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.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
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.
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