A few words from my sister Heather...

Ah, Africa. Hmmm, holiday. Two ideas that I’ve not yet put together during these last several years that I’ve been working in Africa with MSF (for a variety of reasons). So when Julie was embarking on her African journey of discovery…I thought I’d join in and do some discovering too. Our last sister adventure took us to the continental divide in Alberta/Montana in the late 1990s…we were overdue. The South African (SA) adventure was a combination of familiar experiences and several new ones.



There were the typical moments of over-stimulation as I first entered a shopping mall…why is everyone moving so quickly and everything is so loud? Why are there so many choices of every item in the grocery store? The excitement as I enjoyed a hot shower with good water pressure…in fact so good, I nearly did a face plant into the wall!



We enjoyed the touristy parts around Cape Town…so different from the other African cities I’ve visited…Bujumbura, Brazzaville, Kampala, Lubumbashi (LBB)…there are public services with a functioning infrastructure of roads, water, electricity (well…Cape Town is now also experiencing some ‘periods’ of blackouts)! The rich and poor divide was clearly evident on the drive from Cape Town along the Garden Route where over many kilometres you see the densely assembled makeshift houses of the slums…using metal sheets, wood, plastic…whatever. The houses were connected by a web of electrical wires…but we wondered about water supply, waste disposal, toilets. There were a couple of pick-up football games alongside the highway…a dangerous playground.



The visit to wine tasting area was a treat…we do get SA wines in LBB…so now I know which ones to pick!



Next…and possibly the best part of the trip…the animals and flightless birds! Penguins at Boulders Bay…they were hysterical and entertaining…waddling in from their ocean swim. The African penguins are not much taller than a large seagull. Now, the ostriches…I didn’t know that this bird was so stupid. Apparently, the female will lay about 15 eggs per breeding season…but the farm needs more egg production, so they steal the eggs leaving just one in the nest. The female returns to find that there is only 1 egg left…”Oh, only 1 egg. Must lay more eggs!” Then she lays more, that are then stolen…cycle continues…until about 75 eggs are taken from the ostrich. Not so smart; note the very small head.



The Pumba Private Game Reserve was my first opportunity to the animals outside of a zoo…how the different animals intermingle or don’t. I was like a child again learning about these magnificent animals which included: elephants, lions, rhinos, giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, warthogs, impalas, kudus, monkeys, besbok...which ones like the short bushes. Which ones prefer the tall grasses. What sounds they make to signal danger…to call a friend. We would sit on our deck and watch the zebras, wildebeests, warthogs and impalas drink from the small pond…Oh, did I mention that we were traveling ‘in luxury’…more stars than I’ve ever visited…an oasis for rest and relaxation for this tired humanitarian worker.



It was a fabulous trip where Julie and I enjoyed lots of laughs and thankfully didn’t have any mishaps with the left-side driving. A great sister bonding experience…where to next I wonder? I return to LBB and MSF refreshed and ready to continue with the vaccination campaign against measles…

Garden Route to PUMBA Lodge

We sadly left the wine region of Stellenbosch in search of game! Heather had not been on safari and was a important stop on her trip. I thought if we have to go safariing again...then let's definitely do it in style. Well...we drove the garden route to Pumba Lodge and wow did we hit over the top posh!! By far the most amazing room ever..you will have to see the photos. Our own African home with thatched roof mostly glass overlooking the bushveld. Our bathroom was sumptuous with soaker tub and glass shower with a view. Outdoor plunge pool and shower just in case. The best part was that we had a view of the local watering hole where from our bed, tub, shower or deck we could watch wild game come for a drink. AMAZING!! We saw warthogs, impala, zebra, baboons, water buck, impala, secretary birds.. all from our room come and take a little drink. The safaris blew Heather away. She wasn't the best spotter but slowly realized that looking thorough the binoculars whilst the landrover is moving causes nausea...lol.

We were lucky enough to see rhinos, giraffes, white lions and elephants. It was different to Botswana as it seemed too easy to just getting from your comfy down duvet into the Land Rover to spot game and enjoy a warm cup of cocoa. It wasn't as authentic as Botswana but definitely more civilized.

Heather has now left for Joburg a more relaxed women and happy to have seen a beautiful part of this African continent. She promises to send her thoughts on the trip which I will post on the blog. I hoping she tells a story or too...about the Ostriches we met...

I am leaving Cape Town tomorrow for Frankfurt and then to Calgary. I am sad to see the trip come to an end as it has been a wonderful adventure. There is so much more to tell but some is hard to put into words or even capture in pictures. This is a very special place and I wish all of you have a chance to see it someday. I am sad to leave Africa but happy to return my wonderful country of Canada...as I am so grateful to call it home.

Thanks for your comments, well wishes and support. It has been a trip of a lifetime and if you know me it won't be long before my bags are packed for another journey.

More pictures to follow when I return home. Looking forward to seeing you all soon.

Love,

Julie

Wine Tasting and Spaahing in Stellenbosch

Stellenbosch...started our day early and headed in search of wine. We stopped at Verglenogen which was one of my favorites not for the wine but the estate. Incidentally, it is Nelson Mandela's favorite as well. It is one of the oldest wine estates in the region with fabulous gardens and 100 + year old trees. The architecture of the old estates is charmingly dutch and most vineyard estate home are loaded with antiques. Heather and I decided to have lunch here at the rose garden cafe. This cafe overlooked about 1000 + roses of all different colours: yellow, pink, white, and red. It was divine..and to top it off there was peacocks roaming around while you enjoyed your lunch. A definate highlight for me...but there was no time to waste we went to Morgentler to taste olives and olive oil...a unique experience and then to Blauwidden (? sp) for a wine and nougat tasting which was a real treat. Heather and I have fallen in love with the PINOTAGE..it is a south African original wine combo of pino noir and hermitage grapes...very yummy.

After tasting, we were back at the SPIER estate for massages....heaven.

Cape Town -- in my top 10 of world's most beautiful cities

Cape Town is definitely in my top ten of the world's most beautiful cites and the drive to the Cape of Good Hope is breathtaking. Heather and I started our driving adventure in a Ford Focus. Both of us were apprehensive about driving on the left side of the road. The friendly South African from my trans Atlantic flight told me a helpful hint "drive on the side of the road that your watch is". Kind of a blond reminder but it worked. In case we forgot, the rental car had a reminder "DRIVE LEFT". Having safely left the hotel parking lot, Heather and I embarked on a tour of the Cape of Good Hope..passing Camp's bay where we enjoyed a lovely sunset and cool drinks the previous night, then on to Hout Bay and Chapman's Peak drive. For those of you who know California, this is the BIG SUR of S. Africa. The road is carved into the mountain side and there are breathtaking views across the ocean with turquoise water. UNBELIEVABLE. We were lucky to have a blue sky day.

Next, was Cape of Good hope and the hike to the first light house on the Cape which was built too low that is was obscured by mist in the night and tragically the site of many shipwrecks. The vistas here were again amazing...lush green foliage with cliffs and turquoise water.

Back in the Focus and we were off to Boulder Beach to see the African Penguins. Wow, they were hilarious. Absolutely a highlight for both of us. Heather got some fabulous footage of the penguins coming onto the beach.. the way they waddle too cute. African penguins are quite small dwarfed next to the seagulls on the beach and they have remarkable pink eyelids.

We stopped for lunch in small town just passed Simon's Town for Tea and Toasties and navigated our way to the wine region of Stellenbosh. The topography changed dramatically from sea scape's to rolling vistas of the vineyards. We arrived at Spier to luxury. Heather and I both in need of some TLC at this point. We arrived to our little villa with vineyard views , white robes and soaker tub with absolute delight. We quickly ordered some local vino and nibbles and got into relaxation mode.

Later that evening, we had an African feast tasting ostrich, venison, springbok and listening to life African music and dancing. We had our own private tent to enjoy the festivities from and had our face painted with African motifs.

Botswana- Close Encouters continued..

In Botswana, we also travelled to Nxai Pan where we saw Springbok leaping for joy and in Nata, pelicans and flamingos were a welcomed surprise. The last night camping in Zambia, Rachel our chief spotter noticed a small brown scorpion on my tent. I thought it is only a baby can't do much harm...later to find out from my sister the small brown ones are the worse extremely painful..Yikes another close encounter.

Photos Below Blog...more to come...

Just trying to download photos for you. Stay tuned there will be more.

Julie

Botswana -Trip of Close Encounters

Hello this time from Cape Town. What an absolutely beautiful city! Heather arrived safe and sound and we just returned from Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned and saw his humbling 2x2 cell and bucket toilet. The mantra was see one, teach one and most prisoners left Robben Island able to read and write; most with University degrees. When god gives you lemons...you make lemonade I guess.

I need to recap my adventures in Botswana for you...it was really a trip of close encounters. We were told by our guides that as it was not the dry season and the grass was too long and our chance of seeing lots of animals was low :( as they are easily hidden. Luckily, this did not turn out to be the case.

In Chobe National park, we saw wild dogs--only 3,000 left in Africa, a lion stalking an impala which I told you about and a very close encounter with a puff adder..deadly snake. Our beautiful boat cruise on the Chobe River was ending and we were about to disembark onto the shore where our guides were and our keen spotter Rachel yells "Snake, Snake" it was 1 footstep away from the guides and no one noticed. We could have disembarked into peril. Rachel saved our life! A close encounter I was happy to avoid.

In Sauvti, close encounters of another kind...hippo out of water. We were all so stunned no one was able to take a photo. It was HUGE! Hippos are the most feared animal of the big five as they can be extremely aggressive. We also had an elephant sniff us with his trunk..so surreal. Elephants weren't always so friendly as we had one charge us full force and man can they move. I was shouting ..."How fast can this thing go.. can we outrun and elephant?" Our guide just laughed and stepped on the gas.

In Moremi, our cooks and camp hands got stuck in the mud! This meant no food or tents for us till after dark 10 pm to be exact. We were covering up from the mosquitos and being reassured by our guide that we were safe even though the lion roars where getting close. He kept saying akuna matta..don't worry as he paced around the camp..CLOSE ENCOUNTER.

..to be continued..Heather and I are off on the hop on hop off bus of the city and cape ending at the Beach in Camps Bay for a PIMMS and a sunset.

Thanks again for all your comments. Having a fabulous trip. Really enjoying life!

Love Julie

Journey to Cape Town Begins- Thomson Sister Tour begins!!

Greetings from Zambia!

Received a great quote from a friend I thought I would share.

"Reminds me of my safari in Africa. Somebody forgot the corkscrew and for several days we had to live on nothing but food and water" WC Fields.

Well, it wasn't as bad as WC Fields as we cunningly took along a box of red wine to keep us warm at night around the campfire :)

Last night, was my last night of camping Hooray! I think I will actually miss it a little bit. Good for character building :) Tonight, I will be sleeping in a real bed with a pillow and soft towels. oo la la the luxury.

The road travel on this trip has been comical..definitely a lot more overlanding than I expected..dirt roads, massive potholes, windy and bumpy. Our vehicle is a Toyota Landcruiser 4X4 in need of updating..with a mere 374,ooo km on it. Yesterday, we made the horrendous border crossing at Kazungula between Zambia and Botswana. It took only 2 hours which, beats the last time our guides crossed which took 5 hours. The border is a small ferry that can carry one transport truck and 4 other vehicles. It is an archaic system..much in need of a bridge. Apparently, bribes are needed to get on the ferry in a timely fashion. My British travelling companions have to pay hefty visa fees to enter Zambia..apparently a reciprocal agreement that the UK has. It is 140 USD per entry. Luckily, as a Canadian, I only had to pay $80 USD for double entry. On the ferry, we saw women and their babies on their back. Other women with bundles of gear on their back wrapped up in colourful fabrics. Oh the heat was sweltering. It must have been 35 C. Dusty and crowded. What an experience...thank goodness I loved my travelling partners: Jakki, Rachel, Chris, Warren, Manjriy. They provided much needed comic relief.

Last night, my friend Jakki and I went to the Royal Livingstone Hotel for a cocktail and watched the sunset. The Royal Livingstone is the poshest place in town a mere $500 USD a night. It was extremely elegant. They are located on the Zambezi river and very close to the falls as you can see the mist rising. We enjoyed a refreshing PIMMS with cucumber slices. It was heaven.

I am leaving for Cape Town shortly. I am happy to report Heather and I are confirmed for massages up in Stellenbosch at the Spier Wine Estate. Now that the roughing is over, it is time to indulge a little. I also booked a tour to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. I hope Heather enjoys that.

Off to the airport shortly...will write again tomorrow and try to get the photos downloaded. Thanks Mum for checking on the house and for helping with the snow.

Love to you all! Julie

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for following along and for your comments. I tried to post the superb pictures from Victoria Falls last week but unfortunately the connection was too slow to download. I will download all my photos once I hit Cape Town on March 29th...so stay tuned.

So far...wow...I must say the safariing here is amazing! I have been camping now for 9 days...perhaps the longest ever in my life. I don't think first class camping exists! I am doing fine but have an appreciation for Heather's dwellings in Africa as I have been familiarized with the bucket shower and portable loo. Would love a soak in my bubble bath right now :) The food is remarkably good given it is all done on the campfire...roast beef with roast potatoes the other night.

It has all been worth it...saw a pride of lions yesterday morning enjoying their buffalo kill it was all females with their cubs frolicking. The lions were a meter away. I got some killer photos. Afterwards, we were lucky enough to see the male lion. We have been hearing them roaring at night but this is the first up close and personal sighting. We locked eyes it was surreal.

The sunsets here deserve special mention...amazingly beautiful ..pink and orange. By far the best I have ever seen. This really is a special place.

So much more to tell you but, only in town for 1 hour...I will write more in Livingston on March 28th.

Love,

Julie

Helicopter Flight over Victoria Falls!!

Flew over Victoria Falls in a helicopter and it was breathtaking. Absolutely, 10 out of 10. I understand why it is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

In the afternoon, went on an elephant back safari and saw my first wildlife sighting of a family of giraffes. We were able to feed the elephant...those trunks are wet!!
We also had a refreshing cocktail on the banks of the Zambezi River.

We are now in Botswana... it is heaven on earth...Chobe National Park is teeming with animals...so far have seen many elephants, impala, kudo, lions, giraffe, hippos. The scenery is spectacular. Need to stock up with provisions for 9 days in the bush. Wish me luck. So far it is a trip of a lifetime. I am definately drinking from the cup of life. Pinch me is this real...saw two lions stalking an impala...it was just like National Geographic.

Lots of Love,
Julie

Victoria Falls ---awe inspiring....

Hello everyone,

I finally met my group from Exodus in Livingstone, Zambia. We are 6 couples, 2 guys, 4 girls with 4 doctors amoungst us. The majority are from the Uk but there is one New Zealander.

We went to Victoria falls yesterday and WOW! It was something to see. It is approximately 3 times as large as Niagara Falls. I am now off to helicopter over the falls and this afternoon I am going on an elephant backed safari.

The camping is a bit rough but slowly adjusting :). Everyone is extremely friendly.

I will try to get some photos of Victoria Falls to you tonight.


Best Regards,

Julie

Arrived in Joburg!!

I arrived at 3 pm local time into OR Tambo International Airport with my day pack and carry on luggage :). It was a long flight 15 hours as the video in flight service was not working... so much for my movie marathon. My seat mate was a local South African, Clyve, who nows lives in N. Carolina. He was good company talking to me about South African's history before and after Apartheid. He was also a kind gentleman and helped me everytime I needed to get my bag from the 6 ft high bin. I was easily transfered to the hotel via their free shuttle and got my first taste of the zulu language from the driver. Aparently 4 different types of tribes are found in S. Africa each with it's own language. I am now in my luxurious hotel and wow did that shower feel great. I arrived to my room and found Oprah on the Sony flat screen. The hotel is the Mondior Concorde (www.emperorspalace.com) it is like a mini Vegas with spa, pool, casino and restaurants. A perfect place to recharge before Zambia and Botswana. I am going to book Heather in here for her last night as it is so convenient and safe.

Happy to have arrived safe and sound. I am off to explore the hotel!

Julie

1 Sleep and the Journey to Africa Begins!!

Leaving bright and early tomorrow for my African adventure. I am flying Calgary to Chicago, Chicago to Washington D.C. and then my 15 hour flight Washington to Johannesburg. Thank goodness South African Airlines serves meals :).

Looking forward to this month long journey. I will try to write as often as I can and download some interesting photos for you. I welcome your comments and yes, Dad, I am bringing my Tilley hat.

Warm regards to you all! Game on! Let the adventure begin :)

Julie

Pre Departure Logistics--What to Pack?

"The desire to see and explore drove body and soul from the shelter of the bungalow to the tent. What could be carried were the bare essentials; a discipline that made light of belongings and precious things"

With this philosophy in mind, I attempt to pack for 1 month all necessary gear and garb into one carry on bag and small day pack. This is an internal struggle between "gear girl" and my more feminine side. Wish me luck.