Wednesday, July 11, 2007
And another visitor from Canada
A week after Mackenzie was here, another friend of mine, Yvette Zandbergen, came over. I know Yvette from our days many many years ago at Lambton College, where we studied Radio, Television and Journalism Arts. Neither one of us is remotely involved in those occupations and have come a very long way from those days.
Yvette is a very adventurous travellor and jumped at the chance to come over and see what South Africa had to offer. I can't find the pictures I have now, but when I do, I will add them. Yvette also did a safari in Kruger, and we also spent a weekend in Cape Town. Being winter, the weather in Cape Town didn't cooperate for us and unfortunately, tow major attractions were cancelled...Shark Cage Diving in Gansbaai and the ferry ride over to Robben Island (Nelson Mandela and several other apartheid prisoners were kept here for many years, and it was also a leper colony at one time). But we did manage to get down to Simon's Town...home of dozens of South African penguins. These are wild penguins who just hang out on the rocks at Bolder's Beach. Very cool!
Yvette is a very adventurous travellor and jumped at the chance to come over and see what South Africa had to offer. I can't find the pictures I have now, but when I do, I will add them. Yvette also did a safari in Kruger, and we also spent a weekend in Cape Town. Being winter, the weather in Cape Town didn't cooperate for us and unfortunately, tow major attractions were cancelled...Shark Cage Diving in Gansbaai and the ferry ride over to Robben Island (Nelson Mandela and several other apartheid prisoners were kept here for many years, and it was also a leper colony at one time). But we did manage to get down to Simon's Town...home of dozens of South African penguins. These are wild penguins who just hang out on the rocks at Bolder's Beach. Very cool!
Navigation Note
Hi all. There have been quite a few updates of late so I thought I'd remind on a couple of things. 1. The posts appear most recent first, so for more of a chronological read, scroll down to where you want to start and move upwards.
2. Click on any picture for a larger, full page view
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4. Enjoy!
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Kickin' it in Kruger--Safari Anyone?
And finally, we got to Kruger Park and started the safari. Because it is winter in the southern hemisphere, temperatures during the day aren't as hot and it's much better game viewing at this time of the year. And, we got extremely lucky with the different animals we saw. Here is a picture that just shows how far it goes...as far as the eye can see...in every direction. (CLICK ANY PICTURE TO ENLARGE)
Kruger Park, in the northeast of South Africa, is some 350 kilometres in length, and averages 54 kilometres in width – in size it equates to the countries of Wales or Israel..that's 20 000 square kilometres/nearly 2 million hectares. Kruger National Park itself has been in existence since 1926, effectively, in its present form. According to the Internet, it is virtually unrivalled in species diversity (both animal and plant), and is a world leader in advanced environmental management techniques and policies. Recent figures indicate that there are some 147 species of mammal, 507 species of bird, and in excess of 1950 plant species in the Park.
But of course the most important is that it is the home of the "big 5" that Africa is famous for--lions, leopard, elephants, buffalo, and rhino. Kenz and I did a camping Safari and it was amazing. I'll post more pictures elsewhere but below are some that capture the experience. (AS USUAL, CLICK ANY PICTURE TO ENLARGE) 
There was also a game drive that night. As we were just getting going, the guide got word that there were some lions just resting by the side of the road. We hustled over there and sure enough, there were a small pride of lions...4 females and a male. It was about dusk so the pictures aren't really bright. (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
Later on, after it got dark (and COLD), we heard more lions but we didn't see them. The second day was a full game drive in open air game viewing. We saw tons of animals including these:
Zebra--they tend to be in small groups. We even saw one with a baby.
We saw our own little Phumba...Warthogs. These are the cutest ever. They are very skittish and would always run away when we stopped to see them. (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
The full day game drive was definitely a full day activity. We started around 6am, when it is still dark. It was a stunning view to watch the sun rise in the vast expanse of the park. (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
Kruger Park, in the northeast of South Africa, is some 350 kilometres in length, and averages 54 kilometres in width – in size it equates to the countries of Wales or Israel..that's 20 000 square kilometres/nearly 2 million hectares. Kruger National Park itself has been in existence since 1926, effectively, in its present form. According to the Internet, it is virtually unrivalled in species diversity (both animal and plant), and is a world leader in advanced environmental management techniques and policies. Recent figures indicate that there are some 147 species of mammal, 507 species of bird, and in excess of 1950 plant species in the Park.
But of course the most important is that it is the home of the "big 5" that Africa is famous for--lions, leopard, elephants, buffalo, and rhino. Kenz and I did a camping Safari and it was amazing. I'll post more pictures elsewhere but below are some that capture the experience. (AS USUAL, CLICK ANY PICTURE TO ENLARGE)
Here's our sleeping arrangement. And there is Kenz coming out of the tent.
I can tell you from first hand experience, it is *really* cold at night in South Africa in winter. It seems to be common thought that in Africa it must be hot, but South Africa is pretty far south and the temperature was probably in the single digits overnight. (I know that in Johannesburg it gets around zero celsius overnight). I like camping as much as the next person, but tents in winter may have been pushing it a bit. It was a great time but something that required me to be pretty flexible in my outlook to things was the mongoose. There were quite a few of them that scatter when people come, but still, they are extrememly creepy. In case you don't know, mongoose are basically large fat brownish rats as far as I could tell. The tents are up on a pallat a few inches off the ground. When we came into camp one time, a few of them scampered under the tents. The only way I could get through sleeping in the tent was to not even think about it again...to not think about creepy rats being under the tent. I never felt or heard one again so hopefully they went off not to return while we were there. (that's the delusion I am living under). We got to the camp in time to do a game drive in the afternoon, and promptly saw some animals. The game drives are done in open sided/open air game viewing trucks. (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
There was also a game drive that night. As we were just getting going, the guide got word that there were some lions just resting by the side of the road. We hustled over there and sure enough, there were a small pride of lions...4 females and a male. It was about dusk so the pictures aren't really bright. (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
Later on, after it got dark (and COLD), we heard more lions but we didn't see them. The second day was a full game drive in open air game viewing. We saw tons of animals including these:
Elephants:
Zebra--they tend to be in small groups. We even saw one with a baby.
We saw our own little Phumba...Warthogs. These are the cutest ever. They are very skittish and would always run away when we stopped to see them. (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
The full day game drive was definitely a full day activity. We started around 6am, when it is still dark. It was a stunning view to watch the sun rise in the vast expanse of the park. (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
Mid morning, we stopped at a rest stop and had breakfast. Here is Stephen, our Zimbabwean guide, cooking breakfast while our group helped. Our group was made up of: Mackenzie, the Mackenzie sisters (Siobhan and Kristy) from London, England, and two Asian girls living in Australia. (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
Overall, Kruger is a can't miss activity when in South Africa. There are of course, various offerings of days, accommodation, waling versus game vehicle, but whatever the choice, it's a stunning, unbelievable experience. If anyone decides they'd like to see the genesis of the Lion King and wants to come over and do a Kruger safari, it is surprisingly affordable--let me know and I can hook you up.
Hoedspriut Endangered Species Centre
After a night in the tribal village, we were off to visit the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre. The project is one of the leading private research and breeding facilities in South Africa. It was originally a cheetah-breeding project established by Lente Roode in the late 1980s but has been expanded to include other various endangered species such as rhinos, wild dogs, blackfooted cat, and the African wild cat. The centre also serves as a sanctuary for other abandoned or sick animals such as the tigers (not an African animal) that were abandoned by a circus. Here is Chelsea, a cheetah. Don't be put off by the fencing. The areas are pretty big and allow good movement by the animals. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) 
Here is one of the tigers mentioned above. There were two of them, and they are old and living out their lives in comfort and care at the centre.
The one below is pretty interesting. It's a "boneyard". It is exactly that...a cement area where carcass remains are thrown. Not wasting anything is a huge philosophy at the centre and really throughout South Africa, and the boneyard is where scraps are put for various birds to feed off of...in this one there are vultures at the top of the picture (top third, first third from left of pic--CLICK TO ENLARGE)
Here is one of the tigers mentioned above. There were two of them, and they are old and living out their lives in comfort and care at the centre.
The one below is pretty interesting. It's a "boneyard". It is exactly that...a cement area where carcass remains are thrown. Not wasting anything is a huge philosophy at the centre and really throughout South Africa, and the boneyard is where scraps are put for various birds to feed off of...in this one there are vultures at the top of the picture (top third, first third from left of pic--CLICK TO ENLARGE)
And here are some animals that are so ugly they are cute. These are African wild dogs. (The joke on the drive was of course, "a dingo ate my baby" from the movie, A Cry in the Dark). The wild dogs look similar to hyenas in facial features and ears, but their coat is mottled brown, black, tan and white. No markings are ever the same on two dogs.
Again, another outstanding thing to see, and well worth it.
Night in a Tribal Village
As part of the Kruger Park game Safari Kenz and I did (more about that later), we spent a night in a tribal village up in Mphumalanga province. Very Cool!! It is an educational village that was developed by the chief of the tribe and is basically managed by the chief's 20 year old son. As it is an educational village, only a few people actually live there, while their families live in a township somewhere reasonably close by. he chief's son said he goes home to see his family on Sundays.The visit included a tour of the small village (generally, only one family, made up of one chief and his numerous wives and their children would have inhabited a village, so the idea is that there would be tons of these villages all over the place back in the day) and demonstrations of various activities. Here is one of the women demonstrating crushing meilie or corn, into cornmeal to make "pap" which is is like very very bland cream of wheat or southern US grits. She is using a rock as the "table" and another rock as the rolling pin to crush the kernals into a fine powder. (CLICK ON PICTURE TO ENLARGE)
It was a very entertaining and enlightening event. It is totally something not everyone sees on their trip to South Africa.
Here is Kenz eating dinner, that "delicious" pap. (no, I said 'pap', not 'crap'). Dinner at the village was a challenge to our Western palates, and kudos to Kenz for sucking it up and being willing to try it. Dinner was traditional South Africa...then and now, I guess. Chicken, pap with tomato sauce, and creamed spinach (okay, for me, spinach by itself is gross, and creamed is just so much more so, but I ate it and am proud of myself for also being willing to experience it). (CLICK PIC TO ENLARGE)
Here, the Chief's son guide is showing us how the villagers would make woven mats. These mats are still very common and can be found at markets around South Africa:
The really traditional thing the villagers showed us was traditional tribal dancing. Very cool! It was dark when we got there so a bit difficult to see it in these shots, but trust me, it was neat. )CLICK TO ENLARGE)
Sleeping arrangements were also very different. The village living quarters are made up of a large single room rondovals ('round house' in Afrikaans I think). Basically, it's a round hut made from mud with a thatch roof and a wooden dowel door with no hinges. The floor is made from cow dung because it keeps the snakes away! Before you go "ewwwww", there is absolutely no smell at all and the floor is very hard and dry and so not at all dung-like. Here is the rondoval Kenz and I stayed in with some other guy from Holland on our tour named Eric. God love Kenz...when the guide said there would be 2, 2 and 3 to a rondoval, Kenz was totally happy to invite Eric so he wouldn't feel stupid or excluded. This shows the hut at night, in the day and then what the inside looked like. Inside was a fire centre where the lantern is now, and then there were mats on the floor and we slept in sleeping bags. (The picture shows my mat on the far end in the middle with my sleeping bag still rolled up on top and my purple bag next to it).
It was a very entertaining and enlightening event. It is totally something not everyone sees on their trip to South Africa.
My First Rugby Match--and it's the Springboks!!!
When I asked my cousin's daughter, Mackenzie, what she wanted to do while in South Africa, her only real request was a rugby match. I know next to nothing about the sport but I'm up for just about anything so I said I'd try to get it sorted. It has to be more exciting than cricket, right? I asked some folks from work and it turns out our company is a sponsor of the national rugby team, the Springboks, and we get free tickets. The gods must have been smiling on Kenz's trip because it turns out there are only 6 matches in South Africa this year, and one of them fell on one of the Saturday's Kenz was here. And better yet, it was a premier match-up with the England team and it was being played in the best (most rowdy and rugby-mad) stadium in SA--Loftus Park up in Pretoria! So we met my co-workers, Robyn, and Dorothy and their significant others, Andrew and Konrad, and off we went to Loftus.I have to say, I'm a convert. The game was good, but better yet, they have a huge beer tent right on the grounds set up for "tailgating" before the match, and partying after. Also there is an enormous sound stage with an Afrikaans singer performing. Definitely outta hand and a lot of fun! Turns out drunken sports revelry is very similar the world over! It was actually very cool for Kenz (and me!) to see and be part of that!Anyway, the match was amazing...it was a rout for the home team...I can't remember the score but I know we got almost 60 points and England had less than 30. And Kenz had a great time as well. We followed it up with dinner out in Fourways at an amazing steakhouse. South Africa has it's ups and downs like everywhere, but I must say, the restaurants and food are amazing!!Here's the home team warming up and the stadium itself, as well as a pre-game show. Apparently, someone within SA Rugby has a program whereby they invite kids from the informal settlements (read "shack townships") to come and see and be part of the game and participate in the opening show. Kinda cool...
To make things even better (have I said that enough this post), turns out there was another match the following Saturday, the day Kenz was leaving. The match was between the 'Boks and Samoa, right here in Johannesburg, at Ellis Park. Kenz wanted to go again, so I got tickets from Robyn again, and off we went. It was just Kenz and I this time but it was still fun, just different and more low key. It was a bit challenging finding the stadium...I'd never been there and the map was dodgy. But we saw a car with some people wearing Springbok gear so we followed them and it all turned out fine. The game was a blow-out for the Springboks...I forget the score again, but I know Samoa only scored like 3 points. It was an excellent way for Kenz to wrap up her trip to South Africa. Right after the game we had dinner then off the airport for the return trip to Canada. We definitely packed a lot of things into the trip.
To make things even better (have I said that enough this post), turns out there was another match the following Saturday, the day Kenz was leaving. The match was between the 'Boks and Samoa, right here in Johannesburg, at Ellis Park. Kenz wanted to go again, so I got tickets from Robyn again, and off we went. It was just Kenz and I this time but it was still fun, just different and more low key. It was a bit challenging finding the stadium...I'd never been there and the map was dodgy. But we saw a car with some people wearing Springbok gear so we followed them and it all turned out fine. The game was a blow-out for the Springboks...I forget the score again, but I know Samoa only scored like 3 points. It was an excellent way for Kenz to wrap up her trip to South Africa. Right after the game we had dinner then off the airport for the return trip to Canada. We definitely packed a lot of things into the trip.
Magaliesberg Tree Canopy Tour
So after a few days in Cape Town we headed back to Johannesburg, where I live. When we got to Joburg, we also kept pretty busy with various activities. One very cool thing Kenz and I did was the Magaliesberg Canopy Tour.The Tour is located in the heart of the ancient Magaliesberg Mountains, which are among the oldest mountains in the world. According to the web, the mountains are about 2400 million (so is that like 2.4 trillion?) years old or almost 100 times older than Everest. Here is a picture from the web: (CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE) 
The Canopy Tour is basically a "tour" above the trees between rock "kloofs". Just you, the harness and caribeener, and the steel cable 30 meters above the ground and off you go!There are only three like it in all of South Africa, and we're lucky that there is one a couple of hours drive from my flat. The brochures said it was 90 minutes but after about 2 hours driving, we figured out that was a bit of a fib. Either way, the drive was stunning and Kenz got to see some of South Africa outside of the cities. The biggest town closest to the actual tour is Magaliesburg and it is *very* different from Canadian towns but very typical South Africa. The town had tons of people milling about and it was surprising how many people are out in a town sort of in the middle of nowhere. Here's some info on the Canopy Tour from the web:
"The Magaliesberg Canopy Tour is a unique eco-adventure that takes clients on a 2 hour tour down the spectacular Ysterhout Kloof. Eleven platforms have been built against the cliffs and rock faces of the kloof and are joined by long steel cables that clients slide along to reach the next platform. The canopy tour essentially involves zigzagging down the kloof while stopping at each platform to admire the expansive views and surrounding ecology. The cables run up to 140 meters long (420 feet) and as high as 30+ meters (90 feet) above the stream and ground below."
(That's equivalent to a 9 story building!!!) We of course forgot to bring cameras (and I was afraid of losing mine as well) but here are a few pictures from the site to give you an idea of what the canopy tour is about.
It was totally a blast and I will definitely go again! I am trying to get my team to do it as a team building exercise. This may be the start of something...I may have turned into an adreneline activity junkie!
Table Mountain - Cape Town
No visit to Cape Town and South Africa would be complete without a tour up Table Mountain. It's called Table Mountain because it has a flat top, like a table top, not a pointed one like a regular mountain. When the clouds come in, it's called "the table cloth". One can hike up (it takes several hours and is a pretty challenging walk) but rather Kenz and I took the tram car up. There are several different hiking trails and Kenz and I did the whole tour around. Again, the scenary is just not to be believed unless you see it. (And remember, this is Autumn and the start of Winter
in South Africa...sure beats Canadian winter, as far as I'm concerned!)
in South Africa...sure beats Canadian winter, as far as I'm concerned!)
Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope
And finally, here are some pictures of Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope: (CLICK ON THE PICS TO SEE ENLARGE IMAGES)
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