Pat and Bob in South Africa

2009-03-09T18:49:00.000-07:00

Last night in South Africa at Jan Harmsgat Country House in the wineland area north of Swellendam. This delightful couple Brin and Judy Rebstein made our last night in SA a warm and pleasant finale as they plied us with wonderful chardonnays cabernets and pinot noirs from their favorite wineries that accompanied their beautifully prepared dinner and we talked for hours about African wine and politics.

We had a wonderful time in SA and although we are happy to be back home the memories will last along time. Pat and I can absolutely recommend a visit to South Africa.

Shopping!Shopping in Knysna

2009-03-03T01:14:00.000-08:00

Huge numbers of handmade crafts to sell.

Craftsmen making tin-can lizards-ubiquitous car parkers-lunch by the bay.

Knysna on the Garden Coast

2009-03-03T00:16:00.000-08:00

After Addo we drove the 400 km to the vacation coast of South Africa on the Indian Ocean. If you look on the map this area starts in Plettenburg Bay and the extends 600-700 km to Cape Town and the Atlantic Ocean. This area has been the play ground -beach resort area for many gernerations of wealthy S Africans and Europeans it features huge long beaches with mountain backdrops.

Here a view of the channel that connects Knysna Bay with the Indian Ocean

The N2 - the main road in these parts is mostly a two lane road. Driving can be a little nerve racking because there is the constant need to pass very slow moving trucks and cars. This means the the passee moves as far over on the shoulder so that the passer is not going to far over into the oncoming traffic. Some alertness is required. Everyone seems to get the idea so that if you find yourself on the wrong side of the road the oncoming just pull off onto their shoulders. In the hills there is the old 3 lane system that operates on a first come first in basis. The most difficult part for me in driving on the left with the steering wheel on the right side is that I keep using my windshield wipers to signal turns!

We stayed in a B&B called Elephant Hide that is up in the northern hills overlooking the Bay. The room was great and relaxing a perfect way to spend our last few days here. A view off the deck to the Bay beyond. One of the reatured activities here besides

eating, dringing, boating and golf is nature walks. The best one is the Featherbed Tour which starts with a ferry boat ride over to the headland a ride up to the top and a liesurely walk down through what is called the Feynbos (scrub-forest) with an incredible number of plants specific to this area of the world.

The resataurants are a little more sophisticated than in the other parts catering to an international clientel. Most of the chefs are the "coloured" -these are very young mostly girls-women who are very well trained, but also bring the cooking of there forebearers such as malay, indian, african and some european. we had somedelicious curries, relishes along withe beef and lamb - the staples of SA diet.

Last impressions of an Elephant Park before moving on!

2009-02-28T10:54:00.000-08:00

S Africa is moving on to another time and place. A vibrant tourism is important now but but economic growth created by the development of manufacturing industries is where the future lies for the workers of this new state. I am glad I saw it before much of the changes have taken place. but I feel that the S Africa of the future is going to be very different from what we see now and who knows maybe for the better. We found that the guide books were generally very helpful in telling us what was available to see and do. But these guides missed an essential element of life here which is that everyone we met is trying to make the best of it. People across the spectrum are friendly and polite and helpful. There is a deep distrust of the government here and the politicians that run it- and not just by the white population but everyone - and it is clealy expressed often by everyone we met. I was more than a little concerned about our saftey and security and although there are parts of the country that are considered very dangerous I never at anytime felt threatened personally in danger. We have had a great time and can recommend to all that a S African journey will be a pleasure.

Scenes at Nguni Lodge

2009-02-28T08:33:00.000-08:00

The routine here is up to go on the game drive-not safari -at 5:30 then return for breakfast at 11:00 followed by lunch at 2;30 (we actually skipped lunch each day because the breakfast was so big). The game drive starts with "Ruan" the ranger who is an afrikaner farm boy turned naturalist who really has an incedible amount of knowledge about animal life on the reserve. He drives the vehicles that Nguni Lodge orders from a vehicle company that modifies diesel Toyota trucks. These are 9 passenger 4 wheel drive open air vehicles that are covered with a sunscreen above and geared extremely low so that they can crawl along muddy rocky trails. and are strong enough to risist the nudgings of interested larger animals checking out the tourists. Toyota seems to own S Africa more than half the cars and trucks are theirs. (we are driving around SA in a Toyota Corolla.)

In addition to our drive there are many other game drives going on from other tours, lodges and there is a public area where private cars can go and view. After breakfast a nap is in order that ends when it's time to go on the evening game drives. These drives take place in the private reserve areas contolled by Nguni and allow us to see the animals very close while they are feeding. After the drive is over we come in for dinner. The dinners are prepared by two private chefs who compete with each other for best preparations-and the food is very good! The set up at Nguni is really well done and fun.

Addo Game Drive - More animals

2009-02-28T08:04:00.000-08:00

More Pictures of Addo Game Drive: Hartebeasts at dawn.

Rhino sort of charging but not realy!

Fearsome lions. Kudu with curly horns. Warthog crossing. Anticipating Lion attack.

Nguni Lodge and Addo Elephant Reserve

2009-02-28T00:46:00.000-08:00

Our next stop is Addo the farthest point east on our trip about 800 km from Cape Town and 50 miles north of Point Elizabeth. We had two days of game drives through the recreated bush in this reserve. Addo is a national conservation project intended to re create the environment as it was before europeans came to Africa. Counting additions to the original tract established in the 1930's Addo has grown to the 3rd largest game park in SW Africa after Krueger and Kalahari and the intention is to increace it to be the largest.

All the animals (like lions, elephants, rhino) have been brought in because they were all exterminated by the settlers. Great attention has been paid to establishing the same species of both plants and animals that existed before. Not only is there a conscience attempt at conservation for environments sake but tourism which is attracted by the African scene is by far and away the largest source of income for SA.

Nguni Lodge is a private concession in the park that is licenced to conduct its operations and pays the government. It is stylisticly based on african village construction with modern facilties. Here are some picturs of that first day.

Scenes from the Klein Karoo-Oudtshoorn and Caves

2009-02-22T22:53:00.000-08:00

Cango Caves, De Zeekoe dining room, Jemima's restaurant, scenes along the highway of the farm country side.

In Oudtshoorn at De Zeekoe

2009-02-21T22:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we left the little village of Franshoek and headed for the area called Klein Karoo and our ostrich farm at the De Zeekoe guest house near Oudtshoorn (the principal center of this area). The drive of approximately 400 hundred kilometers took us through the same mountain pass that connects with Hermanus but then turns west through the Brede River Valley, the Overberg and ultimately to Klein Karoo. Apologies for the lack of pictures but we had to move along to make it to the hotel - a 6 hour trip. We passed through country that looks like a slightly greener Nevada desert surrounded by rocky eroded mountains.

The Brede river valley is a n agricultural area of grapes orchards, cattle and hay and is the heart of one of the main areas of Africaanes (Dutch settlers). Although pricipally agricultural the road does pass through mountain passes and little English villages that are vacation spas for English tourists. We reached our destination located on a farm that looks like a cattle ranch except the "cattle" are ostriches in pens. After a dinner of ostrich and springbok we watched the sun go down in this very quiet land.

This morning we are having breakfast of GUESS WHAT: Scraambled ostrich eggs and springbok saausage! A theme is being established. We are going to visit the world faamous Cango Caves more on that later.

Our day trip to Hermanus from Franschoek

2009-02-20T23:06:00.000-08:00

Hermanus is on the coast to the east of Cape Town (maybe twenty miles) on the next bay that is formed by the Cape on the west. We are staying in Franschoek and to get to Hermanus the drive is through a steep mountain pass over to the coast. The same mountains that are behind Franschoek. Hermanus is where the whales are watched (in season) not in season it's a completely crowdes seaside resort that combines elements of Saucelito and a shopping mall. The drive over is through dry grassy lands that are the home of thousands of sheep and an occaisional winery. Very b eautiful in parts but very crowded with truck traffic. We decided not to stop in Hermenus after a quick car tour and headed off to another road over a mountain pass that led to one of the highlights of our trip-Moog's Country Kitchen. Operated by a mother and daughter on their family farm. The lunch was was the best off the trip. See pics

More views of Franshoek

2009-02-20T09:20:00.000-08:00

Our B&B, Dutch Church, Surrounding Vineyards all of Franshoek

Zelma in Stellenboesch

2009-02-20T08:04:00.000-08:00

Zelma at her conference table, holding a prehistoric adze in her vineyard, her apartment,

View from her vineyard out to Paarl and the mountains beyond.

Feb 20 Still Learning!

2009-02-19T23:46:00.000-08:00

Camphor tree that grow near water are huge-maybe ten 15 feet in diameter. Bronze scupture of cheetah in Stellenboesch. Photos of Zelma Phil and Maay de Lenquesaing ( a friend and new winery owner in South Africa.

Double posted the pictures I am trying again.

In Franschoek Feb 20

2009-02-19T23:12:00.000-08:00

There are three principle wine districks within 10 miles of each other, Stellenboesch, Paarl and Franschoek. Zelma's vineyards are in the Paarl district-and her winery is in an industrial area of Stellenboesch. Stellenboesch is a university town of 90,000 with 26,000 students. Paarl is the industrial area of the Cape area and Franschoek is the little tourist Yountville-like town full of B&B's and restuarants. We are staying in a B&B called Rustoff where we can walk along streets crowded with tourists from all over the world. The food and wine is good not fancy but just exactly whaat you would expect and want. All te vineyards are located on the gentle slopes of what become craggy mountain ranges that give the region its dramatic aspect. The towns which are 300 years are locate in the valleys along rivers. Rivers supply the water although as the population grows more dams and reservoirs are being constucted.

More Pictures!

2009-02-17T23:54:00.000-08:00

These are the pictures of Groot Canstantia the wine area behind Table Mtn

From Stellenbosch

2009-02-17T22:12:00.000-08:00

We are writing more blog today to catch up with our trip and to do more written description because there seems to be a substantial difference between various wi-fi systems to upload pictures. You have noticed that some blogs have captions but no pictures. We plan to try to reduce the number of pictures we load for each session. It appears that we can get at least one or two each time.

Today is the 18th of Feb and we are in Stellenbosch in a tiny B&B in the heart of the University district - an Africaans school of 15000 students. Day before yesterday we spent the day behind Table Mountain (the huge flat top rock formation that forms a backdrop to Cape Town on the north side - with the views of the bay on the south. On the NW slope are the Kirstenbosch Gardens which covers something like 5 square miles of mostly scrub and rocks and mountains but has an area of cultivated garden that display several hundred of the SA varieties of plants. On the mostly east side of the mountain are the vineyards and winery of Constantia which feature the big white Cape Dutch archirecture. So here goes an attempt to upload 2 pictures of the garden and the winery.

Monday the 17th in Cape Town

2009-02-17T13:44:00.000-08:00

Cape of Good Hope, Baboons eating tourists lunch, Cape Cedars

Joun

2009-02-17T13:20:00.000-08:00

Two Warm Days in Cape Town and the Cape

2009-02-17T01:11:00.000-08:00

These are views of our tour down the Cape from Cape Town to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope.

Our First day in Cape Town

2009-02-15T12:26:00.000-08:00

Good food, Penguins, beautiful scenery, art galeries and open markets-Cape Town has it all. And a great Valentines dinner at Baia the best seafood in the Victoria and Alfred Waterfron Center. Beautiful weather warm and windy.

In Capetown

2009-02-15T11:57:00.000-08:00

We are in Cape Town but first - Madrid scenes are in Cape Town but first

2009-02-14T08:48:00.000-08:00

Madrid was warm and sunny a surprise to everyone in Madrid and they all came outside to walk and enjoy the change from cold and rain. So everywhere we went there were huge crowds shopping walking eating and drinking. The pictures of the cows were of these large acrylic cows that local artist decorated and they are everywhere.Slum Dog is number one here.

Feb 2009

2009-02-12T14:03:00.000-08:00

2009-02-12T13:52:00.000-08:00

But First Madrid

2009-02-12T13:36:00.000-08:00

After flights from SFO to Ohare then on Iberia to Madrid. We needed reviving

2009-02-05T19:21:00.000-08:00

We will be on our way on Tuesday February 10.