Chapter 13 - Zimbabwe 2 - Final chapter

It's taken me forever to sit down and write this final entry.  I've really enjoyed re-living the trip and a little of me doesn't want to be done with the blog.  Fortunately we're headed to Italy in early June so I shouldn't be without inspiration for too long.

As I write Kate is putting the finishing touches on a made from scratch meat sauce for pasta.  It's an old, family recipe from a close college friend (what up Lou!) of hers.  The hand made meat balls are next.  Our house smells incredible...

So with a cheese plate and a Surly Furious in front of me, I am ready to finish...

We join the tour back on the booze cruise amidst the gaggle of (camera) trigger happy tourists.  At this point this search is on for hippos. 

We have seen them on several occasions but always in the water.  With their reputation for aggression it is definitely the safest place to view them, but we were eager to see one these giants on land.  This wish would not be granted, but we would capture them in a few dramatic poses...

I was dying to get a photo with the mouth wide open.  It seems like the only way you ever see them pictured.

Jackpot

 





As much as it may look like these are yawns, we would read later that hippos do this as a sign of aggression.



Glad we learned that one after the fact....

The cruise would end shortly after running into the last pod of hippos.  As we headed back to our hotel, we realized we both were craving some normal, even boring, american cuisine.  It doesn't matter where I am in the world, every now and then I crave dull, american food.  The food in Africa was fine but we were getting sick of having to worry about whether or not it was safe to eat or drink.  The solution to our problem would be pizza.  The casino attached to the hotel we stayed in has a few different places to eat.  We found the one that had pizza on the menu and indulged.

Our last day in Zim was meant to be spent exploring Victoria Falls.  It's indigenous name, Mosi-oa-Tunya means the "Smoke that Thunders."  It is neither the widest or tallest waterfall in the world but but is considered the biggest due to the fact it forms the largest sheet of falling water in the world.  The mist that the falls kick up can be seen from as far as thirty miles away. 



 As I mentioned before, we were in Afica during the rainy season.  I thought this was going to be a huge plus for the Vic Falls visit.  Little did I know the water flows even during the dry season.  The difference is that the rainy season brings such a high volume of water, it makes it tough to view from on foot.  In the dry season, the water is calm enough that people will swim and bathe at the top of the falls...and every now and then someone goes over the falls and down the 350 ft drop.  That doesn't usually end well.

There were different view points along a river walk and some were more clear than others.  Regardless of where we were, it was more or less raining the entire time.  I was afraid to pull the camera out of the waterproof bag so we didn't take too many photos. 

As we were planning this portion of the trip, two activites at Vic Falls had peaked my interest.  One was bungee jumping.  At the end of the riverwalk lies a bridge with a platform for just the thing.  As perfect of an opportunity this seemed to be for such an escapade, the look in my wife's eyes was all it took to decide against it. 

It's amazing what suddenly seems unneccessary when there is someone else that worries about you.

The second activity of note was a helicopter ride above the falls.  We bailed on that because we were worried the heavy mist would make even that view average at best.  That and with my photgraphy skills being amature, I figured we could save the money and buy an awesome aerial shot of the falls when we got home.   The magic of google images once again helps illustrate the beauty of a subject I could not capture.

Victoria Falls

This was really the end of the trip.  After this excursion we headed back to the hotel and hid for the rest of the day.  We were supposed to be going on a "cultural village tour" but after passing through the village we were supposed to tour, we decided against it.  We were a little tired of being hounded to buy things everywhere we went. 

We were ready to come home.

And home we are.  Hard to believe this was two months ago already.  We made so many memories that will last the rest of our lives. 

On a final note, our guide David told us something when we first arrived that still lingers with me.  He said to us that our trip was "Africa for beginners."  I think mostly because we were traveling in comfort and in the safer parts of the continent.  I don't know if we will ever make it back but I know my mind wanders and I wonder what the rest of that continent is like.  I would love to safari in other parts of Africa and see more of the plains.  Maybe see what "Advanced Africa" has to offer.

And here we are faced with the quandry that all travellers encounter:  Go back to the place you love...or go to the place you have yet to explore??? 

Now that I've got Kate, I want to find new places to love.

Sobonana...See you.

Chapter 12 - Zimbabwe 1

Zambezi river

Thursday, January 20th

We flew from Capetown to Joberg and on to Zimbabwe.  This was going to be the final stop on our honeymoon and to be honest, we were starting to look forward to the comforts of home.  Our Capetown stay had offered some stability for four days and nights but now we were heading into the portion of our trip where we felt the least comfortable.

It was only two years earlier Zim(babwe) was on the US government "do not travel to" list.  Our travel agent had recommended the Zim side as opposed to the Zambian because the view of Victoria Falls is better.  He was also very self assured as to the state of the country as he himself travels Africa extensively.  It gave us the confidence to go, but we still felt a little uneasy.  That feeling was made stronger when Kate came across an excerpt in a travel book from David, our guide for the first six days of our trip.  It read something like:

"Zimbabwe - do not travel any under circumstances."

Just great.  The nervousness was not diminished upon arrival in Victoria Falls.  The "airport" is smaller than South Bend regional by a LONG shot.  The tarmac is made up of one strip of asphalt that looks like it should have been re-paved five years ago.  The jet we landed simply pulled off onto a large patch of asphalt next to the runway.  There are no jet ways or refueling trucks or anything to suggest the facility is capable of servicing a commercial jet.  They just roll out a stairway and walk you across the pavement toward the building they call an airport...

I have to admit seeing it again in this picture makes me think it is much nicer than I remember.  Regardless of appearance, the lack of service they were able to offer our aircraft made me feel uneasy.  What other infrastructure were they lacking in addition to this???  In the end, our worries would be unconfirmed.  Regardless, I wouldn't feel totally at ease again until we were "wheels up" on our way out of here.

Somehow we got stuck behind a big tour group from our plane and had to wait forever to get through customs.  The transport from there was flawless and our hotel looked (thankfully) well established.  No bugs in the beds either which made my wife very happy.

So the only real plan for the day was a cruise on the Zambezi River.  The following morning we would be checking out Victoria Falls but we'll get to that. 

 At 2200 miles in length, the Zambezi is only the fourth longest river in Africa.  The area of its basin is only half that of the Nile but we were only here for two days so who cares.  It's not like we're going to cover the entire thing.  The real reason we were here...

Zambezi River

 BOOZE CRUISE!!!!

 Okay so that's not the ONLY reason we were out here.  The Zambezi is another great area for Hippo and Croc watching as well as other animals.  We were looking forward to some more animal watching.  Our driver however, spent the entire time encouraging us to drink heavily while he transported us to the boat.  It was weird.  We had paid for this ahead of time and couldn't understand what his angle was.  We just came to see some animals dude... 

 We were put on what was essentially a barge around 25 x 60 feet long armed with only a 50 hp outboard.  The "boat" was covered with tables, chairs, a bar, and four staff members.  The large tour group we shared the flight over with were also aboard!  Yay!!!

So we get underway and the first animal we spot is the croc you see here.  Cool, right?  Would be if it was real.  Our captain had driven straight to it from the dock.  We spent ten minutes right next to it while the tour group took hundreds of pics.  The thing never moved an inch.  Just sat there with its mouth open.  Not real.  I'm sure it's still sitting in the same spot on that bank...

What a croc

    


Also a fake here.  It's about twenty yards down the bank from the other one.  Didn't move a muscle the entire time.  You just can't tell me with sixty people on a boat ten feet away from these things that they wouldn't have moved if they were real.  No way.







By this time in our trip, the good fortune we have had in all our previous game viewing has lead to a very laid back expectation of what was to come.  We were so happy with everything we had been fortunate to see that we thought anything more is icing on the cake.  We weren't too worried about what may or may not show up.

Like this tree.  It was totally a bonus because we had seen so many other cool trees up to this point. 

I'm kidding.  I re-read that previous paragraph and it just sounds a little stupid. 

It was nice to sit back with a cold one and just take in the view.

Zambezi

I love how this pic turned out.  It looks like it could be the moon at night.  It was taken around 4:30 in the afternoon.



Just when you think you've seen enough, out on the banks this guy appears...

This old bull appeared on the bank and stayed in view for quite awhile. 

Any appearance of something interesting was accompanied by a frenzy of excitement from the tour group with us.  Everyone would grab their cameras and dash to the side of the boat the subject was on.  There would be oos and ahhs and even some shrieks as that side of the boat would start to give way under the concentration of weight.  Nothing was stopping these people from getting a photo.  It looked like a seen out of a movie.  It was very entertaining.

Mmmmm...grass.



 



      

Chapter 11 - Capetown 3

So after our visit to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope, we were headed back up the west coast of the peninsula.  The drive itself took approximately an hour but we would pass some of the most beautiful beaches I have seen in my life. 



The haze takes away from this one a little but the beach in the distance looked like a glacier coming down the mountains. 

  Of course there are ostriches on the Cape Peninsula.

This has to be the biggest beach front I have ever seen.  It's very wide and goes on forever.  We could see people on horseback from where we were standing but they looked tiny. 

This is a look back at the road we've been travelling on.  Mareli told us about the Cape Argus bicycle race they do around the peninsula on an annual basis.  The race involves about 30,000 cyclists ranging in talent from none at all to the very best.  It is a very hilly race that would be challenging regardless of ability.  Lance Armstrong raced in it for his frist time last year and came in ninth.

Hout Bay

Hout Bay is another classic South African example of the very rich and very poor living very close together.  It is a fishing community which supports the poor and a gorgeous place to live which draws the wealthy that work in Capetown.  This area is also home to some very large waves (as high as 45 ft!) which makes it a great setting for their annual surf contest. 



12 Apostles






This series of peaks is part of the Twelve Apostles.  It seems like every continent has a geographical foration that has been given this popular name.  I was only able to get half of the peaks in the photo considered to be in the range .





We were soon back at WH and enjoying some port and cookies.  We decided dinner would be had in Camps' Bay that evening.  It was just on the other side of Table Mountain from where we were staying (map) and it faced the west.  We were told it was the perfect place to watch the sunset and have some sundowners and food...



Camps' Bay

They were right.  We had a great time. 

We ended the night with a cab ride home in the worst looking and smelling cab in existence.  Coupled with a driver that had no idea where anything is, we weren't sure if he was going to be able to get us back to Welgelegen.  He didn't look like he was more than 110 lbs soaking wet so are only real concern was his car's ability to make it over the mountain.  We ended up stopping four blocks from our place and jumping out just to ensure he didn't have the chance to make a wrong turn.

Wednesday, January 19th

Ahhhh...our last day in Capetown.  We really have enjoyed the time here immensely.  We've planned a pretty cool way to kickoff the last day in town...

Platteklip Gorge is on the west end of Table Mountain.  Patrick Mulvehill had mentioned to Kate and I that we should really hike up to the top and walk back down.  We loved the sound of that idea. 

You can see the gorge as well as the cable car line we took two days previous on the map below.


We decided to do it on our final morning.  We were told by Mareli (our guide for those of you not keeping up on your reading) it would take us two and a half to three hours.  We really had no time frame or expectation but packed very light and grabbed a couple bottles of water.  We took a (much nicer than our last) cab to the trail entrance and arrived there at 6 am.

Platteklip Gorge

Here you can see the best view of the gorge from the road you take to the gate.  Fortunately the driver we had this morning had done the hike four times so he knew exactly where he was going.

I found this nice little image on google which shows the path back and forth you take up to the top.  It's a solid workout and we stopped a couple of times to take water and briefly rest.

We reached the top at 7:47 am.
Not bad for a couple of yanks.

Love that view...

A quick trip down in the cable car.  Another cab, shower, breakfast, and a pick up from Mareli and now I can tell you why we felt the need to get a little exercise this morning. 

Today is Cape Winelands tour day!!!

Three wineries with some nice little towns interspursed.  Towns that will provide time between wineries ensuring we don't ruin the flawless reputation we americans have abroad.  And we have the luxury of a driver just in case we enjoy ourselves a little.

Mareli spent a year working at a winery in the same area we were visiting and had intimate knowledge of the vicinity.  We deferred to her for the decision on which of the three many wineries in the Capetown region we should stop.  First would be   Boekenhoutskloof.







How long did it take you to sound it out?  You can thank the dutch for that one.  Boekhoutskloof, meaning "ravine of beach tree" is located in Franschoek.  They have wonderful security guards that patrol the estate.

Puff Adder

This my friends is an African Puff Adder.  This species is responsible for more deaths in Africa than any other.  It has enough venom on its own to kill four to five healthy adults.  It was sitting in the middle of the driveway when we pulled in and moved as we got close.

Yeah, that picture was taken from the car.

Kate at Boekenhoutskloof

So after making safe passage, we arrive to find we are the only ones visiting.  Considering it was a monday afternoon I guess we shouldn't have been surprised.  It was great.  We were able to try five different wines and had the patio to ourselves.

 

Prior to the trip, we read that Capetown and San Francisco were often compared to one another for a variety of reasons.  Their surrounding areas and their potency for growing wine grapes is certainly an obvious commonality between them.  The "microclimates" I was told so much about when visiting San Fran are also noticable.  With the nearby water and surrowunding mountains it isn't hard to understand why growing different grapes comes so easy here. 

So before our next stop we would stop for some ice cream in the town of Franshhoek.  It was a cute little town that looks like they cater to all the half drunk tourists that invariably wander through here between stops.  It contains tons of shops and places to eat.  While in town I decided to pull the memory cards from our camera and have them backed up on CD.  We stopped at and internet cafe to have it made and to send the only communication of any sort for the entire trip.  We had to let our families we hadn't been eaten...yet.

Enough ice cream.  Let's get back to the wine. 

Although even the font of this sign may make you wonder if Neil's brother is Perry,  I can promise you there is no relation...I checked with Wiki...Perry is an only child. 

So here we are at Neil Ellis ready to fight another crowd and wait an hour to get a table and then be rushed through the tasting....

Crickets...

Well, not exactly... We are, once again, the only people here.  It was heavenly.  I think Mondays are made for wine tours.  Not only do you avoid the crowd, your connoisseur often ends up letting you try more than the standard offering...which is nice. 

Directly behind Kate is a glass wall that allows you to look down into the cellar and see all the barrels full of aging wine.  It looks really cool but you'll have to take my word for it.  I haven't mastered the art of taking a picture through glass with little to no light.  Yeah, haven't taken that class yet.

On to Stellenbosch...While we were expecting to see another cutesy town much like the previous one, we were surprised to find a university and college kids walking around...

and some getting hazed...

I don't know how much they appreciated being photographed but it felt like we were back in the States at a Big Ten school.  It was great.  It was fun just to see all the students moving in and people everywhere.  Can't believe how far those days are behind us.

We also had lunch...and really bad service.  Some college girl who passed us off to some other college girl because her shift ended.  They don't make alot of tips over there as 10% is generous.  

I think 10% is generous.  It's been two months and I'm losing some of the detail...

As all good vacations generally end up, we were a little late by the time we arrived at our third and final winery for the day, Clos Malverne.  We lucked out and saved the best for last.

We were used to this by now and expected it.  

More crickets...no people.

Hard to believe we had this beautiful room to ourselves but we lucked out.  The whole wall opens up out into the vineyard and beyond.  It's just gorgeous!  Our final connoisseur for the day was J.P. Quickelberge.  He's the son in law of the owner of the vineyard.  I think he's around the age of twenty-six but his expertise will lead you believe he's been doing this since he was a toddler. 

He spent the better part of an hour describing the wines we tasted and giving us background on the winery.  He and his wife were married right on the property and you can see it makes the perfect landscape for such an occassion.  As it had happened at our two previous wine stops, we would conclude by discussing the distributors of the vineyard's wines.  The previous vineyards shared a distributor out of Birmingham, Alabama suggesting the likelihood of us coming across those brands not to be very high.  We thought otherwise of Clos Malverne when we found out they distribute out of Plymouth, Minnesota. 

I'm not even going to say it.

We had a blast.  It was our fav of the three and J.P.'s an awesome dude.  For those of you who are lucky enough to find their label, the Auret is their flagship and is outstanding.

Clos Malverne Winery

It was time to hop back in the tour bus with Mareli and get back to Welgelegen. 

The sun was setting on our time in Capetown and we would be sad to see it go.  We were leaving for the last leg of our trip early the next morning.  We would be picked up at 4:30 am to head to the airport on our way to Zimbabwe.  We would have one more memorable night in CT before we left. 

Tonight we would be heading to the Cape Grace Hotel  to their Bascule Bar for drinks.  Of over 400 whiskeys, I would try a flight of three while Kate tasted some more wine and we shared some calamari.  We would head to Belthazar for dinner where I would have the most incredible piece of fish I've ever tried in my life: baby kingclip.  Between the bites of her filet I even convinced Kate to try it.  For you seafood lovers if you ever have the chance, don't consider anything else.   

Goodnight Capetown...

Gotta fly!

See you in Zim!!!