West of the West

…of being introduced to my extended family! His first trip to South Africa started well, as he was seriously impressed by the cameras mounted on the tail and undercarriage of our SAA plane, which allow you to see the areas you fly across.

Our first few weeks in Africa were almost a continuation of the WA wanderings, as we hired a car and drove from Johannesburg via Capetown, the Garden Route and the Wild Coast to Durban - driving through the Karoo, in particular, was deja vu. Unfortunately the car we were given was not nearly as nice as Churchill - a matchbox-sized Chevvy Spark, with an 800cc engine, which is quite terrifying to drive on South African roads. No one there thinks twice about driving at more than 150kph and then overtaking three trucks at once on a narrow blind corner! Also, a word of warning - hiring a car in ZA is quite difficult and, unusually, it’s probably best to hire through a travel agent or third party to get a good deal.

Of course, when most people think of South Africa, security is the first issue that comes to mind - and it’s an issue that’s hard to forget when many houses have high garden walls topped with electric fencing, dual security systems, internal safe rooms, video surveillance in the street, and armed response. But on the other hand, bar security was pretty lax, with three letting us in without ID. It’s certainly important to take every precaution that you can (we were taught quite a few anti-hijacking techniques in our time there), but otherwise travel in ZA is fairly straightforward. The hostels, for example, are fantastic - especially the brilliant Wild Spirit Lodge at Nature’s Valley - although the campgrounds were often far more basic than we anticipated (and we wouldn’t recommend camping at Fairy Knowe Backpackers in Wilderness, unless you want a sleepless night). And everyone we met was very friendly and helpful - from the very chatty Freddie in Nieu Bethesda, to the lovely guide who showed us local artworks at Port St Johns community museum, and Mr Cheecho who insisted on giving us a lift for the two city blocks to our Durban hostel. Even when we shocked my family by catching an African minibus taxi from Durban, it was crowded but otherwise made quite simple thanks to directions from our fellow passengers. The women in particular seemed quite protective, and one of the drivers actually forced passengers off his taxi in order to get us a newer minibus!

Crowded generally seemed to be a good way of describing much of the trip. The imaginative statues at The Owl House. The path ascending Table Mountain and the penguin beach at Simons Town (unfortunately with people, not penguins). The channel off Mosselbaai beach where the great white sharks cruise up and down. The Port St Johns hippy crew dancing the night away to a local rock band. The squares of humanity bobbing up and down between the flags in standing-depth surf at the Durban beaches. The stories of the Zulu wars and apartheid at several museums. The tables of identical wire-and-wood souvenirs crowding every Joburg market. The fun we had.

And the teeming herds of wildlife…for, of course, we couldn’t visit ZA without going ‘elephant hunting’, as Laurent called it. Over several days at Hluhluwe-Imfolozi National Park, we marveled at majestic kudu, shy nyala, Bambi-esque impala, ungainly wildebeests, aggressive buffalo, lazing lionesses, wallowing warthogs and serene giraffe - all with adorable youngsters at foot! The most memorable moments, however, were several rather unexpected and disconcerting encounters with some rhinos and elephants - for such large animals, they’re incredibly sneaky and fast!

The rest of the time was largely taken up by Christmas celebrations and other reunions with scattered members from both sides of my family. This mostly involved far too much tasty food (topped off by Laurent’s latest dessert favourite, jelly), multiple gin and tonics (or, in Laurent’s case, enough beer to earn him the name Castle Man), and watching the Aussie cricket team lose to ZA. But it wasn’t all ease and leisure…we played exhausting games of Marco Polo and frisbee with my cousins, helped my uncle move the cattle, took terrifying leaps into the pool at the local waterfall, tramped up multiple mountains (including an amazing three day hike to the high Drakensberg at Lotheni, and a very wet first trip ‘kloofing’), and…Laurent learnt to canter on a horse! Many thanks to Cally and Mick for their tutelage.

This was my first trip to South Africa in which I’ve visited much of the country outside Kwa-Zulu Natal, and having Laurent by my side further gave me a fresh perspective. We had a fantastic ‘break’ from our WA wanderings. But we didn't get to see the typical ‘sprawling plains’ of Africa, so I’m sure we’ll be back - especially as plans for the next trip have already been proposed by Gran!

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