Follow-up with photos

By now I have partially unpacked, gotten some photos developed and talked a lot about my adventures. Today in Charleston I was wearing my South African ball cap and a woman came up to me and asked what I thought of South Africa. She had been there and was thinking about going back. She asked me about my favorite experience and that is always difficult. I usually give three answers, the Cradle of Humankind, the animals at Kruger and the township tour where I saw how many of the South Africans still live.

The last days in South Africa

I thought I had posted an entry before we left but it didn't go through. The hotel had been having trouble with Internet. We spent the last two days of our trip in Langebann, north of Cape Town. We stayed in the Farmhouse Hotel which was actually an old Dutch farmhouse from the 1600's updated to a small guest house.We were near a national park which was the home for an endangered tortoise, among other wildlife. We saw a number of them as we hiked. Susan and I joined Mary and Phil on a 14 km hike that covered desert and dune environments.It was about 90 degrees that day so we drank lots of water. The scenery was incredible and the beaches pristine. It took us almost 6 hours and we didn't see another person during the hike.

The Farmhouse is right on a salt water lagoon so the view was excellent.In fact, all of our accommodations have had beautiful views.

The plane ride home was long but as comfortable as a 20 hour flight can be. At least Delta fed us at meal times. When I took the plane from NYC to Atlanta, they were selling the snacks.We even had complimentary wine on the overseas Delta flight.I got to Atlanta Thanksgiving evening in time for my grandparent duties to babysit with the boys for the rest of the weekend.They actually sat through half of my photos before they got bored.

Lalapanzi

We left Hermanus this morning and got to Lalapanzi Lodge about 5 pm. This place is real luxury with white robes in the closet and a bottle of wine chilling in the frig.Too bad we only stay one night but the last place we stay is also supposed to be great. Hermanus is known for whale sightings.When we got there on Friday and walked down to the shore, there were about 6 Southern Right whales relaxing and then cavorting about. We continued to watch them through dinner where we feasted on giant prawns.Saturday AM we went whale watching in a boat and saw several but not really any closer than we had seen them the night before.This whale is endangered, with less than 500 left in the world. They will be leaving this month to feed in Antarctica.

Saturday was market day so we were able to get in some shopping before going to Cape Argulis where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic. It was a beautiful drive through vineyards and wheat fields.On our way here today four of us stopped off at the Klein River for a three hour kayak paddle where we saw lots of birds.My wrists and shoulders are sore.

The weather has cooperated and everywhere we have been has been lovely.

Last Day on Cape

This is our last day in Cape Town. Susan and I took a township tour this morning and that was an eye opening experience.In one of the older townships three family live in a tiny three bedroom structure which has a toilet, no shower and a sink out in the common room for washing clothes or cooking.The tiny bedroom we saw had a family of five living in it. Two children slept on the floor.Some of the shantytowns still have no electricity but the government has put in a row of porta-potties.Today was hot! About 32C. which is mid-90's in Fahrenheit. We tried shopping downtown at the Green Market but it was just too hot.There is little AC here. We have it in our room but not all rooms have AC.

In addition to touring the townships, we visited a museum dedicated to the former residents of the 6th Ward who were displaced because the government wanted to move the blacks out of the city to the periphery. It is slowly being built back now with those who were displaced the first to qualify for the houses .The old structures were bulldozed down, often with the belongings in them.A sad chapter in their history so much like our own history of segregation before the Civil Rights movement.I continue to be impressed with the cheerfulness and hope of the South Africans I have met.Today I wore my Obama tee shirt and everyone wanted it. Luckily, I still had a few buttons left to give away which they put on immediately.

There is excitement about the World Cup in soccer in 2010 and the airports have large countdown clocks. Our inn in just across from where the new soccer stadium is being built.

In the morning we drive to Hermanus where we will whale watch among other things.I don't know if we will have Internet access again before we leave next Wednesday.Look for photos when I get home and download them. I hope I have some good ones. I took a number of the car mirror when we were in Kruger.

More from the Cape

Another busy day filled with adventures! We rode up to a large granite pluton similar to Stone Mountain though this one was of volcanic origin. Along with beautiful birds, such as the malachite sun-catcher, we saw new species of antelope, bonebok and blessbok. Most of the antelopes end in bok.

The big adventure was a three hour lunch at Speir winery where we feasted on all kinds of native fare, three kinds of fish, salads, tables laden with fruits and desserts. Many of the people there ate, reclined on couches to rest and drink wine and then ate again. We just ate once. I tried a venison that was very tender and lean. Since there are no deer here, I knew it was an antelope, either kudu or impala.My favorite fish from around here is snoek, pronounced " snook".

I can understand why our trip leaders loved this area so much when they lived here.With a beautiful coast in front of us and mountains behind us, what more could you ask for?

There are still shanty towns and poverty but most of these squatters are from other countries trying to get work in South Africa.The government has improved housing a lot since the days of aparteid, but there are poor people as there are everywhere.The government tries to provide jobs for as many people as possible and the people seem to be very pleased to have jobs and take great pains to provide service.I've seen no workers with attitudes here.

Tonight we plan to go up to Signal Hill for the sunset.

Cheers!

The Beautiful Cape

When was it in school that we learned about the Cape of Good Hope?Yesterday we went there and also to Cape Point, the most southern tip of the African continent.We were able to see an ostrich family up close, Mom, Dad and five chicks. That was after a tribe of baboons tried to get into our vehicles. You don't dare have the windows down but it's hard to get photos with them up.

We're in Sea Point, part of Cape Town and walking distance from the beaches which are gorgeous! There are mountains behind us, Table Mountain and Lion's Head. We had planned to hike up Table Mt. but the weather today was too windy with fog on the mountain. It is about 3 hours straight up so I may go in the cable car.For you plant lovers, we spent the morning in the National Botanical Gardens, Kirstenbosch. There are just indigineous plants there and many only can be found here on the cape.There were wild geraniums and Cape Everlastings and entire sections of Proteas.

The sounds of Africa have to be the birds, perhaps the turtle doves which coo in all the places we've been or the cuckoos who sound like a dozen cuckoo clocks gone wild.Birds everywhere!
The people are so friendly and helpful and our lodge here looks like a Greek villa with wonderful breakfasts.I even got a pair of contact lens FREE. Somehow I lost one the first day I was here.

I will try to add more at the end of the week.

South Africa

It has been more difficult than I realized to get on the Internet but I am now at City Lodge in J'Berg and have purchased 30 minutes. Gosh! Where do I begin? This is a beautiful country. As soon as we arrived, everyone asked us about the election and wanted buttons. I brought 50 and could give away thousands.

We spent 5 days in Kruger Park where we saw a pride of lions a few feet from the car and herds of elephants guarding their babies walked across the road in single file. The baby wart hogs were adorable and we saw many of them. We saw giraffes, zebra, rhinos and hippos. The only " big five" we didn't see was a leopard.We sat out by the Sabie River and watched crocodiles and could hear the hippos grunting and the lions roaring from our little thatched huts.An incredible experience!

Today we got a special tour of the Cradle of Humankind where the fossils of the first know humans were found. We saw the caves and even some bones mixed in the breccia. We also stromalotites, the earliest known fossils that are billions of years old. It was a geologist's paradise!The people who took us actually have property there and are friends of a couple traveling with us.They had prepared a wondeerful lunch which we ate right next to one of the caves where scientists have worked.

It is early spring here and it has been hot most days. The plants are also incredible, many having thorns.Aloe is native and grows quite large. Tomorrow we fly to CapeTown where more adventures await us.I've already decided that Jamie and Sandy must see this so maybe in a few years, I can bring them back here.

A Day on the Combahee River

I spent a few days with my brother and sister-in-law in Beaufort recently. We saw The Secret Life of Bees which was quite good and on Monday, Jimmy and I went out in his new jon boat to try to catch some fish. While we didn't catch any fish, it was a beautiful day on the river.We saw egrets, lots of crows, swallows, great blue herons and a wood stork. Since the weather was still warm, numerous butterflies flitted around the purple asters and the goldenrod.Some of the cypress trees had russet colored leaves and others, like the one in the photo, were weighted down with Spanish moss.

There were several cottages built on the little bits of solid land in the marshes. The one in the photo was particularly appealing with cedar shake shingles and a boat dock under the house.

Fall at the beach

We had our first cool night last night but today was a beautiful fall day. I spent much of it inside doing my part with the phone bank at Democratic headquarters. I really don't like to make phone calls. I suppose I fear rejection but today I got to call committed Obama supporters to remind them that they could vote early.That was fun because there is so much excitement about the election, especially on the part of the African-American voters I spoke with. One 85 year old lady said " Bless Jesus, I've waited all of my life for this."

Now I have the Malarone for my trip, the newest anti-malarial medication.My friend Susan and I will share it since I have twice as much as I need.I have about $3700 in Rand, the South African currency. The US dollar is about the same against the Rand as it was 8 years ago so that is good news. Gas stations take cash only and we will be in some areas that have few ATM's.

Tomorrow I'm doing my monthly detox fast, drinking only cranberry juice and water.It makes me feel good, clears my head and I usually drop a couple of pounds.I'm hoping to be able to get in my usual exercise on the trip.

This is just practice for the trip where I'm sure I can write about more interesting things.

Nita

Packing for big trip

I retired to travel and the first big trip is coming up the day after the election.Eight of us are going to South Africa for three weeks, seven Democrats and one Republican.Seven of us hope that we will be celebrating a big victory at the polls.

Packing is always fun! I've ordered Tilley socks that dry overnight, tiny ziplock bags for my vitamins and supplements.Thankfully, I don't have to take any prescription medications.

This is my first attempt at blogging and I've come to it kicking and screaming but I wanted a way to keep in touch with my family while in South Africa.I want to find out how to upload photos before I go.