South Africa

Mother cheetah contemplating an attack

Two years ago I bought a South African safari in an auction. I just returned from two glorious weeks. Here are small excerpts from my diary, rough and unedited.

November 28

The journey to South Africa has begun. Our plane leaves Boston at 1:54PM. After a brief layover in Washington DC, we connect to our 15 hour flight to Johannesburg. In case you are wondering, we are in the cheap seats. My travel companion is my father. This is his first trip to Africa. He is excited and hesitant.

This is my first trip in six years without my computer. Although I have my BlackBerry, I will not conduct any business while away. I’m not even going to read any business books.

The economy class seats are so uncomfortable that sleep is nearly impossible.

November 29

The long journey to our interim destination is over: a hotel at Jo’burg airport for a night’s rest.

We sleep for 12 hours.

November 30

We wake up around 8AM and head back to the airport for our flight to Richards Bay on the East coast of South Africa. A Dash 8 prop plane takes us on our 90 minute journey to the smallest commercial airport I have ever seen. A donut shop and one gate. Our driver, Peter, picks us up in a van and delivers us to our destination for the first leg of our trip: Zulu Nyala game reserve. The weather is a spectacular 85 degrees and sunny. We are lucky as it rained nearly every day prior.

The Zulu Nyala Game Lodge

We arrive at Zulu Nyala at 1PM. We first meet Pen, our guide, who asks if we want to go on a safari at 2PM. A group of people are going to Phinda, supposedly a good place to see “cats.” Although we never heard of Phinda, we agree to go. As I discovered later, we are again quite lucky.

Phinda is incredible. After a refreshing drink on the veranda, we are out on our first safari. I will let the pictures speak for themselves. The cheetahs are the highlight of the day. We drive within 20 feet of the mother who has four cubs nearby. 20 feet! Yes, the guide has a rifle, but given the cheetah’s speed, he admits it is useless. Suddenly a group of Impalas show up (they look like American deer, only prettier). The mother, as you can see from the photo at the top, goes into attack position. But she settles down and decides to relax. Too much work to go after the prey too far away. Amazingly, one of the cubs emulates the mothers attack position before settling down.

Baby cheetah emulating mother

After driving for a bit, I hear a hissing sound. I thought it was in the distance. I was wrong. A minute later, we hear a soft explosion. One of our tires blew out. Fortunately, they have a spare. More fortunately, there are no cheetahs around to pounce on us while we were waiting for the tire to be changed.

Our guides fixing our flat tire

Throughout the rest of the time at Phinda, we see rhinos, elephants (though not up close), a lioness, hippos, and crocks. As the sun sets we have drinks outside, just as a lightning storm in the distance starts. It is spectacular, one of the most beautiful electrical storms I have ever seen. Our own private fireworks display.

My father with our guides during an evening drink break

Just as we return to the Phinda lodge, the rain starts to come down. Perfect timing.

Upon returning to Zulu Nyala, my Dad and I have relaxing meal with a couple from Seattle, Jamie and Todd. Jamie works in marketing and Todd is a firefighter. They tell us that people have been trying to get into Phinda for weeks and that our group was the first to go. It’s quite exclusive. Once again, luck was on our side.

Little did I know that a week later, the four of us would be spending a lot more time together.

That evening the electrical storm played on. I sit outside and watch the spectacular display of lights, not wanting to go to sleep.

December 1

We awake at 5:45 for our 6:30AM hike. We discover that a safari on foot is much more intimate. Up close and personal.

We see giraffes. Lots of giraffes. Zebras. Impalas. Nyalas. Wart Hogs. Rhinos.

But the funniest part of the day are our feet. It rained so hard last night that the trails were one big mush ball. Every step causes 10 pounds of mud to accumulate on our shoes. It feels as though we were walking with ankle weights.

The mud caked on our shoes

After 2.5 hours, I feel like I had a good work out. Especially since it was 90 degrees, in the shade.

We return back to the lodge for my favorite afternoon activity: a snooze by the pool.

My favorite place to relax

It’s only noon. My dad and I are both shocked that we have been at Zulu Nyala for only 24 hours. It feels like a week…in a good way. I comment, “If we left now, I would have felt like we had a complete vacation.”

2PM: We head to a small village called Nompondo. The living conditions are horrible by Western standards. One small run down store. Cows running amok in the streets. Schools that make our inner city schools look like Harvard.

The school. The outside looks better than the inside.

Our local tour guide, Sebe, tells us that when she was a kid she walked 3 hours to school and then 3 hours back. Upon returning home, she had to work. Women are taught to carry water from the river to the house…on their head…with no hands. 25 liters of water, weighing over 50 pounds. Sebe says with a smile, “But we don’t complain.”

Nompondo from afar

Sebe tells us that men are allowed to have multiple wives. They “pay” the bride’s parents 11 cows for the right to wed. Because the men paid for their wives, they call the shots. Women have no rights. Sebe once again says, “But we don’t complain.”

Finally, we visit the home of an 80 year old grandmother. One tooth in her head. The small thatched roof kitchen is so full of smoke (and she isn’t cooking anything) that some of our group head out for fresh air. Surprisingly, this woman smiles and laughs the entire time we were there. She doesn’t speak or understand a word of English.

Part of me feels depressed by this visit. It is truly shocking to see people living in these conditions.

But at another level, I feel inspired. This village is a testament to the strength of the human spirit. Sebe, is truly upbeat and uplifting. Other people around us laugh and play. Even without money, everyone here seems happy. It is clear that this community has mastered the practice of “wanting what you have.” And yes, they do want more.

December 3

Today, I discover once again how lucky I am. Today get to know the others in my group a bit better. Everyone at Zulu Nyala is put into groups of 6. You spend most waking hours with these people, so you hope for the best. I got better than the best. Joy, Betsy, Mary Ellen, and Shawn, all from the Seattle area, are the most wonderful people we have ever met. FYI…Mary Ellen and Shawn are mother/daughter respectively.

Front row left to right: My Dad, Betsy. Back row left to right: Mary Ellen, Me, Shawn, Joy, Pen (our guide)

The evening is cool and delightful. The six of us sit outside and drink Amarula, the “official” drink of South Africa. It tastes like a fruity Baileys. I feel blessed to be in the company of such great people.

December 4

Another 6:30AM drive. This time it is only me and my father. Everyone else sleeps in.

It’s midday and a few of us go shopping to buy bottles of Amarula (which we would consume that evening). While in a pharmacy, I decide to buy something called “liquid snuff.” I like to try things I have never seen before, and well, I have never seen a bottle of florescent green liquid. I open it and take a whiff. Nothing exciting. Then I do as the instructions indicated. “Rub 2 drops between hands and inhale.” I take a VERY deep “snort.” I think my head is going to explode!! Imagine wasabi and Chinese hot mustard combined and distilled to the hottest of essence. Only then can you imagine how powerful this stuff is. They should have a skull and cross bones on the label.

After my recovery from the snuff, my Dad, Mary Ellen (M.E.), Shawn and I play Marco Polo. This was a first for me. We laugh so hard. My father was the easiest to catch in the water. He is paralyzed with laughter that he cannot move.

Our 4:30PM walk is beautiful as always. We are up close and personal with rhinos and giraffes.

The friendly giraffes we encountered

That night, while we down bottles of Amarula, my dad does impersonations of James Cagney and others. We are once again paralyzed with laughter. The conversations continue into the wee hours of the morning.

December 5

Our 8AM game drive led us to a “spraying rhino” that I catch on video just in a nick of time.

A white rhino

That afternoon we play Cross-X Golf. You get 3 clubs: a 5 wood, a 7 iron, and a pitching wedge. No need for a putter, there are no greens. Well, there aren’t really any fairways either! You play until you hit the pin. That is, if you don’t lose all of your balls. A machete is really the club of choice on this course. As you can see from the photo below, not only do we have water hazards and sand traps, but we also have animals to contend with. Fortunately, we never hit a zebra. Most of us never even hit the pin either.

Zebras on our golf course.

December 6

We go for an early and brief drive this morning. The four women are heading out – back to Seattle – a day before us. We have yet to see the elephants in Zulu Nyala. Although we tried, they remained elusive…until this morning. Pen, our guide, discovers some fresh elephant dung as we drive. He gets out of the truck and sees some tracks. Amazingly, he can tell which direction the elephants are moving just by looking at the tracks. A few minutes later, we are within 15 feet of 3 beautiful elephants. Two females and a baby. This is the highlight of the safari for me.

My favorite photo opp

After our morning trek, Joy, Betsy, M.E. and Shawn leave for the airport. Admittedly, I feel a bit sad.

That afternoon, my dad and I visit a cheetah rehabilitation center. We pet a male cheetah while he drinks chicken blood. As soon as the blood is gone, the petting stops. When he is no longer distracted by blood, he is not longer cuddly and lovable. I also hold a baby caracal. She looks tame enough. But an adult can single handedly bring down an Impala. Once again I am lucky. In 3 days, no human will be allowed to touch this baby again.

Me holding a baby caracal

We finish our safaris and treks with spectacular weather every day. Given our good luck, my Dad predicts that the weather will turn sour when we leave, so that we will not feel like we are missing anything. He is right.

December 6

9AM we board our van for Richards Bay airport. The rain pelts down the entire way to the airport. No safaris today for anyone. For us, that doesn’t matter. Our next destination is Cape Town. After a 90 minute flight back to Jo’Burg and a 2 hour flight to Cape Town, we arrive to picture perfect weather. Again.

That evening we join our Zulu Nyala friends, Todd and Jamie for dinner. It is great to see them again. We go to the Green Dolphin for some jazz and seafood. Over dinner we discuss what we will do over the coming days. They want to go to the top of Table Mountain via the cable car. But they tell us that the winds have been too high and the cable cars have not not running. My Dad jokes, “Don’t worry. You are with us. We are lucky.” Once again, he was right.

December 7

Today is the highlight of the entire trip. The four of us drive the Western Cape Loop. Actually I do all of the driving. There we see some of the most spectacular sights. Chapman’s Peak, The Cape of Good Hope, Cape Point, the penguins at Boulders Beach, Simonstown. The pictures do not do the beauty justice.

Pictures from Cape Point

The funniest part of the day is when we fear for our lives. At Cape Point, one of the southern most points of Africa, we climb to the top a hill. We are at one of the highest points and can see for miles. The drop is over one hundred feet straght down. The winds are gale force; gusts of over 50 MPH. Some travelers are blown off their feet.

Me and my father at Cape of Good Hope being blown around by the wind

December 8

Although I had originally planned to chauffeur our trip to the wineries, we decide to hire a driver. Great idea. This gives me a chance to sample some incredible wines. And unlike in Napa where the tastings are a few drops of the grape, here, each sample is a third of a glass. For lunch we visit Moyo at Spiers. This is the largest “buffet” I have ever seen. But it’s not like your tacky Vegas buffets. Here there are different stations with a chef at each station. Want chicken? Go to the poultry station where the chef will add whatever spices you want to cook to order. There was beef, venison, vegetables, desserts, fish, seafood. Needless to say, we do not leave hungry.

We decide to give the Table Mountain cable car a try. Voila. It is open and not overly crowded. Our luck streak continues. From 3,500 feet above the city and ocean, you can see everything. Breathtaking.

Me and my father atop Table Mountain

The four of us have a quiet dinner on the ocean at our hotel and then go up to my room where we consume the bottles of wine we purchased that afternoon. Well, we have to. Airline regulations forbid us from bringing liquids on the planes.

December 9

My Dad and I go to Green Point market this morning. If you like African art, this is the place to be. We leave empty handed, except for two used Jeffry Archer books I purchase for the plane ride home.

At noon, the four of us take a taxi to Camps Bay. It is once again 90 degrees on this sandy white immaculate beach.

Sitting there, looking at those hot bodies (and then glancing down at my not so hot bod), I decide on one of my themes for 2008 – “beach bod.” I have used my travels as an excuse to let my weight creep up a bit. Time to get back into shape.

After a few hours, we go back and say our goodbyes to Jamie and Todd. I am sad for the second time this trip.

Or new friends, Jamie and Todd

December 10 – December 11

Time to fly home. Cape Town to Jo’Burg to Dakar to Washington DC to Boston.

The trip back is hell, but it can not erase the fond memories of an amazing trip. This has been my favorite vacation…ever.

Yes, I am very lucky.