First flight we are off to Calgary to meet up with family for lunch. It is so good to see everyone. Then it is off to the Aspire lounge to wait for our flight to London in Business Class! Yay! Paul and Brenda arrive, and the drinking starts. And so, does the pictures and texts to Terry and Cathy on the other end of the country who are also waiting to board their flight to London.
Why are seat belts always criss-crossed on the seat on the plane? Your hands are full of stuff and you need to get out of the aisle but before you do, you must uncross the seat belt before you sit down. It is annoying. I know I have ranted about this before. It is so exciting to be in Business Class! It takes a few minutes to fiddle and organize and discover everything. When I take off my shoes, I think of John Candy in the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles. “Ahhh, My dogs are barking today!” I enjoy Red Sparrow and Mamma Mia and get a couple of hours of sleep.
October 29th
As we are nearing London, I watch another jet which to me seems too damn close. Yikes!
We land at Heathrow and take the train into London to the Thistle Piccadilly in the Leister Square area. We notice all the Halloween decorations. WTH…..Brits are getting North Americanized! 24 years ago when we lived in England there were no Halloween decorations. We meet up with the Terry, Cathy, Paul and Brenda at the Porcupine Pub close to the hotel. They have Hobgoblin on tap! Always prepared Cathy has wipes in her purse when one of us needs one. She also hands out Canada pins. We then grab “the tube” to Nottinghill to the Churchhill Arms for Thai food. Huh? Thai food in a British pub? It is a typical looking pub but way at the back is a Thai restaurant. Strange. Cathy and Terry’s daughter, Andrea, join us for dinner. Of course, she is Canadian but from living and breathing Britain she does have the mannerisms, the sayings and a bit of a Brit accent. Nice young lady. We check out the wine bar down the street. We head back to the hotel but stop for one last pint close to Thistle at Slug and Lettuce with the Paul and Brenda.
October 30th
Today we start our malaria pills in prep for Botswana. We meet up with Paul and Brenda. The plan is to meet up with Terry and Cathy at the Borough Market but first we need to check out the belts at Elliot Rhodes. Thanks Christine! Yes, we spend money there…………….and then speed walk towards the bridge. We get slightly side tracked at the Bond 007 store and continue to the Waterloo bridge, along the Thames on the south side to the Southwark and then the Borough market area.
We meet Terry and Cathy. We have a delicious lunch of fish and chips and oysters with rose. We trek over to the Imperial War Museum. Since November 11th is not far off, the museum has an incredible display of the ceramic poppies on the outside of the museum. 888,246 poppies which are part of the original Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red installation and now the Weeping Window at the IWM. The poppies flow from the upper dome and tumble down the pillars to the ground. Each poppy represents a British or Colonial life lost during WWI. It is a stunning scene. We spend a couple of hours at the museum which was incredible.
We break from the group and head back to the Borough market to meet up with Sotiris. Sotiris worked for Neil in Maidenhead in 1994. We have a great catch up at the Globe Tavern. From there we take the Tube to Embankment stop and meet up with our group at Gordon’s Wine bar. London’s oldest wine bar Est. 1890. Very interesting old building steeped in history. We meet everyone down in the cellar with a low curved stone ceiling, lit by candles. There is a very fun atmosphere.
Andrea’s friend, Phil arranges dinner at The NED. Located in the old Midland bank building there are 8 restaurants in their own space with the hall separated by huge columns. Live music was happening in the centre. Our reservation was at Zoblers and we had a fun time. After dinner we went to the roof top, through the restaurant to the outdoor terrace. What an incredible view of the city at night! And to top it off, we continued down to the Vault bar and Lounge where the safety deposit boxes still line the walls. The 25-tonne door was made by Chatwood Safe Company – one of only two ever made – and was used as inspiration for the vault in the 1964 James Bond film, Goldfinger. It was a late night but an incredible night! And someone had a lot of Cherry Harrys!
October 31st
We do a quick dart to Elliot Rhodes for belts again and then it is back to the hotel to pack up and check out. Vivien, our friend from Henley comes all the way into London to pick us up at the hotel and take us for lunch. We go to The Oakley Court near Bray/Windsor (it has been 24 years since we have been here). The building has many gothic spires and is situated along the Thames with beautiful grounds. Many a spooky film has been filmed here. After lunch, we are back along the Thames to Heathrow. Ahh, we miss living in England. We say goodbye to Viv and express of “thanks” and we are on our way. We may have made a stop at the John Lewis shop. 🙂 This evening, we are flying with South African air to Johannesburg. The Business class seats were like lounge chairs and they were comfortable. We may have even got some sleep. It was a 11.5-hour flight and we arrive in South Africa in the early morning.
November 1st
We have pick up service at the airport that transports us to the African Rock hotel. Nice small hotel in a gated community with only 9 rooms. Today’s plan is a tour of the Apartheid Museum and Mandela’s house in Soweto with Paul and Brenda. We have a late start to our tour due to some mix up of days, but it gave us time to settle in. And I drop my phone in the toilet! Yep, in it went and I quickly grab it out. I think the leather case I had it in protected it because it was just fine. Whew! That could have been disastrous at the start of the trip. Our tour guide takes us directly to the museum. As we made our way to the entry of the museum, you see there are 2 entrances: One for “whites” and one for “non-whites”
Our guide was very knowledgeable and was really wanting us to understand and see positive changes. So glad we did a refresher of the history prior to our trip. The tour is intense with lots of information. We did an exercise in the Mandela garden walkway with the coloured sticks where each stick colour represents different integrities of life.
Next, we went to the location of the 1976 massacre. There is a monument in recognition. This massacre was the turning point in the liberation of South Africa and the beginning to the end for apartheid. Along the road side you can see people trying to flag down a ride. There are different hand signals that indicate where you want to go. Both drivers and riders know the signals. Now we drive to the part of Soweto township ( 6 million) to the house of Mandela. This is a very sanitized and sheltered view of Soweto as there are approximately 6 million people who live here. Outside Mandela’s house there is a hub of people selling souvenirs and there are restaurants across the street that cater to the bus loads of gawkers. WTH! Mandela’s house is brick and Desmond Tutu’s house look similar, so it appears this is the upscale part of Soweto. As we travel back to the hotel, we see neighbourhoods of slapped together shacks with no power or running water. Our guide explains about the different roof types and how it indicates costs.
We have an early supper with Paul and Brenda. Cocktails, wine and multi course dinner including prawns and lamb (who knew that this was the start of a lamb extravaganza?)
November 2nd
Early breakfast and the four of us are off to the airport to meet up with Terry and Cathy. The Jacaranda and Bougainvillea trees (not a bush like we are used to seeing) are blooming – such great purples and reds. It is difficult to see the people trying to sell items (roasted peanuts or magazines, etc.) at the corner of the highway. Neil did give some money to one of them out the side of the van. At the airport, there is always someone to assist you so be prepared to give them a tip because they are expecting it. OK, so the suitcase was a little overweight and we had to pay approximately $16 CAD. We find Terry and Cathy at the gate sleeping. They just arrived that morning from London. And Cathy had been sick from the malaria pills. Not fun. Or maybe it was the Cherry Harry’s? Flight to Kasane airport in Botswana is uneventful and quick. It is HOT outside. We are transferred to the Chobe Bakwena Lodge and we are greeted by the staff with a song and wet towels.
Lunch
We are here for 2 nights. Our room is thatched and is on stilts and has all the modern conveniences as well as an outdoor shower. How cool is that?
Late afternoon we are out for a river boat cruise to see crocodiles, baboons, hippos, birds and a dead elephant (of natural causes). Ohh, the stench! The soil is sandy and very red. A storm is brewing and the lightning starts so we head back to camp early.
Supper of pork necks and Eland is served along with all the sides of vegetables and salads. We meet a nice couple from Dusseldorf who work for L’Oréal . They do lots a travelling and have travelled a lot of Canada but not the prairies.
November 3rd
5 am wake up call for a light breakfast. We load up in the truck and get to the park gate which is packed with safari groups. The first impression of the park is desolate and dry. Many of the trees have not budded out yet since it is technically spring and soon to be summer. Presley Sinchembe Mbeha, our guide points out that the forest used to have many teak trees, but they have been forested prior to the area becoming a national park. Other trees include the Marula and sausage tree as well as a scruffy, thorny bush. Right off the hop we see Impala. Wow! They are so small and cute. And there are a lot of them. Over the next week, we would soon get bored with Impala. Go figure. Presley tells us that all the Rhinos have been moved out deeper into the park to avoid poachers from Namibia. They even have a army base on site that is instructed to shoot to kill poachers. The morning game drive was a little slow and I think our guide was getting a little worried. We did see Kudu, badger, hippos and then Brenda and Cathy saw a wooden giraffe! We have waited so long to see a wooden giraffe! That mis – sighting provided for many a joke over the next couple of weeks.
We stop for tea at the top of a hill over looking the river to stretch our legs. It feels like 11:00 am but it is only 8:30 am. Finally, we see a lion resting in the shade. There are many safari trucks hanging out watching and some people have serious camera gear. Our guide makes a deep guttural sound and the lion stands up and starts sauntering over to us. He walks right past the vehicle. What an incredible animal! We watch him for a while and then move on to a herd of elephants. Maybe 40? We learn that the South African elephant has ears shaped like the continent Africa. There are many young ones and they are so cute. We get to hotel around 11:00 am for lunch.
We have a 4-points boat tour after lunch. The boat takes you to the corners of Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Zambia. There is a new state of the art bridge being built between Botswana and Zambia which is impressive. We see hippos, monitor lizard and crocodiles. We are all falling asleep on the cruise, so we fit in a quick nap before the next game drive.
3:15 pm and we are ready for another game drive. This time we see 5 real giraffes, baboons of all ages playing at the water side and more Impala! There are Vultures, African eagles flying around as well as the Marabou storks which are standing in the dead trees. This is a striking image. We stop for a Sundowner drink of G and T and get a chance to visit with Presley. He has written a book on his adventures and he has worked with Disney films. Sounds like he is doing OK. We have to be out of the park by 7 pm so start heading back and we end up seeing 3 lioness and 4 cubs in a flood plain area. And then on the highway back to lodge we see a herd of elephants. No wonder there is Elephant crossing signs!
Another wonderful supper is served, and it is to bed early. This is quite the schedule.
November 4th
Today we travel to Zimbabwe. It is a just over an hour to the border. We have a transfer arranged which was a good thing and our luggage is in a trailer tied with a string! Like that is going to prevent theft? The border crossing was interesting with lots of confusion. The border guy wanted to eat his breakfast and kept shutting the window on us and allowing others ahead of us. Cathy was getting upset and we were all concerned that we were going to end up leaving her in Botswana. But as Neil said “we leave no marines behind.” The visa needed for Zimbabwe and eventually Zambia is called a Uni-visa for $50 each. We did eventually get another window and another border person, and we were on our way.
Once in Zimbabwe the highway was lined with forest, but we did see more elephants. We arrive at Victoria Falls Lodge at G and T time and decide to have lunch. The lodge has a huge baobab tree out front. The rooms are nice with mosquito nets above the beds. The standard message about the pesky baboons!
At 1 pm was the Vulture Culture experience. We watched from the deck. Gross.
And now for some down time at the pool. More G and Ts to prevent malaria “thanks” to the quinine with a side snack of Hawkins Cheezies, all the way from Canada. The tree on the side of the pool have woven reed balls which apparently are always on the north side of the tree. Handy to know if you ever got lost in Zimbabwe.
Zebras and elephants come wandering up to the water hole below the lodge. As the elephant wanders back into what looks like a sparse forest he eventually disappears. How does an elephant disappear so quickly?
Our evening starts with a sundowner river cruise on the Zambesi river. It is a vintage boat and is very comfortable. We go up river a bit to see the spray of Victoria Falls (Mosi-oa-Tunya “The smoke that thunders”) in the distance and then basically go around an island. The sun is going down although sporadically behind the clouds but still makes for some fantastic photos.
For supper, Paul and I seem to be the adventurous ones. I have crocodile and Paul has wart hog. Hyenas are down at the watering hole making lots of noise.
November 5th
And today is the Heli tour over Victoria Falls Even though it is low water flow season it is still spectacular to see. The helicopter does a figure eight over the falls so everyone gets a full-on view. Exhilarating! I was wearing my Sask Roughrider top and a woman introduced herself and announced that she was from Edmonton. Small world.
We fit in another dip in the pool and see the vultures again. Still gross!
The afternoon took us on the walking tour of the falls. There were lots of lookout points and the views were incredible. The red wild flowers were called Fireball lilies. We could see people on the other side by Livingstone island in the Devil’s pool on the edge of the falls. We would have had to pre-book this online and they were all booked up. This is our excuse and we are sticking to it! Driving through town we see queues for petrol. There is a shortage of petrol due to the weak economy.
Tonight, Paul tries the Kudu for supper. The local entertainment of men singers come around to sing to the diners. A few of us are noticing bites on our legs. We don’t think it is mosquitos but not sure.
November 6th
Today we leave Victoria Falls area and cross the bridge to Zambia to catch our flight at Livingstone airport to Kruger airport in South Africa. Our transfer takes us across the bridge which has one-way traffic and train tracks and then on to the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia. The border is kind of chaotic and our driver takes our passports and leaves us in the vehicle. Yikes! Again, our luggage is in a trailer but this time there is a stick holding it shut! There are baboons running around the vehicle. Young men are knocking on the windows trying to sell us stuff. The driver comes back, and we are good to go on to Livingstone airport. The town of Livingstone has a British colonial feel with many old buildings from that era on the main street. At the airport, there are helpful assistants that definitely want a tip. You really have no choice. At least they are providing a service for a fee. No problem getting through the various levels of security. At one point, the security women were commenting on my nails. I said to Neil “they are admiring my nails” and they then asked if I spoke Shona. Not sure what kind of security check that was? There are a few nice shops and we buy a painting of 3 ladies. . The rose in the lounge was undrinkable. Had to switch to beer!
The flight on South African Air was basically empty with 10 passengers. It was a 2.5-hour flight south to Kruger Mpumalanga Airport. As we were flying in you could see many orchards. Customs was a breeze. Neil’s bag got caught on the conveyor belt and none of the workers seemed too concerned to retrieve the bag. Again, we leave no marines behind! We finally get the bag and are on our way. We are heading south to Sabi Sands Reserve outside of Kruger National Park
We have a transfer and it is a 2-hour drive to Inyati Game Lodge. The driving is a little frightening (like passing when unclear), but we survive and so do the many people walking along side the road. There are people riding in the back of an open trucks (like we did as kids). There are goats and cattle. Lumberyards. The forest on either side of the highway is made up of very tall straight trees. Then there are fields of macadamia, avocado, and banana. There are lots of unfinished construction of homes of brick and cinder Crete. Money issue or saving up? Various roof styles depending on the expense – metal, shingle, or tile. We pass through Mbombela, Hazyview, Oakley, Belfast and enter the Sabi Sands reserve at Newington gate. At the gate, our trailer of luggage is checked. Looking for guns?
Once within the park gates the trails are sand with deep ruts. There are plow marks on an angle away from the trail for drainage in the rainy season. The soil is not as red as Chobe.
We arrive at Inyati. We are greeted with wet towels to freshen up from our journey. We are offered afternoon tea and sandwiches while our bags are taken to our rooms. We must sign a waiver. What does that tell you? We are told that we must have an escort to room at night. Today, there was a leopard by the lodge. And again, the warning to keep your rooms locked because of the thieving monkeys coming into rooms. There is a male Nyala named Ned who hangs around camp and lots of bush bucks and Impala, of course.
We do a quick cleanup and unpack and have our escort to the main lodge. We meet up with Barry and Jose and meet our guide Gabriel. Gabriel joins our table for dinner.
Snacks before dinner include Biltong which is a dry jerky. Dinner had a few meats including oxtail, chicken, lamb, and sausage. One of the sides was “pap” which is a cornmeal polenta. Everyone is tired, so it is a quiet night with only a few bottles of wine. Besides, we must be escorted back to our cottage and 5 am will come quick!
November 7th
Ick! Another 5 am wake up! When is this going to end? We have a quick breakfast and out for 4 hours with our guide Gabriel and tracker, Cliff. They sometimes speak Shongali to each other but mostly English. The temperature is a little cool today, but we managed to see a lot of animals. We give Cliff the gears about putting on a coat and that he needs to toughen up (practice) in order to come to Canada. We see a mom Leopard and her cub up in a tree with a kill. The cub did come down from the tree and wander a bit, not concerned about all of us staring at either of them. Impalas, Termite mounds, Elephants, Giraffes, Impalas, Nyala, Wildebeest, Hyena, Impalas, Termite mounds, Zebras, Warthogs, Hippos, Impalas, Termite Mounds and Crocodiles. Then there was a sighting of 4 male humans irrigating the landscape! It was an eventful morning so our 2nd breakfast was well deserved. And so was the nap!
Teatime at 3:30 and from the deck we can see giraffes wandering just beyond the creek! Now time for the afternoon game drive. It started raining so the lined ponchos were welcomed. Gabriel took us over near the Leopard Hills where there was a Hyena den. It appeared to be one grouchy adult who was very full and lots of young pups darting in and out of the slab of rock. Impalas, Termite mounds, Cape Buffalo, Elephants (young and old), Ring-tailed Lemur, Impalas, Termite mounds, and Kudu. The elephants just hung around the vehicle as we watch them destroy many trees including debarking branches. Unreal! We also see Richard Branson’s camp up on top of one of the hills. It was raining pretty good by the time we got back to camp for another 3-course supper (lamb) and then our escort back to our cottage.
November 8th
5 am again! Right off the hop, we see Hippos and crocodiles at the Sand river crossing. Soon after, one of us has to check out the back of a termite mound. Good thing Grandma has wipes in her bag! This morning we head south. We see Impalas, Termite mounds, and a couple of male lions and lionesses. It is amazing how they just hang out when the vehicle comes by. They may look at you a few times but really, they re not concerned. More Elephants, Impalas, Termite mounds, Mongoose, Wild dogs, Zebra and Wildebeests. There is a spikey thorny bush that looks dead everywhere. Nara or nacaia plant? We head past a Ranger’s farm where a train used to run by from Kruger National Park area. Impala sighting again! It is a long way back to camp so the 2nd breakfast is again well deserved.
While we were enjoying afternoon tea we see a Rhino wandering in view from the Lodge deck. Back out on drive at 4 pm. Again, at the river we see Hippos, birds, crocodiles and a monitor lizard. Then we see the most colourful bird ever, a Lilac Breasted Roller. Spectacular! Oh yeah, and a Unicorn! Which was actually a Kudu with only one antler. More Impalas! Cliff, our tracker heads out on foot to track the Rhino. We were all worried about Cliff but Gabriel didn’t seem too concerned. We eventually found Cliff and the Rhino. We got a pretty good up-close view of the Rhino. Then it was a herd of Cape buffalo. More Impalas! We pass Sycamore fig tree which had a big trunk. Supposedly this tree used to be the postal tree since it was a great landmark. As we pass yet another Termite mound there are lots of flying insects. Gabriel tells us they are flying termites and they supposedly taste like peanut butter. We keep our mouths shut! More Impalas!
Next we get to see a Leopard (Kellydam) with her kill (Nyala) up a Jackleberry tree. The Hyenas were pacing below the tree just waiting for her kill to drop. She was taking a break from eating and was resting on a large branch. We sat there for quite a while just observing. Incredible!!! . I am glad that I made the conscious effort to put down the camera/phone and take it all in.
Start to head back to camp and we are surprized with dinner by candlelight in a bush opening. The sun is setting, and we have a glass of wine in our hands. What a life! The staff did such a wonderful job of the table prep, the food and the drinks. It is a clear night and the stars are awesome. If only we had a data plan on our cells for South Africa, so we could use our star app or track the International Space Station. As we are eating dinner, we can hear the leopard making sounds!
November 9th
Another 5 am and the peaceful morning African sounds!
And we are off on another drive. Cathy taking a break this morning. Right at the river again we see the Hippos but this time they are out of the water. Continue on. Impalas! We stop a little farther on and go for a walk. Gabriel has a gun. Cliff has checked where the Rhino is so we are walking towards him. We are all to be very quiet. We find him in a creek bed. He is very aware that we are something and he turns his head. He is acting different that when we were observing from a track. Was he ready to charge us? We didn’t stick around to find out.
Back in the truck and we see more Elephants and then we find a Leopard (Bylessi?) lying down in amongst brush. It is very difficult for Gabriel is get the truck close but he does it. Apparently, word has it the Hyenas had taken her kill (probably Impala) from her and she is resting now. She may go for another kill if an Impala walks by. How likely is that to happen? Impalas have a 2-year life expectancy. We continue to sit there and just observe. It is just amazing. On the way back to camp, we see another Rhino, Impalas and a couple of Zebra on the road.
Today is much warmer so we enjoy the pool with drinks and Hawkins cheezies. Our group does the draw for our BVIs cooking partners. The owner of Inyati camp arrives by private jet and lands on the runway near by. Nice…..
Out for our last game drive at Sabi Sands reserve which named because there is a Sabi river and a Sands river running through the reserve. First off we see……….Impalas! We see a giraffe in the distance and a scrub hare. And then it is back to check on Kellydam, the Leopard up the tree with her kill. Not much has changed and the Hyenas are still hanging around the bottom of the tree. We stop in a wide open space which is near air strip by Leopard hills and have our last Sundowner drink – G and T’s, of course with a beautiful sunset. Everyone is happy but also sad as our safari days are now over. Supper tonight is in the BBQ fenced off area with a open fire pit. It is very nice but it is also smoky and now all our freshly washed clothes smell like smoke.
November 10th
We get to have a bit of a “sleep in” this morning. After all those 5 am mornings even 7 am feels like a “sleep in”! As we are eating breakfast there are Zebras and giraffes wandering across the creek/river out front of the lodge. See we didn’t have to get up a 5 am!!! We could have just stayed on the deck each morning. We also saw a Dung bettle doing its’ thing.
We have a delicious breakfast and then give our best and a very nice tip to both Gabriel and Cliff. They are nice young men. Again, the luggage trailer is secured with a twig!
We go back through the checkpoint and take basically the same route back to the airport. Past the Eucalyptus trees and banana trees. There is lots of garbage along the roadside. The ride is about 2 hours and we are dropped at the airport. We are flying to Cape Town. In Cape Town, we meet up with our transportation guy but there is a little confusion as to who else is joining us and in the end, we decide to go on. The trailer for the luggage behind the van has a padlock! Wow, things are looking up.
Cape Town is an amalgamation of different nationalities and indigenous tribes. Alongside high-rise office blocks, a harmonious blend of architectural styles has been meticulously preserved, including Edwardian, Victorian and Cape Dutch. Cape Town is also at the foot of Table Mountain and Lion’s Head. Very picturesque!
Our hotel in Cape Town is the Pepper club hotel. Lots of confusion at check in. We are arriving a day before most of the Opimian group and the hotel wants us to move rooms tomorrow. What? Crazy. And some of us have a pretty crap room!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We head off to Victoria and Alfred waterfront to find a restaurant for supper. Eat at Life Grand Café at the harbour. Windy and loud out on the deck but nice view of the harbour. BUT they forgot our oysters! We grab a cab back for approximately 50 – 60 Rand. Barry and Jose’s cab tried to charge much more than this so Barry told him “bullshit”! Crooks! Well, it is time for another G and T in the lounge (WiFi – time to and catch up on social media) where we start to see other Opimians’ arriving. We talk to Michael and hear that his cell phone was ripped off from their Botswana flight. Crooks!
November 11th
Breakfast and more Opimians’ arriving. This time, we take the shuttle to the Victoria and Alfred waterfront. We walk along the water enjoying the view and eventually wander into the mall. Viola! Shopping…………. Even the guys were shopping. Just sayin…. As we are looking a a boat ride, we photo bomb some tourists. Of course, they think we are American, but we quickly correct them. After talking for a bit, we find out one couple had even been to Saskatchewan. We take a catamaran (Wahoo! ..practice for the BVIs) out of the harbour. It is windy and a little cool. We see sharks and a great view of downtown Cape Town. Also, Robben Island. Some locals ask why we are wearing a poppy.
We dig into lunch at La Parada which a New Orleans was styled restaurant. The Busker festival is on so the harbour front is full of great music and atmosphere.
Opimian has their opening reception at the hotel where we get a briefing of the days ahead. So exciting. We head off to Cousins restaurant to a fantastic Italian meal. “The Cousins” Grana Padano cheese wheel pasta is absolutely delicious – Tagliolini with cream, mushrooms and thyme rolled around in a huge grana padano wheel! Yum! The whole meal is delicious and even with the usual multiple bottles of wine it was a reasonable price. Several Opimians’ ended \up there for dinner. Our nightly G and T’s are getting to be a ritual.
November 12th
Off to Groote Post Wine Farm in the Darling area of the Western Cape, Coastal Wine Region. African Eagle tours is the bus company. Sam is our driver and our guide is Chris Classen and he is full of information. You can see the Cape Dutch architecture of the buildings and the grounds of this 18th century farm. Wine Farm. They have a nice reception area with sparkling and canapes set up and a large Braai for grilling the meat. Nick Pentz (4th generation farmer) talks a little about the farm and gives us a little lesson in Dutch “Baie Dankie” means thank you very much. But knowing we might not get the pronunciation correct he suggests we just say “buy a donkey” since it will sound the same! He also tells us that “wine is an experience in a bottle”. Yep, I will agree with that. The winemaker, Lukas Wentzel walks us through the tasting of 7 wines and then have a delicious lunch (lamb) in the barrel room with locally sourced food.
Our return to Cape Town will be by way of several townships rich in South African culture. We stop at the Langa township. We feel terribly guilty being here. Who are we to get off a tour bus and gawk at the people and where they live? It is hard to take in but as we walk through, we do get a sense of entrepreneurship. There are tables of hand made jewellery and other goods. We stop at a “lean-to” that has a fire and a couple of women cooking sheep heads, called “smilies”. The fire dries the heads and the skin stretches making it look like the head is smiling. We donate money. There are kids running around in the street, men washing cars and women hanging laundry. We stop at local pub (Shebeen) and tasted a Zulu beer Umqombothi which is a mix of mealie meal, maize malt and wheat malt. Essentially a shack with a dirt floor and 2 x 6 bench. The bucket is in the centre, so we pass it around and have a sip. Ick! Sour! We left the Shabeen thinking we are going to get very sick but it didn’t happen. Thank goodness. We walked a few blocks to go visit the medicine man, who didn’t really seem to be very interested in entertaining anyone. Perhaps the influence of some Umqombothi?
In the evening our group meets briefly to hear Jane Master’s presentation on South Africa wine regions and our Opimian suppliers. Then it is off to the opening dinner at Shimmy Beach Club at the V and A waterfront. The restaurant looks like a club more than restaurant and it is very loud and hard to visit with everyone. Guess what happened when we got back to the hotel? Yep, another G and T!
November 13th
This morning we are off to Bosman Family Vineyard near Wellington and are welcomed by Neil Büchner. We get an overview and tour of the winery then we get to see some cute children sing outside of their school, Boveli Pre-School. Bosman Vineyard have been involved in Fairtrade Initiatives which helps fund the school. very advanced in having the workers as part owners and also provide schooling and health care for their families.
This was followed by a vine nursery tour and grafting demonstration. A further walk takes us to an Old Vines Chenin vineyard (63 years old) for a tasting. Corlea Fourie, wine maker takes us through the tasting. The Chenin is absolutely wonderful – Delicious honey and alfalfa. The Cinsault is also delicious. She explains that they are moving towards organic and a branding of 8 generations. We have more wine tasting before lunch (lamb) at Au de Hex Boutique Hotel followed by a delicious lunch. The grounds are beautiful with an abundance of blooms. On the way back to Cape Town, we take a slight detour and stop at the leather shop. Cha Ching! A nice purple leather purse is coming home to Canada. The rest of the group heads off to Table Mountain but a small group of us have dinner reservations for tonight at Salisfy at Camps Bay.
We have an amazing dinner at Salisfy. Paul, Brenda, Terry and Cathy are at a separate table. At our table we decide to do the tasting menu (really Ellen influenced this decision) We had dueling sommeliers at the table with Neil and Leah along with the restaurant sommelier so delicious wine was enjoyed by all. Each dish had an extra element of some sort that was added at the table side. We finish the experience with a G and T! Thanks Barry! The Uber driver suggests we go up Signal Hill for a night city view. So sparkly and beautiful.
November 14th
We start the day with a drive up to Signal Hill (2nd time in 12 hours) so now we get to see the view in daylight. Equally spectacular although on the one side is a bit of cloud. The hang gliders take off and go right into the cloud. Yikes! Don’t think I could do that.
Next is the Bo Kaap neighbourhood with its’ colourful houses and cobblestone streets that has an Islamic influence. You can see this influence in the shops and restaurants as well.
On the way to Company Gardens we drive the Grand Parade and past City Hall with statue of Mandela. We stroll through Company Gardens which is a large public park originally a vegetable garden in 1652.
We have lunch at Fire Fish Restaurant at the V and A waterfront. Again, the area is bustling with live catchy music. The mall has interesting Christmas decorations with a huge tree out front. I also love that the mall has decorative tile on the floor.
As we are heading our of Cape Town Chris, our guide talks about the unfinished highway overpass that was never completed. It is now used as a parking lot and for filming in the movie industry. And we are off to Stellenbosch and the Lanzerac Hotel and Winery. This place is stunning!!! From the spa, to the pool, to the grounds, to the winery, to the rooms, to the main building with 2 bars, grand piano, dining room, and the breakfast buffet with fresh oysters and sparkling! How bad can that be? We settle into a tasting at the winery of 6 wines for about an hour and then we get into our rooms. Wow! The room is spectacular. Talking to others on this trip, all rooms are different and all spectacular. Had a refreshing swim before getting ready for dinner. Dinner is in the main dining room. Lamb or Line fish?
November 15th
We get to have a bit of a “sleep – in” this morning and have a buffet breakfast with fresh oysters and sparkling. We did indulge in the whole buffet. Scrumptious! Even had time for a little walk around the grounds and check out the spa. If we ever come back to South Africa – we are coming back to this place.
Then we are off to Warwick to start drinking yet again! We are greeted with sparkling with a setting of tables and benches along with the tasting area all set up under the trees in the shade. And over along the water on the grassy area in the sun are umbrellas and picnic blankets. So inviting! We are treated to a picnic lunch that is served in wood wine boxes because Why not? Baguette, meats, cheeses, olives, dessert. It is so much food and we are all still full from our indulgent breakfast. Damn! And we feel guilty because of all the work our hosts have gone too. After lunch we are split in 3 groups – lecture on the science and passion of wine making, then drive up the hill to see soil samples in the vineyard and take in the view at top with a glass of wine and finally a tasting with 6 wines by the picnic area. It was a wonderful visit to Warwick.
Next, we are off to Marianne Estates which is only 5 minutes away at the foothills of the Simonsberg mountains. Hospitality Manager Emilie Caner along with winemaker, Jos Van Wyk give us a tour of the tank room, a tasting at their tasting room and finally we walk up the hill through the vineyard with bush vines to another building which houses more tanks and barrels and a shop. We have been buying so much wine that we purchase 2 x 6 pack Styrofoam cases for shipping home. Back down the hill through another vineyard to the Floreal restaurant for dinner. Great service, wonderful food and wine.
We finish off the night by checking out Paul and Brenda’s room with their own pool and a 2nd floor! More wine was consumed along with Hawkins Cheezies. Classic pairing!
November 16th
Another early start to head off to Elgin Valley, South Africa’s coolest wine region. As we drive through Stellenbosch, Chris gives a little history and tour. Stellenbosch is a university town. There are fantastic restaurants and trendy culture and historic buildings. Lots of little shops. The scenery on the drives is beautiful with mountains and ocean views. Almenkerk is first stop where we had a quick talk from Richard Kershaw. We tasted some of Almenkerk wines and had a tour of their tank room. Cool item in the tank room was the storage of wine in the plastic cube.
We have lunch (lamb) at Rojaal Restaurant nearby along with presentation and tasting of 5 Richard Kershaw wines. We were all treated to a gift bag of wine. Yikes! More wine to drink or haul home! On return to Stellenbosch we see more townships. Miles of shanties and strings of power lines between them. Some of us get off the bus in Stellenbosch to check out the town. Neil continues to the Villafonte tasting, led by winemaker Chris De Vries. We have a free night, so we head into Stellenbosch to the DeCameron Italian restaurant. What a nice change from lamb!
November 17th
Up at 5 am to pack and tape up the wine cases, grab breakfast, check out and get on the bus. Today, we are heading to Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope. Sam, our guide today, gives us lots of information. For an instance – Traffic lights are known to locals as “Robots”. We travel past the 2nd largest township Khayelitsha at 5 million! Unbelievable! There are portable toilets which are referred to as VIPs. (ventilated improved pipe). They do have schools but quality is not great. We travel up a mountain and have a stunning view of False Bay and continue through little seaside villages. Notice unleaded petrol is 16.49 Rand per litre. Past Muzenburg with its’ gorgeous beaches. St. James Kalk Bay has little beach huts. There are several Tidal Pools along this coast offering a safe and warmer place to swim since there are sharks in these waters. The architecture does include old homes and even a 200-year-old church. Fish Hoek, Glen Cairn, Simonstown are some of the other villages. As we climb in elevation between the towering peaks, closer to Cape Point there are flat stretches that is covered with a white flowering bush. Unfortunately, I don’t know the name.
Once we get to the point there is a funicular that could take you to the top, but we decide to hike. The views are spectacular of the Indian and the Atlantic Ocean below. As we are heading down the baboons show up. We have been warned. There are silly tourists that sit down beside the baboons then the baboon starts grabbing at her trying to take her jewelry. What was she thinking? One baboon tries to get under Heather’s skirt. And then another baboon “books” it across the parking lot trying to grab Jennifer’s sandwich. Very aggressive!
We head back up the east side of the point to Simonstown to see the African (Jackass) Penguins at Boulders Beach. Apparently, 2 penguins showed up in 1981 and now there are 2500. On our walk to the beach we see a very entertaining group of children singing and dancing.
We head across to the west coast and along Long Beach. Sam tells us this is a very dangerous and cold beach and again mentions there are official shark spotters. Not somewhere I would be planning a swim! On the bus, we share the last bags of our Hawkins Cheezies! We stop at Hout Bay to check out the market and have fish and chips at the famous Fish on the Rocks restaurant. We saw this featured on Somebody Feed Phil on Netflix. We also check out the Bay Habour Market. On to Camps Bay and the backside of Lions Head and then on to the hotel to freshen up before dinner.
Everyone put a little effort in to dress up a bit for our last night of festivities. After the bus ride to Groot Constantia we get off the bus and are standing around waiting to go into the winery. I noticed my leg is bleeding and trusty Cathy says “I have a wipe”. “Thanks”, Cathy, you are always ready for anything! Dinner tonight is at Groot Constantia. The area is very “larney” indeed! Beautiful area. Our host tonight is Boela Gerber and longtime Opimian friend Martin Krajewski. Groot Constantia is the oldest winery in South Africa and Bordeaux producer Martin Krajewski’s newest project is Aristea (pronounced Aris-tea) is with partners Matt Krone and Florent Dumeau. We have a tour and tasting of wines from Aristea and Groot Constantia and from Clos Cantenac and St. Émilion. After Matt, Florent and Martin speak we stop Martin to tell him that this past year we did a vertical tasting 2004 – 2013 of Chateau de Sours La Source. He said “Wow! not many people could be able to do that many years”. Little does he know we could repeat it and add on a couple of years! Boela and Martin host our closing dinner featuring traditional Cape Malay dishes. Lamb lamb lamb! The wine makers from earlier in the week also join us which was a nice. Fun time was had by all and the bus trip back to the hotel was a classic with singing and dancing along the way! And then there was the party in Heather and Paul’s room without them….they left for the airport already but their room was available.
November 18th
We get up super early to grab breakfast and head to Table Mountain, but it is too windy, so we go back to bed for a nap and then meet everyone down at the market for lunch and shopping. We have late checkout, so we have an opportunity to check out Paul and Brenda’s incredible penthouse suite with a private pool. Wow! One last G and T and we start our long long journey home at 9:30 pm. I watch “The Theory of Everything” and try and sleep. BA business class seating in the center “sucks”. You must step over someone to get to the aisle. We are exhausted, so we actually slept on plane despite the crabby seat situation.
November 19th
We have an early morning land in Heathrow and have 6 hours to kill before our next flight. We say a quick goodbye to Cathy and Terry. We stop at Harrods to purchase Christmas pudding and shortbread and then hang in the lounge. Wow! We feel like blobs from 3 weeks of excessiveness. It has been an awesome trip, but we didn’t work out enough to counteract the intake. Oops! Another goodbye to Barry and Jose. Finally, we are off to Calgary with Paul and Brenda on Air Canada in Business class Another movie and a little nap. We clear customs in Calgary and didn’t need to collect our bags. Nor did we have to pay duty even though we claimed everything. And then we wait and wait and wait for our flight home. We really fell like zombies now, but we do eventually make it home that night.
What a wonderful trip with a bunch of fantastic friends – a propeller head, a G and T instigator, a “just one more”, a photographer that agreed with “just one more”, a note taker, a “wipe” lady, a wooden giraffe spotter, and a “voice of reason”. And we have the incredible opportunity to share a catamaran in the BVIs with these friends in a few short months. Yay!!!
Cheers!
Wine and Cheezies Travels 