lesadi exposed us to the cultures of 4 tribal groups; Zulu, Xhosa, Basotho and Pedi. We walked through actual villages and got a feel for their daily lives and language and were then treated to a spectacular display of dance and song. The tour took some 2 1/2 hours and was followed by a wonderful buffet meal full of traditional food and bush meats plus some very tasty dessert. Deidre was particularly taken with the Kosksisters a very sweet pastry deep fried.
All and all an emotional and humbling experience.
The visit to Lesadi exposed us to the cultures of 4 tribal groups; Zulu, Xhosa, Basotho and Pedi. We walked through actual villages and got a feel for their daily lives and language and were then treated to a spectacular display of dance and song. The tour took some 2 1/2 hours and was followed by a wonderful buffet meal full of traditional food and bush meats plus some very tasty dessert. Deidre was particularly taken with the Kosksisters a very sweet pastry deep fried.
We didn't get back to the Hotel til after 21:00, today we are walking around Jo'Burg by ourselves until we catch the train to Capetown.We have felt safe walking around, we have been careful but have not found the experience as daunting or frightening as we were lead to believe.
We will add photo's to our posts latter on so keep an eye out.
The Safari
Hi all sorry about the delay in updating the blog but it is a bit of a challenge finding internet cafes here. We are also having technical difficulties uploading photos so we will post photos soon.
We arrived at Hoedspruit airport and were met by our guide Haanu. We were whisked away to Drifters Lodge (minus Deidre’s suitcase which would turn up later in the day) to stay in our luxury tent.
We arrived at Hoedspruit airport and were met by our guide Haanu. We were whisked away to Drifters Lodge (minus Deidre’s suitcase which would turn up later in the day) to stay in our luxury tent.
Drifters Lodge was a quintessential private game lodge with thatched roof, big verandah, leather couches and chairs and quiet attentive service. Our luxury tent (double walled for added protection and safety) had full ensuite with a private tiled outside shower and views of the waterhole. On the first afternoon we saw giraffe, warthog and dyker.
Our daily routine at the lodge consisted of;
• an early rise at 5:00hrs (the early morning drive was not compulsory).
• a cuppa followed by a 3 hour game drive
• brunch at 09:30hrs (cereal, fruit and a full cooked breakfast)
• from after brunch until 15:00hrs we got to nap, read and generally relax
• we then had drinks on the verandah and afternoon tea
• 16:00 another 3 hr game drive with a stop to watch the sunset in the middle (of course the stop was accompanied by drinks and snacks
• 20:00 dinner (4 course meal serve outside around a fire in a tribal structure called a boomar)
• Then bed!!!!!!!!!!
All and all a very hard life!
• an early rise at 5:00hrs (the early morning drive was not compulsory).
• a cuppa followed by a 3 hour game drive
• brunch at 09:30hrs (cereal, fruit and a full cooked breakfast)
• from after brunch until 15:00hrs we got to nap, read and generally relax
• we then had drinks on the verandah and afternoon tea
• 16:00 another 3 hr game drive with a stop to watch the sunset in the middle (of course the stop was accompanied by drinks and snacks
• 20:00 dinner (4 course meal serve outside around a fire in a tribal structure called a boomar)
• Then bed!!!!!!!!!!
All and all a very hard life!
Monday, October 5, 2009
The Travel
We arrived in Perth after a long and delayed fight from Dunedin via Auckland (we were delayed in Auckland for about 3 hours because of a bird strike to our plane). Our time in Perth was great catching up with family and spending some quality time relaxing as seen by the photo of Deidre and Andrea in her spa.
We left Perth slightly late because of computer problems at Perth Airport and finally arrived in Africa after long flight. We were both able to sleep on the flight (5-7 hours sleep) which was great. The O T Tambo Airport (old Jo'burg International) is brand spanking new, very big and very impressive and nowhere near as dangerous and confusing as we were lead to believe it would be. The passage through customs was interesting and none of our hand luggage was checked. All the people we met at the airport were friendly and helpful.
After a 3 hour lay over we caught a small plane (40 seat Dash 8) to Hoedspruit. We were bused out to the plane from the terminal. The bus was full of people on their way to Game Lodges and the size of the plane caused much comment amongst our fellow travellers especially as the bus pulled up alongside there were 3 guys changing the front wheel. Not a good first impression!
South African Airways service was good and the staff were generally friendly and helpful.
Hoedspruit or Eastgate airfield as it is called is huge as it double as an operational airforce base so our little plane landed on this really long runway and then had to taxi for almost 10 minutes to the terminal. We stepped off the plane into the warmth and the smells and knew we were truly in Africa.
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