AFRICA
April 2015
Our safari in Kenya was 'the best experience' of the World Cruise. We looked forward to more of Africa and what is has to offer. Someday, I will return to Africa to enjoy more of Africa. Nevertheless, we did get an introduction to South Africa (at least the coastal areas).
Our port of entry into South Africa was Richards Bay, a gateway to the land of the Zulu, one of Africa's most fascinating tribal peoples, and providing easy access to some of the finest wildlife game parks.
My expedition for the day was titled "BIG 5 & HIPPOS". We traveled by coach (1-1/2 hour) to the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi (say that fast) Game Reserve - the oldest game reserve in all of Africa. We climbed into 10-passenger open vehicles for a 3-hour drive through the reserve to spot as many of the Big 5 (lion, elephant, rhino, cape buffalo, leopard) animals of Africa. We did see many white rhino up close and personal (these animals are not 'white' but somehow over time the term 'wide mouth rhino' has changed to 'white' rhino),
two elephants far away, lots of cape buffalo along the river banks, two lions snacking on last nights' kill, no leopards. There were sightings of other animals (zebra, warthog, giraffe) as well as the rare bush buck (which our guide said that he has not seen one in over 6 years). We ended the game drive with a picnic lunch and brief time to shop at the Memorial Gate entrance. This was a much different experience than Galdessa Camp in Kenya as there were more vehicles driving on paved roads.
On the road again, for the 1-hour drive, to St. Lucia Lake for an afternoon 2-hour cruise. This wet-lands reserve lake was created many years ago by the sand dunes blocking entrance to the sea. This area is home of thousands of birds, many crocodiles, and hundreds of hippos (aka, a 'bloat' of hippopotami). Nice boat ride for the chance to see the wetlands.
The weather was cloudy most of the day, so a cool 80° all day. I was surprised by the large number of eucalyptus plantations (these trees grow straight and tall so the wood is used for poles and fencing) and the fact that 95% of the electricity is generated by coal. Richards Bay is a large port due to significant mineral deposits in ZwaZulu-Natal.
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Ride along with me by watching my movie - Big 5 & Hippos (less than 5 minutes). Go to this link (or copy & paste in your browser)
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipP5loJ6gDZdadBNSExoGuBzEMvocDoG3GiHY3GE
If that does not work, or if you are not a Chrome user, try this link (copy the next line, right click, select OPEN LINK)
https://goo.gl/photos/e6AYGC8p9LbzKJGK8
Colleen and Phil had departed the ship for an over-night safari to Phinda Game Reserve. I have made a movie (just over 4 minutes) from their pictures. As like other movies, go to this link (or copy & paste in your browser)
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipPAi7SrArSwqGXLrfnoxbUJOV2_a4ohQK-_FabW
If that does not work, or if you are not a Chrome user, try this link (copy the next line, right click, select OPEN LINK)
https://goo.gl/photos/k2pxDr9Vq3yyWq5v6
The next stop in South Africa was Durban. As one of the few natural harbors on Africa's east coast, Durban is the busiest port in South Africa as it exports large volumes of sugar and is the country's largest import/export facility for the motor industry (Mercedes-Benz). The city itself does not offer much for tourists, so 8 passengers chose to pump up our adrenaline with an eco-experience through the Karkloff indigenous forest - ZIP LINE CANOPY TOUR!
This tour consisted of a 2-hour drive from Durban, 15-minutes of instructions and gear preparations, a 2-minute drive and 5-minute walk to the 1st platform, 75-minutes of zipping along 8 lines, a 10-minute walk to headquarters, and another 2-hour drive to return to the ship. It was an exhilarating and fun day.
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipNYmNDJhx7p81dMZJBnMt_Y2lRUQT57rOMQQwdj
If that does not work, or if you are not a Chrome user, try this link (copy the next line, right click, select OPEN LINK)
https://goo.gl/photos/tB4hNh2nubuL6hxB6
East London was the third port of call. This was the beginning of my 3-day/2-night land adventure to the Pumba Private Game Reserve (8 passengers plus our Silversea escort, Anita). The ship arrived in port at mid-day, so once we all disembarked, we had a 3-hour bus ride to the Pumba Lodge.
Day One --- Upon arrival at the Water Lodge, we quickly checked-in and immediately departed for our afternoon game drive. Freddy, our guide, drove us on trails to see impala, wildebeests, warthogs, resting white lions. At sunset, we had 'sundowners' on the plains, while the night animals began awakening. Back at the lodge, we enjoyed more drinks before a delicious dinner. As with most reserves, there are always guides to walk us to our cabins - very nice luxury cabins with your own private deck with splash pool. One guy in our group walked right into the splash pool with his smart phone in his pocket and hearing aides in his ears - he didn't know or see the splash pool in the dark (luckily the hearing aides dried out and survived; but no luck with the iPhone).
Day Two --- 0530 wake-up call for early-riser coffee/juice before our 0630 game drive. Stem was our guide this morning (not as good as Freddy). Lots of animal sightings - 4 white lions (that we watched for about 30 minutes), impala, wildebeests, geese, warthogs, black buck, kudu, elan (biggest in the antelope family), a 'tower' of giraffe, a 'dazzle' of zebra, jackals, 2 tawny lions; then a stop for cafe amaretto with muffins. Returning to the lodge, we had a full breakfast near the fireplace (the temperature was about 60°). As the weather warmed, 5 of us went on a bird-watching safari (not many birds). Since our next safari was not until 4:30pm, I went to the spa for a manicure and pedicure rather than sitting at the lodge and watching the hippos swim across the river.
Our afternoon game drive, with Freddy, was great. We spotted all of the usual animals and then came upon a "parade' of elephants with several juveniles and a baby with the females and an adolescent male near-by. (There is an excellent book to read - The Elephant Whisperer - if you want to read about a game reserve and it's animals.) As we watched the elephants, the young male decided to have a closer look 'at us'. We were told to be quiet. As he approached, Colleen and Patricia slowly moved along their benches to get away from that side of the truck. It was definitely an 'up close and personal' moment.
As we drove onto the plain overlooking the lodge and reserve, we enjoyed our drinks (Colleen 'needed' that scotch!) in the cool air with the darkening sky, while impala and wildebeests ran by. Later, we savored a tasty dinner in the lodge sharing time near the fireplace with wine and friends.
Day Three --- 0600 wake-up today for quick coffee/juice before our game drive. We gathered to watch the lodge rangers rescue an impala that couldn't get out of the lodge's swimming pool. With the rescue complete (they lassoed the animal and guide him away from the lodge), Stem and Freddy assembled us in the trucks and provided ponchos - it was COLD (about 50°) with 'frost on the pumpkins' this misty morning. This was our final game drive so we took off to 'see all that we could see'; which we saw plenty of everything that morning including 3 cheetahs and the white male lion. Freddy was a wonderful spotter and knew where that lion was heading so we would see the lion,
leave to find other animals, then come across this white lion again. We turned one corner and there were 2 white rhino (that would be a 'couple' not a 'crash' of rhino) and a large herd of antelopes with Mr. White Lion lurking in the distance. We elected to watch all of this going on rather than break for coffee. Returning to the lodge, we luxuriated near the fireplace before having a full breakfast, then prepared for departure at 1230 for a 3-hour coach ride to Port Elizabeth (the lodge provided us with boxed lunches) airport for our flight to Cape Town and returned to the Silver Whisper at 6:30pm. I received a nice personal 'Welcome Home' note from Chan and Marlon (my butler and housekeeper). We arrived too late to join the World Cruiser Event of African High Tea at the Reserve Bank Hotel (we heard that people were disappointed).
It was a fabulous and exciting 3 days with a fun group of people, informative and friendly rangers and guides, awesome animal sightings, in a pleasurable environment. The Pumba Water Lodge was more luxurious than Galdessa Camp but I had mixed thoughts -- the luxury is nice but does it need to be that nice when 'in the wild'?
OK, another movie showing Pumba (8 minutes). Go to this link (or copy & paste in your browser)
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipOIfUHb4TpKpRNR8rRkiTCEXgBWolxZ3Rso8R6P
If that does not work, or if you are not a Chrome user, try this link (copy the next line, right click, select OPEN LINK)
https://goo.gl/photos/C915PjsubuLgzDFn8
Cape Town, South Africa is one of the most multicultural cities in the world, reflecting its role as a major destination for immigrants, expatriates, and tourists. In 2014 Cape Town was named the best place in the world to visit by The New York Times.
It was Easter Sunday! I got an Easter basket of chocolate bunnies and eggs. Colleen and Phil, Gaynor and John, and I arranged for a private van with a guide for an all-day tour of Cape Town and surrounding places. It was a beautiful day to see a little bit of 'the best' of Cape Town - Rhodes Memorial, Kirstenbosch Gardens (splendid), Cape Point (Cape of Good Hope), Simons Town, Fish Hook, Boulders (Cape Penquins), lunch at Volare in Constancia (excellent meal), Chapman Peak Road to Camps Bay (gorgeous beaches), Signal Hill (magnificent views), Cape Malay BoKaap (neighborhood of colorful houses), downtown Cape Town. Basically, we circled around Table Mountain which was clear, then covered in clouds, then clear again.
Easter Monday. Nine cruisers joined the tour of The Winelands, going to the wine country east of Cape Town to see Taal Monument (tribute to the languages of South Africa); wine tasting at the Nederberg Winery; drive to Franschhoek Valley to Huguenot village (Monument and Museum); to the Boschendal Estate for wine tasting, tour and lunch; and travel to Stellenbosch (2nd oldest town in South Africa) to wander through this university town to shop or visit some of the restored 17th and 18th century mansions. It was a long day of sunshine, beautiful scenery, food, and wine!
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipOQMWdvoz4legEfiMukJpovdeevAgyoi_VCDcIN
We joined a guided 'walking tour' rather than doing it on our own. It is nice to have a guide to explain the history, etc. We did see the highlights of the town. At any rate, just another port.
Next day, we were in Walvis Bay, Namibia. This is the only natural harbor in Namibia so consequently settlement was made by Portugal, Dutch, England, and Germany until after WW1 wherein it became South West Africa (yet an integral part of South Africa); and it wasn't until the early 1990's that Namibia separated from South Africa. Enough history . . .
Walvis Bay (whale bay) is surrounded by desert and sand dunes, a rugged landscape with strange rock formations and dry river beds. While there is still a strong fishing industry, tourism the number one. The sand dunes offer interesting tourist activities - I join 'The Living Desert' tour to ride the dunes and search the flora and fauna - gecko, birds, lizards, deadly sidewinder snakes then climb the dunes in 4WD truck (they release air out of the tires for better traction then re-inflate the tires when back on hard ground).
Late in the afternoon, the World Cruiser Event - Dining in the Desert - commenced with a long drive on not-so-smooth bumpy roads to a dry river bed where an entire open-air carpeted complex of tables draped in linen, subtle lighting, candles reflecting in and off the canyon walls, for us to enjoy lively entertainment and a dinner of local specialties.
Arriving before sunset, we were greeted by a lovely rainbow above the canyon walls. It was an enjoyable evening and as the threat of rain (a few big rain drops got people thinking about being in a dry river bed that is subject to flash floods) came, it was time to depart.
Have a look through my Namibia movie (just over 5 minutes). Go to this link (or copy & paste in your browser)
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipN70e_0SaK5iIh695NX5fG83fKpLgLCsFjcUv5p
https://goo.gl/photos/e6AYGC8p9LbzKJGK8
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https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipPAi7SrArSwqGXLrfnoxbUJOV2_a4ohQK-_FabW
If that does not work, or if you are not a Chrome user, try this link (copy the next line, right click, select OPEN LINK)
https://goo.gl/photos/k2pxDr9Vq3yyWq5v6
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Let's go zip-lining! (12 minutes) Go to this link (or copy & paste in your browser) If that does not work, or if you are not a Chrome user, try this link (copy the next line, right click, select OPEN LINK)
https://goo.gl/photos/tB4hNh2nubuL6hxB6
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East London was the third port of call. This was the beginning of my 3-day/2-night land adventure to the Pumba Private Game Reserve (8 passengers plus our Silversea escort, Anita). The ship arrived in port at mid-day, so once we all disembarked, we had a 3-hour bus ride to the Pumba Lodge.
Day One --- Upon arrival at the Water Lodge, we quickly checked-in and immediately departed for our afternoon game drive. Freddy, our guide, drove us on trails to see impala, wildebeests, warthogs, resting white lions. At sunset, we had 'sundowners' on the plains, while the night animals began awakening. Back at the lodge, we enjoyed more drinks before a delicious dinner. As with most reserves, there are always guides to walk us to our cabins - very nice luxury cabins with your own private deck with splash pool. One guy in our group walked right into the splash pool with his smart phone in his pocket and hearing aides in his ears - he didn't know or see the splash pool in the dark (luckily the hearing aides dried out and survived; but no luck with the iPhone).
Day Two --- 0530 wake-up call for early-riser coffee/juice before our 0630 game drive. Stem was our guide this morning (not as good as Freddy). Lots of animal sightings - 4 white lions (that we watched for about 30 minutes), impala, wildebeests, geese, warthogs, black buck, kudu, elan (biggest in the antelope family), a 'tower' of giraffe, a 'dazzle' of zebra, jackals, 2 tawny lions; then a stop for cafe amaretto with muffins. Returning to the lodge, we had a full breakfast near the fireplace (the temperature was about 60°). As the weather warmed, 5 of us went on a bird-watching safari (not many birds). Since our next safari was not until 4:30pm, I went to the spa for a manicure and pedicure rather than sitting at the lodge and watching the hippos swim across the river.
Our afternoon game drive, with Freddy, was great. We spotted all of the usual animals and then came upon a "parade' of elephants with several juveniles and a baby with the females and an adolescent male near-by. (There is an excellent book to read - The Elephant Whisperer - if you want to read about a game reserve and it's animals.) As we watched the elephants, the young male decided to have a closer look 'at us'. We were told to be quiet. As he approached, Colleen and Patricia slowly moved along their benches to get away from that side of the truck. It was definitely an 'up close and personal' moment.
Day Three --- 0600 wake-up today for quick coffee/juice before our game drive. We gathered to watch the lodge rangers rescue an impala that couldn't get out of the lodge's swimming pool. With the rescue complete (they lassoed the animal and guide him away from the lodge), Stem and Freddy assembled us in the trucks and provided ponchos - it was COLD (about 50°) with 'frost on the pumpkins' this misty morning. This was our final game drive so we took off to 'see all that we could see'; which we saw plenty of everything that morning including 3 cheetahs and the white male lion. Freddy was a wonderful spotter and knew where that lion was heading so we would see the lion,
-----------
If that does not work, or if you are not a Chrome user, try this link (copy the next line, right click, select OPEN LINK)
https://goo.gl/photos/C915PjsubuLgzDFn8
-----------------------------------------------------------
Cape Town, South Africa is one of the most multicultural cities in the world, reflecting its role as a major destination for immigrants, expatriates, and tourists. In 2014 Cape Town was named the best place in the world to visit by The New York Times.
It was Easter Sunday! I got an Easter basket of chocolate bunnies and eggs. Colleen and Phil, Gaynor and John, and I arranged for a private van with a guide for an all-day tour of Cape Town and surrounding places. It was a beautiful day to see a little bit of 'the best' of Cape Town - Rhodes Memorial, Kirstenbosch Gardens (splendid), Cape Point (Cape of Good Hope), Simons Town, Fish Hook, Boulders (Cape Penquins), lunch at Volare in Constancia (excellent meal), Chapman Peak Road to Camps Bay (gorgeous beaches), Signal Hill (magnificent views), Cape Malay BoKaap (neighborhood of colorful houses), downtown Cape Town. Basically, we circled around Table Mountain which was clear, then covered in clouds, then clear again.
One day was not enough to see this phenomenal city. I would love to spend a month there, coinciding with several safaris to other parts of Africa.
Easter Monday. Nine cruisers joined the tour of The Winelands, going to the wine country east of Cape Town to see Taal Monument (tribute to the languages of South Africa); wine tasting at the Nederberg Winery; drive to Franschhoek Valley to Huguenot village (Monument and Museum); to the Boschendal Estate for wine tasting, tour and lunch; and travel to Stellenbosch (2nd oldest town in South Africa) to wander through this university town to shop or visit some of the restored 17th and 18th century mansions. It was a long day of sunshine, beautiful scenery, food, and wine!
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Travel with me through Cape Town (6-1/2 minutes). Go to this link (or copy & paste in your browser)
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipOQMWdvoz4legEfiMukJpovdeevAgyoi_VCDcIN
If that does not work, or if you are not a Chrome user, try this link (copy the next line, right click, select OPEN LINK)
https://goo.gl/photos/eKP54TYEG7i7noNF7
Leaving South Africa, we sailed to Luderitz, Namibia. Along this Atlantic coast of Africa, the warm land and the cold Benguela Current often creates fog. I was wakened (at 3am) by the ship's horn sounding in the fog; the temperature was 55° at sunrise and quickly rose as we docked in Luderitz (a desolate looking town sprouting out of the sand). Luderitz was settled by German traders dealing with sea life until diamonds were discovered in the early 1900s. The 'diamond rush' was on. However, over time, diamond mining and coal mining, moved farther south. Today, Luderitz is primarily a tourist destination.
https://goo.gl/photos/eKP54TYEG7i7noNF7
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Leaving South Africa, we sailed to Luderitz, Namibia. Along this Atlantic coast of Africa, the warm land and the cold Benguela Current often creates fog. I was wakened (at 3am) by the ship's horn sounding in the fog; the temperature was 55° at sunrise and quickly rose as we docked in Luderitz (a desolate looking town sprouting out of the sand). Luderitz was settled by German traders dealing with sea life until diamonds were discovered in the early 1900s. The 'diamond rush' was on. However, over time, diamond mining and coal mining, moved farther south. Today, Luderitz is primarily a tourist destination.
We joined a guided 'walking tour' rather than doing it on our own. It is nice to have a guide to explain the history, etc. We did see the highlights of the town. At any rate, just another port.
Next day, we were in Walvis Bay, Namibia. This is the only natural harbor in Namibia so consequently settlement was made by Portugal, Dutch, England, and Germany until after WW1 wherein it became South West Africa (yet an integral part of South Africa); and it wasn't until the early 1990's that Namibia separated from South Africa. Enough history . . .
Late in the afternoon, the World Cruiser Event - Dining in the Desert - commenced with a long drive on not-so-smooth bumpy roads to a dry river bed where an entire open-air carpeted complex of tables draped in linen, subtle lighting, candles reflecting in and off the canyon walls, for us to enjoy lively entertainment and a dinner of local specialties.
--------------
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipN70e_0SaK5iIh695NX5fG83fKpLgLCsFjcUv5p
If that does not work, or if you are not a Chrome user, try this link (copy the next line, right click, select OPEN LINK)
https://goo.gl/photos/dkC8YjymuvqGhwUT6
https://goo.gl/photos/dkC8YjymuvqGhwUT6
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So, that's the Africa that I experienced. It was great!
"Happy trails to you, until we meet again.
Happy trails to you, keep smilin' until then."
by Dale Evans (wife of singing cowboy, Roy Rogers)
Now... that's dating myself. Hugs, Lourae
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