Its South Africa Man!

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Day 1

We were now on the way to our last destination: South Africa! After an 8 hour flight, we arrived in Johannesburg and immediately realised that we were not in Egypt anymore...it was winter here and a lot cooler! It was actually nice not to be sweating so much but we knew right away that our clothes were not going to keep us warm for this weather. Anyways, after going to a few different banks to sort out money exchange situation, we waited for our hostel to pick us up. After waiting for about an hour, we called them and a man named Patrick picked us up. We were staying in a small town outside Johannesburg since it's not really that safe to stay in the city. Patrick scared us a bit by saying where to go, where not to go and by saying that it's not safe to go too far from the hostel at night. So, we arrived at his house and it was nice to relax, watch tv, make our own food and sleep. We watched Dodgeball (which we quoted many times in SA) and took a short nap. We went to a restaurant nearby for dinner and had the strangest waitress ever. She kept saying, It's South Africa Man! and telling Dave he was drinking slow and was shocked when he only ordered a beer. Then she told Natalie that she was a slow eater...not in a mean way but we thought it was interesting!

Day 2

After a nice and chilly sleep, we went to the mall and bought some warm clothes! I liked the idea since I like shopping but that didn't leave us a lot of room in our bags anymore. We found a great store and did our shopping there. After some shopping, we went to see the new Batman movie. We all enjoyed it! We got some pizza for dinner and cooked it at our hostel...it was nice to do our own cooking for a change. We watched Borat b/c I'd never seen it and it was hilarious! Again, we would be quoting Borat along this trip...Nathalie was particulary good at saying: Very nice!

Day 3

We spent this day sightseeing in Johannesburg with Patrick. He was nice enough to show us around and we had a great time! We started our day at the SAB Brewery and spent a few hours going through the brewery and enjoying good beer! What could be better than that? After the brewery, we went to Museum Africa and it was an alright museum. The Treason section was particulary interesting. We then went to Top Africa and saw the city of Joburg from way up top. Patrick was telling us how it was a very dangerous city and how its not safe to walk around in case of shootings. We drove into the city and it was kind of scary. Before heading back to the hostel, we stopped to get some groceries. Dave volunteered to cook for us and we were excited to see what he was going to make. He made some delicious pasta and we relaxed.

Day 4

Amy and I went to the mall and got haircuts while the Dave and Natalie chilled at the hostel. As one of Amy's bday presents, we got pedicures and had lunch. We met up with the other two and made our way to Pretoria, a city an hour away. We were starting a GAP adventure tour that night and our meeting point was in Pretoria. We met at 6pm and met group. In total, we were 9, including our guide and our driver. We were us four, Phil and Tamara, Belle, Fran and Francois(we later called him FC). Our meeting wasn't very informative compared to the other GAP tour that I'd done in South East Asia but we didn't question it at that time. We went back to our room where I became a hairdresser and dyed Amy's hair while we ordered room service.

Day 5

We had an early start with a city tour of Pretoria. We saw the Voortrekker Museum, Union Buildings and we drove through Church Square. We then drove to Middelburg, and we stayed in a small village called Botshabelo. We got a tour of the village and learned about Sothos and their lives there. We walked through the houses and saw a good performance by nice ladies who tried to teach Amy and Nathalie to dance. The history about the Sothos is that the government forced them out a long time ago and they still have hope to receive money to rebuilt their houses and their village in the future. We went up to the Church and the Fort and it was really interesting. We went back, had dinner and went to sleep. Let's just say that it gets pretty cold at night and it was definitely chilly when we went to bed. We had on a few layers of clothes; how different from the other places we'd been before.

Day 6

We left Botshabelo early and drove all day! We finally arrived at Manyeleti Nature Reserve where we would stay the night in huts. We got quite a surprise when we got there! The owner came and told us that an elephant had gone through the gates at night and was now roaming in the reserve. We thought he was joking but it turned out that he wasn't. We went to see this elephant and it was HUGE! He was eating between the huts so we tried to get a closer look without it seeing us. The owner told us that elephants get aggravated when they feel threatened so we didn't want to scare him. At one point, he came towards us and we ran the other way. Not until later did we find out that Phil got scared and instead of letting Tamara go before him, he pushed her towards the elephant so he could go first. We teased him all on the trip about this. So, we finally were able to go into our rooms when the owner came to tell us that they were going to shout in the air to scare the elephant off. We heard 2 shots and thought the elephant had gone when we received another message that the shots made the elephant angry so we had to be careful from now on. OK.....we made our way to dinner while looking out for the elephant and then had a nice camp fire made by FC. It was nice to sit around and talk with the others.

Day 7 & 8

We got an early alarm clock by a guy playing drums. It was another day of driving. FC took us to the school he had helped built a few years ago. It was Sunday so the school was closed but the teacher came with her baby to show us around. It was great to see the school and to see the work people had done. On the way to our next destination, we spotted some animals. I spotted some giraffes so we stopped and took pictures...we were all excited! We also saw some zebras and wathogs. We arrived at Merensky Village Nature Reserve where our guide showed us around the village. He was a volunteer and he was quite funny. He kept saying over and over how people from before didn't need money because they made everything by themselves, etc. He taught us about family, and money! We headed towards our cabins where we would be staying 2 nights but we asked a guy for directions and he said he was going that way so we picked him up. He was drunk and kept singing, it was funny! The place is called Cheerios and its great! We had our own cabin for four and it was huge! It was called Grandpa's. BUT, we found out that the place didn't provide food (as it had said in the itinerary) so we had to cook ourselves. That wouldn't have been a problem but it was Sunday and nothing was open but a small store. Fran and FC were great and made a delicious meal! We played cards and enjoyed the fireplace. Went back to Grandpa's and had hot choco and read.

We were woken up very early by FC knocking on our window even though we told him we had our own alarms. He's a funny cat! It was raining so we headed into town for some breakfast. We went to the Tzaneen museum and it was interesting but very very small. What was supposed to take a few hours took us 20 minutes. So, we went to Modjadi Cycad Reserve...got lost on the way so a lady drew a map on the ground to show us the way. We hiked down the mountain, saw cool trees and nice view.
We made our way to the Royan Queen's Village but they weren't expecting us but we were lucky enough that the guide took some time off school to show us around. We met a lot of kids and we talked to some of them, it was great! They loved getting their pictures taken! We were able to see inside the village but not everywhere because they didn't know we were coming. At least we had a chance to see a bit and ask questions. We headed back into town to get some groceries. While waiting for the others, Amy and Dave found the perfect engagement ring! They were really excited about it and so were we! We got some drinks and went back to Cheerios. It was time for a Wimbledon Tournament between Dave and I. We had great fans and we played a few games of tennis and Dave was the winner! It was good fun! FC cooked a great dinner yet again and Natalie made delicious guacamole for appetizers. We went outside and Fran showed us the Southern Cross. I saw my first shooting star and it was great!

Day 9

We left Cheerios and headed towards Thohoyandou. It was the worst day on the tour, because of the long day of driving and the hotel situation. We arrived in Thohoyandou and Fran went to check into the hotel. They were into deep renovation so there were bricks everywhere and nothing was ready. We left, picked up our guide and went to the mountains near Lake Fundudzi. We saw a nice waterfall, tea plantations, and walked into the Thathe-Vondo Forest. This Forest is know as the Holy Forest and one of the most beautiful forests in the Limpopo region. After our walk in the forest, we drove another hour to see some crafts. We were all pretty tired and in need of some relaxing and food. We got back to the hotel and it was awful. Our rooms smelled like piss, the sheets weren't clean and towels had been used. Amy and Dave's room had not toilet light or toilet seat! We left that place because of the situation and went for dinner at a nice place. We just wanted a nice dinner before finding a different hotel. Well, the food took forever to come and the chicken wasn't cooked properly. So...we ended up staying in an old hotel that reminded us of the movie The Shining. Was just ok but we didn't care because we were tired. Amy and Dave got stuck with the worst room with no bathroom door and were woken up at 4h30 AM with the toilet making this whoosh sound. It had been a long day!

Day 10

We woke up early and hoped that this day would be better! IT SURE WAS! We were going to Kruger National Park for some safari time! We were so excited! We went into the gates and did a game drive in the van. We were ready to spot some animals! We spotted some giraffes, a buffalo, springbucks and a hyena. We drove from 9-1 and saw an elephant up close! It even crossed the road so that was cool! We saw more zebras and elephants. We went back to rest at our site. We were staying in a permanent tent and it was awesome! We had our own balcony, outside kitchen, and private bathrooms! NICE! We chilled for a few hours and went for a night game drive in a Jeep! Now that's what we were talking about! We loved being in the Jeep. Our guide, Edward, was nice and told us about the wildlife. Soon after starting our game drive, we spotted 5 lion cubs hanging out under a tree!!! They were gorgeous. One of them was even lying on its back. We were so excited and that had made our safari experience even better! We drove on after watching them for 15-20 minutes and saw all kinds of animals like cats, bushbabies, elephants and birds. The sunset was something else! It was the most beautiful sunset I'd even seen! What a great drive! We got back for some chicken and steak dinner made by Fran and FC. We enjoyed dinner and went back to our permanent tent to chat about our day. This was definitely our favorite day of the tour!

Day 11

We left the comfort of our tent and headed towards Thulamela Archaeological site for breakfast. We had some company for breakfast as we were surrounded by monkeys trying to steal our food. They didn't get anything but we got great pictures! We had another our to the mountain and had a great view! Kruger National Park was great fun and we would have stayed even longer if we'd have more time. After driving in the van for what seemed like forever, we arrived at Makuya Nature Reserve and to calm our nerves, we decided to do absolutely nothing for the rest of the day! We were sharing a site with Amy and Dave and we had a kitchen, deck with a great view and sweet tents! We made sandwiches for lunch and relaxed. We spent the afternoon sunbathing, reading, sleeping and taking pictures. It was a great afternoon! We had dinner and had a nice camp fire before heading to bed.

Day 12

We had nothing on the schedule for today except a whole lot of driving. We arrived in Polokwane and shared a lodge with Phil and Tamara. We went to get some snacks and drinks to get ready to watch the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony tonight. We played a very funny acting game and Natalie made more of her delish guacamole. We watched the opening ceremony and it was great! We knew the Chinese were going to pull something quite spectacular! Travelling all day had made us tired so we went to bed early to be ready for our early start the next day to the Apartheid museum and Soweto.

Day 13

Our last day of the GAP tour! We woke up at 5h30 to fit in the Apartheid museum into our schedule because we really wanted to visit the museum. We dropped our bags at the hotel in Pretoria and drove to Joburg. We spent 2 hours at the Apartheid Museum and it was intense. We could have easily spent a whole day there because there is so much information and so much has happened during the Apartheid. We learned a lot and were glad we had the chance to go.
We met our guide and drove to Soweto, South Africa's largest township. We saw the neighborhood life of the township and saw the outside of Nelson Mandela's home. It was closed due to renovations. We went into the Historical Hector Petersen Memorial and learned a lot. Hector Petersen was killed at the age of 12 when the police opened fire on protesting students. The students were protesting against the imposition of Afrikaans as the langague of instruction. June 16th is now known as the National Youth Day.
After a day of intense information and museums, we did a bit of shopping in the markets and headed back to Pretoria for a final dinner. We said goodbye to FC and went for dinner. We had a meeting with GAP's manager to discuss about some of the problems we'd had on the trip. This was the first time that GAP was doing this trip and we thought it would be good to let them know about things they could improve to make the trip even better! We still had a great time with everyone and really enjoyed South Africa.

Day 14

Our GAP tour finished, we switched to a hostel for one more night in Pretoria. Phil and Tamara stayed with us for the day but they were leaving that night for England. We had a great day at the markets, had some food and watched The Mummy 3. We had some drinks at the hostel and said goodbye to Phil and Tamara. We ordered pizza for dinner and went to bed early.

Day 15-18

Left early afternoon for the airport. We were heading to Cape Town for the last few days of our 5 months adventure and Natalie was going back to Egypt for a day and then heading home to Toronto.
We arrived at the Cape Town airport and rented a nice Toyota Corolla for a few days. We wanted to do whatever we chose to during our last days so this was a great option! I was the only one with a drivers license so I was the lucky driver. I hadn't driven in 2 years so that was interesting but the hardest part for me was to adjust to driving in the opposite side of the road as well as sitting in the opposite side in the car. Anyways, all went well and it was not a problem. We stayed at a nice hostel called Zebra's Crossings.
We had 2 busy days ahead so we called it an early night.

We woke up and headed to the Waterfront for our Robben Island tour. Got on the 9 am boat and got a very interesting tour. We were guided by ex-political prisoners so it was interesting to hear their stories and also sad. We weren't able to walk around the island but it was a good tour overall. We saw were the prisoners worked and Nelson Mandela's prison cell. Spent a few hours on the island and took the boat back to the Waterfront. There's a nice vibe about Cape Town and its more relaxed than Johannesburg. We went to Nobel Square where there are 4 statues of the Nobel Peace Prize Winners. We also visited the District 6 museum. District 6 is best known for the forced removal of over 60 000 of its inhabitants during the 1970s by the apartheid regime. After the museum, we noticed we still had time to go see the penguins on Boulders Beach. Had a nice coastal drive there and there were a lot of penguins. Boulder Beach belongs to the penguins and they can live in their natural environment. We had some delicious seafood at a place called Ocean Basket. Now seriously, it was great! We ordered this platter for 3 and had prawns, calamari, mussels, and other kinds of fish in this delicious sauce! Wow!

It was our last full day of our Amsoda 2008 trip! We were quite sad and excited at the same time of going home. We went whale watching in Hermanus, a few hours drive from Cape Town. It was a pretty drive, with wineries along the way! We do love our wine! But whale watching was much more important. We sat on some rocks and watched the whales show off their tails and jump in the water. It was the first time for Dave and I. We loved it! We walked around, took pictures and drove back to Cape Town. We purged our bags before making the long journey back to Canada. We couldn't believe it was almost over...we found a nice Italian restaurant and had a great dinner! We went all out and ordered appetizers, meals, desserts and wine! It was the perfect way to finish our trip!

Day 19-20

We were ready for the long flights home. We drove back to Cape Town Airport and our flight was delayed so had to wait another 2 hours. Flew 2 hours to Johannesburg and then took an 8 hour flight to Dubai where we enjoyed a Cold Stone ice cream. Left in the early morning and flew 13 hours to Toronto. Arrived safe and sound! We're all happy to see our friends and family and getting ready for school. For those of you who don't know, Amy and Dave are going to school in Kitchener and I'm going to school in Ottawa. We'll update you on our studies in the next few weeks.

We hope you all enjoyed the blog! We enjoyed putting pictures and sharing our stories with you! It was a once in a lifetime trip and we had a FABULOUS time!

Take care

Sophie

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Photos

SAB brewery
Enjoyed a tour of the brewery!

Tasting
Nathalie makes sure the beer is ok to drink!

Museum
Here's a poster illustrating Apartheid

Prisoners wall
Pictures of political prisoners

Top of Africa
We took the elevator up to see the view of Johannesburg

Pretoria
Administrative Building

Botshabelo Village
This is now a historical village

Smile
The houses are nice and cool inside

Dancing with the ladies
The lovely ladies show Amy and Nathalie how to dance

Fort Merensky
This very nice man told us about the history of the fort and the village around it

Destroyed houses
Owners of these houses are still waiting from the government that they can return to their village

Monkey on our roof
This monkey was hanging around on the roof of our room. We were told not to leave our windows open b/c they like to come in.

Small house
Even Amy had to crouch!