Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Monday, March 19, 2007
summary
The costs:
$2,200 for airline tickets including $400 for changing the return date.
$2,800 or about $100 per night for lodging
$667 for car rental through CarRentals.com - very cheap
$600 for gas
$500 for food over what we normally spend at home
$500 for admissions
$200 for car rentals and gas to get to and from the Dullas airport
$50 Gifts
$7,517 total or about $250 per day
Every thing was fairly priced. I have 4 small amounts to try to collect:
$60 on the car rental since we turned the car in 4 days early
$14 from South Africa as they charged us a bad conversion rate when we paid the extra $400 to change dates.
$20 from Hertz as they jacked up the daily rate when we changed.
$101 from the Jo-burg condo rental as they still have our deposit.
Now for the Jo burg condo story
$2,200 for airline tickets including $400 for changing the return date.
$2,800 or about $100 per night for lodging
$667 for car rental through CarRentals.com - very cheap
$600 for gas
$500 for food over what we normally spend at home
$500 for admissions
$200 for car rentals and gas to get to and from the Dullas airport
$50 Gifts
$7,517 total or about $250 per day
Every thing was fairly priced. I have 4 small amounts to try to collect:
$60 on the car rental since we turned the car in 4 days early
$14 from South Africa as they charged us a bad conversion rate when we paid the extra $400 to change dates.
$20 from Hertz as they jacked up the daily rate when we changed.
$101 from the Jo-burg condo rental as they still have our deposit.
Now for the Jo burg condo story
Thursday, March 15, 2007
3/7 thru 3/8
Today, Wednesday, we drove to Kimberly and visited the "Big Hole," where diamond mining started in SA in the 1870's. The original diamond pit and mines have been turned into a tourist site where you view a movie, walk through a simulated underground mine and view lots of real diamonds under heavy security. De Beers was started in Kimberly by Cecil Rhodes, the same person who originated the Rhodes Scholarship for deserving students to attend Oxford University in England. A few days before, we visited the Rhodes Memorial in Capetown, a beautiful park dedicated to Cecil Rhodes. He lived in Capetown during part of his life. We had lunch in Kimberly at the "Star of the West," a pub and hotel that dates from the late 1800's that served the miners. We enjoyed "pub grub" and beer.
We then drove to Bloemfontein, the city that is considered to be the capital for Afrikaners. The Anglo-Boer Wars occurred in this area in 1899-1900. We then drove on to Ficksburg, a beautiful drive through fields of wheat and sandstone mountains in the distance. We stayed at the Green Accorn B&B in small studio cottages. We had two cottages for only R380 ($55), including a full English breakfast. Since we arrived in Ficksburg late and we were tired and not very too hungry, we went to the local Wimpy's and had a hamburger. The restaurant closed at 8:00 p.m. It is so amazing that business establishments like restaurants, grocery stores, and department stores close between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. We are truly spoiled in the USA with our 24 hour shopping options. We ate very little fast food only US-McDonald's and 4or 5 SA firms.
We had decided to try and fly back home early. We had driven 7,000 miles and visited all the provinces in South Africa. Once we headed back to Johannesburg, we were ready to head home as we had already spent a week there. We had tried for a couple of days to change our airline tickets over the phone. They would tell us to call back as they had to check with Washington, DC (where we had flown out of) to make any changes. We finally received confirmation late on Wednesday that we could fly back the next day. So, we got up early in Ficksburg and headed toward Jo-burg. We drove through the Maloti Mountains, another gorgeous mountain route that took us to a beautiful small town called Clarens. We had read in Lonely Planet that Prince Harry and Brad Pitt liked to visit this town. It was full of art galleries, up-scale restaurants and gift shops. We asked the clerk in one of the stores where Brad Pitt had stayed and she directed us to the fancy resort just outside of town. We could see why the rich and famous liked this place as it was so beautiful. We also drove through Golden Gate National Park with big sandstone mountains and steep grassy slopes-spectacular! We drove into Jo-burg on the N3 Toll Road and had lunch at our favorite Portuguese restaurant that we had eaten at when in Jo-burg a month earlier. We almost missed our plane as we had not anticipated the traffic jams around the city. But, Doug with his fantastic sense of direction and navigational skills found some alternate routes and got us to the airport on time. We had driven 7,000 miles and our little Renault Clio was ready to go home too.
The plane headed home was not full and we booked seats at the back of the plane. We were able to lay down and actually sleep part of the way. It was a welcome contrast to the full flight we had experienced on the way over. South African Airways is a wonderful airline and the staff and services are excellent. Would highly recommend them. We stopped for gas in Dakar, Senegal on the way home. The total time spent on the plane was 19 hours, 18 of which we were in the air.
We loved South Africa, but would recommend flying to London and spending a week or so and then continuing on from there. It is an 8 hour flight to London and a 10 hour flight from London to Jo-burg or Capetown. Would love to visit South Africa in 50 years to see the progress I know they will make, but I am afraid we won't be able to make that trip! Unless, we can live to 110!
We then drove to Bloemfontein, the city that is considered to be the capital for Afrikaners. The Anglo-Boer Wars occurred in this area in 1899-1900. We then drove on to Ficksburg, a beautiful drive through fields of wheat and sandstone mountains in the distance. We stayed at the Green Accorn B&B in small studio cottages. We had two cottages for only R380 ($55), including a full English breakfast. Since we arrived in Ficksburg late and we were tired and not very too hungry, we went to the local Wimpy's and had a hamburger. The restaurant closed at 8:00 p.m. It is so amazing that business establishments like restaurants, grocery stores, and department stores close between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. We are truly spoiled in the USA with our 24 hour shopping options. We ate very little fast food only US-McDonald's and 4or 5 SA firms.
We had decided to try and fly back home early. We had driven 7,000 miles and visited all the provinces in South Africa. Once we headed back to Johannesburg, we were ready to head home as we had already spent a week there. We had tried for a couple of days to change our airline tickets over the phone. They would tell us to call back as they had to check with Washington, DC (where we had flown out of) to make any changes. We finally received confirmation late on Wednesday that we could fly back the next day. So, we got up early in Ficksburg and headed toward Jo-burg. We drove through the Maloti Mountains, another gorgeous mountain route that took us to a beautiful small town called Clarens. We had read in Lonely Planet that Prince Harry and Brad Pitt liked to visit this town. It was full of art galleries, up-scale restaurants and gift shops. We asked the clerk in one of the stores where Brad Pitt had stayed and she directed us to the fancy resort just outside of town. We could see why the rich and famous liked this place as it was so beautiful. We also drove through Golden Gate National Park with big sandstone mountains and steep grassy slopes-spectacular! We drove into Jo-burg on the N3 Toll Road and had lunch at our favorite Portuguese restaurant that we had eaten at when in Jo-burg a month earlier. We almost missed our plane as we had not anticipated the traffic jams around the city. But, Doug with his fantastic sense of direction and navigational skills found some alternate routes and got us to the airport on time. We had driven 7,000 miles and our little Renault Clio was ready to go home too.
The plane headed home was not full and we booked seats at the back of the plane. We were able to lay down and actually sleep part of the way. It was a welcome contrast to the full flight we had experienced on the way over. South African Airways is a wonderful airline and the staff and services are excellent. Would highly recommend them. We stopped for gas in Dakar, Senegal on the way home. The total time spent on the plane was 19 hours, 18 of which we were in the air.
We loved South Africa, but would recommend flying to London and spending a week or so and then continuing on from there. It is an 8 hour flight to London and a 10 hour flight from London to Jo-burg or Capetown. Would love to visit South Africa in 50 years to see the progress I know they will make, but I am afraid we won't be able to make that trip! Unless, we can live to 110!
3/5 thru 3/6
Today, we visited the Kirstenbosch Gardens in Capetown. Such a beautiful place with thousands of plants, trees and shrubs from all over SA. We took a guided tour on a "golf cart" and it was so informative. I took many beautiful pictures of this very beautiful place. We then drove on to Veldrift, on the way to Springbok in the Kalahari Region. We are now in the Northern Cape, on the Atlantic Ocean. We had lunch at Sunset Seafood in Veldrift. We had mussels, a seafood potjie (seafood cooked in a black iron pot) and hake thermidor (fish) with a cheese sauce. It was so good and the entire meal was only $24. We drove through mountainous, rocky, desolate, but beautiful scenery and arrived at Springbok (120 km from the Namibia border-the place in which Angelina and Brad Pitt had their baby) around 7:00 p.m. We found a nice two bedroom chalet at Kleinplasie Gastehuis for only R460 ($70) for the night. We ate dinner at the Tauren Steak House. We had two steaks and beer-Doug's was a 1 1/2 lb (750 gram) T-Bone for only $12. Total bill was only $30. We also used the computer at the restaurant office to check our emails. Out in the middle of nowhere, there are only so many Internet resources! It was amazing how it felt like any small town in the USA, but instead we were in the middle of nowhere in South Africa! The landscape in this area looks very much like the Australian outback. The population of Springbok is 10,400. The name of the town is also the name of a deer-like animal called the springbok. In the springtime, this area has thousands of flowers in bloom in the desert and people come from all over SA to see the spectacle.
We left Springbok on Tuesday morning and headed toward the Namibian border to Port Nolloth on the Atlantic Ocean. At this small coastal town, they dive to the ocean floor for diamonds. Lonely Planet mentioned to be careful of buying phony diamonds offered to you in this town and that government agents were stationed here to arrest you if you did try to buy a diamond. Only DeBeers of Africa can buy raw diamonds and the prices are fixed. I think Doug took me to the one place on earth where they didn't have any souvenirs! We drove across the Kalarhari region (a barren desert) to Grobershopp. We had lunch at a nice restaurant along the way-Vergelegen Guest House. By the way, our credit union cash card is now working. We found out it was the bank machine, not our card, that didn't work. So, we have been able to get all the money we need in Rands from ATM machines across South Africa. We drove hard today and late into the night. We found a small B&B outside Grobershoop called Grape Vine Guest House. Two rooms for only R400 ($55) and very nice. We weren't too hungry and nothing was open in the small town except a small grocery store. The guest house offered us steaks so we bought some rolls to make sandwiches and potato chips. The staff at the guest house prepared more for us than we wanted-salad, sauces, etc. They were very hospitable. We sat on the patio, under the stars til 9:00 p.m., chatting with the lady who owns the B&B and another guest. We learned the opinions of both of these Afrikaners regarding SA politics, but we soon moved on to other topics and enjoyed a good meal in the countryside under the stars.
We left Springbok on Tuesday morning and headed toward the Namibian border to Port Nolloth on the Atlantic Ocean. At this small coastal town, they dive to the ocean floor for diamonds. Lonely Planet mentioned to be careful of buying phony diamonds offered to you in this town and that government agents were stationed here to arrest you if you did try to buy a diamond. Only DeBeers of Africa can buy raw diamonds and the prices are fixed. I think Doug took me to the one place on earth where they didn't have any souvenirs! We drove across the Kalarhari region (a barren desert) to Grobershopp. We had lunch at a nice restaurant along the way-Vergelegen Guest House. By the way, our credit union cash card is now working. We found out it was the bank machine, not our card, that didn't work. So, we have been able to get all the money we need in Rands from ATM machines across South Africa. We drove hard today and late into the night. We found a small B&B outside Grobershoop called Grape Vine Guest House. Two rooms for only R400 ($55) and very nice. We weren't too hungry and nothing was open in the small town except a small grocery store. The guest house offered us steaks so we bought some rolls to make sandwiches and potato chips. The staff at the guest house prepared more for us than we wanted-salad, sauces, etc. They were very hospitable. We sat on the patio, under the stars til 9:00 p.m., chatting with the lady who owns the B&B and another guest. We learned the opinions of both of these Afrikaners regarding SA politics, but we soon moved on to other topics and enjoyed a good meal in the countryside under the stars.
3/3 thru 3/4
It rained today. We have had very little rain on this trip. The weather has been sunny for the most part. We had to scrap the arts festival that was being held downtown and instead, went to the Two Oceans Aquarium. It had some of the best fish exhibits we have ever seen. They chose to put just a few types of fish in each aquarium. This made the viewing better and easier. We had lunch at a pizza chain called St. Elmo's-wood fired, thin crust pizza that is excellent-only $9.50 for a large pizza. Traffic lights in SA are called "robots." When asking for directions, someone will tell you to turn left at the first "robot." We went to a classical music concert at the Baxter Theatre.
On Sunday, we went to Greenpoint flea market-lots of trinkets. Went to St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in our neighborhood. It was a poor congregation with few attendees and a visiting divinity student who was writing his dissertation on the Dutch Reformed Church's support of apartheid. He preached on the big theme of South Africa, which is reconciliation. In the sermon, he mentioned a South Afrikaners song that has become popular with the right wingers. The song is called "De La Ray." At that point, the two other white men in the congregation stood up and left. After church, one of the white men explained that he was tired of being put down because of his Afrikaner heritage. In our opinion, the use of "Del La Ray" is just like "Dixie" in the South-USA has been taken over by white forces with which we would not like to be associated. The Afrikaans hate losing their song and flag and we in the South hate losing our song and heritage to the racist factions.
We had a long lunch (4 hours) at the Cape Courtland Restaurant at Hout Bay. It was in an old Dutch building with a beautiful courtyard, where we ate outdoors. It was a "braai," where food is cooked over coals under a large hut-like structure. We would probably call it a "barbecue." There were 4 courses-shrimp and mussels and bread, grilled swordfish, tuna, sardines and salad, lamb, chicken, sausage, butternut squash with raisins, maize cooked like grits and called pap, and dessert, which was a sugar infused donut stick with vanilla pudding dip. We also had a bottle of red SA wine from a nearby winery called Spiers. We enjoyed talking with two Canadian couples during our long lunch. In the evening we went to a modern dance called "Slaves" at the amphitheatre at the Spiers winery near Stellenbosch. The dance was very expressive and physical and the African music was enthralling. Of course, Doug prefers classical dance (ballet) and music, but this program was not like anything we would see in NY or the USA.
On Sunday, we went to Greenpoint flea market-lots of trinkets. Went to St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in our neighborhood. It was a poor congregation with few attendees and a visiting divinity student who was writing his dissertation on the Dutch Reformed Church's support of apartheid. He preached on the big theme of South Africa, which is reconciliation. In the sermon, he mentioned a South Afrikaners song that has become popular with the right wingers. The song is called "De La Ray." At that point, the two other white men in the congregation stood up and left. After church, one of the white men explained that he was tired of being put down because of his Afrikaner heritage. In our opinion, the use of "Del La Ray" is just like "Dixie" in the South-USA has been taken over by white forces with which we would not like to be associated. The Afrikaans hate losing their song and flag and we in the South hate losing our song and heritage to the racist factions.
We had a long lunch (4 hours) at the Cape Courtland Restaurant at Hout Bay. It was in an old Dutch building with a beautiful courtyard, where we ate outdoors. It was a "braai," where food is cooked over coals under a large hut-like structure. We would probably call it a "barbecue." There were 4 courses-shrimp and mussels and bread, grilled swordfish, tuna, sardines and salad, lamb, chicken, sausage, butternut squash with raisins, maize cooked like grits and called pap, and dessert, which was a sugar infused donut stick with vanilla pudding dip. We also had a bottle of red SA wine from a nearby winery called Spiers. We enjoyed talking with two Canadian couples during our long lunch. In the evening we went to a modern dance called "Slaves" at the amphitheatre at the Spiers winery near Stellenbosch. The dance was very expressive and physical and the African music was enthralling. Of course, Doug prefers classical dance (ballet) and music, but this program was not like anything we would see in NY or the USA.
3/1 thru 3/2
We visited Robben Island today where Nelson Mandela spent 22 years in prision for political protests against apartheid or as a terrorist depending on the viewpoint. We took a ferry to the island from the Capetown waterfront. The tour to the island is very moving and informative. We saw the inside of Mandela's prison cell and the limestone pits where he was forced to work each day. The tour guide at the prison was a former inmate and told us about life in the prison from his first-hand experience serving time with Nelson Mandela. There is beautiful vegetation on the island and also South African penguins and many other exotic birds. We had lunch at Den Anker (The Anchor) at the V&A waterfront in Capetown after the Robeen Island tour. It is a Belgium restaurant and we had the best pot of steamed mussels and a fish stew soup served the "French way." A bit pricey-R281 ($40)-but very good and worth it. A parking attendant called Doug "Santa Claus" today. Doug wanted to think it might have been because the attendant liked his tip, but it might have been because Doug is big and fat like Santa Claus! Most South Africans are not as hefty as us Americans! We went to a carnival in Maynardville, a suburb of Capetown. It was so much fun and we sampled food from several countries-apple strudel from Bulgaria, potato pancakes from Poland, pizza from Italy, mutton curry from India, rutengausch from Sweden, and sauteed mushrooms from South Africa.
In Capetown, several communities and beaches dot the mountainside, all with fantastic views of Table Mountain, a big mountain that dominates the landscape. The coastal road, Victoria Road to Hout Bay, offers one of the most spectacular ocean drives in the world. Today, we drove up to the cable car that takes you to the top of Table Mountain. But, we did not think we would enjoy the extremely steep and high ride so we bought a postcard of the cable car instead! We drove along the coast to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Park with it's spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean come together near Capetown. This is the southern most point in South Africa. We saw baboons alongside the road and in the foliage nearby. We stopped for lunch at Bertha's in Simonstown. We enjoyed Cape Malay curried seafood with rice-so delicious-R208 ($32) for lunch. The prices in the Capetown area are about 20-25% higher than what we've experienced thus far. But, the beauty of this area is worth the price!
We went to an outdoor concert in a small amphitheatre in Stellenbosch, which is wine country about 30 km from Capetown. We saw a popular South Afrikaan singer named Nianell. She sang rock, country, jazz, and classics. She was kind of "new age" and offered "self help thoughts" between songs. The audience was clearly South Afrikaners and she switched back and forth between Afrikaans (Dutch) and English as she spoke to the audience and sang her songs. We had a hamburger before the concert at a neat little diner in Stellenbosch called the Blue Owl.
In Capetown, several communities and beaches dot the mountainside, all with fantastic views of Table Mountain, a big mountain that dominates the landscape. The coastal road, Victoria Road to Hout Bay, offers one of the most spectacular ocean drives in the world. Today, we drove up to the cable car that takes you to the top of Table Mountain. But, we did not think we would enjoy the extremely steep and high ride so we bought a postcard of the cable car instead! We drove along the coast to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Park with it's spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean come together near Capetown. This is the southern most point in South Africa. We saw baboons alongside the road and in the foliage nearby. We stopped for lunch at Bertha's in Simonstown. We enjoyed Cape Malay curried seafood with rice-so delicious-R208 ($32) for lunch. The prices in the Capetown area are about 20-25% higher than what we've experienced thus far. But, the beauty of this area is worth the price!
We went to an outdoor concert in a small amphitheatre in Stellenbosch, which is wine country about 30 km from Capetown. We saw a popular South Afrikaan singer named Nianell. She sang rock, country, jazz, and classics. She was kind of "new age" and offered "self help thoughts" between songs. The audience was clearly South Afrikaners and she switched back and forth between Afrikaans (Dutch) and English as she spoke to the audience and sang her songs. We had a hamburger before the concert at a neat little diner in Stellenbosch called the Blue Owl.
2/28 thru 3/1
On Wednesday 2/28, we drove to Capetown, via the coast route. It is very beautiful with big mountains with steep, rocky sides coming down to the ocean-somewhat like the PCH1 highway in northern California at Big Sur. Found a nice 3-bedroom flat at Sea Point in Capetown-up a very steep street. Many of the streets in Capetown are steeper than those in San Francisco! Doug did such a good job driving on the left side of the road, shifting gears (our car was not automatic) and trying not stall the car on those steep streets. Our apartment in Capetown cost R700 per night ($100) and we rented it for 5 nights. Capetown does not have any cheap lodging, but we thought we got a good deal for the place. We went swimming at a beautiful swim complex located right on the ocean-3 pools, a freshwater, seawater and dive pool. Had lunch at NY Bagels-R120. We went to see the play "Truth in Translation" at the Baxter Theatre, a wonderful theatre complex that houses movies, theatre and music. The play was about the hearings held in London the mid-90's to give people a chance to confess and be forgiven for killing so many blacks and whites during the struggle to end apartheid. We have been fortunate to see three good plays while in South Africa that have given us an historical understanding of the country, primarily from the viewpoint of the blacks and coloureds (mixed race/Asian) people. We had dinner at "Barrister" after the play. It was recommended in our "Eat Out" magazine and was very good. Meal cost R280 and service was just okay. The average tip in SA for a waitron (name for waiters/waitresses) is 10%, however we have been giving 15% when satisfied and 10-12% when not as satisfied.
2/26 thru 2/27
We drove down the Eastern Cape from Port Elizabeth thru Jeffrey's Bay, a world renowned surfing beach with the perfect waves. Stopped for lunch at Cape St. Francis, the southern most point of the Eastern Cape. Had a beautiful seafood platter-shrimp, mussels, calamari, and fish at the Cape St. Francis Resort. We waited awhile for our meal and the waitress kept telling us it was on the way. Then, the chef came out to tell us the fish had just been delivered and it would be ready shortly. Someone told us the English have "watches" and the South Africans have "time." That certainly was the case with our lunch today! Met some engineers from the Volkswagen plant in Port Elizabeth who were attending a teambuilding session at the resort. Team-building and meeting facilitation is very popular in South Africa, with many hotels promoting themselves as the place to "team build." Port Elizabeth is the "Detroit" of SA and there are other car plants there as well. Volkswagen makes cars in Port Elizabeth for export to all of Asia and Australia. The Volkswagen engineers told us there are 11 official languages spoken in SA. Many folks speak Dutch or Afrikaans (especially all the South Afrikanners) and most everyone does speak English. The VW plant's official language is English, but everyone must be able to speak German as well.
We just had our first mix-up. Our North Carolina Credit Union Cash Card did not work at the ATM. We will try again tomorrow. We have other cards for cash, but they charge a fee whereas the credit union card has a minimal fee. We experienced a rotten-egg odor in the car. We thought we might have hit an animal it was stuck in the under carriage. We stopped at the Toyota dealer in Joubertina on Route 62. The service manager, Jan, was kind enough to lift the car, but no animal was found, just a lot of "elephant dung" from our trip through Kruger and other animal reserves. Jan would not accept payment for checking the car. This was yet another example of the kindness and generosity that we have received from the South African people. Jan recommended we try a local delicacy called "ostrich stomach." Ostrich's are highly farmed in the area and ostrich meat is on many menus in SA. He also recommended the Cango Caves, which Lonely Planet informed us would require crawling on our bellies through tunnels. We think Jan is a fine fellow, but we decided against both of these recommendations! We did take his recommendation on visiting a cheese factory. We drove through the mountains to Plettenberg Bay on a 75 km gravel road that was like driving through Bryce Canyon in Utah and the Sierra Nevada Mountains combined. We saw a family of 15 baboons on the side of the road and scampering in the trees, just living their lives in the wild. The male baboon was prepared to whip our ass if we threatened his family. We only met two cars on the gravel road and only 5 cars passed us.
We stayed in Knysna on the Garden Route, Western Cape, the most promoted drive in South Africa. The road goes to Capetown. We stayed at the Inathi Guest Lodges in individual wooden cottagges/huts decorated in an African motif with victorian bathtubs. The bed and bath were in the same room so we took two cottages. Nancy began settling into her room when a gecko lizzard jumped from the windowsill behind the bed. She then ran over to Doug's cottage and pleaded to change cottages. Doug slept in the "gecko" cottage, but never saw the lizzard! To shower in these cottages, you had to stand in the claw foot tub and use a hand shower nozzle to spray your body. A full English breakfast was included and the stay was well worth the price of R640 ($90) for two cottages. Side note: Lonely Planet mentioned that Knysna is a "gay friendly" town. SA is a gay-friendly tourist destination and marriage between two gay people is recognized and legal in South Africa.
We lost two wheel covers during our travels on the gravel roads. We stopped at a Renault dealership in George and replaced them for $40. South Africans seem to have adopted American country music as their music choice when they cannot hear music in their own language (Dutch). We stopped in Swellendam for lunch at LaBelle Alliance, a restaurant located in an old Masonic Lodge. We had a wonderful South African dish called "bobotie," a sweet minced meat pie with no crust on the bottom and side, but with an egg crust on top. It was served with baked pineapple and baked wine-drenched stone pears. Also, had chicken pie and a milk tart for dessert-R192-$26. Drove to Hermanus and spent the night at Hermanus Esplanade-a two bedroom, two bath apartment just off the Indian Ocean. Had dinner at Ocean Basket-R221-a seafood restaurant chain in South Africa and Namibiagood, but not great. The dessert was sort of miniature tartuffo's with cream. Note: you have to pay for gas in SA with cash, no credit cards allowed. The country imposes an 8% fixed gross profit for gas stations so gas is the same price everywhere. Just minimal changes in price from larger cities to smaller cities out in the countryside.
We just had our first mix-up. Our North Carolina Credit Union Cash Card did not work at the ATM. We will try again tomorrow. We have other cards for cash, but they charge a fee whereas the credit union card has a minimal fee. We experienced a rotten-egg odor in the car. We thought we might have hit an animal it was stuck in the under carriage. We stopped at the Toyota dealer in Joubertina on Route 62. The service manager, Jan, was kind enough to lift the car, but no animal was found, just a lot of "elephant dung" from our trip through Kruger and other animal reserves. Jan would not accept payment for checking the car. This was yet another example of the kindness and generosity that we have received from the South African people. Jan recommended we try a local delicacy called "ostrich stomach." Ostrich's are highly farmed in the area and ostrich meat is on many menus in SA. He also recommended the Cango Caves, which Lonely Planet informed us would require crawling on our bellies through tunnels. We think Jan is a fine fellow, but we decided against both of these recommendations! We did take his recommendation on visiting a cheese factory. We drove through the mountains to Plettenberg Bay on a 75 km gravel road that was like driving through Bryce Canyon in Utah and the Sierra Nevada Mountains combined. We saw a family of 15 baboons on the side of the road and scampering in the trees, just living their lives in the wild. The male baboon was prepared to whip our ass if we threatened his family. We only met two cars on the gravel road and only 5 cars passed us.
We stayed in Knysna on the Garden Route, Western Cape, the most promoted drive in South Africa. The road goes to Capetown. We stayed at the Inathi Guest Lodges in individual wooden cottagges/huts decorated in an African motif with victorian bathtubs. The bed and bath were in the same room so we took two cottages. Nancy began settling into her room when a gecko lizzard jumped from the windowsill behind the bed. She then ran over to Doug's cottage and pleaded to change cottages. Doug slept in the "gecko" cottage, but never saw the lizzard! To shower in these cottages, you had to stand in the claw foot tub and use a hand shower nozzle to spray your body. A full English breakfast was included and the stay was well worth the price of R640 ($90) for two cottages. Side note: Lonely Planet mentioned that Knysna is a "gay friendly" town. SA is a gay-friendly tourist destination and marriage between two gay people is recognized and legal in South Africa.
We lost two wheel covers during our travels on the gravel roads. We stopped at a Renault dealership in George and replaced them for $40. South Africans seem to have adopted American country music as their music choice when they cannot hear music in their own language (Dutch). We stopped in Swellendam for lunch at LaBelle Alliance, a restaurant located in an old Masonic Lodge. We had a wonderful South African dish called "bobotie," a sweet minced meat pie with no crust on the bottom and side, but with an egg crust on top. It was served with baked pineapple and baked wine-drenched stone pears. Also, had chicken pie and a milk tart for dessert-R192-$26. Drove to Hermanus and spent the night at Hermanus Esplanade-a two bedroom, two bath apartment just off the Indian Ocean. Had dinner at Ocean Basket-R221-a seafood restaurant chain in South Africa and Namibiagood, but not great. The dessert was sort of miniature tartuffo's with cream. Note: you have to pay for gas in SA with cash, no credit cards allowed. The country imposes an 8% fixed gross profit for gas stations so gas is the same price everywhere. Just minimal changes in price from larger cities to smaller cities out in the countryside.
2/26 thru 2/27
We drove down the Eastern Cape from Port Elizabeth through Jeffrey's Bay, a world renowned surfing beach with the perfect waves. Stopped for lunch at Cape St. Francis, the southern most point of the Eastern Cape. Had a beautiful seafood platter-shrimp, mussels, calamari, and fish at the Cape St. Francis Resort. We waited awhile for our meal and the waitress kept telling us it was on the way. Then, the chef came out to tell us the fish had just been delivered and it would be ready shortly. Someone told us the English have "watches" and the South Africans have "time." That certainly was the case with our lunch today! Met some engineers from the Volkswagen plant in Port Elizabeth who were attending a team building session at the resort. Team-building and meeting facilitation is very popular in South Africa, with many hotels promoting themselves as the place to "team build." Port Elizabeth is the "Detroit" of SA and there are other car plants there as well. Volkswagen makes cars in Port Elizabeth for export to all of Asia and Australia. The Volkswagen engineers told us there are 11 official languages spoken in SA. Many folks speak Dutch or Afrikaans (especially all the South Afrikaners) and most everyone does speak English. The VW plant's official language is English, but everyone must be able to speak German as well.
We just had our first mix-up. Our North Carolina Credit Union Cash Card did not work at the ATM. We will try again tomorrow. We have other cards for cash, but they charge a fee whereas the credit union card has a minimal fee. We experienced a rotten-egg odor in the car. We thought we might have hit an animal it was stuck in the under carriage. We stopped at the Toyota dealer in Joubertina on Route 62. The service manager, Jan, was kind enough to lift the car, but no animal was found, just a lot of "elephant dung" from our trip through Kruger and other animal reserves. Jan would not accept payment for checking the car. This was yet another example of the kindness and generosity that we have received from the South African people. Jan recommended we try a local delicacy called "ostrich stomach." Ostrich's are highly farmed in the area and ostrich meat is on many menus in SA. He also recommended the Cango Caves, which Lonely Planet informed us would require crawling on our bellies through tunnels. We think Jan is a fine fellow, but we decided against both of these recommendations! We drove through the mountains to Plettenberg Bay on a 75 km gravel road that was like driving through Bryce Canyon in Utah and the Sierra Nevada Mountains combined. We saw a family of 15 baboons on the side of the road and scampering in the trees, just living their lives in the wild. The male baboon was prepared to whip our ass if we threatened his family. We only met two cars on the gravel road and only 5 cars passed us.
We stayed in Knysna on the Garden Route, Western Cape, the most promoted drive in South Africa. The road goes to Capetown. We stayed at the Inathi Guest Lodges in individual wooden cottagges/huts decorated in an African motif with victorian bathtubs. The bed and bath were in the same room so we took two cottages. Nancy began settling into her room when a gecko lizzard jumped from the windowsill behind the bed. She then ran over to Doug's cottage and pleaded to change cottages. Doug slept in the "gecko" cottage, but never saw the lizzard! To shower in these cottages, you had to stand in the claw foot tub and use a hand shower nozzle to spray your body. A full English breakfast was included and the stay was well worth the price of R640 ($90) for two cottages. Side note: Lonely Planet mentioned that Knysna is a "gay friendly" town. SA is a gay-friendly tourist destination and marriage between two gay people is recognized and legal in South Africa.
We lost two wheel covers during our travels on the gravel roads. We stopped at a Renault dealership in George and replaced them for $40. Afrikaners seem to have adopted American country music as their music choice when they cannot hear music in their own language (a form of Dutch). We stopped in Swellendam for lunch at LaBelle Alliance, a restaurant located in an old Masonic Lodge. We had a wonderful South African dish called "bobotie," a sweet minced meat pie with no crust on the bottom and side, but with an egg crust on top. It was served with baked pineapple and baked wine-drenched stone pears. Also, had chicken pie and a milk tart for dessert-R192-$26. Drove to Hermanus and spent the night at Hermanus Esplanade-a two bedroom, two bath apartment just off the Indian Ocean. Had dinner at Ocean Basket-R221-a seafood restaurant chain in South Africa and Namibiagood, but not great. The dessert was sort of miniature tartuffo's with cream. Note: you have to pay for gas in SA with cash, no credit cards allowed. The country allows an 8% fixed gross profit for gas stations so gas is the same price everywhere. Just minimal changes in price from larger cities to smaller cities out in the countryside.
We just had our first mix-up. Our North Carolina Credit Union Cash Card did not work at the ATM. We will try again tomorrow. We have other cards for cash, but they charge a fee whereas the credit union card has a minimal fee. We experienced a rotten-egg odor in the car. We thought we might have hit an animal it was stuck in the under carriage. We stopped at the Toyota dealer in Joubertina on Route 62. The service manager, Jan, was kind enough to lift the car, but no animal was found, just a lot of "elephant dung" from our trip through Kruger and other animal reserves. Jan would not accept payment for checking the car. This was yet another example of the kindness and generosity that we have received from the South African people. Jan recommended we try a local delicacy called "ostrich stomach." Ostrich's are highly farmed in the area and ostrich meat is on many menus in SA. He also recommended the Cango Caves, which Lonely Planet informed us would require crawling on our bellies through tunnels. We think Jan is a fine fellow, but we decided against both of these recommendations! We drove through the mountains to Plettenberg Bay on a 75 km gravel road that was like driving through Bryce Canyon in Utah and the Sierra Nevada Mountains combined. We saw a family of 15 baboons on the side of the road and scampering in the trees, just living their lives in the wild. The male baboon was prepared to whip our ass if we threatened his family. We only met two cars on the gravel road and only 5 cars passed us.
We stayed in Knysna on the Garden Route, Western Cape, the most promoted drive in South Africa. The road goes to Capetown. We stayed at the Inathi Guest Lodges in individual wooden cottagges/huts decorated in an African motif with victorian bathtubs. The bed and bath were in the same room so we took two cottages. Nancy began settling into her room when a gecko lizzard jumped from the windowsill behind the bed. She then ran over to Doug's cottage and pleaded to change cottages. Doug slept in the "gecko" cottage, but never saw the lizzard! To shower in these cottages, you had to stand in the claw foot tub and use a hand shower nozzle to spray your body. A full English breakfast was included and the stay was well worth the price of R640 ($90) for two cottages. Side note: Lonely Planet mentioned that Knysna is a "gay friendly" town. SA is a gay-friendly tourist destination and marriage between two gay people is recognized and legal in South Africa.
We lost two wheel covers during our travels on the gravel roads. We stopped at a Renault dealership in George and replaced them for $40. Afrikaners seem to have adopted American country music as their music choice when they cannot hear music in their own language (a form of Dutch). We stopped in Swellendam for lunch at LaBelle Alliance, a restaurant located in an old Masonic Lodge. We had a wonderful South African dish called "bobotie," a sweet minced meat pie with no crust on the bottom and side, but with an egg crust on top. It was served with baked pineapple and baked wine-drenched stone pears. Also, had chicken pie and a milk tart for dessert-R192-$26. Drove to Hermanus and spent the night at Hermanus Esplanade-a two bedroom, two bath apartment just off the Indian Ocean. Had dinner at Ocean Basket-R221-a seafood restaurant chain in South Africa and Namibiagood, but not great. The dessert was sort of miniature tartuffo's with cream. Note: you have to pay for gas in SA with cash, no credit cards allowed. The country allows an 8% fixed gross profit for gas stations so gas is the same price everywhere. Just minimal changes in price from larger cities to smaller cities out in the countryside.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
2/24 thru 2/25
Drove through some more the majestic Drakensburg Mountains to the "Wild Coast" to the small town of Port St. John on the Indian Ocean. Giant cliffs come down to the ocean and there is always a sea breeze here. We found a restaurant in our Lonely Planet book called "Wooden Spoon.", but when we got there it appeared to be in some one's house. A hippie-dippie family was on the porch and a "naked" baby was running around. We decided not to eat there. We had read this place is a haven for hippies and it seemed to be true. A local man recommended the N.E.W.S. cafe and we enjoyed a cheese toastie with chips and a local cake dessert-sort of a passion fruit cheesecake-all for only R98 or $11. We drove on to East London, also on the Indian Ocean and a large town. Glad we had aircon in our little car as we needed it in this area. We passed through Nelson Mandella's childhood hometown near East London. As we travel, as mentioned before, people are walking alongside the road, balancing baskets on their heads, going to market, sitting alongside the road and generally out and about. Most towns have a Saturday market day, just as Beulaville did 70 years ago. But, something unusual is that all the grocery stores close by 5:30 or 6: p.m. everyday and even earlier on Sunday, as do the malls, even in the big cities. They don't seem to know anything about shopping in the evening. While driving we have to navigate around people, goats, cows, bicycle riders, chickens, sheep and other obstacles. And, we drive about 65 miles per hour, the average speed limit on two lane roads. However, there is usually a decent shoulder on the road and others get over so you can pass, making a two lane road a three lane road! Some of the small huts that people live in out in the country are painted different colors, like Carolina blue or pink, which makes for a colorful landscape dotting the mountains and valleys. The colors indicate their tribe. We stayed at the Devereux Lodge in East London, R560. Tried to find a local dance we read about, but could not find it. We went to St. Georges Presbyterian Church in East London on Sunday. They sang "Bringing in the Sheaths," which Doug had not heard in 50 years. It was a mixed congregation, with a Black minister, mostly lower middle class folks attending the service. Had lunch at a restaurant in the local Spar supermarket on the beach. We ended up there as there was a outdoor market next door.
Drove down the Sunshine Coast, toward Port Elizabeth. In the middle of nowhere, we stopped and had home-made meat pies for lunch-beef curry and bean and spinach and feta cheese. Meat pies were traditionally baked for workers to take to lunch and originated with the British coalminers-they are similar to our potpies, with less gravy and more meat. Two pies, coffee and dessert cost $7. We stayed at the Bay Hotel in Port Elizabeth (recommended by Lonely Planet) for $55 with full English breakfast-a good value. Most places we stay include a full breakfast in the price. We had dinner in Port Elizabeth at a fantastic restaurant called Blue Water Cafe for $35. Enjoyed chicken and shrimp curry, french fried Camembert shrimp and fresh baked mushrooms with spinach and mozzarella cheese. They prepare mushrooms in numerous ways-fried, baked, sauteed. We bought a magazine/book called "Eat Out" in a Johannesburg bookstore called CNA (like Barnes & Noble in the US) and it had so many good recommendations for restaurants all over South Africa. This restaurant was in that book as well as our Lonely Planet book. Without these two sources, we would not have found as many nice places to sleep and eat.
Drove down the Sunshine Coast, toward Port Elizabeth. In the middle of nowhere, we stopped and had home-made meat pies for lunch-beef curry and bean and spinach and feta cheese. Meat pies were traditionally baked for workers to take to lunch and originated with the British coalminers-they are similar to our potpies, with less gravy and more meat. Two pies, coffee and dessert cost $7. We stayed at the Bay Hotel in Port Elizabeth (recommended by Lonely Planet) for $55 with full English breakfast-a good value. Most places we stay include a full breakfast in the price. We had dinner in Port Elizabeth at a fantastic restaurant called Blue Water Cafe for $35. Enjoyed chicken and shrimp curry, french fried Camembert shrimp and fresh baked mushrooms with spinach and mozzarella cheese. They prepare mushrooms in numerous ways-fried, baked, sauteed. We bought a magazine/book called "Eat Out" in a Johannesburg bookstore called CNA (like Barnes & Noble in the US) and it had so many good recommendations for restaurants all over South Africa. This restaurant was in that book as well as our Lonely Planet book. Without these two sources, we would not have found as many nice places to sleep and eat.
2/21 thru 2/23
We visited the battle sites of the Zulu tribes, the Battle of Blood River won by the Boors, a big battle won by the Zulu's on the day before Boerk's Drift and the Battle at Boerk's Drift. These are located in the province of KZN Zulu Natal. Doug had wanted to see where the battle took place in the Michael Caine movie made several years ago called "Zulu." The movie was actually filmed in another part of South Africa, but it was interesting history to visit these sites as well as the Zulu museum honoring their tribe. As we drove around, we noticed people walking everywhere, on the main roads, across fields. In fact, it appears the children may walk 2-3 miles each way to school everyday. We stayed in Ulundi, a major city in the Natal province, at a Holiday Inn. They call it the "Garden Court" hotel chain in SA. We were late getting into town and nothing else was available. However, in the process of looking for a place, we went off the road into a ditch, at a very slow speed. No injuries to us, but the left front tire on the car ended up with the rim bent back on itself. We changed the blown tire and drove around looking for an open tire shop. It was after 6:00 p.m. so every place was closed. We found a guy selling rims and tires in his front yard and he sold us a rim and put it on for $9. Doug tipped the guy and we also had to tip the guys who told us about the place-enough for them to buy a few beers! Total cost to fix the rims was only $13. We felt pretty lucky to get such good service at such a cheap price!
On Thursday, we went to Hluhluwe-Infolozi Park, a large nature reserve with lots of animals. We rounded the corner and 5 zebras were galloping down the road toward us. We stopped for a "cheese toastie" sandwich, a popular lunch item, and two elephants were protecting our car when we returned. We had to wait until it was safe to get in the car and drive off. We drove to St. Lucia Estuary, a beautiful area on the Indian Ocean. Ate lunch in St. Lucia at a Greek restaurant-R110-okay, but not very Greek. We drove on to Durbin, a large city, where a Formula One Race was going on for the weekend all around the city. It was difficult to get a hotel room. We ended up staying at the Royal Hotel and paid $230 for one night of lodging. It was a classy joint and is where Nelson Mandela stays when he is in town. But, the air conditioning (they call it aircon in SA) did not work very well. It was a long day and it was very hot. The weather has been pretty good-average temperature around 85, hotter in Kruger. At night, it cools off and is very comfortable. The sun is bright, of course, but I used plenty of sunscreen to protect my skin.
On Friday, we drove 70 km to Himeville on a gravel and clay road. They said we needed a 4-wheel drive, but that just wasn't so. The scenery was spectacular through the Drakensberg Mountains. We didn't see many vehicles on the road and none as small as our little Clio. South Africa is so fantastic-one minute you are in the tropics, the next you are in the mountains-all within a short drive of each other. We had dinner at Mike's in Underberg, a very small town. Very good and enjoyed two appetizers with mussels. Like the beer here-Doug likes Castle and I like a Nabimbian beer called Wind Hoek. We stayed at a very nice B&B for R500 (about $70) in Himeville. An interesting note, almost all establishments in SA have a sign over the door that says "Right of admission reserved." Still seems like apartheid is not gone in many places. The black people hold the low level jobs of cooks, maids, gardeners and generally are not seen eating out as they don't have much money.
On Thursday, we went to Hluhluwe-Infolozi Park, a large nature reserve with lots of animals. We rounded the corner and 5 zebras were galloping down the road toward us. We stopped for a "cheese toastie" sandwich, a popular lunch item, and two elephants were protecting our car when we returned. We had to wait until it was safe to get in the car and drive off. We drove to St. Lucia Estuary, a beautiful area on the Indian Ocean. Ate lunch in St. Lucia at a Greek restaurant-R110-okay, but not very Greek. We drove on to Durbin, a large city, where a Formula One Race was going on for the weekend all around the city. It was difficult to get a hotel room. We ended up staying at the Royal Hotel and paid $230 for one night of lodging. It was a classy joint and is where Nelson Mandela stays when he is in town. But, the air conditioning (they call it aircon in SA) did not work very well. It was a long day and it was very hot. The weather has been pretty good-average temperature around 85, hotter in Kruger. At night, it cools off and is very comfortable. The sun is bright, of course, but I used plenty of sunscreen to protect my skin.
On Friday, we drove 70 km to Himeville on a gravel and clay road. They said we needed a 4-wheel drive, but that just wasn't so. The scenery was spectacular through the Drakensberg Mountains. We didn't see many vehicles on the road and none as small as our little Clio. South Africa is so fantastic-one minute you are in the tropics, the next you are in the mountains-all within a short drive of each other. We had dinner at Mike's in Underberg, a very small town. Very good and enjoyed two appetizers with mussels. Like the beer here-Doug likes Castle and I like a Nabimbian beer called Wind Hoek. We stayed at a very nice B&B for R500 (about $70) in Himeville. An interesting note, almost all establishments in SA have a sign over the door that says "Right of admission reserved." Still seems like apartheid is not gone in many places. The black people hold the low level jobs of cooks, maids, gardeners and generally are not seen eating out as they don't have much money.
2-18 thru 2-20
We entered Kruger National Park on Sunday at the Phalaborwa gate (North gate) and immediately saw giraffes and elephants up close and personal! You cannot get out of your car in the park since there also are lions, cheetahs, leopards and any other number of animals that might want to eat you for lunch, but you can get fabulous pictures of the animals from inside your car. We drove to Letaba rest camp and spent the night in a traditional African hut, except it had a full bath and air conditioning. Lodging cost R540 or about $80 for the night. We went on a "night safari" with the park ranger and about 15 other people. We immediately saw a lioness cross in front of our vehicle and a leopard. Also, saw an owl and hippos, which graze at night only.
We toured mid-Kruger and exited via the Paul Kruger gate. Richard Branson, the Brit who owns Virgin Airlines has a private entrance to Kruger from his estate near this gate. We visited Nellspruit, a nice modern town of 200,000 people. We spent the night at Malelane at River Cottages. We had a two bedroom, two bath cottage for R600 on the Crocodile River, breakfast included-it was extremely nice and next to some big, fancy game lodges and reserves. Our visit to Kruger involved 3-six hour early morning (5:00 a.m.) self-drive safaris and the evening catered drive. We think that is more than enough. We saw the "big five" animals two or more times, plus copulating giraffes!
On Tuesday, we drove the southern Kruger Park area and ventured into Swaziland. It cost R50 to take the car into Swaziland-more complicated than entering Mexico, but it didn't take as long. We had lunch at the Pigs Peak Casino, established for South Afrikaans during the period of apartheid. The government would not allow gambling in South Africa, but it was allowed in Swaziland. Not many people seem to gamble and we were one of only 3 tables having lunch there. They like an egg on their steak and we had a steak sandwich and rump steak, beer, coffee and dessert for only R127 or about $16. Swaziland is extremely mountainous, lots of pine forests and neat as a pin!
We toured mid-Kruger and exited via the Paul Kruger gate. Richard Branson, the Brit who owns Virgin Airlines has a private entrance to Kruger from his estate near this gate. We visited Nellspruit, a nice modern town of 200,000 people. We spent the night at Malelane at River Cottages. We had a two bedroom, two bath cottage for R600 on the Crocodile River, breakfast included-it was extremely nice and next to some big, fancy game lodges and reserves. Our visit to Kruger involved 3-six hour early morning (5:00 a.m.) self-drive safaris and the evening catered drive. We think that is more than enough. We saw the "big five" animals two or more times, plus copulating giraffes!
On Tuesday, we drove the southern Kruger Park area and ventured into Swaziland. It cost R50 to take the car into Swaziland-more complicated than entering Mexico, but it didn't take as long. We had lunch at the Pigs Peak Casino, established for South Afrikaans during the period of apartheid. The government would not allow gambling in South Africa, but it was allowed in Swaziland. Not many people seem to gamble and we were one of only 3 tables having lunch there. They like an egg on their steak and we had a steak sandwich and rump steak, beer, coffee and dessert for only R127 or about $16. Swaziland is extremely mountainous, lots of pine forests and neat as a pin!
2-14 thru 2-17
Today, Wednesday, we went to the South African Tourism office, which had no tourism literature! We visited Soweto, the township where Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu once lived. We went to the Hector Pieterson and Apartheid Museums, both very informative on the history of the people of SA and also very sad to see how blacks were mistreated in the past. Johannesburg was developed due to the mining of gold found in the area. But, the clashes between black and whites has shaped South Africa for a long time. In 1990, apartheid ended after much turmoil, especially in Soweto.
We had lunch at the Singing Fig restaurant in Jo-burg. Had lamb shank, butternut squash soup, cheese puff pastry and beer-all for only $40. Dessert was wonderful-ice cream with Turkish figs. Doug finally got the TV to work in our apartment, but we only have 3 channels. Went to a local casino in our neighborhood called Monte casino. It was bigger and nicer than the one in Sun City. Doug lost $13 at the craps table and I lost $6 on a penny slot machine.
Thursday, we visited the Voortrekker Monument outside Pretoria. The monument is dedicated to the Boers who left Capetown in the 1830's for the interior to escape British rule. It has a religious bent, like the Mormons trek to Salt Lake City, and the monument is high on a mountain and very scenic. The Boers were defeated by the English for the last time in the 1890's and as a minority, they were anti British for many years. We as Southerners have much in common with the Boors. They listen to music in their own language or we hear US country music on the radio. They finally took control of the South African government in 1948, and held it in strict segregation until the end of 1990, which was the end of apartheid. Sorry to say the Boers or South Afrikaners, as they are called today, were of the Dutch Reformed denomination, the same church we were members of while living in NYC.
Went to see the play "The Suitcase" at the Market Theatre in Newton-near downtown Jo-burg. Had dinner at Gramadoelas again, where we enjoyed a buffet of traditional South African dishes. There is lots of security in SA and the crime rate is quite high. All the houses in Jo-burg and other large cities have high walls around each one and electric wire or razor wire or broken glass on the top of the brick walls. People live in their own compounds! Also, wherever you go and park your car, someone is nearby who watches your car for you while you go about your business. You then pay this person 50cents or a dollar for watching your car. We have not encountered any dangerous situations yet!
We left Jo-town on Friday and headed to Kruger National Park to go on safari. We spent the night at a wonderful lodge in Sabie River called Jock's Bushweld Lodge. Jock was a famous dog who lived in Kruger Park and many children's books were written about him. We had our own two bedroom chalet with a spectacular view of the mountains. We watched a lightening storm in the distance over the mountains.
On Saturday, we drove on to Kruger and stayed in Phalaborwa at the Royal Game B&B. We got two very nice rooms for $70 total. We even had a a pool to swim in. We drove through Blyde Canyon and saw the Lisbon Falls, Pinnacle Point and Pot Holes-all spectacular scenery in some very rugged, big mountains. It reminded me of Australia, but more lush and green. We saw baboons crossing the road in front of our car. Also, signs that instructed us to watch out for elephants on the road! We're not even in the zoo. The money used here is the "rand" and 7.2 rands equal a US dollar. The cost of things is very reasonable. We had lunch at a pub in the country-steak, chips (french fries), chicken kabob and beer and soda-only $16. Had dinner at Buffalo Pub & Grill in Phalaborwa-recommend it, especially the "Mushroom Surprise." It is baked shittake mushrooms with cheese and garlic sauce-$27 for appetizer, two meals, dessert, coffee and beer. They serve a lot of mushrooms, even fried. Also, butternut squash is very popular as a soup or mashed as a side dish.
We had lunch at the Singing Fig restaurant in Jo-burg. Had lamb shank, butternut squash soup, cheese puff pastry and beer-all for only $40. Dessert was wonderful-ice cream with Turkish figs. Doug finally got the TV to work in our apartment, but we only have 3 channels. Went to a local casino in our neighborhood called Monte casino. It was bigger and nicer than the one in Sun City. Doug lost $13 at the craps table and I lost $6 on a penny slot machine.
Thursday, we visited the Voortrekker Monument outside Pretoria. The monument is dedicated to the Boers who left Capetown in the 1830's for the interior to escape British rule. It has a religious bent, like the Mormons trek to Salt Lake City, and the monument is high on a mountain and very scenic. The Boers were defeated by the English for the last time in the 1890's and as a minority, they were anti British for many years. We as Southerners have much in common with the Boors. They listen to music in their own language or we hear US country music on the radio. They finally took control of the South African government in 1948, and held it in strict segregation until the end of 1990, which was the end of apartheid. Sorry to say the Boers or South Afrikaners, as they are called today, were of the Dutch Reformed denomination, the same church we were members of while living in NYC.
Went to see the play "The Suitcase" at the Market Theatre in Newton-near downtown Jo-burg. Had dinner at Gramadoelas again, where we enjoyed a buffet of traditional South African dishes. There is lots of security in SA and the crime rate is quite high. All the houses in Jo-burg and other large cities have high walls around each one and electric wire or razor wire or broken glass on the top of the brick walls. People live in their own compounds! Also, wherever you go and park your car, someone is nearby who watches your car for you while you go about your business. You then pay this person 50cents or a dollar for watching your car. We have not encountered any dangerous situations yet!
We left Jo-town on Friday and headed to Kruger National Park to go on safari. We spent the night at a wonderful lodge in Sabie River called Jock's Bushweld Lodge. Jock was a famous dog who lived in Kruger Park and many children's books were written about him. We had our own two bedroom chalet with a spectacular view of the mountains. We watched a lightening storm in the distance over the mountains.
On Saturday, we drove on to Kruger and stayed in Phalaborwa at the Royal Game B&B. We got two very nice rooms for $70 total. We even had a a pool to swim in. We drove through Blyde Canyon and saw the Lisbon Falls, Pinnacle Point and Pot Holes-all spectacular scenery in some very rugged, big mountains. It reminded me of Australia, but more lush and green. We saw baboons crossing the road in front of our car. Also, signs that instructed us to watch out for elephants on the road! We're not even in the zoo. The money used here is the "rand" and 7.2 rands equal a US dollar. The cost of things is very reasonable. We had lunch at a pub in the country-steak, chips (french fries), chicken kabob and beer and soda-only $16. Had dinner at Buffalo Pub & Grill in Phalaborwa-recommend it, especially the "Mushroom Surprise." It is baked shittake mushrooms with cheese and garlic sauce-$27 for appetizer, two meals, dessert, coffee and beer. They serve a lot of mushrooms, even fried. Also, butternut squash is very popular as a soup or mashed as a side dish.
2-10 thru 2-13
We explored some of the many malls and grocery stores-stocked up on sodas and big jugs of water. The malls and stores were as nice as any back home. We decided to eat everything put before us but not drink any South African water. Went to Jo-burg and saw a wonderful play "Born thru the Nose" at the Market Theatre. The play was a one man show and was about the African culture. We ate dinner at Gramadoelas, a very nice restaurant next door to the theatre. We met the owners and talked with them for a long time. They had been in business for ?30? years. The restaurant had been integrated when that was not common.
Drove into the country on Sunday across beautiful scenery. Big mountains, lush landscapes-looked a lot like Western Australia and Nevada, just outside Las Vegas. Had a lunch buffet at a very nice place called Mount Grace resort near Nageliesburg, about 120 km from where we were staying in Jo-burg. This place was magnificent and also a spa and destination vacation for those who want to be pampered. Had a very nice buffet for $25 each. Drove back to Jo-burg and crashed to catch up on our sleep.
On Monday, drove to Sun City, a casino resort in the middle of nowhere about 160 miles from Jo-burg. Impressive hotels, time shares and golf courses, but the casino was very petite with few gaming tables and minimal slots. Most people who stay here come to swim and golf. Drove through Hardeespoort, a beautiful resort town in the mountains-rich vacation homes and sailing on the lake. Stopped in Pretoria, went to natural history museum, but not very impressive. Walked around downtown-nice bustling, vibrant area. Ate dinner at Brown's, an old established restaurant in Rivonia, a suburb of Jo-burg-excellent food, excellent service. However, we had set out to eat at an Italian restaurant two hours before, but found it closed after we got lost trying to find it. There are so many suburbs in the Jo-burg area and all spread out, it can be difficult to navigate. Many houses on hilltops and in canyons-reminds us of Malibu or the LA area.
We finally found a AA office (like our AAA) to obtain some maps and travel literature, but they had very little material. SA tourism is not very good-minimal brochures, maps, etc. and hard to find what they do have. We finally bought a Lonely Plant travel book for SA, which was very helpful in our travels. The book would have been 30% cheaper in the US. We also bought a restaurant book called EAT OUT. We used it through the whole trip. Ate dinner at Churrasqueira, a wonderful Portuguese restaurant. Had appetizer, two mains, 2 sodas, 2 bottled waters for only $30. We have found the restaurants to be very reasonably priced with excellent meals and service. Our problem is finding the restaurants. The books descriptions are incomplete and the city has several million people. EAT OUT does not divide the big cities by neighborhoods. We have been taking a nap each day to get rested up from the long trip. Guess when you get old, you have to sleep more!
Drove into the country on Sunday across beautiful scenery. Big mountains, lush landscapes-looked a lot like Western Australia and Nevada, just outside Las Vegas. Had a lunch buffet at a very nice place called Mount Grace resort near Nageliesburg, about 120 km from where we were staying in Jo-burg. This place was magnificent and also a spa and destination vacation for those who want to be pampered. Had a very nice buffet for $25 each. Drove back to Jo-burg and crashed to catch up on our sleep.
On Monday, drove to Sun City, a casino resort in the middle of nowhere about 160 miles from Jo-burg. Impressive hotels, time shares and golf courses, but the casino was very petite with few gaming tables and minimal slots. Most people who stay here come to swim and golf. Drove through Hardeespoort, a beautiful resort town in the mountains-rich vacation homes and sailing on the lake. Stopped in Pretoria, went to natural history museum, but not very impressive. Walked around downtown-nice bustling, vibrant area. Ate dinner at Brown's, an old established restaurant in Rivonia, a suburb of Jo-burg-excellent food, excellent service. However, we had set out to eat at an Italian restaurant two hours before, but found it closed after we got lost trying to find it. There are so many suburbs in the Jo-burg area and all spread out, it can be difficult to navigate. Many houses on hilltops and in canyons-reminds us of Malibu or the LA area.
We finally found a AA office (like our AAA) to obtain some maps and travel literature, but they had very little material. SA tourism is not very good-minimal brochures, maps, etc. and hard to find what they do have. We finally bought a Lonely Plant travel book for SA, which was very helpful in our travels. The book would have been 30% cheaper in the US. We also bought a restaurant book called EAT OUT. We used it through the whole trip. Ate dinner at Churrasqueira, a wonderful Portuguese restaurant. Had appetizer, two mains, 2 sodas, 2 bottled waters for only $30. We have found the restaurants to be very reasonably priced with excellent meals and service. Our problem is finding the restaurants. The books descriptions are incomplete and the city has several million people. EAT OUT does not divide the big cities by neighborhoods. We have been taking a nap each day to get rested up from the long trip. Guess when you get old, you have to sleep more!
2-8-07 and 2-9-07
We left Dulles at 5:30 p.m. and flew for 15 hours to Johannsburg, South Africa. The plane was full and we were squeezed together in small seats. It was almost unbearable, but we made it! We arrived in Jo-burg on Friday about 3:00 p.m. We needed to meet the rental agent for the apartment had rented by 5:00 p.m. Doug will tell the story in another post on how we finally did meet the guy. We got our rental car, a Renault Clio and began driving on the left side of the road. We got lost, but finally got in the vicinity of the apartment and asked the guy across the street if he knew our address. He said he did not. But, our place was directly across the street from where he worked in a guard gate for the complex across the street. We crashed at the apartment and slept until 8:00 a.m. the next day.
Monday, February 5, 2007
2-5-2007
We leave Thursday for 32 days in South Africa. We end up with 2 for 1 tickets from South Africa Air at a cost of $890 each. If we had started earlier, we could have gotten the tickets on SKYAUCTION for about $650. We have booked a car for 31 days manual with air for R4,647. This was through Carrental.com. This price was about $200 less than HERTZ.
I think that we have a 7 day apartment rental for R3,950.
The plan is to stay in Johannesburg for the first week. Get over the jet lag. Read up on SA. Maybe find some cheaper KRUGER rentals and adventures.
This is our beginning plan.
2-8 and 2-9 Leave Washington and arrive Johannesburg.
2-9 to 2-16 Johannesburg Condo rental. see City Sights, Sun City, Pretoria & ????. Auto 1,000 km
2-16 to 2-20 On to Kruger National Park and Around the park. Auto 1,000km
2-20 to 2-23 Out of Kruger National Park and on to Durban. Auto 600km
2-23 to 2-26 Out of Durban and on to Port Elizabeth. Auto 1,000 km
2-26 to 3-2 Out of Port Elizabeth and on to Cape Town. Auto 800km
3-2 to 3-9 Cape Town Condo Rental. See sights
3-9 to 3-12 Out of Cape Town and on to Johannesburg. Auto 1,500km
3-12 and 3-13 Leave Johannesburg and arrive Washington.
We leave Thursday for 32 days in South Africa. We end up with 2 for 1 tickets from South Africa Air at a cost of $890 each. If we had started earlier, we could have gotten the tickets on SKYAUCTION for about $650. We have booked a car for 31 days manual with air for R4,647. This was through Carrental.com. This price was about $200 less than HERTZ.
I think that we have a 7 day apartment rental for R3,950.
The plan is to stay in Johannesburg for the first week. Get over the jet lag. Read up on SA. Maybe find some cheaper KRUGER rentals and adventures.
This is our beginning plan.
2-8 and 2-9 Leave Washington and arrive Johannesburg.
2-9 to 2-16 Johannesburg Condo rental. see City Sights, Sun City, Pretoria & ????. Auto 1,000 km
2-16 to 2-20 On to Kruger National Park and Around the park. Auto 1,000km
2-20 to 2-23 Out of Kruger National Park and on to Durban. Auto 600km
2-23 to 2-26 Out of Durban and on to Port Elizabeth. Auto 1,000 km
2-26 to 3-2 Out of Port Elizabeth and on to Cape Town. Auto 800km
3-2 to 3-9 Cape Town Condo Rental. See sights
3-9 to 3-12 Out of Cape Town and on to Johannesburg. Auto 1,500km
3-12 and 3-13 Leave Johannesburg and arrive Washington.
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