First email from South Africa - private trip Feb 2011

WOW/AWESOME - one hundred times over! That sums up Sth Africa for me after 12 days.
John says I should not to make my emails too long. I say there is so much I want to tell you about.
Dilemma solved by two versions – your choice!!!

Abridged version for our busy friends –
Arrived JNB on 20 Jan. Toured JNB, Soweto & Apartheid Museum. Spent one night in interesting Sun City. Went on 7 day safari – 3 nights in Kruger National Park and 3 nights in Game Park in Zululand with another fun couple from Italy…perfect travelling companions. Saw 4 or the big 5 (missed the elusive leopard) and saw many beautiful and some ugly animals, stunning birdlife and fascinating fauna. Returned to JNB via Swaziland. Very beautiful and green countryside. Feel very safe, people of every colour are friendly and welcoming. Racial tension not evident. On a South African Airways flight to Victoria Falls with friends Ian and Fay Hamilton now.

Unabridged version for those who have time -
20 Jan, we flew V Australia from Melbourne to Johannesburg (JNB) premium economy – comfortable roomy seats but somewhat sluggish service. Our base in JNB is the Holiday Inn hotel in Sandton, one of the better suburbs close to Mandela Square.

Before venturing on our 7 day safari to Kruger National Park and Zululand, we did the tourist bit beginning with a full day private tour of JNB. Firstly we were driven though the beautiful tree lined avenues in the exclusive suburb of Houghton where amazing mansions hide behind high walls topped with extensive hostile electric wiring. All appears very tranquil but the high security is a clue to reality. In days gone by this was the Jewish area of JNB. Nelson Mandela has one of his homes in Houghton. In fact he was taken to this home after his recent stint in hospital which caused much concern to everyone but that’s another story.

Nelson Mandella Square

From this affluent area we drove through the CBD (Newtown) now the art and cultural centre and the no-go suburbs such as Yuoville and Hillbrow where unemployment runs at 30% and illegal immigrants congregate. Our driver told us there has been a police blitz the previous day resulting in the detention of over 300 illegals who will be deported to their country of origin. We saw historic Constitution Hill where the British troops had a maximum security prison during the Anglo/Boer war about 1899. According to our guide, Gandhi, Mandela and Winnie were all incarcerated here at some later stage. The Boers had a monopoly on everything including the gold mines. JNB was founded on a gold mine.The Anglo-Boer War left a legacy of painful memories and mutual hatred. The British incarceration of Boer women and children in concentration camps left a bitter taste in the mouths of the Boers and lessened respect for the British Empire abroad.

The poor side of Soweto

The population of JNB is 10.2mill including Soweto. Soweto surprised me. I expected an area of abject poverty.

Street in Soweto Squartter Camp

Yard and veggie garden in Squatter house

Looking over JBurg

Home security fence

Sure there are the informal squatter camps where people live in huts mainly built of corrugated iron and whatever else is available. We walked through one of these camps with one of the young residents. It was surprising how clean and ordered it was with enviable veggie gardens in nearly every yard. No electricity and one toilet shared between 3 homes, running tap water the same. Gas or kerosene burners for cooking and candles provide light. Soweto covers 140 sq km and there are many very nice areas and lovely homes including nice-looking B & B’s. If I come back here, I would like to stay in one and really meet and mix with the locals.

Matchbox house.

Many of these homes began as ‘matchbox’ houses which were given to the renters on a 99yr lease after apartheid. Until then blacks could not own houses. We drove down famous Vilakazi Street. Famous because it is the only street in the world where two Nobel Prize winners lived at one time i.e., Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. Winnie still lives in Soweto. We saw the place outside the school where Hector Pieterson was shot and killed during the 1976 Soweto uprising.

Hector Pieterson was shot and on the square killed during the 1976 Soweto uprising

Hand signals for hitch-hiking

Lastly but certainly not least, we visited the sobering Apartheid Museum, entering through segregated passages as allotted on our entrance tickets. Immediately, before even seeing any exhibits, one can sense and further imagine the uncomfortable denigrating and humiliating existence blacks and coloureds led before and during Apartheid. Thank God for Nelson Mandela, the ANC and the others who fought against apartheid and campaigned for the freedom charter and justice throughout the world.

 Apartheid Museum

Segregated passages as allotted on our entrance tickets to Apartheid Museum

Walkway inside Apartheid Museum

This is probably a good time to mention racism. If it exists it is well hidden. I see everywhere young coloureds, blacks and whites enjoying each other’s company, eating, laughing and working together. This current generation I believe will end racism here. One 23 year old white game park ranger told us that all white and colours were friends in his generation, no discrimination whatsoever. It is the people of earlier generations whose memories will not allow them to completely forget and forgive. The worm has turned here and naturally not everyone is happy about that. One chap expressed his real concern about what may happen when Mandela passes on. Although Mandela is 92 and not politically active, he is astoundingly widely respected and nobody wishes to upset him.

John showing the photo of himself with Nelson Mandella

This is a copy of the photo which enthralled everyone.

John has a photo of himself and Nelson Mandela taken in 2000 when Mandela came to Australia for Sydney Uni’s ‘Champions of The Mind’ conference. Savage Communications did the PR for the Uni. The photo is becoming rather tatty having been shown to almost everyone John has met since getting off the plane. The response is astounding. In absolute awe, they ask where, when and how John met him and many, white and black, say they would give anything to touch or talk to Madiba as he is known. I mentioned before that Mandela recently had a stint in hospital with a chest condition. The whole country almost went into true heartfelt mourning. I can only imagine the turmoil and anguish his death will cause.

Now back to our travelogue!!
Without doing any research on the place, we decided to spend a night in Sun City. Somewhat an odd experience but one we are happy to have had. We took a local shuttle bus (14 seat people mover) to travel the 160km from JNB.

The countryside on the way was stunning with green undulating farmland with a backdrop of mountains, lots of market gardens and new estate farms. Also many squatters huts dotted along the way. Sun City is like a giant gated theme park.    It was Saturday and crowded with families and because we hadn’t done our homework, a little baffling at first trying to work out what it was all about. I’m still shaking my head a little but I actually I think it was just about having a jolly good time.  

Entrance to Sun City

Cultural village

In the Sun City Casino

Auditorium Sun City

Meerkat at Sun City Croc farm

Loved the colours of the bird

Sky train at Sun City

Sun City Pool

We had not booked accommodation and were very lucky & relieved to finally part with a lot of Rand in exchange for a lovely chalet or rondavel (African hut) in a small privately run hotel built like an African Village. This hotel is attached to a crocodile farm, home to over 700 crocs. I didn’t fancy that much but we had free entry with our inflated room rate and it was fantastic as was our stay. Sun City offers just about any type of entertainment or activity one could imagine with free shuttles or sky train to take you from one to another.

BIG croc.

Brave John holding small croc

There is a Gary Player Golf Course, Casino, horse riding, cultural village, a massive games arcade, heaps of excellent restaurants and possibly the most amazing is the Valley of the Waves….. a huge man-made swimming area where waves are somehow generated and released, just like a Bondi surf at its best.

Man made surf beach called 'Valley of the Waves'

Everything is man-made including the sandstone rock formations of the main entertainment buildings. Fascinating, so very glad we made the effort.

Sun City where everything is man-made

Now onto what we had envisaged would be the highlight of our trip. Our 7 day safari. We were not disappointed for a second. One other couple shared this fabulous experience with us and we could not have selected better travelling companions, Ralph and Nadia from Italy. Ralph is a Vet in Rapallo (some Interlude travelers will know that is a where we catch the ferry to Portofino.) Nadia is a Simultaneous Interpreter based in Milan. They were very good fun people who made the Savages seem like honeymooners!! No kidding!

John, Nadia, Ralph & Jeanette on safari.

Throughout the entire safari we had wonderful informative driver/guides. We travelled the scenic Panorama Route to our first stop near Hazyview. This route has spectacular scenery of gorges, valleys and canyons all the way. Thank goodness we chose not to fly. We stopped along the way for lunch at historic and quaint Pilgrim’s Rest, the site of the first major gold rush in South Africa, God’s window and the breathtaking Lisbon Falls.

The first 3 nights we spent in a luxurious suite under thatch in Umbhaba Lodge on a high hillside above the Sabie Valley just outside the Kruger National Park. From here we went into Kruger once on a night game drive and twice on full day game drives starting at 6am. Kruger Park covers 2 million hectares, twice the size of Israel so ‘they’ say.

Our suite at Umbhaba Lodge

Our suite at Umbhaba Lodge

The area has had lots of recent rain so the grass was tall and plenty of water lying around which meant that the animals did not have to go to the watering holes to drink. The watering holes are where they are mainly spotted. We saw 4 of the big five, only missing the leopard. Other than miss seeing the elusive leopard, we were so very fortunate to see many other wonderful animals roaming free and spectacular bird life and flora. We saw scores of elephants, impala, hippos, kudus, zebra, rhinos, warthogs, lions, and lots of regal giraffes (probably my favourite). They say there are 110,000 impalas in the park and I’m sure we saw 109,999 of them.

Thankfully we did not come across the scary black mamba, one of Africa’s most aggressive snakes. One ranger told us it was good that the grass was so long as the animals come out to the open tracks to get out of the wet grass. We did see heaps of animals on the tracks so he was right. Mozzies were not a problem either.

The long grass

Although long, the drive from Kruger Park to the Ubizane Safari Lodge in Zululand offered more remarkable beauty with green rolling hills, grasslands and valleys dotted with pine and blue gum plantations, sugarcane crops and overflowing waterways. Cole trucks take this road to get to the eastern harbour port of Richards Bay. These heavy trucks have caused heaps of giant potholes so it was rather rough going in places. Our accommodation was again in very modern self contained thatched African huts in a game reserve. Giraffes, Kudu and impalas wandered freely past our door. We were treated like royalty here. Two more games drives, one through the famous Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park and one through the reserve where we stayed.

Ubizane Safari Lodge in Zululand

Buffet under the stars at Ubizane Safari Lodge in Zululand

Morning Tea on safari

View from Ubizane Safari Lodge in Zululand

We had a day trip to St Lucia for a boat cruise in the St Lucia estuary of the Indian Ocean. Saw heaps of hippos and crocs in this waterway plus magnificent birdlife. I think I got some really good photos with my little old camera even though it was somewhat intimidating snapping away beside the serious photographic gear a lot of tourists had. It was on this cruise I decided that bird watchers are a breed of their own!

Hippo and croc sunning themselves

We have learnt a lot about the animals and their habits, the birdlife and the flora. One has to wonder at the brilliance of Mother Nature. Did you know that hippo cannot swim or float? They actually sink to the bottom of the waterways and walk along the floor. These massive mammals can travel at 50km an hour and do so every day looking for food.

Mango tree

Another fascinating fact is that the mangrove trees which line the edge of salt water estuary cannot grow in salt water. So how do they live? The tree soaks up the water and somehow sifts the salt and deposits the salt to a sacrificial branch or limb which of course dies. Another very lovely tree called the fever tree which grows in areas with plenty of water does the same, only it’s sacrificial branch receives the toxins from the underground water which in turn kill that limb.

Traditional welcome to Zulu village

The Zulu women dance

When in Zululand, we realized how close we were to Swaziland and decided to travel though there if possible instead of skirting around the country on our way back to JNB. Swaziland is a Kingdom and not part of South Africa. Because this detour was not pre-arranged, our gorgeous driver James, (who looks as if he just stepped out of the ‘Driving Miss Daisy’ film) did not have his passport and the vehicle did not have the necessary permit to enter Swaziland. Not to be discouraged, with much help from the Management of the Wildlife Lodge, it was arranged for a Swazi tourist car and guide to meet us at the southern Lavumisa/Golela customs boarder and we travelled four hours through the middle of Swaziland to Oshoek border post on the north-west side where James met us.

Ralph & Jeanette at Immigration

Security is tight in all shops.

A gorgeous Swazi girl.

Swaziland is only small and although it was indeed a whistle-stop glance between the borders and thanks to Lucky our very informative and candid guide, we got a feel for this beautiful country and its attractive people. They are a much better looking race that the Zulus. We even had time to visit the famous Manzine market and the candle and craft centre and drive around the Ezulwini Valley (Valley of Heaven) at the bottom of the Malagwane hill.

Candle shop

Market in Swaziland

The majority of the people are very poor. Unemployment is sky high. Aids is a huge problem but small steps are being taken to stall this dilemma. Free condoms are on the counters at immigration and customs and in service station toilets. It is amazing that the 42 year old King Mswati 111, who was educated in Sherborne School in England, is so popular when his fourteen wives each live in magnificent homes and are driven around in BMW’s with at least two escorts and apparently travel extensively and engage in massive spending sprees. At the same time people live in poverty, particularly in rural areas, schools are not free so many children are not getting a chance to be educated; there are no government hand outs for the underprivileged. Sugar cane is the main crop and cattle. A man has to pay 11 cows for a virgin wife. If she is not a virgin, the man can negotiate!!!

A village in Swaziland

Off to Swazi Church

Food has been fresh, plentiful and varied and very inexpensive compared to Sydney. Meat is big here as are the servings. A wide variety of lentils and beans and veggies are usually on the menu. Wine is excellent and again inexpensive.

Last night Ian and Fay Hamilton joined us in JNB. Today the four of us flew to Zimbabwe to the world heritage site of Victoria Falls; named by David Livingstone when he first sighted them in 1855.

Jeanette, John, Fay & Ian arriving in Zimbabwe

Victoria Falls Hotel

Our room at Victoria Falls Hotel

View of falls from hotel

Jeanette, John, Ian & Fay

Resting in the hotel

We are staying at the magnificent stately Victoria Falls Hotel which first opened its doors in June 1904. This majestic hotel rightly boasts a fascinating history and is a worthy member of The Leading Hotels of The World. I’m looking forward to the next three days exploring this breathtaking area before returning the South Africa.

A little bit of Victoria Falls

We get snippets of news from Australia. South Africans are sports mad and this is a fact well supported by the extraordinary number of TV sports channels compared to news channels. The sports section in the papers covered the Aust Tennis Open well which was great and we got delayed TV coverage. We know that Jimmy Buffet took a tumble from the stage at the Hordern Pavilion, that Julia has put some sort of scaled ‘flood’ levy on Australian tax payers and that Sydney is presently roasting in high temperatures. Oh my poor roses and pot plants! Thanks everyone for taking care of them. Our thoughts are with people in the flood areas.

Until my next installment take care
Jeanette 2.2.11