Home again

It's fun to plan a vacation, it's exciting to leave on a trip, and it's great to return home again, which we have now done. Sam has texted that he is home safely to Seattle. Tom is in Stellenbosch.

I'll close with an image that summarizes the Cape Town portion of the trip - a beautiful family in a beautiful setting in extreme southern Africa between mountain and sea.

South Africa is a land of extremes. Extreme wealth in Cape Town and suburban Johannesburg, and extreme poverty in the townships. Extreme beauty and squalor. Extremely wild and also very western. Extreme soccer fever. And, everywhere, extremely nice people - warm, gracious, smiling and welcoming. Well worth a visit.

Stellenbosch

On Monday we visited Stellenbosch, where Tom is a student at Stellenbosch University. The easiest way to do this was to sign up for a Winelands Tour, which includes a wine tasting and a tour of Stellenbosch. Our travel agency was happy to oblige us.

Stellenbosch is about 40 miles as the car drives from Cape Town. On the way out, Tom revealed to our driver, Danny Theron, that his service learning project occurs on the grounds of the Fairview winery. Tom is a leader in enrichment programs for children of the laborers who tend the grapes. The winery provides housing, a school and a playground for its workers. This is one of the few wineries that seeks to provide enrichment programs for the children of its labor force. This winery is the home of the Goats Do Roam label, which our friends Richard and Tlotlisang have brought over to our house in St. Paul in the past.

We enjoyed looking at the goats penned up next to the winery parking lot. There were three large billy goats will huge horns. Our driver kissed one of them, and then couldn't get the taste of goat out of his mouth for the rest of the trip.

After a wine and (goat) cheese tasting, we drove to Stellenbosch. Danny and Tom gave us a tour of the University, including the international building where Tom's classes are, and his dormitory. Tom took us to a pizza place where he and his buddies hang out. What a treat to be able to see up close the place where Tom will spend five weeks of his summer!

Back in London

We have left South Africa and are now back in London, waiting for our connecting flight to Saint Paul. We're not trying to hook up with Sam this time - he is at a different terminal that we cannot get to without the correct boarding pass.

Yesterday, our flight did not leave until 6:40 p.m., so we had time to visit a few Cape Town attractions in the morning. First was the Two Oceans Aquarium, which has species from both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

What a great aquarium! I did not appreciate how different the fish would be from what would be found in a U.S. aquarium. There were penguins, ragged-tooth sharks, abalones, sea fans, and strawberry anemones. In an enormous predator tank, a large school of prey fish shifted and moved in startling unison as predator fish such as sharks approached. Mesmerizing.

We then went on the the South Africa National Gallery, which had several rooms devoted to modern African art. We quickly hustled over to the South African Museum, which had many interesting displays about anthropology. There were examples of old pictographs and cave paintings, as well as displays showing traditional village life of various tribes from not so long ago. We concluded our visit with a 45-minute planetarium show, which explained the southern constellations, such as the southern cross. It also pointed out alpha and proxima centauri, our nearest stars, and the greater and lesser Magellanic Clouds, our nearest galaxies. All these we had seen in detail from Madikwe game reserve. The milky way is particularly spectacular from the southern hemisphere.

We are both looking forward to being home later today. Unfortunately, we will once again miss the U.S. soccer game, as our side will be playing Algeria while we are in the air. Perhaps it will be re-broadcast this evening. The U.S. can clinch a berth in the round of 16 with a win. Here's hoping!

Cape of Good Hope

We are watching Spain v. Honduras. Our day yesterday was spent driving and hiking to the end of the Cape of Good Hope, a distance of about 60 miles by car. First stop was Hout Bay, where we took a boat to a small rocky island that was covered in seals. We watched them waddle around and swim, and then headed back to the the minibus to continue our trip.

Our bus went to the Two Oceans restaurant, almost at the tip of the Cape. Tom ran into a friend from Beloit College. We heard a voice say, "Tom, what are you doing here?" His friend, Andrew Reich, was not even a soccer player, but he and his father were here for world cup. Small world.

We took a 45-minute hike over uneven rocky ground high above the ocean to the tip of the Cape. It was hard to imagine Bartholomew Dias rounding the cape over 500 years ago, and declaring it to be one of good hope. The walk was beautiful. In places, rough trail; in places boardwalk with steps; and in places native cobblestone. We saw some small marmot-like animals that we later learned were rock hyrax. We passed a narrow, isolated cove with a beautiful beach, 150 feet below the trail. A soccer fan had written "USA" in seaweed on the white sand below.

Once at the tip of the cape, Abby took a seat in the bus, while Sam, Tom and I walked over big rocks and past tide pools to get as far out on the cape as we could. The tide pools were teeming with minnows, barnacles, cockles and mussels. Under water, the rocks were multicolored and beautiful.

On the way back, we passed a troop of baboons by the side of the road. About 300 baboons live on the cape, and are protected by law because they are the only baboons that eat shellfish. We stopped at the penguin colony on Boulder Beach (all boulders, no beach). The black and white penguins seemed to tolerate the human presence surprisingly well. We are tolerating South Africa quite well, but are already looking forward to our return home.

England v Algeria

We hooked up with Tom at the England-Algeria game. 64,000 soccer fans watched a defensive battle in a beautiful new stadium. Because the US team is in the same group, we were quite happy with the nil-nil draw. I've never seen so many grumpy Englishmen.

Security was tight. We were frisked and wanded for metals on the way in, which consumed quite a bit of time since the line was long. Police ringed the field, about one every 10 feet.

Green Point Stadium is named after the neighborhood it resides in. It's also a very green stadium. Most of the seats are covered, while the field is open to the elements. The weather is beautiful, a rare treat in Cape Town whose weather, we are told, normally resembles that of Seattle.

Dancing and singing

Yesterday evening before supper, the entire staff of the lodge marched out onto the verandah singing. They proceeded to put on a show of African singing and dancing. The chief dancers, four of them, had rattles on their ankles. Their dances involved rhythmic stomping and stepping in unison, while the singers sang in an African language and ululated. As the ululation was feminine, Sam commented to Abby that she should learn to do it. She has not yet started practicing.

We have been very impressed by the friendliness and good will of South Africans. Having the world cup here has evoked stong and genuine feelings of national, and even continental, pride. It's a pride that is not selfish - they are happy to share their wonderful country with their guests. We in turn are happy to share it with them, and already have many fond memories to take home with us.

Argentina v. South Korea

I'm watching Argentina play South Korea. It's 2-1 in favor of Argentina at the half. A Korean player scored an own goal (in Argentina's favor) when a crossed ball went off his shin into the goal. As a former defender, I am reminded of what I used to tell myself, "If you can't make a clean play on the ball, then get out of the way." You're part of a team, and sometimes (most of the time) you have to rely on other team members. You can't do everything yourself.

Just before half a South Korean player running at full speed seized on a ball played carelessly by an Argentine defender, dribbled it up to the goalkeeper and scored. An example of a mental lapse and mental alertness by different players and the possible consequences of each.

Two rhinos

Yesterday afternoon we saw our first rhinos. Driving down a dirt road, Charl the ranger said, "Rhino!" They were next to the road on our left and he pulled up along side them, perhaps 20 feet away. They spooked and ran away from us, going perhaps another 20 feet, and then suddenly wheeled to face us. The leader of the two glared at us as if to say, "You want a piece of this?" We did not, except by photograph.

When we did nothing to answer their challenge, they calmed down and resumed grazing. We happily took pictures as they slowly drifted into the bush. The landscape here is generally a savanna of grass, bushes and scrub trees. Although the bushes and trees seem to be widely scattered, it is surprising how quickly an animal disappears into them.

Wednesday afternoon's game drive

The highlight of yesterday afternoon's game drive was the bull elephant we caught up to in one of the dirt roads that crisscross the reserve. As we got closer Charl, our ranger said, "He's in must; you can smell it." When male elephants rut, it's called "must," and they secrete so much excess testosterone that you can literally smell it. You can see it, too, but you have to know where to look.

Our ranger knew which water hole the bull was headed for, so he circled around to the other side so we could get a good look. I'm not sure of my directions, but if the elephant entered the area of the water hole from the west, then we were positioned to the south, so that we could watch him pass by in front of us.

And he did, maybe 15 feet away. He gave us the briefest of glances. Charl warned us to be quiet and sit still. The enormous bull sucked a pint of water into his trunk and then blew it out again on the ground. His purpose for visiting the water hole seemingly satisfied, he marched off to the east in stately fashion.


I'm adding a photo of a mother elephant and baby, which we actually saw on Thursday, the day after seeing the big bull. Elephant herds consist of females and their young. The males, once they reach maturity, leave the herd and wander around alone, looking for food and waiting for their turn to become the dominant male in the area, and thus the one who sires offspring.

The mongoose

We have had three wonderful game drives in Madikwe game reserve. The two morning drives were cold, starting out with temperatures in the upper 20's Fahrenheit. This afternoon, however, the weather is wonderful - sunny and about 60 degrees.

Yesterday afternoon's drive started after "high tea," which was served at 3:30 p.m. A striped mongoose joined us, and Abby fed him a piece of smoked salmon and toast. He was followed by a couple of vervet monkeys, who were chased off with an (unloaded) slingshot. Our ranger, Charl, explained that a mongoose will ask politely for food, while a monkey will steal it rudely. The former is welcome, the latter is not.

Because of a weak internet connection, I will publish short posts rather than long ones. So, more about the game drive later

Lions

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Went on safari this morning at Madike River Lodge. Saw lions, elephant, kudu, impala, giraffe, wildebeest, jackal, water buck, black-shouldered kite, and a yellow hornbill. Impala are the most commonly-seen animal in the game preserve. Vervet monkeys and a grouse-like bird called a Franklin are everywhere.

The image at right is of the two lions in a pride of about eleven. They are the oldest male lions in the park. We found them sunning themselves next to a water hole with a bevy of females and adolescents lying nearby. Our ranger said they had eaten recently and were sleeping it off. I'm adding an impage of a mother and young giraffe. We got to watch them for a half hour, as part of a larger herd.

Madikwe River Lodge is a beautiful timber-and-stucco lodge with a thatched roof and a giant center fireplace. The fireplace feels really good on a cold evening. The decor is African, with many interesting artifacts. Each room is its own little hut, with a thatched roof and no lock on the door. There is, however, a latch to keep the monkeys out.

Spoke with Tom on the phone; he said his courses are hard, but he has already been to Cape Town twice.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Yesterday, Sibusiso picked us up at 9:00 to take us to our first World Cup soccer game, Slovakia v. New Zealand, in the platinum-mining city of Rustenburg. We arrived the recommended two hours early, which proved to be a good idea because of the complicated logistics of finding the park-and-ride lot and then boarding a bus for the stadium.

Someone had written the name "Thabiso" as graffiti on a low brick wall outside the stadium. It reminded us of Sam's friend and soccer teammate, whose mother is from Lesotho, not far away. We had an extra ticket, which we gave to Sibusiso. He was thrilled, and asked to have his picture taken, ". . . to prove he was at the game."

Although Slovakia was favored to win, they seemed nervous and unsure of themselves at first. New Zealand used their size advantage to keep things even for the first half, which ended tied at zero. Slovakia's coach must have said the right things during half time, because they came out playing much better, and it wasn't too long before they scored. All looked good for Slovakia, which led 1-0 after 90 minutes, when the referee added on 3 minutes of stoppage time. About halfway into stoppage, New Zealand scored to even it up. I've never seen a team look more dejected than Slovakia at that moment, and that's how the game ended.

There was a great feeling of comaraderie in the crowd. We chatted with those around us about where they were from and how it felt to be there. We were on the edge of a group of flag-waving New Zealanders, who were ecstatic at the end of the game. Behind us sat vuvuzela-playing South Africans, who agreed to join us in a family photo.

There was a bit of pushing and shoving to get on the bus to go back to the parking lot, but I was able to use my size to our advantage to get all four of us on the same bus, Abby first. We had a two and a half hour drive to Madikwe game reserve, arriving less than a half hour after the gate had closed for the evening. After some negotiations, Sibusiso was able to get the guards to send for an escort from Madikwe River Lodge to take us to the resort. After a delightful meal of braised lamb shanks and eland filet, we retired for the evening, content.

Johannesburg

Sunday, June 13

On our first day in Johannesburg, we took a city tour, led by Joel. He took us to downtown Joburg, where we saw people buying and selling clothes and other goods right on the sidewalk, which seemed quite busy to us, but Joel said it was a slow day, being Sunday. Some men were piling blankets wrapped in clear plastic onto the back of a pickup truck. Joel said, "They are going to Zimbabwe."

Joel drove us to Museum Africa, recommended also by Fodors, which has a nice display of African geology, as well as a reconstruction of two-room dwellings from an informal or squatters settlement. We stopped in a fan park next door, and watched part of a soccer game with a small crown of Johannesburg soccer fans. Joel drove past Nelson Madela's house, as well as the building that housed Mahatma Ghandi's law offices while he was in Jozi.

One of our favorite spots was the Rosepark craft market, with its sign, "This is Africa - we bargain." Abby asked the ladies at stall 27 if they had scarves that had the South Afrian flag on them. They did not, but promised to have five of them for 150 Rand each if we returned the next day. We did. Next door to the market was an African bank playing drums, marimbas and brass. What a great African experience!

Monday, June 14

One of the highlights of our visit to Johannesburg, also called Jozi or Joburg, was visitng the Cradle of Humankind. Dolomite limestone caverns formed about 20 million years ago near Sterkfontein, about 25 miles outside of Johannesburg. As rainwater seeped into the dolomite, it left small openings in the surface. About 3.3 million years ago, an Austrolpithecus hominid now known as Little Foot fell through a small opening and dropped about 20 meters to the cavern floor. The fall was fatal. More importantly, limestone-rich water running through the cave turned his bones to fossils. Little Foot was discovered in the 1990's, making him famous.

We hiked down 116 steps, most carved out of native limestone, into the caves, and took photos of the rococo cavern formations, as well as the openings in the surface that trapped Little Foot and other creatures. On the way out, we took pictures at an interesting opening that had trees growing around it.

Our driver, Sibusiso, then drove us to a museum at Maropeng, about 6 miles away. This was part Disney, and part paleo-anthropology, as it included a water ride as well as displays of ancient hominid and other fossils. As we entered the museum, our guide explained that all humanity originated from Africa, so her comment to us was, "Welcome home."

London Heathrow

We made it to Heathrow airport on schedule. On the plane, we chatted briefly with a man from Montana, travelling with his wife and late-teen, early-20s children. We later stood in line with him at the South African Airways desk, gettting our boarding passes for South Africa.

We had planned to hook up with Sam at Heathrow - his flight from Seattle arrived within 10 minutes of ours. However, Heathrow makes O'Hare airport and the Atlanta airport, which are approximately as busy, seem compact and well-organized. We took the bus from Terminal 4, where we landed, to terminal 5, where Sam landed. Sam was continuing on British Airways, so he did not need to leave terminal 5. We, however, were not allowed into terminal 5 because we did not have a British Airways boarding pass, and Terminal 5 is all British all the time. We asked the friendly but firm agents to get a message to Sam that we would meet him in Johannesburg, aka Jozi.

Then we took another long bus ride to Terminal 1, where South African Airways is. We shared a quesadilla at a restaurant named "Giraffe" and sat next to an Honduran named George Coleman. (I know, you'd think he would be a politician from St. Paul, but he was actually from Honduras.) He captains a ship that supplies the Angola oil fields, and was on his way to work, 60 days on and 45 days off. George invited us to visit him in Honduras - he lives on a Carribean island there. I gave him my email address, hoping he renews his invitation by email.

We are now halfway through our 7-hour layover. The Nigeria-Argentina game is on TV in the waiting room. Argentina is leading, 1-0. We are excited to continue with the last leg of our trip. We will be on the plane during the USA-England game. I hope the pilot gives us regular updates!

The bags are packed

The bags are packed, the passports photocopied, and the neighbor kid lined up to bring in the mail and newspapers. She will also water the grass if it gets dry, though there's no sign of that being necessary. I had my final meeting with Jody the travel agent, also our first meeting, since our transaction had until today been conducted entirely by email and telephone. Jody had good things to say about Madikwe, the game reserve we will visit. "Very beautiful," she says.

This morning Abby and I watched World Cup game 1, South Africa v. Mexico, to get ourselves psyched up. Mexico had a goal called back by an offside call, which did not seem correct at first, but the anouncers pointed out later that the keeper had run out past the 6-yard line, putting the would-be goal scorer offside when the ball was passed to him; there was only one defender, and no ball, between him and the touch line before the pass. Good call, ref. The game ended in a 1-1 tie. The announcers said that the host country has never lost an opening game. Well done, South Africa.

We have heard the adage that most people take too many clothes and not enough money. Neither of us is a big spender, so we are not worried about the latter. The former is possible, so we have limited ourselves to packing only small roller bags that will easily fit in overhead bins. Abby's bag is only 20 inches long, and mine just two inches longer. In spite of the careful packing, it's a comfort to know that we really only need three things: passport, credit card and medicine. We are ready for South Africa.

Preview

Preparing for South Africa

On past trips, we've kept a journal using pen, ink and paper. Having been hustled under protest into the 21st century, we will now attempt a blog. Since a picture is worth 1000 words, you can expect lots of pictures.

The trip has been thoroughly researched. We've used our old reliable, Fodor's, supplemented this time by Frommer's. The latter recommended the Madike game preserve, whch appealed to us, and is not far from Rustenburg, the site of the world cup stadium where the USA, it its opening match, will face England. More imporantly, we have employed a travel agent familiar with Africa, Jody at Borton Overseas Travel. Without her, nothing.