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