Our last day

Checkout time was 11:00am but we extended it until 11:30 as we were being picked up at 12:00 for the drive back to Johannesburg Airport. We arrived at the airport at 2:00pm and just lazed around waiting for our flight which turned out to be 2 hours delayed.

We arrived in Perth at 2:00pm the next day to be greeted by Kay, Alistair & Rhys. We went up to Yanchep to Trevor & Peta’s place. Peta had organised a fabulous afternoon tea for us. It was nice to sit & relax before going to dinner on the way back to the airport for the final leg of the journey home.

Mankwe Game Excursion

Our last day at Sun City. We didn’t do a lot this morning apart from catch the shuttle for a more in-depth exploration of the facilities. We got off at the Palace Hotel. It is definitely very upmarket. The furnishings & grounds are amazing.

 

 

Next stop on the shuttle was to the Valley of the Waves. It is a man-made wave pool in a lovely relaxing setting. The temperatures were in the mid 30Cs again.

 

We went and got a cold drink before walking back to the hotel. We had some lunch then rested up before going on the Mankwe Game Excursion at 4:30pm.

 

 

We boarded the high jeep truck at the Reception Centre and headed off to Pilanesberg National Park. We encountered elephants, giraffes, zebras, lions and finally got to see some Wildebeest. After sunset we saw some rhinos and an elephant.

 

We were dropped back to the hotel at 7:30 where we had a late dinner at the Mug & Bean. We went up to the room and flopped into bed after packing most of our bags ready for departure the next day.

Sun City

Today was a rest day with nothing planned except for exploring the resort area. We slept until 7:00am & then had a lazy breakfast about 8:30. At 10:00am we caught the shuttle bus for a bit of a look around. The temperature was in the mid 30C’s. There were lots of school kids at the wave pool for their end of term break-up. Lunch was at the Mug & Bean in the complex. We had a quiet afternoon & caught up on some sleep. Just had a light dinner at the Mug & Bean also.

Final day on Rovos Rail

September 28

The last day on the train. Our journey was to end at 12:00noon. During the night we were to stop at 1:00am for our overnight stop until 5:00am. Due to a very large thunder storm the train came to an unscheduled stop when a tree came down and took out the electric wires and damaged the track. We were stuck there until 9:15am when we started to move with our ETA now 4:30pm. However more power problems had us waiting another 2 hours when the signal system went down. We finally arrived at the Rovos station at 7:15pm – 71/2 hours late with a 2 hour drive ahead of us to Sun City our accommodation for the next 3 days. We arrived extremely tired & my asthma had flared up for the first time this trip.

Kimberley

It was a bit of a rough ride over night & I didn’t sleep very well. We made a stop around 11:00pm to refill the water tanks on the train and then again about 3:30am for the driver to have a break until 6:30am. We continued on for an hour before we stopped once again to change drivers.

Breakfast was from 7:00 – 10:00am. We went down about 7:30. There was cereal, fresh fruit, fruit salad as well as hot meals from the menu. Very nice indeed.

We continued having another 4 course lunch before we slighted the train at Kimberley where we viewed the Big Hole from the Kimberley Diamond mine. This hole was entirely hand dug by the workers with no machinery involved. We had a 2 hour guided tour which was really too long. I didn’t go down the mine as I thought it would be a bit claustrophobic.

We were back on the bus at 4:15pm to return to the train to continue our journey. We passed the wetlands where there are usually thousands of Flamingo but because it is dry there were none there. During the wet season the water reaches the rail tracks.

 

The skies came over very cloudy which made for a beautiful sunset.

 

Dinner was at 7:30pm – yet another 4 course meal. I was extremely tired so went to bed early.

Rovos Rail

A bit later start today as we were being collected at 9:30 to be taken to the Rovos Rail Train Station for our trip on the Pride of Africa up to Pretoria. We were taken to a meet & greet where we had drinks and nibbles before being boarded onto the train to start our journey at 11:00am. Once we were settled into our suite 8041 Beaufort Room we sat in the lounge & watched the view. The lunch gong was sounded at 1:00pm and we had our first five star dining experience on board – a 4 course meal which ended at 3:00pm.

We went back to the cabin for a bit of R’n’R before sitting in the lounge until 5:00pm when we arrived in Matjiesfontein. We disembarked and had an hour or so to explore the Victorian village. There was a transport museum as well as another little museum.

Once we started off again it was time to shower & dress formally for dinner at 7:30pm. Once again a huge 4 course meal. I decided not to have the dessert as I was still full from lunch.

Cape Town Tour

We awoke to a beautiful blue sky today after yesterday’s miserable weather. We were up early for breakfast as we were leaving at 7:45 for our trip up Table Mountain. We purchased our tickets at the hotel before venturing out to cut the waiting time at the mountain. We caught the cable car to the top. The views were absolutely spectacular. We spent an hour at the top before descending on the cable car again.

 

Our next stop was Signal Hill where a cannon is fired every day at Noon except Sunday & Public Holidays. We had more spectacular views.

 

Next we headed into Cape Town to the Boo-Kaap area where the Dutch housed their Malay slaves. Many of the families still live in this area. The houses are painted in beautiful bright colours.

Our last stop for this part of our tour was to Green Square markets. We were still unable to find our wooden hippo to complete our set.

 

 

 

At 1:15 Belle & Henry came to pick us up. They took us to Blouberg Bay for fish & chips for lunch. We had a spectacular view of Table Mountain across the beach area. After lunch we had an ice cream & a walk along the beach. They took us back to the hotel about 4:30.

We jumped on the 5:00pm shuttle and went down to V&A for a look around in the hope of getting the hippo. We caught the 6:15 shuttle back. We had pizza from the local corner pizza shop Debonairs, for diner. A lovely day all up.

 

 

 

 

 

Stellenbosch

Today was our wine tasting tour. We visited 3 different wineries where we got to taste some red & white wines. The first was KVW which started out as a co-op to let the farmers get rid of excess grapes & wines they produced. It is now a private concern.

The second place we visited was in Franshoek where we paired chocolates with wines. Once again we tried 3 whites and 3 reds. We had lunch and visited the markets in Franshoek.

The third place was a disappointment as the bottle of white was just plonked on the bar and then if you wanted a red you had to ask. Following this we went into Stellenbosch for a look around and a coffee break before heading back to the hotel.

We stopped off at the Prison where Nelson Mandela spent the last 14 months of his incarceration.

All 8 of us in the group went to a local Italian Restaurant for dinner as it was Pauline’s last night with us before flying home. It wasn’t as nice a meal as the night before but at least the company was good.

South Cape Tour

Today we did a South Cape tour. We drove along the coastline. It is very picturesque. We went down to the wharves where all the trawlers come in and caught a boat out to Seal Island where there were literally hundreds of African Fur Seals lying around on the rocks while some frolicked in the water. It was amazing to see so many.

 

We continued our journey around the coastline and came to the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point. We had our photos taken behind the sign. The view was amazing from up there.

 

Our next stop was at Boulder where we visited the African Penguins which are quite different looking from our fairy penguins but not much taller. There were quite a few young amongst them starting to lose their downy fur. Once again some were relaxing in the sun while others were swimming or standing sentry over the sea.

 

We continued on to the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens where we spent some time. We walked across the tree top bridge and then headed to the Protea gardens to view the beautiful assortment of Proteas.

After quite a long day we headed back to the hotel. Seven of our group gathered at 6:45pm and we headed out on the shuttle bus to V&A for dinner together. We ate at Karibu a traditional South African Restaurant. I had 2 lovely traditional dishes – Bobotie (a sweet curry type of dish with a baked egg topping) and Souskutjes (maize dumplings with a cinnamon custard over the top). We caught the shuttle back to the hotel after a very good day and a lovely evening together.



Cape Town

We had a very long day today as we were heading into Cape Town. Our first stop along the way though was to the Cango Caves. I was a bit worried about going into them but they were open and airy enough so I managed quite well. I also had a puffer before going in. I got some lovely photos so it was worth the chance.

We made a couple more stops along the way for lunch & a driver break so just admired the beautiful mountainous scenery along the way. We passed through the stone fruit orchards & the town where they were dried, made into jams, etc & were readied for export. Some of the housing we past was interesting.

 

We arrived in Cape Town at 5:30pm, very tired after our long drive. We checked into the Radisson Blu Le Vendome.  Dinner was at 7:00pm then it was an early night.

Oudtshoorn

We left the hotel at 8:30 for a short drive to the Kuersboom River for a scenic ferry ride. There were some lovely camping areas along the waterside as well as a number of natural beaches only accessible by water. It was very peaceful as we travelled a short distance up the river. There were some amazing reflections in the water. If you turn the photo sideways it is like inkblot prints. We saw a few cormorants, yellow wood trees & Oudtenikwa (or false) yellow woods.

We arrived back at the bus and drove a short distance to Kaaimans River Pass where we could see the railway line passing over the Estuary and the tunnel in the hillside that it passed through.

 

We continued on to Oudtshoorn where we had lunch and visited an Ostrich farm. We went into the incubation room before boarding a tractor for a tour around the farm. We saw many ostriches and also some emus. We got to stand on 3 ostrich eggs to show the amount of weight they can hold. It actually takes 120kg to break the shell of an ostrich egg. We saw some white ostriches as well as the usual black & white males & brown females. There was a weight limit for a person to sit on or ride an ostrich so most of us just had to have a cuddle. Saki was a lovely young emu and brought his head right across in front of me and gave me a huge hug. His neck feathers were so soft.



 

We stayed at a working farm for the night – de Oopstelt. The rooms were very quaint & old worldly. Dinner was cooked in the traditional way over a fire & the dining room was heated with an open wood fire. The atmosphere was very nice as it was a cold wet night.

Hunters Hotel

We had a late start today. Some of our group wanted to go whale watching so they left the hotel at 11:00am while the rest of us were picked up at 12:00 an driven in to Plettenberg Bay to spend some time exploring & getting some lunch. We regathered at 2:10pm before collecting the whale watcher.

 

Our next port of call was the Tenikwa Wildlife Awareness Centre where we had an awesome time with the wild cats. We saw Caracals, Servals, Lions, Wild Cats, Cheetahs & the Leopard. Once we had visited each of the enclosures - entering them all except the Caracals & the Lions were viewed from a raised walkway.

 

 

 

We got to walk with the Cheetahs on their afternoon walk around the park. We got to hold the leash and walk beside them. The female Cheetah was purring the whole time. We got to pat them. The fur is so soft. After their long walk they were rewarded with a feed and the male had to have his insulin injection as he is a diabetic. What a fabulous experience!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tsitsikamma Nature Park & Storm River

 

We have had a very busy day today. We were collected from the hotel by our new guide & driver. Our first stop was at the Tsitsikamma Nature Park & the Storm River where we had a kilometre walk to the suspension bridge to view the Gorge.

Next we continued further to Birds of Eden where we had lunch then saw some beautiful birds in a very large enclosed aviary.

Following this it was a visit to the Elephant Sanctuary where we got to walk with the elephants, pat them & feed them. Totally amazing day.

Our room tonight & tomorrow is actually a thatched cottage set in a beautiful sprawling garden outside of Plettenberg Bay.

 

Durban

We left the hotel at 8:00am and drove to the iSimangaliso Wetlands. We went to the Estuary to view the beach and the largest sand dune covered in vegetation. We headed back to Lake St Lucia in readiness for our boat ride to view the Hippos. We saw heaps of hippos of all sizes during our 2 hours. There was even on big bull marking his territory then opening his mouth really wide. Just amazing to see!

 

We had lunch altogether at a restaurant before continuing the 3 hour drive to Durban in the pouring rain. A cold front was moving in. We arrived at the hotel at 4:15pm and were left to our own devices for the evening.

Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve

We had a lazy morning as we had no activities this morning. We wandered around the grounds, down to the lake trying to spot the resident Hippo. All we got to see were his ears as they broke the surface as he came up for air while feeding. There were a few small crocs but we could only see the eyes. Looked around the garden at some of the interesting flowers.

 

After lunch we gathered at 1:00pm for our excursion to the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve. We were treated to a variety of animals, some quite different from Kruger. We saw three of the Big Five today – Buffalo, Rhinos & Elephants. Other animals included Egyptian Geese, Impala, iNyala, Water Buck & Wart Hogs. Our guide, Megan was very good allowing us to see rhinos frolicking in the mud and a breeding herd of elephants when we were supposed to be back at the gate. Instead of just 3 hours we had closer to 4.

 

 

We had a BBQ dinner tonight followed by some entertainment by the Zulu dancers.

 

KwaZulu-Natal

We left the hotel at 8:30 and drove 20 minutes to Swazi Candles where we saw candles being made by hand in the traditional way. There was also a craft market set up outside with lots of local products.

 

Our next stop 2 hours later was at the Swaziland/South Africa border where we had to go through the process of exiting the Kingdom and entering KwaZulu-Natal – another 2 stamps on our passports. We continued for another hour reaching our hotel at Ghost Mountain for lunch. Once there we had lunch before heading out in open jeeps to visit a traditional Zulu Village set high up in the mountains. One of the Zulu families took us for a tour through the family home/set-up.

Following this interesting tour we drove further up the mountain to have drinks and view the sunset while overlooking Lake Jozine. We headed back to the hotel where we freshened up before dinner.

Swaziland

We had breakfast at 6:30 before leaving the hotel at 8:45am. We travelled a couple of hours before having a break. It is amazing to see the different country side. Lots of tall blue gums, pine plantations, orange orchards, banana plantations as well as mango, macadamia & avocado trees. The housing is also a sight to see.

 

When we reached the border we had to go through immigration to exit South Africa and then to arrivals to enter Swaziland. In the ‘no-man’s’ land we were treated to a Cultural Experience. We were entertained by a local Matsamo singing & dancing group, a tour of the village and entered the grandmother’s hut followed by lunch.

 

Continuing on for the next 2 hours we passed through some very mountainous country with winding roads until we reached Ngwenya Glass. It was certainly not what I expected. We walked into an area overlooking the floor below where there were many workers involved in various steps of the production of the glass products.

 

It had turned very cool by the time we left there at 4:30 and headed to the Royal Swazi Spa, our hotel for the night.