SusanC

Time to go home. Boo hoo Monday, August 30. Well, not quite time to go home. Ahren and I have booked a 14-minute helicopter ride for early morning. We’re both a little apprehensive as we arrive at the landing site. As the helicopter is pulled out of its hanger, the six passengers are weighed and arranged to distribute the weight. And somehow I end up riding in the copilot’s seat. Woopee. It isn’t scary at all. It’s more like a Disney ride. We zip to Victoria Falls and spend the next 10 minutes circling the falls and the river. It is spectacular. It ends way too soon. Exhilarating. I am flying the rest of the morning. Without a plane. What an incredible few days Since we arrived in Zim, Ahren and I have ridden an elephant, ... read more

One of the world's natural wondersSaturday, August 28. Just seeing the volumes of towering mist rising from a distance is exciting. But it doesn’t quite prepare me for the first glimpse of Victoria Falls. Stunning. The shear volume of water coursing over the rocks is staggering. And they go on and on and on so instead of one huge waterfall there are a series of hundreds of waterfalls. At one point there are waterfalls stretching as far as I can see in either direction. The falls are often lost in their own mist. White steam decorated with rainbows. To see the river below I have to walk out on rocks that are slippery when wet; they are always wet. It is an amazing experience. But we don’t spend nearly enough time here. Instead we drive out ... read more

A morning tourThursday, August 26. We are supposed to tour Joburg, but half the town is on strike and some of them are behaving badly and others are just crowding the streets so we stay on the freeway that circles the town and drive directly to Soweto, a Johannesburg suburb of over 3 ½ million people. Thoroughly modern freeway system incidentally, complete with heavy traffic. This is just brutalHomes seem to be divided into three types in Soweto. 1) Miles, upon miles, upon miles of tiny tin-roofed shacks make up the majority of homes here. 2) A smattering of larger homes, but with shacks in the yards. Owners of these homes sell space for the shacks. 3) And finally a newer level of homes that belong to the professionals like doctors and attorneys. These are three ... read more

Back to KrugerTuesday, August 24. We load into safari vehicles at 5:45 am and drive into Kruger Park by 6 am. The morning is not as eventful a day as yesterday. Saw the usual: elephant, buffalo, eagle, zebra, wildebeest, and giraffe. But not in abundance. Our one unusual spotting is a hyena which is lying in the grass right next to the road. It stays put, posing for as long as we’re stopped. Back to the hotel just after lunch. We’ll go out again at 2:30. Another giraffe? Ho humMight be a good time to mention how quickly one becomes inured to the site of these wonderful animals. The first time we spot an elephant in the distance, our hearts pound. Now we see one and it’s “OK an elephant, what else is there?” This is ... read more

Long dayFriday, August 20. We fly to Durbin this morning then take a short tour of the city before driving to Hluhluwe in Zululand. Before arriving at our hotel, we stop at a Zulu collective market to buy native goods. The market is run largely by women who make and sell their products, drums, jewelry, wooden bowls. We don't get into the hotel till 6 pm, twelve hours after we left the Cape Town hotel. Very long day. Unfortunately the beautiful brightly colored, beaded bracelet I bought, started ripping apart before I even got to the hotel. Oh, well. I think of it as a tiny bit of support for their economy. Tomorrow our day starts at 5 am again, but this time we're going out for our first game drive. We're really excited. The adventure ... read more