10 things I know now after honeymooning in South Africa
1. We
will always pack whatever size suitcase we have to the absolute exploding
point… it must be some kind of immutable law of physics.
Seriously,
we went through our packing list a month in advance for this purpose. We laid
out everything we planned to take and with every item we asked why we’re taking
it and cut down the non-essentials. And we still packed heavy.
So what
have I learned? Our children will be carrying their own things. Family motto: Every
Benoit for themselves.
2. I
need to learn another language. South Africa possesses a remarkably diverse
population and given that diversity they made all 11 languages spoken in the
country an official language. Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans (a language derived from
Dutch), and English are of the most common. Every South Africans we asked spoke
at least a handful of languages. I can read Hebrew. Does that count as 2?
Dominant languages in South Africa.
Afrikaans
English
Northern Sotho
Sotho
Southern Ndebele
Swazi
|
Tsonga
Tswana
Venda
Xhosa
Zulu
None dominant
|
3. Johannesburg
is, unfortunately, known for its crime rate. I read that if you are stopped at
a red light and someone runs up to the car, be prepared to break a traffic law
or two in order to get away. Say what! With that we listened carefully to
advice on where to go and that meant we didn’t see much of Jo’burg. The day we
arrived to South Africa we stayed overnight in Sandton City, in the northern
part of greater Johannesburg. Interesting fact: Sandton is considered the
“richest square mile in Africa,” the economic hub of the continent.
4. On
the second day a private driver named Mmeli drove us five hours from Sandton to
Jock Safari Lodge in Kruger National Park in the Mpumalanga Province.
Mpumalanga literally means “the place where the sun rises” in Swazi, Xhosa and
Zulu. I just love that…and those sunrises were stunning! But what I learned
here …and continued to learn throughout the trip… was that I was mispronouncing
some words. Did I miss the English class where we learned that there are rules
about what letters are silent before or after certain letters? My new cheat
sheet…
silent 'k' before 'n'
|
knee
|
know
|
knuckle
|
knock
|
silent 'w' before 'r'
|
write
|
wrist
|
wrong
|
wrap
|
silent 'g' before 'n'
|
gnash
|
gnat
|
gnaw
|
gnarl
|
silent 'p' before 's'
|
psalm
|
psychic
|
psychology
|
psychiatry
|
Not sure
if we can add silent ‘m’ before ‘p’ but Mpumalanga is pronounced with a silent
‘m’. And Knysna is NOT pronounced ‘Kin-snah’. We will get to that later…
5. AIDS is
a real problem in South Africa, especially in hetero relationships. The
numbers are unbelievably sad. The estimated HIV prevalence nationally is 30%.
30%!! Just for reference, compare that to the United States where it’s 0.37%.
The disease
is leaving millions of children orphaned, and the number of child-headed
families is a growing concern for the government. Unlike in North America, the
people suffering from AIDS in South Africa often do not have access to the
drugs that could enable them to live a relatively healthy, normal life. The
pandemic continues to outpace efforts to control it, which is why foundations
like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with the goal to significantly
reduce the incidence of HIV infection and extend the lives of people living
with HIV is critical.
6. Kruger
National Park in the Mpumalanga Province is the world’s oldest game reserve
with 7,000 square miles of unspoiled wilderness and 147 species of mammals
(more than any other African game reserve)! It is still very nearly pristine.
Here you feel the magic of Africa’s enigmatic stillness; and when you see
these magnificent animals in their natural habitat you clearly understand
the allure of them.
Besides
the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino), the park is home to
giraffes, zebras, cheetahs, hippos, impalas, hyenas, warthogs, kudu, springbok,
wildebeest, baboons, vervet monkeys, helmeted guineafowl, yellow-billed
hornbill, lilac-breasted rollers, crocodiles…the list goes on. We spotted all
of the Big Five (which were famously nicknamed by early hunters because of
their ferocity, power and courage) during our second drive!
Some
things I learned about them…
Not
surprisingly the African elephant is
unmistakable and utterly majestic! You can’t help but be awed by the power and grace of these compassionate
animals with their tight family ties. Herds consist of related females and
their young. All decisions are made by the eldest of them, the matriarch. Reminds
me of someone I know.
Lionesses raise cubs cooperatively, and
cubs suckle from any placid lioness. In the wild, competition for food is
fierce – more than 75% of all lion cubs die before reaching two years old. That
was shocking.
The leopard is a stealthy, nocturnal predator
who stalks their prey before grabbing them by the throat and suffocating them
with their jaws. We watched a stalk, but I was hoping to see them leap up into
a tree carrying their big dead snack.
The African or Cape buffalo is a powerful beast that is thought to be the most
dangerous of the Big Five.
Two
species of rhinoceros live in Africa;
the black and the white. The names refer not to the color but to the width of
the nose and mouth. Wyd (wide) in
Afrikaans is pronounced vait. The white rhino has a wide mouth, hence its name.
Both are similar in height, but the white rhino weighs twice as much as the
black.
7. For
five nights we stayed at Jock Safari Lodge, one of Kruger’s Private Lodges. This
place gave me a glimpse of bygone days. We ate, slept and saw animals. It was
glorious.
Our
individual thatched room was an oasis. Napping on the outdoor day bed and awakening
to the sound of elephants rubbing against bushes or giraffes eating the tops of
the trees across the river was unforgettable. The space imparted this sense of
aloneness and oneness with the landscape. OMG take me back!
The
lodge is situated on 23 square miles of bushveld and for the exclusive use to
the Jock guests. Our ranger Ben took us on daily morning and evening game
drives where we saw breathtaking views of Kruger and spectacular game viewings.
I loved spotting something unique in the wilderness (I hardly was the first one
to spot the animals) while being equally entranced by the ever-changing colors
of the sky. The beauty cannot be explained in words.
The
chefs tempted us at every meal. Joey could not stop craving his first burger,
and I was constantly looking for dishes with Danish feta. Every other
night dinner was served boma style, under
the stars in an outdoor dining area lit by the light of lanterns and a central
fire. Here at the lodge we tried kudu loin, buffalo meat pie, springbok shank,
warthog, peri-peri chicken and so much more. On our final evening we enjoyed a private
dinner on our verandah, overlooking the river.
8. We
were sad to leave Jock, but happy to see Mmeli, our driver, again. This time
instead of driving the most direct way back to Jo’burg we took the Panorama Route, which is said to be one
of the most beautiful thoroughfares in South Africa. I really wanted to drive
this route because of scenic landmarks with evocative names like God’s Window,
Bourke’s Luck Potholes and the Three Rondawels. We stopped to see each of those
and also saw part of the Blyde River Canyon, the third largest in the world,
which is one of the great wonders of the African continent.
Besides
the natural beauty of these vistas, I learned about forestry in South Africa.
Who knew South Africa grew trees in an artificial man-made even-aged
monoculture? Not me. Apparently, the introduction into South Africa of exotic
forest tree species with much faster growth rates than indigenous species
brought a major advantage to the
timber industry and marked the first phase in domestication of forest species. I
admit it doesn’t sound that interesting, especially compared to spotting wild
animals on safari, but seeing miles upon miles upon miles of these precise tree
farms is really something captivating.
9. We
had an overnight in Johannesburg before flying south for a couple relaxing days
along the Garden Route, so we spent it eating. (Surprise. Surprise.) We had a taste
of the continent while eating a romantic dinner in a cozy alcove listening ~and
dancing~ to a live African band playing soulful vibes.
The next
day we were trying the world famous wild oysters of Knysna, a town in the
Western Cape Province, and I was back to being schooled on pronunciation. Kind
of like when I was calling La Jolla, “la joe-la” - for some reason I thought
the town was pronounced “kin-snah kin-snah”. So not only was I completely butchering the word, but I
duplicated it. Such an Amy thing to do… No wonder none of the locals knew where
we were going! I finally figured it out after asking the receptionist where she
recommended we try our first “kin-snah kin-snah oysters”.
For the
record it’s pronounced “Nize-nah” and we agreed with the critics, Knysna
oysters are some of the tastiest in the world. Joey continued to eat them at
every meal for the rest of the trip.
So what
we learned throughout our travels is that I need a guide to when not to
pronounce silent letters. :) Or, that the food and drink are as varied as
the country’s population. I’ve already thrown myself under the bus, so let’s
stick with the latter.
We ate
some quintessentially South African cuisine, where the cooking style is known
as Cape Malay, which fused the cuisine of the Dutch at the Cape with that of
the slaves they brought from Indonesia. We tried:
bobotie, similar to shepherd’s pie, curried
minced meat topped with an egg custard
biltong, air-dried meat, flavored
with salt and coriander and cut into long, thin strips
boerewors, sausage made from coarsely
chopped meats and also spiced with coriander
crayfish, salty spiny lobster
melktert, or milk tart,
milk-egg-sugar dessert custard prepped in a pastry shell
And Joey’s ALL-TIME FAVE --- Cape Dutch malva
pudding, a kind of caramelized sponge cake, made with apricot jam,
sometimes spiced with ginger, served hot and accompanied by custard. This will
be the reason we return to South Africa one day. Who’s in? Zabe, I’m looking at
you.
10. We
left Knysna and headed to the southwesternmost tip of Africa, Cape Town, which
was about six hours away. This time Joey was driving. On the opposite side of
the car and road might I add. Rockstar rating earned.
As we
approached the buzzing cosmopolitan seaport it felt like home. Set on a bay in
the shadow of mountains Cape Town has some unmatched natural beauty. From the
brightly colored Bo-Kaap quarter to the regality of the Victoria & Alfred
Waterfront, from the cape to the monolithic Table Mountain, there is so much to
see in such tight quarters. What I learned here is that we know how to make
damn good use of our time. We tackled the whole peninsula in just a few days. Plus
a trip to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, a couple museums, a dive
with great whites, and at least a sunrise or sunset every day.
On one
of our adventures we headed out before dawn to Cape Point, just 26 miles south,
to catch sunrise and the dramatic views of crashing waves. WOW was it windy!
Then we traveled up the east coast of the peninsula where we walked among
penguins on Boulders Beach and grabbed yummy fish and chips (and watermelon and
danish feta salad) at the Brass Bell in colorful Kalk Bay, a local fishing
community.
And most of you know about our shark diving adventure. For
those that don’t I’ll copy what I wrote on Facebook.
……….
((Key: 1 meter is 3.28 feet))
So our tour was originally
scheduled for Thursday, but cancelled because of the large swells and strong
easterly winds. I was nervous the tour would cancel on Friday too, but
fortunately the weather cooperated.
We left from Kleinbaai, a small harbor town, part of
Gansbaai in the Western Cape of South Africa. This area is known as a hotspot
for the Great White Shark and the best place in the world to see and dive with
these iconic creatures in their natural environment. South Africa boasts one of
the largest concentrations of Great Whites and other shark species. It is
believed that there are less than 5000 Great White Sharks left on the planet,
and recent estimates suggest that 2000 of these are to be found in South
African waters, emphasizing just how special their ecosystem is.
From the moment we headed out toward Joubertsdam the sun
was out and it seemed to be a beautiful day. The 10-minute boat ride was bumpy.
The swells were still very high. Once we made it to Joubertsdam we had the most
difficult part to do...put on the super tight wet suit. That never gets easier
and always looks ridiculous.
The first shark we spotted was quite small (1.9m). The
biggest shark of the day was 4m and we also saw a familiar face to the area
(dolphin fin) that they had not seen for some time. We saw between 9-11 sharks.
Water temperature was high (16.4C or 61 degrees F) for this time of year. It's
usually between 10-18C. Because of yesterday's weather visibility was poor
under the water (0.5m).
We were the third group, out of 4, to dive. I don't care
what they say the water was cold, but you kind of forget about it when you're
clutching on to the handrail when sharks swim up to you. The cage is made out
of a 25 mm galvanized mild steel frame and covered with 10 mm galvanized mild
steel security mesh. You feel safe. There's a lid that covers the top of the
cage. I didn't realize before we went, but the cage is always attached to the
side of the boat. You can get out whenever you need to.
For me the adrenalin rush and exhilaration I got from
being centimeters away from those apex predators with their powerful jaws and
razor sharp teeth was crazy! As soon as I got out there was an open spot in the
final group and I went right back in.
The truth is - it is 100% more likely for you to get
killed by an object dropping from the sky than by a Great White Shark. Humans
are not their chosen specie of prey. We are too large, bony, gory and sinewy
compared to a soft, fatty and bite-size baby seal meal! Although... after the
amount of food we've been devouring I feel more like a soft seal than a bony
human.
……….
All that said, shark diving felt safer than scrambling up parts
of Lion’s Head, a mountain between Table Mountain and Signal Hill.
On our last morning we were up and at ‘em
before dawn (what I also learned: Joey may have converted to a morning person)
for a private guided hike to the top of Lion’s Head. The pre-dawn sky was so
clear and perfect for stargazing. At a couple points along the path we had to
use our hands to ascend rocky ridges, or scramble up the mountain. Oh! and a series of chains and ladders to
assist since this particular section was basically vertical. All I had to do
was hop in a cage to see sharks. We hit the top minutes
before sunrise for astoundingly dramatic views over both the city and the
Atlantic Seaboard. What a magnificent perspective over the “Mother City”… on
Mother’s Day. (I had to.)
We made it down just to go back up again. This
time we ascended to the flat plateau of Table Mountain via cable car. Our legs
were done. The coolest part of Table Mountain was the “tablecloth” of clouds
that often cover the mountaintop due to rapid changes in the weather. Legend
attributes this phenomenon to a smoking contest between the devil and a local
pirate. Who knows?
What I do know is this was a trip of a lifetime!!! So many unforgettable adventures with the
love of my life, the malva pudding & oyster loving, left or right
side driving, PHENOMENAL photographer Joey. Now go check out his photos!
P.S. Videos to come.
