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Well, it's been two weeks in Africa so far, and I haven't a complaint in the world. My family just left for the airport, and I am certainly very sad to see them go! Jordan did an unbelievable job planning the activities thus far, and we have certainly needed for nothing. Now I suppose I am going to have to look alive and start doing some work myself, something about which I am not terribly excited! I will try to recap the last two weeks as best I can:
We arrived in Joburg, and our B&B owner picked us up at the airport and whisked us off to his beautiful home where we were grateful to be able to relax by the pool and have a little nap, followed by a fantastic South African Braai (BBQ). Early the next morning, Simon, our safari guide picked us up for the 4 hour drive to The Kruger National Park, where we set out to see the "big five" (lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino, and leopard). Unfortunately, the elusive leopard managed to evade us, but we were able to see the rest, as well as a cheetah, otter (rare to Kruger), and many giraffes, zebra, baboons/monkeys, and hippos... Chris counted a total of 62 different animals species! We were fortunate to have the most glorious weather, and were even graced with a 30 minute thunder shower that we were able to watch from the protection of a covered look-out over the park. It was certainly an experience not to be forgotten, being so close to the animals as they seemingly come out of nowhere and are so much bigger than you imagine!
Next we flew down to Cape Town for a few days where we were lucky enough to get a clear morning, so we shot straight up Table Mountain to enjoy the view, and a good thing because every other day the "tablecloth" (clouds) were handing around the top of the mountain so we would not have been afforded a good view. We spent the rest of the day cruising around the city, including going to the District Six museum, the waterfront, and visiting Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years). We met up with an old camp friend for dinner and sampled the game (springbok, ostrich, crocodile, and Kudu) at Mama Africa, a local African cuisine restaurant. The following morning brought us out to Cape Point, the "symbolic" meeting of the Indian and Atlantic oceans, though it is not the geographical southern most point of Africa. Regardless, it gave us a fabulous view, and on the drive we had our only rain of the trip, so we were happy to have it while we were in the car.
After about a two hour drive, we arrived at our incredible farmhouse lodging in Langebaan on the western coast, where we spend the evening relaxing before Jordan and I ran the half and full marathons early the next morning, followed by a relaxing day overlooking the lagoon and of course celebrating Jordan's 30th birthday with a nice dinner on the beach!
From Langebaan we took the incredible mountainous and scenic inland Route 62 (through the wine region) down to our next destination at Oudtshoorn. A couple days there gave us the opportunity to visit an ostrich farm (and have a ride on an ostrich!), check out the Cango caves, hike up to the Rust en Vrede waterfall, and of course, play with the baby cheetahs (and Jordan the baby tigers, as well!), which was an unbelievably rewarding experience. They are so much like house cats it is uncanny, with the biggest exception being their purr, which sounds like a Harley-Davidson rally it is so loud!
Next to last major destination was Kysna (pronounced Nysna) on the Garden Route, where Jordan had found us an incredible jungle bungalow hotel/guest house that was very luxurious and certainly unique. We had a great dinner in town on the waterfront, and the next day headed out to go on a zip-line canopy tour in the Tsitsikamma jungle, had a look at the world's highest bungee jump (although none of us with enough guts to try it!), and visited the magnificent mouth to the Storm's river, before hitting Monkeyland on the way back to the bamboo house, giving us the chance to be up close and personal with all the monkeys, without the pesky cages getting in the way (it is a giant reserve for the monkeys). My mom, Chris, and Jordan surprised me with a very early birthday braai dinner-- needless to say I was surprised! It was a fantastic meal, although we all ate well more than our fair shares. The next morning was an early one, but probably the highlight of the trip for me so far, as we set off to arrive at the Kysna elephant park by 6:30 am to have a walk with the elephants as they go walk out to graze in their massive fields. It was so incredible to be among the gentle giants as they walk next to you and allow you to hang out with them! The day continued to deliver, though, when we we were picked up for our township tour, and we brought around by two locals (one of whom lives in the township), and got an inside look at how millions of South Africans still live in shacks with little or no electricity or water. It was a very enlightening and moving experience. As our "thank you" to Mom and Chris for make this trip possible, we surprised them with a dinner cruise around the Knysna harbor and up to see "the heads" where the lagoon meets the ocean.
The next day started to bring the end in sight as we headed back off to Cape Town, but not before stopping at De Hoop nature reserve (the massive sand dunes on the beach), Cape Agulhas (the actual geographical southern most tip of Africa), and of course, Betty's Bay so Mom could see her penguin colony, which was quite a site to see so many penguins in such a warm climate (they are African penguins, though, not antarctic). We had quite a treat arriving back in Cape Town, as a stay at a B&B in Camp's Bay awaited us, and I think I can safely say it was the nicest place I have ever stayed. We had a quick dinner down on the beach and rested up for a full day of wine tasting in Stellenbosch the next day ... Napa move aside, this place is amazing! Our final full day was topped off with a stop at Moyo for dinner, where we were able to sample loads of traditional African fare while enjoying it all from a tree house.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, so the last day we spent at the Botanical Gardens and then more time on the beach in Camp's Bay, before Mom, Chris, and Jordan left for the airport :(. I know this post has been full of nothing but luxuries and splendor, but I can assure you that my standard of living will now drop considerably and it will be quite the shock of adjusting for me. Countless thanks to Jordan for organizing every last detail of this trip!! Looking back, I would not have changed one thing and I cannot begin to imagine the work that must have gone into organizing everything from abroad, and of course to Mom and Chris, without whom obviously most of these things would not have been possible!
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http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.620352591708.2075399.43700183&type=1&l=525d25205f
