South Africa 2015 - Take Aways

South Africa 2015 - Take Aways

This is a bulleted list of some revelations we had during our trip to the country on the right.

In no particular order but divided by locale… a recap. Enjoy!

Johannesburg, South Africa

• Due to my err in carefully looking at the itinerary, we did not stay as planned in this town
• The OR Tambo International Airport, and process of taking care of guests definitely needed some attention.  
• Plenty of options for eating and shopping.
• Seriously, bused to and from the planes?
• Seriously, we walked 5k steps from one terminal to the other (I counted via my Fitbit).
• Airport Craft Brewers (ACB) beer was pretty dang tasty, each of the three four times we landed there.
• Airport security was just that, people making money to make you take stuff out your pockets.
• I didn't feel safe, but I didn't feel in danger either.
• I didn't have to take my shoes or belt off, and still felt safe.
• We had to go through security each time we went from terminal to terminal.
• People watching at this airport was pretty excellent.

Zulu Nyala, South Africa (aka Hluhluwe, KwaZulu Natal)

• Renting a car is easy, even if you reserve it in a different town, like Durban (a mere hour plus away).
• Hertz took good care of us by changing the reservation, which made me thank them very much.
• GPS devices are very nice, since our US phones couldn't do data over there without charging us a mortgage payment in fees.
• They drive on the wrong (left) side of the road.
• Cows and goats are free range (no fences).
• The Big 5 and Magnificent 7 are fenced in with electric fences.
• NO such thing as free range wildlife, as we know it.
• They are called ‘preserves’ - as in preserving the wild from poachers (aka reserves).
• Or so they say…
• Impalas and Nyalas still roam free (nobody wants them as target practice).
• The game drives were fun, no matter the size of the pre/reserve. 
• Its all about the guide and his/her radio on what game you got to see.
• Tips were only supposed to be 10%, but we tipped 20%.
• We were LOVED at Zulu due to tipping practice!
• Zulu felt like home, mostly due to all the Americans that were there.
• This made for a nice break in period in a different country.
• Nyala is pronounced “In-Yeah-La” not “Nie-Al-Ah” as previously thought.
• We never, ever, never had a bad meal at this lodge.
• We never, ever, saw a male lion or a leopard in these parts, which saddened us.

Richards Bay, South Africa

• Beer in the bay at Jacks was R11.50, which at the time equated to $0.80US each for a 500ml.
• 500ml = 16.907oz.
• I liked Richards Bay.
• Massages were R400 for 60 minutes, which at the time, equated to $30US.
• I loved Richards Bay.
• WiFi was plentiful by just asking the bar lady what the password was.
• The Protea Waterfront hotel was quite nice.
• I want a bathroom in my house just like we had in this hotel.
• The Protea Waterfront hotel only passed out 500mb chits for WiFi use per day.
• I got three or four said chits each day because the front desk liked us.
• They loved what we call classic rock.

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

• The leaders changed the currency in 2009 from the Zimbabwean dollar to the US dollar.
• http://www.rhinoafrica.com/victoria-falls/currency
• They charged for things like beer, food, and attractions like we were in New York City.
• Sorry NYC, but you gouge too, at least in Midwest terms.
• One of the seven wonders of the world, Victoria Falls, was ominous, fantastic, mysterious, and just plain freakin awesome.
• Zambia River splits Zimbabwe and Zambia and while on a cruise, you can see the difference (not really, but you could feel it).
• I never got tired of seeing hippos in the water, birds on the trees, or crocs sunbathing on the shore.
• After eating in the bush, I gained a new respect for animals - the ones that eat you as well as feed you.
• We still never, ever, saw a male lion or a leopard in these parts, which saddened us, again.
• Even after canceling our Boma dinner for another game drive just to see one of each.
• We still saw some elephants where one got pissed and acted like it wanted to charge our jeep.
• The locals are high pressure sales people once outside of the confines of the hotel.
• They are like clickers in Las Vegas (yes, that bad).

Cape Town, South Africa

• This was the most pleasant surprise of the trip.
• We had no expectations of this town, but absolutely loved it.
• So much, we could see ourselves living here (at least Rob could).
• I felt like I was in San Francisco on steroids and visa versa (I heard it both ways).
• We weren't big on the wine thing, but we still did the tours due to the beauty of the country.
• Whilst in Rome… (do as the Romans do).
• Sonoma and Napa took second place, in our opinions.
• People are extremely nice here.
• The Cape of Good Hope was a great experience.
• Shark diving rocked better than expected.
• We felt very safe, but cold in the ocean.
• I know why they call them wetsuits now.
• Apartheid ended over 30 years ago in South Africa, but it was still felt there.
• Townships aren't slums, as I was corrected many times.
• I felt sick to my stomach while touring the townships.
• I felt welcome while touring the townships.


Overall

• NYC to Jberg flight better-than Jberg to DC flight (note to self).
• We checked out of work pretty much right after we boarded the first plane.
• We watched very little TV while overseas.
• We listened to very little radio while overseas.
• We didn't miss either very much.
• We didn't track the Royals or Chiefs like normal while overseas.
• We still loved the Royals and Chiefs, but didn't care if they won or lost nearly as much.
• We quickly cared once we returned home.
• We learned - A LOT about African countries, not just South Africa or Zimbabwe. A LOT!
• South Africa is freakin huge, not to mention the other 53 countries that make up Africa in total.
• We missed our family, friends, neighbors, and home while gone - very much.
• We still haven't checked in to work on the day prior to be going back.
• I saw some things that I could only imagine, both good and bad.
• I still love the USA, more than any country.
• South Africa comes in a nice second, so far.
• I have a new found respect for my country and the freedom it has provided me.
• I have a new found hatred to the capitalistic bastards that make this country one of the most selfish in the world (not the worst, but how can I buy a beer for $0.80 in SA but not in US?).
• Ok, bastards was a little tough, but jesus, it doesn't really cost that much for beer, right?
• Poverty in US has nothing on poverty in SA.
• This was a trip of a lifetime.
• We will go back to South Africa, because nobody does something so nice just one time.
• Because we didn't see, do, or experience quite enough of this wonderful part of the world.

South Africa 2015 - September 6, Zulu Nyala to Richards Bay

South Africa 2015 - September 6, Zulu Nyala to Richards Bay

All good things must come to an end, or something along those lines.  This day was no exception.  Since we had to check out prior to 1000 AM SAST, we pretty much just woke up, got breakfast, packed up, said some more goodbyes, and tabbed out. After looking at the bill, I had a couple of tip outs to do for the kitchen staff and housekeeper.  Then, I noticed that the suggested tip amounts for all the staff and realized that our guide, Welcome, didn't receive what he should have from us.  So, I had the front desk contact him over at the Game Lodge and they handed me the phone so I could set up a meeting time to throw him another bone!

Once we loaded the bags in to the rental car, we headed over to the Zulu Nyala Game lodge, which is about a 10 minute drive.  We met Welcome right after we arrived, gave him some more cash, some more hugs, and exchanged more thank you’s.  After he left, we toured the game lodge, which is much bigger than the Heritage Lodge with an expansive view over the property. We picked a few rooms out for our next stay and walked around for a bit before heading to Richards Bay.

The drive was uneventful, with the exception of watching Kathy slow-mo record the Eucalyptus trees as we sped past them.  The videos turned out pretty good, but some of the most entertaining points were the people that were walking along side of the road - doing what they do.  We had to set the GPS to our destination hotel, which I am glad we did.  Like any other city that is new, the roads can seem intimidating.

We arrived in Richards Bay around noon.  That is around 2 hours prior to check in, so naturally, we did what we know how to do best - find the bar!   Once we were half done with our first beer, our room became available.  We grabbed another beer for the room and headed up with luggage in tow.  I took a minute to catch up the blog from the day before as well as editing some photos, did my posting, and then we took off to get some lunch.  We landed at Porky’s, which is a bay front restaurant with a fantastic view.


After some grub, we headed to the far side of the bay by foot.  We took in all the sites, but since it was a Sunday, most everything that wasn't a place to eat or drink was closed.  Once we walked most of the area close to the hotel, we headed over to Gimbals, since they had an uncovered patio and some music.  Turns out, the one-man band was playing some very familiar tunes.  The funny part of most of the music that we heard in the bay was classic rock, like Eagles, Tom Petty, Bad Company, and much much more.  The guy wasn't the best, but he was a welcome sound for sore ears, since most of the radio here is talk or slow.

It was getting a bit chilly outside, so we headed back to the room to get some jeans on and then headed to Jack’s, where beers were R 11.50, which equates to about $0.80 US for a 500ml draught beer (about 20ozs).  Their pizzas were even less (see photo below of options and prices).  If nothing else we have learned, beer and food is very reasonable over here.  Bad part is that it takes some pretty good jack to fly over…  After a few beers at Jacks, we headed over to the restaurant next door called Mariners Seafood and Sushi Bar, where Kathy had some California rolls and I had prawns, which were both delicious and satisfying.

As tourists do, we asked questions about different things to do around where we were at.  We asked the barlady about getting out on the ocean and low and behold, she recommended Sandy, who just happened to be sitting at the bar. We talked to Sandy for a bit about arrangements for either Monday or Tuesday sunset cruise.  Kathy also asked about getting her nails filled and we both inquired about massages.  Sandy hooked us up with information needed to obtain each.

Overall, we were trying to figure out the plan for this visit, since we didn't have any plans.  It looks like a St Lucia hippo and gator boat cruise and a dip in the Indian Ocean on Monday, and a sunset cruise on Tuesday.  The massages, Kathy's nails, and whatever else will get mixed in.  Not a shabby day for being a travel day.

South Africa 2015 - September 5, Zulu Nyala

South Africa 2015 - September 5, Zulu Nyala and Emdoneni Cat Reserve

There was an 0630 AM SAST morning game drive on the agenda today.  We had already told the group that there was a great chance that we were not going to join in so we could sleep in.  Mostly due to being a little tired of getting up at 0530ish each day for morning drives as well as the plan to hit the Emdoneni cat reserve at 1000 AM.  Once we got up around 0800, we headed down to breakfast and had the usual morning fare.  Each and every day they had some different kind of meat, like impala sausage, lamb sausage, etc, as well as the standard eggs, bacon, yummy beans (thats what I called them), and fruit.

Once 1000 SAST rolled around, we were ready to go to meet some cats that are being rehabilitated, such as the Serval, the African Wildcat, the Caracal, and the Cheetah.  We rolled down the highway to the reserve and found ourselves with two really large parties of around 20 people each.  We split in to groups so that we were a little easier managed and had more time to pet the kittys. :)

The first set of cats we came upon was the Serval.  Likely around 20lbs and the longest legs, proportionally, to any other cat breed.  The ears were long but they appeared ok with humans interacting with them, with the exception of the one they just got out of the wild.  He/she did not like anyone to come up near it, but let us alone overall. 

We then went to the African Wildcat, which looked mostly like the domestic US house cat - though its not one you would want in your house. Not a whole lot of excitement with that one, but once we got over to the Caracal, it was game on.  We entered in through the front of the caged land and approached to the back where the cat was.  Zee, our guide, approached the cat calmly, with us a little ways behind him.  Once he got the cat to smell him, the cat hissed and swiped at him, in a non playful manner.  Zee reminded us to just stay calm and he faced the cat through the whole process so that the cat would not get him from behind.  The one thing I recall about this breed is that they can jump around 6.5 meters from a sitting position.  The fences were 2.5 meters.  Didn't make much sense to me, but Zee said they don't jump the fences since they are fed in the afternoons (they know where their meals are coming from).

Once those three cats were showcased, we then went over to the large cheetah area.  There were two in the fenced in area, which made up around an acre or two.  These are the long, sleek, and uber fast cats that can go up to 112 km/h and can turn on a dime.  Zee instructed us to stay as a group and not to go along solo.  We found out why pretty quickly.  Once we got back to where the cats were, he separated them so that we could get photos with one of them.  If there are two in a pack, they gang up on their hunt, and are pretty much indefensible.  He got one of them to lay down and a few people out of our group of 20ish were able to take photos with it.  But, the other cat kept coming around, so we exited the area and went next door where the smaller cats were at.

Once in the other area, the trainer kept the one cat away while we sat and posed with the other one as folks took photos.  The other cat came over briefly and one couple who was with us most of the trip, Sandra and Dan, were able to get a photo with both of the cats at the same time.  Pretty cool.  Then, some other friends that we met back at JFK for our inbound flight to Africa, Jim and Yana, sat and posed with the cat. However, Jim had sat his hat and camera case down on the ground before he did that.  The cat noticed, and went over to get the hat, pretending it was a meal.  The cat dropped the hat and picked up the camera case, and sped off with it.  There was no catching that cat either.  Hilarity ensued as Zee and the trainer continued attempting to get the camera case, which was believed to only have a luggage key and a blank memory card in it.  However, soon after we left the area, Jim realized that the camera was still in the case.  Zee sprung in to action and took some meat out to the Cheetah so that he could entice it away from the case, which he did.  That case had so many bite marks, but the camera was still intact.  Whew!

After that fiasco, we headed back to Zuly Nyala, where we ate some lunch at the bar while we had some beers. I edited photos, updated the blog, and generally enjoyed the company of the barman and barlady (thats what they call them over here).  It was Princess’s last shift for the weekend, so we said our goodbyes, friended each other on Facebook, and she went her way as we stayed in the bar and sipped on beer. Some noon’s (newbies) came in fresh off their flights and we gave them some down low intel on what we thought was the best experiences and what we wished we would have tried.  We didn't have much going on in the afternoon, since we were planning an 0530 PM SAST game drive, which they call the Nighttime Game Drive.

Cooler in hand, we headed for the parking lot where Welcome was to meet us to take us on the night game drive.  We had requested a cooler with 12 beers in it for the drive, which is the only time that Zulu allows the passengers to take beer.  We really didn’t know what was in store, but heard that we would likely see ant eaters and other nocturnal animals that we would not see during the day time.  We also heard that the hippos would likely be out of the water as well.  Welcome didn't go too fast on this trip, but he did take us to a part of the park that we had not seen yet.  The ridges were steep and the view was incredible, even though it was an overcast evening with zero sun.  As the seven of us guests drank our beers, we talked about the week’s events and reminisced.  We took several photos of each other as well as some with each of us with Welcome.  Naturally, it was sprinkling for most of the time it was dark, but that was ok.  We all had rain jackets on and the beer was flowing nicely - so we didn't much care. 

Once done with that bit of the trip, we headed back to the lodge, said our goodbyes to Welcome, and tipped him for the fantastic guide work that he did for us.  At the lodge, it was nearing dinner time, but of course we dont like to eat right away, cause there was more beer to drink.  Of course, we had to go to the bar and meet up with some of our other friends, tell stories, talk about next plans, and drink more beer.  We headed in to dinner around 8:30 PM only to learn that Tom, the father of Andy and Dan, had a birthday, which was celebrated similar to Kathy’s the night prior.  We ate cake, again, which was fantastic, again.  Once done with dinner, we all said our ‘see-ya-laters’ instead of good byes, and retired to our room.

Check out was to be at 1000 AM SAST, so that means we had to be out of th room and on the road by then.  Its been a great stay at Zulu Nyala.  This day was another one for the books!

Serval

African Wild Cat

Caracan

Zee getting personal with the Caracal

Happy Zee!