Blogs from South Africa, Africa - page 22

Didn’t sleep well. As lovely as the location of the farm was the bed was a bit hard for me and at 4:10 I gave up and got up and dressed. Had some breakfast, Nutrific with lovely organic milk bought from the farm the night before, and a coffee. Decided to load up and get on the road and by 4:45 Rita was up and dressed and we got ready to leave. By 5 we were away and heading for the B1. The first 45 minutes were busy, loads of commuter traffic heading north to Windhoek for the start of the working week. The traffic continued until we got though Rehoboth. Another 30 minutes and were saw ahead what seemed to be a fire. As we neared it it was a hay lorry that was completely ... read more

Cats, monkeys and birds. That’s what we went to see today. Three separate, beautiful animal sanctuaries. They take in rescued animals from all over the world. Our guide, Melody, at Jukani, the big cat sanctuary, called it a posh retirement community for animals where they are spoiled (by getting food regularly) and taken care of. At Jukani we saw Siberian tigers, White Bengal tigers, lions and lionesses, cheetahs, pumas, and a few other types of cats. Monkeyland, had many species of monkeys freely jumping through the canopy of trees. Spider, Howler, Capuchin, Indian, Squirrel, Bushtail, Vervet, Gibon, Ringtail lemurs, Black and white ruffed lemur. We walked over a suspension bridge, 128 meters long, 20 meters high, on top of the trees and were told not to wear glasses, or have our phones out because it’s a ... read more

This morning we said goodbye to Cape Town. We didn’t see much of the inner city, just the coast and the area we stayed in. As we drove out two things struck me; 1- how beautiful the modern city buildings looked with a mountain backdrop, and 2- how disturbing the difference in economic class is. The kids (and adults) were oohing and ahhing over the Lamborghinis, Ferraris and Porches they saw. And on the same road, homeless people, beggars, and men selling stuff at red lights were abound. On our way out of the city we passed what looked like a refugee camp that continued for miles. Our whale boat tour was cancelled due to the weather so we decided to try and see some for ourselves in Hermanus, a one and a half hour drive. ... read more

Captains Log - Stardate 91028042 4am from Knysna got us off to a great start. By 7:30 we were eating breakfast in Wimpy in Beauford West having watched a fabulous sunrise in the Karoo. Back on the road by 8:15 and with a quick splash and go fuel stop mid way we were in Kimberley by 12:30, couldn't have gone any better (touch wood). Spent the afternoon at The Big Hole in Kimberley, and what a great and informative visit it was. The biggest man dug hole in the world is staggering from the observation platform. The tour was really good rounding off with a visit to the vault to see some actual diamonds discovered in the area. Wasn't sure what to expect from Kimberley having read a lot about it being run down but there's ... read more

Thursday, August 22, 4:00am - Wake up! It’s time for the sunrise Safari drive. Dressed in layers, scarf, hat, and covered in big blankets, we begin our morning drive in the open Jeep. Our guide Michelle, is sure to tell us it’s possible we might not see any lions or other cats, “I won’t purposefully drive where I know there’s nothing to see” she tells us, to prepare us for possible disappointment. And a bit disappointed we were, we saw a sleeping lion far far away, but that’s all. Besides all the other animals we’ve already seen, and are exciting to see over and over. “The impala is my best friend” Michelle said, “they never disappoint.” So true. And they are very cute and graceful, but they are the prey. We wanted the predator. We returned ... read more