Day 10: Petting Simba, and "Did you say S-E-B-B-E-L-S?"

Earlier during our trip we traveled to Pilanesberg, and had hopes to see the famous Big Five, but we were only able to see two of them: the African elephant, and the black rhinoceros. So, for today's activity we kinda cheetahed (haha, animal joke) and went to Lion Park to check out some big cats. They have four prides of lions in fenced-in enclosures that they allow you to drive through to get up close and personal. The park claims that it's not a zoo or a game preserve, but I'm skeptical. It seemed to me like it was at least partially a zoo. Some smaller animals like meerkats, hyenas, and wild dogs were in cages near the entrance.
The park is separated into two main sections: one for herbivores like ostriches, kudus (which we've now spotted on safari and eaten at a restaurant), and zebras; one for the big cats and other carnivores. The lions didn't look like they were itchin' to go anywhere (lions sleep like 20 hours a day) but the cheetahs paced along the fence in the cage that they could have crossed in milliseconds at full stride. That made me a little sad. I've seen cheetahs on television, but didn't realize they were so large or looked so fast. Their legs look spring loaded at every point in their stride. Now that's power.

The highlight of Lion Park was that we did get a few minutes in an enclosure with lion cubs! Sidenote: "Simba" means lion in Swahili (Simba also has a brand of chips that features a Tony the Tiger-like mascot). They had semi-long shaggy hair and comparatively huge paws. I'm not sure how old they were, but they stood about two feet high on all fours. We didn't have that much time in the cage and the park makes no strong attempt to make the cage a learning experience for visitors. They ushered us in and out quickly, because about thirty noisy children were about to enter the cage for their turn (poor little lions). The enclosure had about six lion cubs, all around the same age biting and playing with each other while we pet them. They must've been annoyed by the people, and I did feel bad supporting the park that raises lions in captivity. But, I'm not sure of the circumstances of the lions and why they are there, and it was so freakin' cool!

I told my conscience that I'll only pay to perpetuate

lion cub captivity once, then it's cold turkey.

I could have spent all day with those lion cubs, but the school children coming up next were itching to stick gum in their fur and feed them crayons, so we left Lion Park and headed to Regina Mundi Church for our next stop. It appeared just as it was described in the guidebook. It's a powerful place and stands out not because of its opulence. The building is notably plain for a Catholic church (known for their big hats, fancy dresses, and general opulence). What does make it stick out is that it's one of the few large buildings--if not the largest--in the Soweto Township that is known for its shanties and poorer community (small houses, dirt roads, and corrugated metal shacks). We happened in on a choir giving a special performance for a tour group. So, we were allowed to stay for one song, and they were amazing. While I admittedly know very little about this place (need to do some research), I did learn that in Apartheid South Africa, the church served as a meeting place and staging area for the anti-apartheid movement headed by Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu (who happens to be Anglican). The books said that there are still bullet holes in the walls and windows that clue visitors to the fact that police fired on the church when it was used as a hideout during the famous Soweto Student Uprising. I think we saw many of them, but since we were not on a guided tour, I can't say for sure. Regardless, the history of this building made it stunning and hearing the beautiful choral concert inside gave me chills.

I don't look happy, but I am. Video clip of choral

concert coming soon.

With that, the sun set sadly on our last full day in South Africa, so we headed home to prepare for our last fling, dinner with our liaison in South Africa, Warren. We headed to Carnival City, which lies just between Nigel and Jozi. Carnival City is a casino that looks like a huge circus tent and is operated by the same company that owns Sun City, so we knew some pomp and lavishness were in order. We met at a restaurant that had gone through a variety of name changes as a result of a combination of poor cell reception and misunderstanding Warren's South African accent. We asked around for "Sabbels," "Sebbles," "Saddles," and got lots of head shakes and confused looks.

Finally, we settled in at the country-western-themed Squires after that short adventure. Don't ask me how we went from Sabbels to Squires, but it happened. I ordered more castle beer in a last ditch attempt to get Tshabalala's player can. Again, I ended up without it, but I do have five or six other ones. We had a nice dinner with Warren, and delicious food. I ordered a juicy Jalapeño steak (they haven't gotten word from Spain or Latin America that you're not supposed to pronounce the hard 'J') which was more than enough. I think Rena and Tariq ordered the piece(s) de resistance though. Deep fried chicken breast stuffed with cheese and bacon. For desert we ordered a some delicious chocolate fudge cake, and Tariq and Rena ordered a double coronary bypass (which they apparently don't offer on-site).

Us with Warren, our host. Cool guy. Really helpful too except when

he tells us the name of the restaurant we're meeting at.

The time came to end our adventure, and when it was all over we headed home to give our vuvuzelas one last sad and fleeting toot before wrapping them with clothes to pack them safely away for our trip back to The States.

Surfers and Supertubes in JBay

After we did more safari-ing in Addo, seeing more buffalo and meerkats, we drove to our current location, Jeffrey's Bay, where the 2010 Billabong Pro surf competition just started today!

This morning we woke up early to catch some surf stars, such as Kelly Slater, Tiff's fave Andy Irons, and Mick Fanning. I found out recently that Hawaiians don't consider themselves part of the US (at least the surfers don't), as shown by the "Haw" instead of "USA" on the surfers info from the BillabongPro website. Another fun discovery was that South Africans say 'thanks bru' instead of our usual 'brah'. JBay is home to the Supertubes, a world class surf spot, the edge of which I can see from this hostel's bedroom window!

Kelly Slater, nine time World Champion

Slater carving a wave

Two happy sisters!

From here we head to Knysna to see the Garden route, famous for its scenery of valleys, lagoons, and beaches. Then it's a long drive to Hermanus for the whales, and finally a short hop to Stellenbosch for good wine! (We're staying at the Stumble Inn :D ) This leg of the trip has been going by so fast, and we've got a lot to see before we leave!

Day 8 (out of order I know)

Adeeb and I left the children at the shark diving drop off, and navigated toward Hermanus, a short drive away on the south eastern coast of South Africa, where the waters of the Indian and Atlantic cohabited.

Hermanus offers the best land venue for the viewing of whales in the world! A 12 km walkway complete with viewing benches borders the shore. There are huge rocks right off the shore and around these rocks we saw many fins/flippers poking out of the water. The guide book said that we were in prime whale watching season and one would always see whales so I suppose those were whales.

I also read that whales do something called logging which is resting with only a fin or the top of their head showing. There are some other movements that I read about-body rolls and pec slaps and another movement that they do when the water is choppy which it was (That is why we had to get up at four to reach the shark dive area by 7 a.m., in case the weather got questionable) The rough waters might have prevented the whales from breaching, I am assuming they were engaged in one of the above behaviors and would like to have gotten more information on them. This is a hint for Tiffany.

.

After the whale walk, Adeeb and I decided to visit a vineyard. We chose the Hamilton Russel Vineyard which was started in 1975. It is the most southerly vineyard in South Africa and very near the sea,only 3 km away, in the gorgeous Hemel-en-Aarde valley, bordering Hermanus. They only produce two wines, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and are regarded by wine enthusiasts world wide for being the best in South Africa and in the world. Hamilton Russel wine was the only South African wine chosen to be served at a banquet honoring Nelson Mandela at Buckingham Palace.

The drive to the vineyard was breathtaking. As we neared the entrance road, we saw a few men trimming trees and then on the up sloping side of the road, we saw a baboon, then more baboons of all ages, probably about fifty or so. The tree trimmers worked as if they were not there, the way I barely notice squirrels in my yard at home.

The tasting room was located in a lovely building, on a small lake and as it was winter there was a small fire in the cozy fireplace. We tasted both wines, were hooked and bought a bottle of each. We then headed back to pick up the children from the shark dive adventure.

Safari-ed Out

Tuesday we drove to Addo National Park, known for its elephants. We aimed to see 10% of their elephant population, but probably saw closer to 35% (out of 350-400 elephants). We also saw 3 lions, black-backed jackels, many kudu, warthogs, and... more elephants. We also did a night safari for the first time, catching spring hares, porcupines, and a cape buffalo, which we didn't take any pictures of.

Elephant camouflage?

Cape buffalo, one of the Big 5, chillin'

Tiff with the telephoto watching a herd.

There was one point in the park where we saw maybe 50 elephants at once all around us. They're sadly contained within the park through fences. We were warned before entering the park to not bring in any citrus fruits because it's like candy for the 'phants. Back in the 70's, our guide told us that to keep the elephants here, they would truck in oranges, and the elephants would run after the truck, taking oranges from the back. I wouldn't want to be that truck driver! They stopped feeding them these fruits because it would make the elephants fight over the oranges, disrupting their natural friendly behavior towards one another.

Three lionesses sleeping in the sun. We were told that there were only 6 lions in the park total

Dung beetle!

We were also told that dung beetles have right of way in Addo, as they have now become very rare in the wild. Apparently they mate on elephant poo, so we gladly swerved to avoid that as well.

Next stop, the Sunshine Coast!

Back to the sharks and beginning our roadtrip

So much to catch up on!

From Durban, we met up with a new friend we made who gave us a ride down to Scottburgh (pronounced Scottborough, crazy South Africans...), about 50km south of Durban. We dove with blacktip sharks (yes, sharks) the next morning with Blue Wilderness, which specializes in shark diving. One of their founders helped film the amazing footage in Blue Planet.

The process was boat out to the middle of the ocean, thrown some smelly chum (sardine parts and water) into the ocean in a barrel and wait for the sharks to come. We were hoping to see the massive tiger sharks (yes, the ones that are known to bite people), but didn't. Blacktips are mostly harmless to humans, though an BW intern found out the hard way a week ago (we learned after the dive). She apparently held out her underwater camera too far, and the electrical workings of a camera are similar to a heartbeat, which to a shark is like chocolate. Anyway, the shark went for the camera, taking a nip of her finger in the process. It was possible to just snorkel at the top with the sharks, but we chose to scuba for close to an hour, being surrounded completely by 15-25 of these graceful hunters. These sharks had no problem with personal space so would swim quite close to us from all directions. Our dive guide was so comfortable with this group that he would grab onto their dorsal fins for a short ride. (Though I don't have pictures of the underwater madness now, Tiff does so perhaps this part will be updated later with pictures)

The next day, we dove with these sharks again (more of them this time) and the BW interns. After breaking for lunch, we went back on the boat for a deeper dive, this time in the infamous Aliwal Shoal. It was the deepest dive I've ever done (around 100ft at the bottom) and it was strange and scary not being able to see the surface of the water. But the reef was fantastic with huge schools of goldies. I'm sad that we didn't spend a lot of time down there (more pressure means less volume of air).

The next portion of our trip has been a whirlwind as we're making our way down the coast from Durban to Cape Town. Sunday (game day!) we caught a ride into Durban and rented another car to drive down to Port St Johns, a hippie town on the north edge of the Wild Coast. We watched the final at our backpackers, Jungle Monkey. After 6 hours in the car, Tiff and I learned that we didn't want to deal with the local radio (as much as we love Waka Waka, there's only one station sometimes that plays English songs), so we stopped by Mthatha to buy an AUX cable. Nothing much to see in that town, but it's famous for the Nelson Mandela Museum and Madiba was born near Mthatha. Monday we made it down to East London, where it was sunny and gorgeous. I loved the hostel we stayed in, which had painted ocean murals and quaint cabins.

Amazing view from a restaurant in East London, Buccaneers.

View from our cabin in the SugarShack

Wished Rami was here to eat our olives!

Scenic drive through South African countryside, watching it turn brown to green and back

Next stop - elephants!

Under the Sea

Since the last post, Tiffany and I caught the Netherlands vs Uruguay game at a bar on Florida Street in Durbs, making friends with some locals who were appalled at some of the places the guide book led us too, particularly Victoria Market, where I saw piles of goat heads complete with blood. No, I didn't take a picture. We did eat bunny chow at a small Indian restaurant in Durban on Florida Street.

Ducky with bunny chow. Not utensils required!

Because we had trouble finding a place to stay Wednesday night (due to the semi-final game coming to town), we booked a place 4hrs up the coast and rented a car. Yes, the female asian tourists are driving now. We booked the last automatic car and drove to Sodwana Bay, within the iSimilango (sp?) Wetland Park. The drive was beautiful and scenic, taking us past smaller, rural towns and wheat fields, occasionally the sea. We stayed a Triton Divers, a dive charter plus accommodations that was literally off the beaten path! The place is like staying at camp, with thatched roofs, outdoor showers and toilets, and wooden walkways between the cabins. We tested our rental car by taking it on a one lane sand road to get to the place.

After checking in and nothing to do around the camp site, we drove to Mkuze, a game reserve famous for hippos and rhinos. Having been told it was half the distance it actually was, we arrived after some anxiety and debate of how to get there around 4pm. Since it closed at nightfall, we had about two hours to see the park. Luckily, after oohing and ahhing over some impala and elands, and a near-death experience as Tiff almost drove off the road as she was scanning the brush for animals, we spotted a black rhino not 10 yards away, and it was walking towards us! Stealthily, we reversed into its path. And now the rhino was 15 feet away. Holy Crap. I whispered to Tiff, if it charges, we gun it. It got spooked a bit by our car (I hear they're known to have poor eyesight) and started running across the road, giving us a great view of its rhino-butt. For a second, it stops and turns, giving us a perfect rhino pose. Sweet!

Closest safari encounter with a black rhino ever.

We took a Loop Drive around, spotting hundreds of impala or other deer-like animals, a lone giraffe, and two wildebeest. Sadly no hippos, but the rhino encounter was totally worth the drive. As night falls, we stop searching for animals and instead look for the signs for the exit. Night safaris were not what we signed up for. Some large deer (Gemsbock?) and a hyena might have been spotted, but it was too dark to tell.

We head back for the lodge and drive out again (from the one lane sand road, thank goodness it's a rental!) to find a TV (our granola accommodations doesn't have one). At the local bar (Maak n Jol), we stumble in to find a projection of the game and some beers. Perfect!

We woke up early to hit the water on Thursday the 8th. From Sodwana Bay, we got our gear on and rubber-duckied out to the drop spot, Two-Mile Reef. It was amazing and nothing I can say will ever capture the experience. It was like diving in an aquarium or coming across the opening reef scene in Finding Nemo and I wish I had a camera! Best visibility, beautiful coral garden, schools of brightly colored fish. Conversations between Tiff and our dive master would go "Did you see the potato fish, soldiers, goldies, butterflies, and ...etc". On the other hand, like a 5 year old, I would say, "Did you see the blue and yellow ones? Cool!" or "I liked that pretty white and purple one". Unlike my other diving experiences, this one was so FULL of fish, giant clams that would clam up (hehe!) as we passed, or large red corals that shot into their shells. Oh and there were anemones, waving in the current, with clown fish rubbing themselves in their soft, jelly tentacles. I do believe Dory was also there. After 45 min underwater, we went up, hit the showers and hit the road back to Durban.

Cape Town, Durban and Beyond!

Alas, the ‘zeys and Sihs have parted, and the Sih daughters will have to continue to post lest this blog go to waste.

We left the Hamzeys at the airport in Cape Town and headed toward our new family friends, Nick and Danielle who live in a cute town named Scarborough (a conservation village!). We took the metro for the first time and headed about an hour down the Peninsula where they picked us up in Fish Hoek. We hiked around the village and got our feet wet at the beach, enjoying a stunning sunset.

The next day we took a drive south to Table Mountain National Park and hiked around the cliffs for several hours. Next was Cape Point which was full of tourists and South Americans greeting each other.

Then, we woke up early on Friday to head to Simon’s Town and scuba dive with Pisces Divers. We were originally scheduled for one dive because the other was full, but on the insistence of the dive masters and the good fortune that one girl got seasick, we were able to stay for the second dive! On the first off Boat Rock near Miller’s Beach, we saw many seafans, nudibranchs, and star fish of all kinds. My first indication that this was going to be a cold dive was when I was handed not one, but two thick wetsuits. On the second dive, we went into this kelp area and swam with these seven-gilled cow sharks, who weren’t afraid of us at all, and as a result, got quite close.

Saturday, we departed Scarborough and headed to Cape Town, stopping by the Old Biscuit Mill Saturday market. We sipped on sparkling wine and oysters while people watching and figuring out where to stay. After dropping our things off at the hostel in Pinelands (located in the middle of an eco-village!) we headed to the V&A Waterfront for some beers and sausages, celebrating with the German fans and watching Spain vs Paraguay in a tent next to the Fan Fest. Tiffany connected with some of her friends from USC at Rafiki’s, and then we headed home. Whew!

The Brauhaus we ate in, full of ze Germanz!

V&A Waterfront. Note the crowds on the left hand side! We walked in as the game was letting out.

Today we are in Durban, having survived a 24 hour bus ride (which was delayed at first, no less). We subsisted on 3 PBJs, chips, and Endearmints (South African mentos). To stretch our legs, we walked literally all over Durban. Tomorrow we plan to rent a car (quite hairy when there's a semifinal coming to town) and drive north for some diving. Til next time!