All Good Things Must Come to an End

As I boarded the plane on Wednesday, Sept 15th I knew that this trip to Africa couldn't have come at a better time. The experiences I had and the people I met will forever be remembered and influence me throughout my life. I will be talking about this trip for years to come.

I hope that one day soon I will be able to go back to Africa and explore what some of its other countries have to offer. The culture so rich in tradition and untouched by Western influences is what inspires me. Let us not have the world become a melting pot, but rather a diverse and culturally rich place where we live in harmony with our neighbors.

Maps of Africa

We covered a lot of miles in 3 weeks. Here are a couple of maps to help put into perspective where I was.

On the continent of Africa: I visited Malawi and South Africa.

Within South Africa I visited:

KwaZulu-Natal- Eshowe, Hluhluwe and St. Lucia

Gauteng- Johannesburg, Soweto

Western Cape- Cape Town, Cape Point

Within Malawi I visited: Lilongwe, Lake Malawi and Zomba

Cape Point/Cape of Good Hope

Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope are often mistakenly claimed to be the place where the cold Benguela Current of the Atlantic Ocean and the warm Agulhas Current of the Indian ocean collide. In fact, the meeting point fluctuates along the southern and southwestern Cape coast, usually occurring between Cape Agulhas and Cape Point.

After hiking to the top the views were spectacular! The winds nearly knocked me over :)

Snoek and Wine on the Road to Cape of Good Hope

Paul, one of the rotarians in Cape Town who works with Books for Africa came along for the drive to the Cape of Good Hope. The number of whales we saw breaching in the Indian Ocean to our left was incredible. Paul took us to a fish market for lunch, tucked away out of tourist sights. We dined on Snoek, which was being auctioned off the boats when we arrived.

Cape Town is also known for their many wineries. We met the owners of 2 Wine Estates and got the grand tour. Pinotage is a red wine grape that is South Africa's signature variety.

The Western Cape

The Western Cape reminded me a lot of San Fransico, the fog, the ocean, the penguins?!

Who would have thought these guys would be here! The African penguin also known as the Black-footed penguin are found on the southwestern coast of Africa. Two colonies were established by penguins in the 1980s on the mainland near Cape Town at Boulders Beach near Simon's Town and Stony Point in Betty's Bay. They can be found on Robben Island too.

Table Mountain can also be found on the Western Cape in Cape Town. We were lucky enough to get to the top of the mountain on a gorgeous sunny morning, as we headed back down the fog was setting in. A rotating cable car took us to the top, you can hike it as well, but we didn't have enough time.

Here is a photo with Table Mountain in the background, I am on Robben Island.

Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Safari

Hluhluwe-Umfolozi game park is oldest and the only state run park with the BIG 5- Lino, Leopard, Rhino, Elephant and Buffalo. They have the largest population of white rhino in South Africa, because of preservation efforts, the park is patrolled by anti-poachers several times per day.

Our morning jeep safari's began at 5am which meant a 4:30 wake-up call from Henry (well actually a knock on the door, since we had no phones). Our evening jeep safari's began at 5pm and got us back to camp by 8:30. Our walking safari was mid-day. Our walking safari guide had us all sit in the bush and meditate on the power of nature, it was difficult for me to keep my eyes closed knowing that I was a sitting duck for any large animal's dinner!

We saw a large array of animals; giraffe, zebra, hyena, baboons, warthogs, white and black rhinos, baby rhinos, buffalo, nyala, kudu, and lots of birds including the giant kingfisher and guinea fowl or bush chicken :) I was sick the night the group saw the elephants and unfortunately no large cats graced us with their presence. They probably knew that if I saw them I would want to run up and pet them and do near arm, far ankle!!

Kayaking with the Hippos and Crocs in St. Lucia

Who said it was a good idea to go kayaking??! I should have known I'd be in for a heart racing adventure the minute our guide got into the water and started poking around for crocodiles with his paddle before we could board our kayaks! I was way too nervous to take pictures, but I was able to get some great shots from our boat safari through the same waters where I kayaked. Just imagine being up close to these giants! I may have wet my pants, I was soaked head to toe by the end of the journey.

I later learned that evening that the concentration of hippo poop is off the charts in that water, perhaps that explains why I got sick the next day :)

My kayak partner was Bridget, she and her family were originally from Zimbabwe but because of the recent turmoil there over the last 10 years her white family had to flee to England in 2000 leaving everything they owned behind.