Still feeling a little weary from travel, we just returned from the better part of the month spent on a three-country driving tour that started in South Africa and went through Namibia and ended in Botswana. The first part of this trip will be covered in this post with my writing in this color and Sabrina's input in this color. Hey y'all!
Before being there, first we had to get there. Of course the easiest way in my mind was a flight from Casablanca to Dubai on the other end of the Arabian Peninsula, then down the eastern coast of Africa to Johannesburg. Two flights and 20.5 hours later we arrived and met our driver who took us the to hotel, too tired to notice that we were driving on the wrong side of the road.
I love that Ryan left out the adventures that we had in Asia. Being my first time on another continent, I was wicked excited! I know, I know being in an airport doesn't count...but I think that rule should only work for states, not actual continents. Anyways, the flight to Dubai was boring, which is good. Emirates is a great airline, and very family and kid friendly so I would recommend it to any one going on a family holiday. So, we get off the plane in Dubai and we are excited to explore a world class top of the line airport, which never closes. It was two in the morning and that place was like Grand Central at noon. I think that our excitement went a little too far, and Knox's little belly just had enough of the movin and shakin, and his dinner (which consisted mostly of bribery m&ms) ended up all over the back of Ryan's neck. So there we were, me and my two boys and they were covered in puke I was in tears and the world was just passing us by. We headed to the bathroom, and I was all proud of myself for remembering to bring an extra set of clothes for the kid, but none for my man. For the rest of the trip Ryan had this faint stench of bebe vomit coming off of him. Poor guy.
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| We paid for two seats and ended up geting the whole row. Thank goodness .... |
First stop, Pretoria. Pretoria serves as the executive/administrative capital of South Africa and is also just an hour away from its sister (and major) city Johannesburg to the south. Compared to other places we've seen in Africa, Pretoria (like much of the rest of the country) definitely has more of a western feel to it. Deep in the heart of the old northern Boer country, Afrikaans is also widely spoken as one of SA's two main language. It's a little like Dutch but with more German, English, and Malay mixed in. I actually picked up on a lot of it, thanks Mom, Susi and Daniel!!
One the first day in, we took a tour of one of Johannesburg's suburbs, Soweto (which stands for SouthWestern Township). For all you history buffs, Soweto was one of the most important locations in the struggle of non-whites against the Nationalist Party government during the extreme racial oppression and segregation of Apartheid in the later half of the 20th century across the region. Soweto is not only home to Walter Sisulu square (where SA's Freedom Charter was adopted) and one of Nelson Mandela's homes. Soweto is also both a living history book and cross section of society which one discovers while traveling through. Side by side stand sub-communities of decrepit long rows of former mine workers houses, brand new modern (and still empty) housing developments, and shanty towns made of tin, cardboard, or anything else handy. The city itself stands as a living reminder of SA's past inequalities and a version of a possible future. The Soweto Tour was one of my highlights of the trip. Our guide, Sipho, was very knowledgeable, kind and willing to have a good time with a bunch of crazy Americans while still keeping with what needed to explained. It is an area of the world that, I feel, everyone should see or at least learn about. Its crazy how the world works, and sometimes doesnt work. The Apartheid Museum was wonderful and very moving.
Soon we were on the road southwest across the country towards Cape Town. Road Trip! Traveling through the High Veld of Guantang Province towards the Cape allowed to experience the true South Africa that many people miss by simply flying between the two major cities. The driving also gave me plenty of opportunity to practice my stick-shift driving in a car with the steering wheel on the right while driving on the left. It took a while to stop signaling my lane changes with the windshield wiper but I finally got it. Luckily, our noble steed named Bessie had an "oh crap" bar installed. I used it frequently.
The smaller towns vary greatly in what they have to offer as did our hotel experiences. The majority of the time, however, we stayed in very "at home" feeling bed and breakfasts and were treated to some very nice fare and good old-fashioned Afrikaaner hospitality along the way. Especially beautiful was the scenery driving through South African wine country nestled in the valley's near Stellenbosch to the east of Cape Town as well as to the north.
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| South African Wine Country |
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| Nice kitty....... |
Our eyes were really first opened, however, when we came across the warnings about baboons in the road. People, do not take these warnings lightly. Soon we found ourselves dodging these little (big) guys in the middle of the road as well as the other drivers who would simply pull off to the other side of the road and stop to get a closer look. Nope! Those little buggers will come IN your car. And steal your stuff. And possibly steal a baby. Those baboons were serious, and dangerous!
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| Baboons (and yes, we're on the proper side of the road. The other car is not) |
Once clear of the baboons and entering deeper in to wine country, we happened upon peculiar vendors standing on the side of the road selling grapes. Feeling adventurous, we stopped (again in the middle of road....joining the club) to buy an entire box of grapes for 50 rand which is an amazing deal. Little did we know (until later) that there's a chance that these grapes may or may not have been legally picked and sold. Ahhh..illicit grapes. They were so good though....
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| Illicit grape vendors |
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| GRAPES! Five dollars for the whole box! |
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| Sign telling us not to buy grapes....after we bought grapes |
Cape Town was like a beacon of hope after wondering the wilderness of central South Africa (and only once running in to a locked gate on "Famer Jan's" property on the way to the hotel thanks to Garmin's awesome directions. We happened upon a gate, nothing too serious. But as I was getting out of the truck to open said gate there was a man watching. Seriously watching me. I proptly turned around and ran back to the truck, and the man continued to stare. Until we were well passed his property.)
The city literally appears out of nowhere once you crest the valley(and go through a serious tunnel) in the shadow of Table Mountain. It's so lively, and westernized, and relatively well kept; it's like a cross between San Fransisco and Chicago. On our first day, we took a short drive south from our hotel to the Cape of Good Hope and saw the exact point where the Atlantic meets the Indian Ocean. It was quite a hike but the kid got a sweet ride out of it.
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| At the end of the earth at the Cape of Good Hope |
We weren't done adventuring, so on our way back in to to town we stopped by Simon's Town and saw some African penguins hanging out on the beach.
Cape Town's waterfront is a bustling center of activity including shopping, eating, and just hanging out. It was also the starting point for our boat ride over to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela spent the majority of his 27 years of imprisonment for his role in the fight against the oppressive policies of the Apartheid government back in the 50's and 60's. The prison is closed now but was set aside primarily for political prisoners back in the day. What I thought would look like Alcatraz ended up being at least 20 times bigger, the island not the actual prison...that was quite small, and included not only a prison but a quarry for hard labor, and entire town for the staff where people still live today. It was truly moving hearing the history of the struggle and prison conditions from a former political prisoner who actually served time there.
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| Nelson Mandela's Cell on Robben Island |
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| The sign says stay off the rocks (in English and Afrikaans). People are so good and following directions |
Before leaving Cape Town, we wanted to get a better view so we head to the top of Table Mountain via hanging gondola; we were not disappointed. Another opportunity to see the point where two oceans meet plus a better view of town including one of the stadiums that played host to the 2010 World Cup.
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| TWO OCEANS! |
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| Just hanging out over Cape Town |
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| World Cup Stadium |
On the way north out of Cape Town (on our way to the Namibian border) we stopped in Vredendahl and Springbok. Both wonderful stops with some well deserved rest from our time on the road before crossing over to our next country.
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| The fam with Flicka and Diva! |
In the next installment: Namiba! (Which in my opinion might be one of the best countries in the world. And I am not saying that just bc I am half German. I truly is wonderful!) Stay tuned.
