Rainbow Nation
SOUTH AFRICA
OCTOBER 2016
South Africa
illustrated by Seer Hor
CAPE TOWN
I must say I fell in love with this city. In a short vicinity from each other, you have the mountains, the sea, good food, great driving roads and wildlife. South Africa has deep blue sea which is such a delight to watch. We drove almost a thousand miles and visited so many places in Cape Town such as V&A Waterfront, Cape of Good Hope, Chapman's Peak Drive, Table Top Mountain, Robben Island and Bo-kaap just to name a few. Of course, food will always be a highlight on our itinerary. We sampled Bunny Chow, Mopani Worms and a variety of game meats such as springbok, kudu and crocodile. On our last day before we departed for Somerset West, we visited Pot Luck Club in The Old Biscuit Mill as per recommendation from our dear friends. The atmosphere of the restaurant, quality and the uniqueness of the food surpassed our expectations. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.
The main itinerary for our visit to South Africa was, of course, our dear friends' wedding. You can see the post here. We stayed at 43 On Sand Stone, Somerset West, which was a gorgeous individually architect-designed house. Joanne, the host, took care of us so well but not a second she was intrusive or overboard. The interior design was tasteful and the tidiness was outstanding. We really wished we could stay longer. You can see her website here.
GANSBAAI, CAPE AGULHAS
This is where we drove a lot, accidentally took the dirt road, went to the most southern tip of Africa, chased sunset, dive with the sharks (in icy cold water), ate good food at Zuidste Kaap Restaurant, attempted to see (rather make up) the line where the Atlantic and Pacific oceans meet and saw more penguins.
KRUGER NATIONAL PARK
Kruger National Park covers 19,485 sq km and is one of the largest game reserves in Africa. We started our road trip from Johannesburg to Kruger. We were a little tight on time as we had to reach the gate of our camp, Mopani, by 6pm. Otherwise there will be a huge fine or no entry! Thankfully, we made it on time. We went for a Night Safari in a 'converted lorry' but unfortunately did not see much. I believe this is partly due to our ranger's limited experience and knowledge.
Otherwise, we drove a lot in the north of Kruger with the intention to spot all the Big Fives. The highlight was when we nearly got rammed by a herd of elephants. We stopped on the left side of the road at a safe distance away to see the herd of elephants in front of us. Without us realising, there was another herd coming from the left downslope towards where we were. Due to their sheer size, they looked unstoppable. I was busy taking photographs when my other half alerted me to drive forward, fast! That was a close call and we made it with no damages.
After spending a few days in the north of the national park, we packed up and drove to the south. An obvious difference was the zebras which were black and white in the north but black and brown in the south! I must say the landscape of the north is prettier to my eyes than the south.
Overall, our experience in Kruger National Park was fantastic. We love the nature and the animals. It is great to see them in their own home where they belong and not in the zoo.
GRASKOP, JOHANNESBURG, SOWETO
Following our departure from Kruger, we continued our journey to Graskop where the roads were a good drive and the scenery was beautiful. We visited God's Window where the attendant cheated all the tourists. Allow me to explain. It was an extremely foggy day and we asked him if the visibility over Namibia is good. He said yes. Hence we paid. For all we know, we couldn't see beyond 100 meters. As we walked down, other tourists had the same problem with the attendant. If you're going and it looks foggy, use Loweld View. Bourke's Pot Luck is a must-see. It is beyond imagination.
In Johannesburg, we went for a private tour which was organised in advance. We visited Constitutional Hill which was a harsh prison in South Africa. Now is it a High Court where anyone can take anybody to course, apparently, even the President of South Africa. We also visited the tallest building in South Africa, the Charlton Centre, where we can see the cityscape of Johannesburg. We then did short visits to Hector Pieterson Museum, Apartheid Museum, Soweto and Nelson Mandela's house at 8115 Vilakazi Street, Orlando West. Soweto is a township where people lives in made-shift accommodations and where they use electricity tapped from the train line. We were told that this is the area where you have many electricians but no formal electric supply.
South Africa is a beautiful country. We loved it there. The people are warm, chilled out and lovely. We LOVE the food! The driving roads are beautiful and easy to navigate. Majestic mountains and seas are easily accessible with a short driving distance away. It is full of history, which can evoke many emotions especially for someone who loves history. What a great country to visit.
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