still hiking (drakensberg mountains, south africa)

Continuing our posts of photos from the Drakensberg, our hike on our last day in the mountains was one of the best hikes we've ever done.

We climbed a steep stretch for about an hour before jogging along the side of a ravine looking down at a stream. We were in search of the Tranquility Pools. We spotted them, looked in vain for a trail, and scrambled down a hill to reach them.

The water was cold, the sun was hot, and it was an amazing way to spend an hour on a Saturday afternoon!

After our rejuvenating dip, we turned to try our luck at a route up the escarpment called "The Crack," and down the other side called "Mudslide."

The climb up was pure fun - bouldering and examining caves, plus climbing a few chain ladders. Once we got to the top, the views were simply incredible. The late-fall afternoon sun was low in the sky, grass waved across wide plains, and the Amphitheatre shone in the distance.

We were in a little bit of a rush to get to the descent, because we were a bit worried about how we'd face it and wanted to get down before dark. It turned out to be a challenge, with climbs down chains, ladders and tree roots, but we all made it down in one piece, tired, dusty, and feeling accomplished.  We again got to watch the sunset as we drove back across the fields to our camp.

The next day, we drove back to Durban, checked out the beach next to the city, and tried the local cuisine: "bunny chow," curry served in a big loaf of bread before Jim and I caught a flight back to Cape Town and Straub and Heather continued north. 

Young James is ready for a hike.

Admiring the local handiwork.

Tranquility Pools

hiker's paradise (drakensberg mountains, south africa)

Our friends Straub and Heather came to South Africa for about a month, early April to early May, and took an amazing road trip from Cape Town up the coast to Durban, then inland to the Drakensberg - Dragon Mountain. We were lucky to have a few long weekends while they were in the region, and took one of them to fly up to Durban and hitch a ride with them into the Drakensberg.

We had an absolutely incredible weekend of hiking. The Drakensberg is a long mountain range that sits on the border of Lesotho, creating a giant natural wall between South Africa and that land-locked country still inhabited by the Besotho people who took refuge there during all the fighting in the 19th and 20th centuries that made South Africa what it is today.

The mountains are the highest in the country, up to around 9,000+ feet, and come with beautiful grasslands, steep escarpments, caves for sleeping, and fresh, frigid streams and pools for drinking and swimming. The second-longest waterfall in the world, Tugela Falls at around 900 meters, is also in the Drakensberg. It was dry when we visited the park it is located in.

Our first day in the 'Berg, we drove to Royal Natal National Park, about 40 minutes from our campsite at a backpackers. We got in an afternoon hike, and drove back watching the moon rise and the stars come out. It was a holiday weekend, so young people in the small villages dotting the road were out in force dressed for a night on the town. There were horses tied up outside a few of the bars we passed, and women were carrying water in 5-gallon jugs on their heads.

The second day, we climbed to a mountain called Cathedral Peak. We had been warned that this was a strenuous hike, so we decided to call it good shortly before the scramble to the top of the peak after our lunch break. We enjoyed a leisurely hike down, but heard that another group we had passed on our way down attempted to summit and one member of their party fell on the descent. He had to be airlifted to Durban for medical care. Hope he is healing well.

On our last day in the Berg, we did a beautiful hike back in the Royal Natal National Park, complete with a dip in a pristine mountain pool, a climb up some chains to a stunning viewpoint, and a long and slow descent down more chains, ladders and tree roots. All made it back in one piece for a braai at our backpackers and a little too much red wine. We drove back to Durban and enjoyed curry and "bunny chow" - curry served in a giant loaf of bread - on the beach.

Fantastic weekend!! Thanks to Straub and Heather for letting us tag along!

Setting off on our first hike in the Royal Natal. The giant rock structure we're looking at is called the Amphitheatre.

A few back toward the road we drove in on as we climb up the ravine, following a stream.

last morning in kruger, black rhino time (balule nature reserve, kruger national park)

This morning was beautiful and we were able to spot one of the very rare black rhinos.  What a treat!  The impalas down by the river were also very cool because there were so many.

water for elephants (balule nature reserve, kruger national park)

A very handsome impala.

Trying to get a grasp of how important the trunk of an elephant is for its survival.

Elephants eat for almost 18 hours every day!

These two adolescent males around 15-20 will soon be joined by two more males about their age and a big wrestling match will ensue in the dam's reservoir.  Wouldn't have believed that could be true when I was taking this picture.

Just getting started.

elections in south africa (cape town)

The national elections were held here in South Africa on Wednesday. South Africa's democracy is 20 years old this year, and these were the 5th elections in which every citizen had the right to vote.

It was a national holiday, and there was no school. Jim and I worked for part of the day and went out in the afternoon to try to spot a polling station. The one down the road was empty, with some bored-looking people sitting at the table - Constantia is a little more expat, a lot more white, and a little less populous than the parts of the country that get photographed for international news. So we missed out on witnessing the excitement and long queues first-hand.

Our local polling station, at a school next door to Jim's. Hard to spot, but there is a table with two people sitting at it in the center of the lawn, and no voters to be seen (assumedly they'd all come and gone already; polls opened at 7am, and this was taken at 4pm).

Take a look at live election results here: http://www.news24.com/Elections/Results#map=live

The results aren't final yet, but it is looking like the leading African National Congress has won again, and with over 60% of the vote. People were saying anything under 60% would mean relative defeat, as other parties would gain more significant power in Parliament and push the ANC toward reform.

The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, has about 22% of the vote (up from 15% in the last elections). The DA's stronghold is the Western Cape, where we live, but they made significant gains in other parts of the country. They had been hoping to take Gauteng province, where Johannesburg is located (the economic center of the country).

The big news is that the "new kids on the block," the Economic Freedom Fighters, led by Julius Melema, has won around 6% of the vote and has over a million votes. This means they'll win roughly 20 seats in parliament (a big deal, as far as we can tell). The EFF has been pushing the ANC's rhetoric and legislation further to the left; Melema has called for nationalization of foreign companies without compensation. Jim wrote about this party back in the fall, as we started to notice press coverage of the group with the red berets here in the Western Cape.

Other new, seemingly promising opposition parties, including the Agang led by moderate Mamphela Ramphele, have not done nearly as well and won't get many seats in the national parliament.

We asked a few South African friends who they'd be voting for earlier this week. A fellow teacher at Jim's school was voting DA, while our friend who currently works as the security guard at the school, wasn't sure who she'd vote for: the ANC or the DA. She said, basically, "They're all crooks," and that the rest of the parties don't matter.

a trip of a lifetime (guest post, tim and karen, part 2)

Continuing from Part 1 of our guest post, we left you mid-way through our hike from Cape of Good Hope to Cape Point (#4 on the Top 10 list):

The cliffs of Cape Point – 800 feet straight down. About halfway down the cliff, far in the distance, is the “new” lighthouse. It was built after they found the “old” lighthouse was covered in fog much of the time. Oops!

Back at sea level.

  

#3: Chapman's Peak Drive

Not far from Constantia is Chapman’s Peak Drive, a stunning highway route with a rugged mountain backdrop on one side and ocean waters that range in color from turquoise to deep dark blue on the other.

We took this drive on our first day, following our walk in the Groot Constantia vineyard. What a welcome to South Africa!

Tucked into the hills is the pretty beach town of Hout Bay.

Look closely to see a parade of fishing boats returning with the day's catch.

A closer view of the beach at Hout Bay.

#2: Safari Animals

During our stay at Naledi Bush Camp we took 3-4 hour game drives every morning (leaving at 5:30 a.m.), and every afternoon (leaving at 4:30 p.m.). The animals on the drives were amazing, with numerous up close experiences with safari animals. We were literally just a few feet away from elephants, giraffes, zebras, rhinos, hippos, a lioness and her cubs, and a leopard.

The elephants were the star of the show – at least in terms of numbers. We saw elephants every day – sometimes just one or two, other times, large groups. Here’s a group getting a drink at a water hole.

a trip of a lifetime (guest post, tim and karen, part 1)

Hi,

Karen and Tim, Jennifer’s Mom and Dad, here. We recently returned to our home in Minnesota from a fabulous trip to South Africa to visit Jennifer and Jim. We’re taking a turn as guest bloggers to recap what was truly a trip of a lifetime. We’ll try to keep it short, and focus on our Top 10 Experiences in South Africa.

#11 – Groot Constantia Vineyards & Winery

OK, we cheated. There was no way that we could trim the list to only 10. We thought we did well to keep it to only 11. The vineyards and winery of Groot Constantia is a beautiful collection of vines, hills, and manicured grounds – all literally across the street from Jennifer and Jim’s house.

From Jennifer and Jim’s house, a five minute walk past a couple of large estates puts you into the vineyard. Here’s the first picture of the trip, on a walk the morning following our late night arrival in Cape Town.

The main house at Groot Constantia is a classic example of Cape Dutch architecture.

A grand view of the vines and Hottentot Mountains to the northeast beyond from the farm's homestead.

Groot Constantia features two restaurants. One morning we enjoyed breakfast at the Jonkershuis Restaurant’s outdoor, bistro-style seating.

#10 - African Penguins

Located just 30 minutes south of Constantia near Simon’s Town is Boulders Beach – home to a large colony of African penguins.

African penguins, at about two feet tall, are about half the size of their more famous cousin, the Antarctic-resident King penguin. However, their residence is considerably warmer, shown here enjoying the white sand of Boulders Beach.

Here are two fluffy young penguins, about 8 months old, with one of their parents.

There were several nesting penguins in close proximity to each other on the beach. Here is one taking care of two eggs.