After another excellent breakfast buffet looking out over the watering hole, and with a full view of the beautiful pool area, our day started with a morning tour of Victoria Falls. We were complaining a bit about why we had to get up early to go if we had all morning, but we realized later on that we had been lucky to have the falls all to ourselves when we saw how many people were coming in, as we were getting ready to leave. When we got to the park, the market across the street was in full swing. By then, I was becoming used to be called Mamma by the vendors peddling their wares. Active also were the resident baboons, already busy tearing at and turning over garbage cans. We were given a brief description ... read more

On our full day in Johannesburg, we embarked in a tour mostly consistent of apartheid significant sights. It was nice not to have one of those ultra early wake up calls, partly because we needed a little extra time to maneuver around our hotel room's quirkiness. It was one of those hotels with the bathroom sink and glass shower in the bedroom. They did provide a partial curtain divider, but it was still awkward and limiting when two people who are not in a naked relationship start trying to get ready in the morning. A drive through Soweto would lead us to visit the houses of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela, who lived a short distance from each other in Soweto, although not at the same time. The Tutu house is still occupied so we ... read more

Before sunrise, we found ourselves again climbing into open air vehicles for our day of game drives in Kruger National Park. Again facing very cold temperatures, these vehicles were equipped with nice blankets that I wrapped around myself a la Indian style. It never occurred to me to bring a heavier coat other than a windbreaker, which was not enough in the midst of a cold front. Kruger National Park is referred to as the jewel in the crown when it comes to nature preserves, and it lived up to it's reputation. The topography was not as beautiful as Hluhluwe, although I fell in love with one particular river bed, but although we were only in a small section of this large park, we encountered more animals and in greater number throughout the day. It occurred ... read more

Before sunrise, we mounted the open vehicles that took us to nearby Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park for our first game drive of the trip. It was surprisingly cold, but that feeling of discomfort was overturned by the view of my first sunrise out in the bush in Africa. Spectacular! Also spectacular was the topography of the park, the trails surrounded by hills and deep valleys. The Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, although small, is the oldest nature reserve in Africa. The park is the only state-run park in KwaZulu-Natal where each of the big five game animals can be found. The area was originally a royal hunting ground for the Zulu kingdom, but was established as a park in 1895. Here, as in other parks in South Africa, rhinoceros remain an endangered species because of poaching. The price of the horn ... read more

For our wine tasting experience, we headed towards the cape winelands via the N1 Highway, the first section of the famed Cape to Cairo Road. Our destination was the cities of Paarl, Franschhoek, and Stellenbosch, and selected vineyards in each of these locations. Paarl is the third oldest city of European settlement, and the largest town in the cape winelands. Paarl gained international attention when, on 11 February 1990, Nelson Mandela walked out of Victor Verster Correctional Centre in Paarl ending his 27 years of imprisonment. Today, a bronze statue of Mandela stands outside the prison. Franschhoek, which translates as “French Corner”, was established in the late 17th century as French Huguenot refugees settled in the area. They are credited with the development of the wine industry in South Africa, and producing wines that were sought ... read more