Safari Adventures, Part I

When we were making plans for this trip, I knew that the safari portion would be very cool, but I wasn't expecting to fall in love with it.  Since we've started with our game drives, I can't get enough of the animals and eagerly look forward to every time we venture out to look for them.

On Friday, we arrived at the Ngala Tented Camp, which my friend Nina would tell you is not like camping in a tent at all, and she's right.  We were most definitely "glamping" while we were there, and I loved every minute of it.  I think all those years of Girl Scout Camp has made my interest in sleeping on the ground lessen considerably.

Sure beats sleeping on the ground.

That bathtub was amazing.

One of the coolest things about Ngala was that there were some animals who lived on the property.  You had to be careful when walking around them, but it was amazing to be so close to them.  I took the picture below from right inside our doorway of a warthog who liked to roam the campground to look for food.

Our first afternoon at Ngala we went out on a game drive right at 4:30.  We were out for about four hours and it was incredible.  Some things we got to see during our stay included zebras, a singl male lion who lost his pride, giraffes, and a leopard with her two baby cubs. We even got to see a pride of lions at night!  They walked within ten feet of our Jeep.  It was out of this world.  Sadly, none of the pictures from that came out very well, but the ones below did.

Riding in the Jeeps with us was another couple from California and a father with his daughter from Germany.  Our guide, Derrick, and his tracker, Jonas, took us around to see all the different animals.  They made an amazing team and definitely didn't disappoint.

Each morning, we'd get a wake up knock on our door at 5.  One of the staff members brought us coffee and tea to drink while we got ready for our early morning game drive.  We then left at 5:30 and were out until about 9.  Then it was breakfast from whenever you got back to whenever you were done, lunch from about 1 to 2:30, tea at 4, evening game drive at 4:30, and dinner whenever you got back, so around 8:30.  I felt like I was back at sleep away camp with a daily schedule, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

On our way out on a game drive.

I loved staying at Ngala, even if the monkeys that hung around camp were super annoying.  Those cheeky monkeys stole bread right off our table during lunch on our first day there!  And then they proceeded to run across our tented roof nonstop while we were taking a nap.  I really do not like monkeys anymore.  Except for Plepleus.  He's cool.

Up next, I'll talk about the lodge where we are currently staying.  It's out of this world.

Wine Country

If you asked my close friends and family what my favorite drink is, they would tell you anything with vodka.  That's what spending a year in Russia will do to you.  But, I am an equal opportunity drinker.  So when we spent time in wine country, I made sure to let the wine flow freely.

We arrived in Franschhoek early on Thursday (11 am) and were told that our room was not yet ready since check in wasn't until 3.  What were we to do until then?  The woman who greeted us listed a bunch of activities, one of which was a private, half day winery tour.  Done.

Three sets of rooms at our hotel.

Our guide, Leonard, picked us up at noon and away we went.  We hit up four wineries in total.  Tokara, our first stop, was my favorite but Mike says that he liked each one for different reasons.  This winery also produces olive oil, so not only did we get a wine tasting but an olive oil one too.

The view at Tokara.

Leonard was incredibly knowledgeable about wine country.  He told us that not only do they grow grapes in the area, but many different types of fruit as well.  People greeted him with a huge smile at every winery, so he is clearly a good friend of the community which I think gave us a better experience.

Our view at the second winery.

One thing that surprised us was how old the wineries are.   They date back to the 1600s when the French Huguenots settled the area.  While a lot of the wineries still have French names, the use of the French language died out after a generation.

We spent a total of five hours on our wine tour.  By the end, I was pretty drunk.  Mike and I managed to pass out in lawn chairs by our hotel pool for quite a bit when we got back.  After an  hour or two, we both went to our room, sobered up a litte, and got dressed for dinner.

Mike at the third winery.

Our hotel had an excellent restaurant.  Many restaurants in the area have a "tasting menu," meaning that your dinner courses and the wine you have with each is picked for you.   We did that both nights for dinner and I'm glad we did.  The wine lists are so extensive that it becomes overwhelming when trying to pick something.

The second day we spent in Franschhoek was not nearly as eventful as the first because it rained on and off all day.  But that didn't stop us from exploring the downtown area.  

A mural in dowtown Franschhoek.

It was a cute town full of lots of restaurants, cafes, and little shops.  I think two days there was perfect because the town was small and I'm pretty sure Mike and I would have started to feel a little restless.  

South African wine is so good (not to mention cheap!) and I think it's a real shame that there isn't more of it in the States.  I really loved the time that we spent in Franschhoek.  It is one of the most beautiful places I have been to, even if my hay fever was acting up due to the fields of lavendar.  And you can't argue with amazing bottles of wine that cost about $15, but would probably go for close to $50 in the US.

You can't argue with this view.

Up next, the beginning of our safari adventure.  Topics include my new dislike for monkeys and seeing a pride of lions at night on our first evening drive.

A Day in Cape Town

Since we only had one day left in Cape Town before wine country, Mike and I decided to see as many of the city's sights as we could.  Our first stop was Robben Island.

We arrived at the departure terminal at 8:55 and bought tickets for the 9:00 ferry.  It was a thirty minute boat ride to get to the island.  Once we arrived, we got on a bus for the first part of our tour.

The island has played host to many institutions over the centuries, including a prison used by the Dutch, a leper colony, and the first line in defense for Cape Town during World War II.  But most notably, the prison where Nelson Mandela spent over a decade of his life was located on the island.

Nelson Mandela's cell.

During the bus tour, we learned quite a bit about the history of the island.  A lot of the buildings were constructed by prisoners who were serving time.  The prisoners were also required to do hard labor, which included tasks such as mining for limestone with very primative tools.  They were also not given any sort of protection for their bodies while performing this task, so a lot of the inmates later suffered vision and lung problems.

The limestone quarry.

The prison was home to non-white criminals and political activists.  They were housed in the same building until the government caught wind that the criminals were becoming political.  The two groups were then separated and housed in different buildings on the island.

While the first part of the tour was very interesting, it was the second part that really moved me.  A different guide took us through some of the buildings for the second half of the tour.  This guide was a former prisoner on the island.  He was sentenced to 35 years in 1984 for plotting to overthrow the government.  It's one thing to hear stories about a place like that from a tour guide or a book, but it's another thing to hear them from someone who lived through it.

Our guide, the former prisoner.

When we returned to the V&A Waterfront, we stopped in a market to get some local beer and food.  After we finished up, we got tickets for a Hop On, Hop Off bus.  Usually I don't like these sort of things but we only had a day to see Cape Town and Table Mountain was closed due to gale force winds.  So we figured, why not?

The tour was actually pretty interesting.  I was expecting it to be gimicky, but luckily it wasn't.  We definatly saw much more of the city than we would have otherwise.  One of the stops was the base of Table Mountain.  When we got up there, they had opened the mountain, but we had already committed to the tour so we decided to not go up.  The view of the city from there was amazing anyway, so it worked out.  We also spent some time at the bay.  It was a very beautiful and tony place.  If I had millions, I'd buy a place there.

Cape Town from the base of Table Mountain.

That night we ate at an amazing place called Arnold's.  I had warthog for the first time in my life, and let me tell you, its my new favorite thing.  Once they found out we were on our honeymoon, they gave us the star treatment.  It was a great way to end our time in Cape Town.

Diving With Sharks

Shark diving is probably the most amazing thing I have ever done.  Initially we were not going to go, but my friend Melissa told me how great it was so we decided that we would take the plunge (literally) and do it.

We booked our trip with White Shark Diving Co. and I'm glad that we did.  They picked us up around 4 AM and drove us two hours to where we would be departing for our dive site.  Since my body clock was so messed up, I didn't sleep at all during the ride so I got to watch the sun rise over beautiful scenery.  It was absolutely stunning.

When we arrived, we were fed breakfast and coffee.  After we ate, we were given the safety overview and then we boarded our boat.  On our way out to the dive site, we saw two whales.  They were pretty close and it was amazing to be near such massive creatures.

Once we got to the dive site, it was slow going for about 45 minutes.  Because there was no wind, the chum that was being thrown in the water to attract the sharks was only going in a circle around the boat.  But then the wind started to pick up and we got some sharks!

The sharks got even closer than you see in the picture above.  The captain on the boat kept throwing massive tuna heads, which they explained to us were like crackers to these sharks, in order to get them to come closer.  I believe that there were about eight sharks that paid us a visit.  The biggest one was 3.5 meters long, but when you're that close to a killing machine, they're all huge.  A lot of them even jumped out of the water when we were in the cage, which was amazing.  I was never scared of them but rather freezing because the water was about 55 degrees.  Talk about cold.  I had some trouble breathing when I first got in but then I adjusted.

After about two hours out at the site, we went back for some lunch.  One of the crew members filmed our dive, so we watched the footage while we ate.  When we finished our meal, we were driven back to Cape Town.  On our way back, we had some time to kill so our driver asked us if we wanted to go whale watching.  Of course we jumped on that opportunity.  We saw upwards of eight whales.  It was beautiful.

Watching some whales.

On our way home, I passed out.  I was absolutely exhausted.  Luckily, we were the first ones to be dropped off.  Needless to say, we were useless for the rest of the day but that was okay.  It's nice to have a relaxing day, especially after spending close to an entire day traveling.  Next up, our day in Cape Town.  It was powerful and beautiful day.  I can't wait to share our experience with you.

Welcome to South Africa

It seems surreal to me that we are in South Africa.  The trip getting here was long, but by the time we arrived in Cape Town we were fairly functional human beings. I don't know what we would have done if we hadn't slept for one of the eight hour legs of our trip. Thank goodness for Ambien. 

When we arrived in Johannesburg, there was a throng of people hooting and singing out in the airport's main entrance. We asked what was going on and were told that they were waiting for their victorious hometown soccer team, the Pirates, to return.  You could feel their energy and it was contagious. When the team showed up, everyone went wild. It was a wonderful way to start our African adventure.

The Jo-burg airport was fairly disorganized but I honestly didn't care. Our flight to Cape Town was an hour late, which was unfortunate because it meant less sleep for us but they fed us a full meal and even gave us complimentary wine. On a domestic flight!  Mike and I almost died of shock.  As much as I love Southwest, South African Airways has them beat there.

We arrived at our hotel around eleven at night. It is a beautiful building and they have very soft Christmas lights wrapped around a massive tree in the front that gives it a very cozy atmosphere.  We slept for about four hours and then were picked up to go diving with great white sharks!  I'll write more about that later, mainly because I want to share some pictures and we haven't been able to successfully link our GoPro with my tablet.  Boo.

So far, I'm totally in love with this country.  It's beautiful and the people are so wonderful.  They have a great sense of humor, love to laugh, and are incredibly nice.  Every day, I grow happier and happier being here.  I'm so glad that we picked South Africa for our honeymoon destination.

How Many Hours on a Plane?!

Like I said in my first post, one factor Mike and I took into consideration when picking our honeymoon destination was how long it would take to get there.  The first two places that came to mind were Australia and Africa.  After talking it over, we decided on South Africa.

The total travel time from Dulles to Cape Town will be a whopping 22 hours on South African Airways.  When we looked into upgrading to business class, there were no spaces left.  Even if there were, I'm sure it would cost us our souls so that option was never really feasible.  Steerage it is!

(via)

Our flight from DC is "direct."  I use that term loosely because after eight hours, we will be making a stop in Dakar, Senegal to clean and refuel the plane.  While in Senegal, we cannot get off the plane because that would require going through customs.  So we will be on board for an hour while we wait to take off again.  When all is said and done, that really isn't too bad.

Then it's off for leg two of the trip - eight and a half hours down to Johannesburg.  And then we have two and a half hours in Jo-burg before our third leg of the trip, which is an hour flight to Cape Town.  That last part just might kill me, but that's all right.  I'll just be happy to sleep in a bed and not a seat when we get into Cape Town at 9:40 pm.

What does one pack for a flight this long?  Between information I have found on various blogs and SeatGuru, I have come up with the following:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

1. Dry Shampoo:  I use this all the time at home, and I love it.  I hate when my hair gets all greasy looking and this stuff works wonders.  

2. Hand Lotion: Unsurprisingly, my hands get super dry on planes.  Ever since I worked at L'Occitane, I have sworn by this stuff.  Wouldn't leave home without it.

3. Toothbrush: It's amazing how much better you feel after brushing your teeth.  Gum makes your breath smell fresh, but I think this is a better alternative.

4. Cucumber Towelettes: On lazy nights at home, I use these to wash my face.  But I have also found that this is a good way to make yourself feel more refreshed and awake.

5. Chap Stick: My comment about how dried out my hands get on planes also applies to my lips.  Total surprise, I know.

6. Slipper Socks:  As Mike can attest to, I'm always freezing.  Especially on airplanes.  I ordered these for the plane ride so that my feet don't turn into icicles.  An added bonus is that they have no-slip grips on the bottom so that I don't fall while walking.

7. Compression Socks: A friend of mine from IU went to Hong Kong for work about a year ago and I remember a comment she made on her blog about wishing she had compression socks.  I figured for a flight this long, it couldn't hurt.

8. Travel Pillow: Before going to Brazil, we did some serious research on which travel pillow is the best.  REI's inflatable travel pillow kept popping up so we got them.  They are pretty amazing, mainly because you can adjust how much air you wish to have in it.  I use them all the time now when we are traveling long distances.  Plus there is enough room in its caring case to hold an eye mask!  Which brings me to...

9. Eye Mask: Somehow, I always end up near those people who think it's just fine to leave their window shade up during a trans-Atlantic flight or that think it's totally acceptable to the only person on the entire red eye that has their personal reading light on.  No joke. 

10. Extra Power Source: I would never have thought to bring this with us but when I checked out SeatGuru, I saw that we have no power source at our seats.  Since my electronics are not going to last the entire journey, I wanted to make sure that I had some extra source of power.

11. Tablet:  Mike has had a tablet for awhile, and it has made me a tiny bit jealous on long plane rides.  He let me borrow his when I went on a trip to Indiana, and I fell in love with traveling with one.  So much less cumbersome than a laptop.

12. Kindle:  You're probably wondering why I'm bringing a Kindle if I have a tablet.  The answer is that I like reading books on my Kindle better.  Something about the back light on a tablet isn't the greatest on my eyes. 

13. Noise Canceling Earphones:  These things are amazing and really work.  If you have noisy neighbors, they really help drown them out so that you can get some sleep.

That's what I got!  Did I miss anything?  What else would you bring? 

Where Exactly Are You Going?

In my last post I listed off the places that Mike and I are going to be visiting during our time in South Africa, but it just dawned on me that you probably only have a vague notion as to where any of them are.  Please don't think I'm insulting your intelligence because I'm not.  In all fairness, most Americans are not super familiar with South African geography.  I really wasn't until I started planning this trip.  So I decided to create a map that has all of our hotels on it for you to get an idea of where we are going.  I even wrote up a little blurb on each.  Hope that helps!

Major Life Changes and Planning the Trip of a Lifetime

Hello again lovely readers.  Life since returning from Peru has seemed somewhat surreal.  I feel like there is so much to say, and I have no idea how to begin.  So I am just going to jump right in.

First of all, I got married!  I am beyond elated.  I have a new last name and a wonderful husband who has promised to stick it out with me until the very end.  What more could you ask for?  We had an amazing celebration and party to celebrate the start of our lives together with our family and friends, as you can see in the pictures below:

My, rather "our," second major life event is that I gave my notice at work, we decided to not renew our lease in our current apartment, and we're moving to the Windy City!  Chicago - watch out!  DC has been fun but we're both ready for a change of scene.  I find myself browsing the Internet for new places to live in Lakeview/Wrigelyville and getting really jazzed.  It's so exciting and I cannot wait to be back in the Midwest.

(via)

And finally, for our third major life event - our honeymoon.  Mike and I wanted something adventurous.  After discussing what places involve taking insanely long flights to reach, destinations that require a bunch of vaccinations, and what kind of trip would be difficult to have small children tagging along on, we made our choice.  South Africa.

  

I've been fascinated with all of Africa for as long as I can remember.  When I was little, my dad went to both South Africa and Namibia twice on safari.  My father and I watched Meryl Streep and Robert Redford fall in love with East British Africa as the backdrop of Out of Africa and Michael Caine fight in Zulu.  In the 8th grade, he encouraged me to do a science fair research report on the Bongo.  I got an A+ in case you were curious.  Studying French also peaked my interest in many countries that were once under French rule.  There has been no shortage of influence on me, and it is mainly due to my father.

Meryl Streep & Robert Redford in Out of Africa
(via)

Michael Caine in Zulu
(via)

Looking back on my wedding planning process, I think we picked the photographer first, then the venue, then the travel agent who was going to create this amazing honeymoon for us.  Now, I know travel agents are becoming a thing of the past, but I would have gone crazy with planning had it not been for Go2Africa.  When we first contacted them, Mike and I ran off a laundry list of everything we wanted to do on our trip.  Then we were given a price.  I felt as though I had the wind knocked out of me, especially when I was told we needed to hire a private jet to get to one of the places we listed!  That part of the initial plan isn't happening.

The wonderful people who put together our trip gave us great suggestions on how to save money, how much time to spend in one place, and creating the perfect trip for us.  We also don't have to worry about road transfers because they took care of all that as well.  And if we need help while we're there, they have a number we can call and they are at our disposal.  While I love planning my own trips, I have to say, this has been a very nice change of pace.

We're going for three weeks and we're going to be going just about everywhere.  We're hitting up Cape Town, Wine Country, Kruger National Park, and the Kwa Zulu-Natal Coast.  You might be wondering how all this is possible.  Mike and I decided to forgo the traditional wedding registry and instead created a honeymoon registry on Honeyfund.  It was a fun experience writing up each part of our trip and having our friends and family contribute to it.  With each event and activity, I will be thinking of the people who helped make it possible.  At first, there seemed to be some backlash from people who thought it was tacky, but then those people seemed to really get into it!  And everyone who knows us knows that we are avid travelers, so it was perfect for us.

  

I will try to post updates as frequently as I can.  But who knows how reliable the Internet will be where we're staying.  If anything, I'll try to get up pictures.  I can't wait!!