Stopping in Victoria Falls

It's the 4th day of our first safari. We arrived in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, yesterday afternoon. We'll be here until Friday. I am updating this blog using my iPhone, which is not the easiest thing to do. I can't upload any pictures because it will be too difficult. But I want to update everyone where I am.
So far it's it's been a lot of driving in Botswana. We've been to a rhino sanctuary called Khama. We also went to an elephant sanctuary called Elephant Sands. It's amazing seeing the animals up close and  in their natural environment. I took some wonderful pictures of rhinos, elephants, zebras, giraffes and a whole lot of other animals. I will post in this blog when I get a chance to upload them to my laptop.
Tomorrow we'll be going to Chobe National Park where there are a lot of other animals. I'm looking forward to hopefully see some lions as well. Following that we'll be driving south back towards South Africa.  I will be back in Johannesburg on Sunday, spend the night, and on Monday will be going to Kruger National Park for two days of Safari.  Kruger is well known for its variety of animals.
I hope to share some pictures with you soon. 

Safaris

I will not be bringing my laptop to the safaris since I heard that there is no wifi or internet access in those areas.  So, I thought the best way for you to follow me is to share the full itinerary with you, as shown below.  Day 1 will be Monday, February 10th.  I'll share pictures and stories when I get back to the city or whenever I have a chance.
I apologize for the appearance of the blog.  I had to do a cut and paste of the information that was sent to me and I don't have time to make the necessary editing to make it look good.

Departs: Every Monday from your backpacker in Johannesburg or Pretoria

DAY 1: GAUTENG TO KHAMA RHINO SANCTUARY (BOTSWANA)

The tour departs early morning from Johannesburg and Pretoria. Your guide will stop en-route for breakfast (own cost), banks and last minute shopping while still on the South African side of the border. Your guide will assist you with exchanging currencies after crossing the border into Botswana. From there we head north towards Khama Rhino Sanctuary where we will have our first night sleepover at a campsite nearby. Here you can explore the various optional game drives and walking trails.
Accommodation: Camping with option to upgrade to bedded accommodation.
Included meals: Dinner

DAY 2: KHAMA RHINO SANCTUARY TO ELEPHANT SANDS (BOTSWANA)

Late morning, after breakfast, we head further north to Elephant Sands, which is a lovely lodge close to Nata, where we stay the night. Here you can relax at the swimming pool and bar overlooking a close-by waterhole, while watching animals such as large herds of elephants and others, including lions and leopards, coming to drink water.
Accommodation: Camping with option to upgrade to bedded accommodation.
Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 3: ELEPHANT SANDS TO VICTORIA FALLS (ZIMBABWE)

After an early morning light breakfast we drive even further north to the Zimbabwean border post. This takes us through the Kasane forest where we always see herds of elephants and often see a variety of antelopes and sometimes lion, hyena and wild dog. From the border we drive another hour to the vibrant town of Victoria Falls where we will be staying the next two nights. The campsite, Victoria Falls Rest Camp, is situated in the middle of town, within 10 minutes walking distance of just about everything. Your guide will assist you with exchanging currencies and bookings for optional activities that you would like to do. This afternoon we visit the magnificent Victoria Falls waterfall, which is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It is 1700 meters (1.1 mile) wide, making it the largest sheet of falling water in the world. The Zimbabwean side is the best side to view the waterfall from, as 1400 meters of the waterfall is on that side, as well as the main falls. There is water there throughout the year.
Accommodation: Camping with option to upgrade to bedded accommodation.
Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 4: VICTORIA FALLS (ZIMBABWE)

Victoria Falls and the surrounding areas offer a great variety of things to see and do. You will have plenty of free time to explore the town, meet the locals, visit the African markets with its wide variety of very affordable arts and crafts made from wood, stone and beads, or to relax by the pool at the campsite in the heat of the day. The Victoria Falls region is nicknamed the adventure capital of Africa for a reason. It is well known for the large variety of fantastic activities (optional excursions) such as the best one day white water rafting in the world, the 111 meters bungi jump off the bridge between Zimbabwe and Zambia which is the second highest bridge bungi jump in the world, elephant back and horse safaris, flights over the waterfall, canoe safaris, day trips to Hwange national park, fishing safaris, game walks, super fast jet boat trips, abseiling, gorge swings and much more. On day 4 dinner is out at one of the local restaurants (own cost), which is normally a festive outing.
Accommodation: Camping with option to upgrade to bedded accommodation.
Included meals: Breakfast

DAY 5: CHOBE NATIONAL PARK (BOTSWANA)

After a light breakfast we drive back to the Botswana border post through the Matetsi game reserve where we often see herds of elephants, sable antelope, buffalo and many more animal species. We arrive late morning in Kasane where we will be staying at a campsite on the shores of the Chobe River that is close to the gate of Chobe National Park. Here we often see hippo and large herds of animals. You will have the opportunity to change money and / or relax at the swimming pool and at the river shores. This afternoon we do a game drive in an open 4x4 vehicle inside Chobe national park, which is well known for its large variety and numbers of wildlife. These game drives are always very successful with spotting large numbers of wildlife. Dinner will be served on return to camp.
Accommodation: Camping with option to upgrade to bedded accommodation.
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 6: ITUMELA CAMPSITE (BOTSWANA)

We leave Kasane after a light breakfast, driving south towards Palapye. We stop at Frances Town for lunch and a last bit of shopping (own cost). Arriving late afternoon at Itumela (Palapye) where we will be setting up camp for the night. Here you can enjoy the pool bar and local cuisine.
Accommodation: Camping with option to upgrade to bedded accommodation.
Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 7: BASE CAMP (SOUTH AFRICA)

We depart early morning driving further south crossing the border into South Africa. You will stop en-route for breakfast & lunch (own cost). This night we spend at our Base Camp in Johannesburg.
Included meals None

DAY 8: JOHANNESBURG TO BASE CAMP

The tour departs early morning from Johannesburg and Pretoria. We will stop en-route for breakfast (own cost) and refreshments. We stop at Hoedspruit for all our shopping and then head out to visit the Maholoholo Wildlife Animal Rehabilitation Centre which is home for many of South Africa’s abandoned, injured and poisoned wildlife and a highly regarded contributor to wildlife education in our country. Here you can interact with a variety of animal species and one of the highlights is allowing a vulture to land on your protected arm and eat meat from your hand!
We will then head off towards our campsite, which is nestled in the Klaserie Nature Reserve at the border of theKruger National Park. With the arrival at the camp, you have the opportunity to relax; sitting around the campfire is one that must not be missed, the best time to take in the surroundings and listening to the sounds of the African Bush! The campsite is one of the most beautiful camping venues in the area and has a large variety of wildlife including nyala, zebra, giraffe, blue wildebeest, impala, warthog and much more, which are often seen around the camp and chalets. There is a large swimming pool where you can cool off at the end of the day after your game drive.
Camping accommodation: Camping in permanent erected 2-person dome tents
Bedded accommodation: Chalets with beds and en-suite bathrooms
Included meals: Dinner

DAY 9: KRUGER NATIONAL PARK

A short drive takes us to Orpen gate, which is the most central gate to Kruger National Park, where we arrive as the gates open. Kruger is home to 147 mammal (including the Big 5), 114 reptile & 502 bird species. You will be transferred to open sided 4 x 4 game viewing vehicles in which we will do game drives. Kruger National Park is the same size as Israel, Wales or Netherlands and contains different vegetation types that attract different animals to different areas of the park. Therefore we spend as much time on game drives as possible, so that we give ourselves a better chance of seeing different animal and bird species. We concentrate the game drives around the central region of the park, where we have a better chance of seeing the big cats and a large variety of animals.
Breakfast and lunch will be prepared by your guide and enjoyed at one of the many picnic sites inside Kruger National Park. The guides will also stop at various view points and hides inside the park, where you can stretch your legs while looking for wildlife.
We then make our way back to camp. After dinner we get ready to journey back into the bush. This time in search of the nocturnal animals on the evening's Sunset Game Drive. This takes place in the Kruger National Park, which is well known for fantastic game and night drives, with excellent game viewing. This drive is done in 4x4 open game viewing vehicles.

Camping accommodation: Camping in permanent erected 2-person dome tents
Bedded accommodation: Chalets with beds and en-suite bathrooms
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 10: KRUGER NATIONAL PARK

We start the day with a cup of coffee or tea, before heading out on a game drive in an open game viewing vehicle shortly after the gates open. You will be on a game drive for the majority of the day, searching for as many animal species as possible. Breakfast and lunch will be enjoyed at picnic sites inside Kruger National Park.
Arriving late afternoon back at camp, your Guide will prepare one of South Africa’s favorite dishes, a Braai (South African barbecue). The night is spent sitting around the campfire listening to the night sounds in the African Bush.
Camping accommodation: Camping in permanent erected 2-person dome tents
Bedded accommodation: Chalets with beds and en-suite bathrooms
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

 

DAY 11: BLYDE RIVER CANYON & ECHO CAVES TO JOHANNESBURG

We depart after breakfast heading toward two of our well known touring spots: "The Three Rondavels", part of the Blyde River Canyon which is the "third largest canyon in the world” as well as a visit to the Echo Caves. From here we drive back to Nelspruit, Johannesburg and Pretoria, where we will drop you off at the airport or backpacker hostels and hotels.
Included meals: Breakfast
Included:

» All transport
» All accommodation
» Qualified and registered guide
» All camping and other equipment
» Meals as specified above
» Blyde River Canyon (Three Rondawels view point)
» Entrance & conservation fees to Kruger National Park
» Full Game drives in Kruger National Park (open vehicles)
» Sunset Game Drive
» Echo Caves
» Entrance Fees to Victoria Falls
» Entrance & conservation fees to Chobe National Park
» Chobe National Park game drive (open vehicles)

Excluded:

» All drinks (except coffee & tea with meals)
» Meals not specified above
» Optional activities in Victoria Falls
» Visas if required
Sleeping bag hire (Camping clients):

R80 (once off) per person, if you do not have a sleeping bag of your own.

Bedded accommodation:

For the Kruger portion of the tour (3 nights) passengers have the option to upgrade to bedded accommodation by paying an additional R1000 on tour. On the other nights passengers have the option to upgrade to bedded accommodation upon arrival at the camps / lodges, but not before.

Optional activities

Chobe National Park
Giraffe Tracking	Pula 280
Victoria Falls
Full day white water rafting (Low water, August to January) (rapids 1 to 21)	US$ 130
Full day white water rafting (High water, February to July) (rapids 11 to 24)	US$ 120
Half day white water rafting & river boarding (Low water, August to January) (rapids 1 to 21)	US$ 185
Bungee jump from the Victoria Falls bridge	US$ 120
Bridge slide	US$ 35
Tandem Bridge slide (2 people)	US$ 55
Bridge swing	US$ 120
Tandem bridge swifng (2 people)	US$ 190
Historical bridge tour	US$ 50
Helicopter flight over the Victoria Falls waterfall (13 minutes)	US$ 130
Helicopter flight over the Victoria Falls waterfall (25 minutes)	US$ 250
Elephant interactive safari	US$ 130
Walk with lions	US$ 130
Game drive: Night drive including bush dinner	US$ 110
Game drive: Morning or afternoon	US$ 90
Game walk: Morning walk	US$ 90
Half day upper Zambezi canoeing	US$ 110
Full day upper Zambezi canoeing	US$ 125
Upper Zambezi canoeing (wine route) (3 hours)	US$ 60
Multi day canoe safaris on the Zambezi River	On request
Morning elephant interactive safari + Lion walk	US$ 200
Morning elephant interactive safari + Lion walk + Rhino tracking & Vulture restaurant	US$ 230
Afternoon elephant interactive safari + Rhino tracking + night game drive + bush dinner under stars	US$ 260
Sunset cruise on the Zambezi river	US$ 35

Thoughts on Johannesburg

Typically, before you travel to a place, you hear snippets of information about the place.  I heard that JNB is not a safe city and now that I am here, I can understand why.  It's a big sprawling city and after a few days, you can see the division between the better-off mostly white and the very poor blacks.  I am staying with Ashir in a suburb called Sandton, about 30 minutes from the Central Business District or CBD.  Here is where you find your typical malls, beautiful homes in gated communities, golf courses, and brand-new offices.  Most of the big companies have fled the CBD into Sandton and the surrounding suburbs.  During the apartheid days, the CBD was a thriving all-white commercial district but today it is mostly populated by black businesses and residents.
In order to get a better view of JNB I took a hop-on hop-off bus that goes around the city, stopping at some of the tourist spots.  I got off the bus in the CBD and walked through the area.  Believe it or not, I was nervous.  Even black South Africans warned me to be careful, not to take certain streets.
Below is a picture of Gandhi Square, which is a big bus terminal right in the middle of the CBD.  Gandhi, as you may know, spent many of his years here working as a lawyer.  He started the non-violent protest movement that people like Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King emulated.

Plaque honoring Mohandas (later Mahatma) Gandhi

It's just a big busy bus terminal in the middle of the CBD

Seeing Gandhi Square and CBD from the top of Carlton Centre building

Because of the violence and crime, many of the businesses around the CBD have left, leaving many empty buildings.  The picture above was taken from the roof (50th floor) of the Carlton Centre, which is the tallest building in Africa.  It used to house the famous Carlton Hotel, where guests like Hillary Clinton, Margaret Thatcher, Mick Jagger, Henry Kissinger, Whitney Houston, have stayed.  It shut down in 1997.  Today it's a bustling shopping center with many retail stores and some government offices.
One of the more interesting stops on the tour is the Apartheid Museum.  It's a reminder of South Africa's tainted history but it's also a tribute to the man who ended apartheid - Nelson Mandela.  Much has been written about him but you can't help hearing about him everywhere.  He is like America's JFK, a politician with superstar status.

A reminder of apartheid as you enter the Apartheid Museum

How race is classified:  white or non-white

No difference from the pre-civil rights days in the US

A big focus on Nelson Mandela at the museum

Just to show how much he is adored, they named a square in a high-end shopping center after him.  It's a place where most of the black South Africans can't afford to shop or eat. 

Nelson Mandela Square in a Sandton City Mall

Another interesting stop on the route is the Origins Center, located in the University of Witwatersrand.  About about an hour north of JNB is an area of caves and archeological sites they called the Cradle of Humankind.  Here is where they found many of the pre-human primate fossils, proving that this is where humans originated from.  This museum has excellent exhibits and videos explaining how humans derived from our ape-like ancestors.

The Origins Center

Park Station, where you can take a bus or train to almost anywhere in S. Africa or Africa

Just to prove my point about crime in JNB, I myself was a victim on my very first full-day here.  I was tricked into using my ATM card at a well-known local bank ATM in a nice shopping center in Sandton.  Apparently, someone used a device to capture my debit card and pin.  By the time I ran back to my friend's house to call my bank, they have withdrawn almost US$1,000 cash and spent another US$1,000 on credit purchases.  Fortunately, the bank will write this off as fraud and I will not have to pay for the losses.  However, it is a rude awakening and reminder for me to be more vigilant the rest of the trip.
So, you asked, "why is there so much crime in Johannesburg?"  The answer is only obvious when you are here.  The gap between the haves' and have-nots' is very wide.  And the have-nots' are mostly blacks, which consists of almost 80% of the population in JNB.   Some of these people are not just poor, they are extremely poor.  When you are in that state and desperate for money to feed yourself and your family and you have no job or other means, you resort to crime.  It's not an excuse but a fact everywhere.  The end of apartheid gave the blacks freedom but not economic freedom.  That is going to take some time.
One of the tour guides I encountered summed it best.  Blacks need to solve these challenges:  1.  more education  2. HIV/AIDS  3. Early Pregnancy  4.  Jobs
If Americans want to see what it's like to have a wide gap between the rich and the poor, they only need to come here to see the future.  You live in constant vigilance: in gated communities surrounded by barb-wire fence, extra security in your cars, shop only in safe neighborhoods, etc.
If I did not have Ashir here, I'd have stopped in JNB for the most 2 days.  It's a good transit to the safaris at Kruger National Park, other National Parks, or private game reserves.  From here you can go to other parts of South Africa:  Durban or Cape Town (CPT).  Everyone has been telling me how beautiful CPT is.  I plan to spend 7-10 days there and I can't wait. I can just taste the wine in Stellenbosch.
If you do stop here, I suggest you at least visit Soweto and the Apartheid Museum.  Drive through the CBD but avoid walking through there unless you have a local friend with you.
Lastly, the locals shorten Johannesburg to Joburg or Jo'burg.  In this fast-pace world, it takes too long to say a 4-syllable name.

Soweto

Much has been written and talked about Soweto because of its connections to South Africa's (RSA) history.  Today I took a tour of Soweto, which stands for South West Township.  Black South Africans were drawn to the Johannesburg (JNB) area to work in the gold mines in the late 1800s' and early 1900s'.  But they were accommodated in separate areas outside the city and were settled in areas called townships.  During the apartheid days, blacks were not allowed to live in the city so at night they were forced out of the city into these townships.

We took this mini-bus for the tour

Soweto is only about 15 mins from Johannesburg

In 1976 there was a riot that brought the world's attention to Soweto.  This was known as the Soweto Uprising.  It started when black Africans were forced to study in the Afrikaans language instead of English.  Afrikaans derived mainly from the Dutch language and was introduced by the early Dutch settlers.  It is still widely spoken today.  The blacks felt that there was no future in the Afrikaans language, compared to English becoming the dominant language of government and commerce.  Over 100 died that day, including a kid by the name of Hector Pieterson.

Memorial to the 1976 Soweto Uprising

Picture of Hector Pieterson being killed and carried away

Souvenirs sold outside the memorial

If there is any easy description of Soweto, it is a sprawling slum.  However, you can find houses that cost in the millions to shacks.  Our tour guide told us that the population of Soweto is about 5 million!  We drove around in a van and it's not difficult to see the conditions of the houses (or shacks) that the people live in.

Typical Housing and "restaurant"

Roadside food stands

With this many people, you find things that are unique to this community.  One of them is transportation.  A lot of the residents use private mini-buses to get around.  But the mini-buses don't have numbers on them;  so in order for a resident to let an approaching mini-bus know where he wants to go, he uses certain hand-signals, as demonstrated by our driver below.

I want to go to Orland East (a suburb of Soweto)

I want to go to the city

One of the claims to fame about Soweto is that this is the only place in the world where two Nobel Peace Prize winners used to live on the same street (Vilakazi St):  Desmond Tutu (1984) and Nelson Mandela (1993).

Nelson Mandela used to live here.  It's a museum now.

Arrived in Johannesburg

I left Phoenix on Saturday, February 1st evening on a red-eye flight to New York City's (NYC) JFK Airport.  The flight took less than 4 hours.  I don't sleep well on planes so I did not get any sleep at all.  Fortunately, JetBlue has DirecTV on the flight so it was easy to pass the time away.
We landed at about 6 am and as usual I take the AirTrain to the Jamaica Station, then take the E Train to mid-town and finally the No. 1 train to Shawn (my son) and Ella's apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, arriving at about 7:30 am.  It's a very efficient way to go from the airport to Manhattan.  The total cost of the trains is $7.50.  Taking a taxi would have cost $60 and maybe save me 30 minutes.

After a couple of hours' nap, we were ready to have lunch with Cynthia's (my daughter) friends in Chinatown.  When we got there, a Chinese New Year Parade was going on and we had to take a detour to get to the restaurant, called Sunshine 27 on Bowery Street.  Chinese New Year was on Friday, January 31st.  Three of Cynthia's close high-school friends have decided to move to NYC.  They were all at Cynthia's wedding recently and I told them that I will let them know when I come to NYC.  As evidenced by the crowd at Sunshine 27, this is a popular Chinese dim-sum restaurant.  We had to wait for more than an hour to get a table.  But, boy, did we eat!  Since Christie, Alyssa and Jay have not tried real good dim sum, this was quite an experience for them.

Dim Sum Lunch at Sunshine 27 with Cynthia's HS friends

We ordered so much food that we had to take some home.  The best thing was the bill came up to only $61!  I gave the waitress a $10 tip and she was elated.  She kept wishing us Happy New Year!  Being able to speak Cantonese with the restaurant staff was definitely an advantage.  In typical Hong Kong style restaurants, it's normal to yell at the wait staff to get their attention.  I certainly did my share of yelling to order the variety of food.

It was snowing on Monday morning when I walked out of Shawn's apartment to the subway station.  I think this is where taking public transportation is an advantage because the taxis may be caught in a traffic jam during rush-hour, especially in the snow.  The subway trains just move along as usual and I arrived at JFK airport in good time.  It didn't surprise me when the South African Airways gate agent announced that we will be late boarding.  There was quite a bit of snow already as you can see from the picture below.

South African Airways plane that I flew on at JFK

After we boarded, we had to wait for the plane to be de-iced and then wait for our turn to take the runway.  We were about 2 hours late departing JFK.

This is the longest direct flight I have taken - 14 1/2 hours.  The plane flew across the Atlantic, then along the coasts of Europe, then Africa.  The service was average for an international flight.  I always use Singapore Airlines as the standard-bearer for airline service and so far no airline has been even close.  Again, I was not able to sleep much on the plane but I kept myself busy watching the movies on the monitor behind the seat in front of me.  This is a great way to keep passengers occupied.  I remember the days when everyone has to watch the same movie on a large screen.  Nowadays, you can watch movies, TV shows, listen to music or even play games on the entertainment system.

We landed at Johannesburg (JNB) O. R Tambo Airport at about 10 am (local time) on Tuesday morning.  My first order of business after I landed and cleared through Immigration and Customs, is to find an ATM.  I still see long lines at the Foreign Exchange counters.  Even if they don't charge you a commission, the exchange rate is so low that you pay a very high fee to exchange money.  I found a financial institution (Schwab) that has a no-fee ATM card and I use that exclusively when I travel outside the US. Before I leave, I make sure I deposit enough money in the account and let Schwab know what countries I will be traveling and using the ATM card.

The next thing I do is get a SIM card for my cheap phone.  US mobile phone companies like AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, etc, lock their phones.  This means that their phones can only be used for their network in the US.  You can use their phones overseas but be prepared to pay a bundle.  I bought this cheap phone for about $10 when I first went to Vietnam and it has been exceedingly useful when I am  in other countries.  You can usually get a SIM card for about $10, which gives you about 30 minutes of talk time.  All I want is some way for the locals to get hold of me and for me to call a local number.

Now I am ready to leave the airport to go to my friend, Ashir's house.  They have a modern train system that right now stops at only 3 stations.  I called Ashir from the train station and when I get off at the last stop, Sandton, I waited for him to come and pick me up.  Ashir and I met when we were both working for IBM in Vietnam.  He was based in Singapore then, but he moved to Australia, and now has a 2-year assignment in South Africa (SA).  I will be staying with him when I am in JNB.

Modern train to and from the airport

Entrance to the train station

As expected, I was very tired after I arrived at Ashir's house and took a 2-hour nap.  I spoke to Mackenzie, another of Cynthia's friend, and we plan to meet tomorrow.  I brought her some American snacks that she has been craving here.  I have a few days in the JNB area before leaving on Monday morning for the first safari at Kruger National Park. 

A Trek Through South Africa

South Africa (officially Republic of South Africa or RSA) has always been on my list of places to travel.  When my friend, Ashir, who recently moved to Johannesburg (JNB), invited me to visit, I started thinking and planning.  Although not absolutely necessary, it helps to have a friend there for a base, where you can leave your extra stuff before you go on a long trip and have access to local information.

I know the map below of South Africa overlaps some of the information on the right.  But I think it's worth seeing a larger map so that you can identify with some of the places that I will be traveling to.

When you think of South Africa, you think of Nelson Mandela, Apartheid, safaris, rugby, etc.  But it is more than that.  It is a large, diverse and beautiful country.  It's about twice the size of Texas, with a population of about 47 million;  80% of which are black, white and colored each number slightly less than 10% and the rest of Asian descent.  Hence it's known as the Rainbow Nation.  I have met many South Africans over the years and they are one of the friendliest people in the world and very proud of their country.  They want you to forget about the apartheid days but remind you how beautiful their country is and all the famous people from there:  Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, Gary Player, Christian Barnard (the first heart-transplant doctor), Mahatma Gandhi (yes, he was Indian but spent many years in RSA), etc.

I admit that I also know very little about RSA and that's why I am traveling there.  I leave on February 3rd and will be there for about seven weeks.  Because it's so far, there are not many direct flights there.  I was ready to book a British Airways flight, which means I'd have to stop in London, then take a direct flight from London to JNB.  Travel time can be as long as 30 hours.  Fortunately, South African Airways announced a special deal recently and I booked a direct 15-hour flight from New York's JFK Airport to JNB.  Round-trip fare for this flight is about US$1,000.

What are my travel plans?  At this time it is very sketchy.  However, I am traveling with a company called Baz Bus, which is a hop-on hop-off backpacker bus that goes from Cape Town (CPT) to JNB or JNB to CPT.  The nice thing about this bus is that you can stop at any place on their route for as long as you want.  When you are ready to go to your next destination, you find out when the next bus comes your way and let them know.  They will then pick you up at your hostel.  The buses go to some of the off-the-beaten path places.  I took a similar bus when I was traveling in New Zealand.  If you want to know more about Baz Bus, here is their link:  Baz Bus Information

When I mentioned to friends that I am going to RSA, the first question I get is:  Are you going on a safari?  The answer is YES!  How can you go to Africa without going on a safari?  I've booked two safari tours with Baz Bus:  a 4-day Kruger National Park Tour and a 7-day Chobe National Park and Victoria Falls Tour.  Here is a short summary of the Kruger National Park Tour:

Experience game viewing at its best in the Kruger National Park and surrounds.  It is one of the few places on earth where wildlife can be seen in such great variety and at such close quarters.  Spot the BIG 5 (Lion, Rhino, Leopard, Elephant and Buffalo).  Open vehicle game drives give you excellent photographic opportunities.  The tour also covers the picturesque Mpumalanga area and includes a stop to view the Three Rondawels and the amazing Blyde River Canyon.  

Here is information about the Chobe National Park and Victoria Falls Tour:

This tour includes a game drive in an open 4 x 4 vehicle inside Chobe National Park (Botswana), which is well known for its large variety and number of wildlife.  Visit the magnificent Victoria Falls waterfall (Zimbabwe), which is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world and 1700 meters wide, making it the largest sheet of falling water in the world.  Enjoy a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River (optional activity), where hippo and crocodile are plentiful.  The Victoria Falls region is nicknamed the adventure capital of Africa and offers numerous activities (optional excursions) such as white water rafting, 111 meters bungi jumping, elephant back and horse safaris and much more.

After the tours I plan to start heading southeast towards Durban, then along the coast to Port Elizabeth and finally Cape Town.  In between these major cities I plan to stop at smaller towns or places of interest.  Where I stop depends on where the interesting places are to go.  I plan to stay in CPT for at least a week.  It has been named one of the top places to go in 2014 by the New York Times:  52 Places to Go in 2014

I hope to update this blog as often as I can.  I will also try to share as many pictures as possible.  However, how often I update the blog depends on the availability of wifi.  I heard it's quite good in RSA but I don't expect to have wifi access when I am on the safari tours.  As always, I love to hear from you;  any feedback or comments are always welcome.

Just some other basic information about RSA:  since it's in the southern hemisphere, the season is opposite of what we have in the northern hemisphere.  At this time of the year, January to March, it's summer there and the temperature has been around 60-80F.  It's about 9 hours ahead of Phoenix, which means when it's noon in Phoenix, it's 9 pm in RSA.  The currency is the Rand and right now, the exchange rate is about US$1 = 11 ZAR.  ZA is also often used as abbreviation for South Africa.

Home Again in Hot Sunny Phoenix

I started this post the day after I returned to Phoenix.  Unfortunately, I got distracted by a few things that I needed to take care of and then I just got plain lazy.  After being on the road for 5 weeks and sleeping on different beds, it's nice to finally sleep on your own queen-size bed.  Not only that, now I have a lot of space around me, a big-screen HD TV, and a comfortable sofa to take naps on.  You appreciate your home more when you travel;  more so when you sleep in a room with strangers.
So, here is my final post for this trip:

I finally arrived home after an 18-hour journey from the hostel in Dublin to my house.  Going through London Heathrow airport is an adventure.  There is no system or organization within the airport.  For example, I had to take 2 shuttle buses to go from the plane to just the Terminal 1 building.  Then I had to take another shuttle bus to go from Terminal 1 to 5, where I had to get my boarding pass and go through security.  From there, I had to go through a maze of corridors and then take an airport train to my gate.  I could hear the gate agent announcing the last call for the flight as I was running up the escalator to the gate.  I was almost the last person to board the flight.  British Airways was almost sure that I would not make the flight because they would not give me my London to Phoenix boarding pass in Dublin.  The ticketing agent in Dublin told me that the flight was overbooked and I have to get my boarding pass in London.
I actually felt hot when I stepped outside the Phoenix Airport.  It was almost 100F or 37C and sunny.  After 5 weeks in weather that never got above 65F or 18C, it is quite a shock.  In spite of the cold and rain in Ireland and Scotland, it was a wonderful trip.

In the US, where there are probably more Irish than Scots, you hear a lot about how beautiful Ireland is.  It is a beautiful country, with a lot of green, rolling hills, farms, sheep, castles, ocean, etc.  I always hear that the Irish are very friendly.  Indeed they are.
However, when we first saw Edinburgh, we were blown away by how beautiful the city is.  Walking along the Royal Mile, it's like being in a fairy tale city.  You have Edinburgh Castle on top of the highest point in the city on one end and the Holyrood Palace on the other end.  Then you see spires of churches, hotels and even schools around the castle.  Even the cemeteries are interesting.  Just below the castle is the beautiful Princess Street Gardens dotted with museums, churches, restaurants, hotels, shops, pubs, etc.  That is just the Lowlands.
When I traveled up to the Highlands, the scenery was even more amazing:  spectacular mountains, waterfalls, Lochs (or lakes), castles, forests, lots of historical sites, etc.  This is what Ireland does not have:  the Highlands.  And I did not even travel to the far north of Scotland, the Orkney Islands.
If you decide to go to Scotland, I recommend you read Neil Oliver's book on "The History of Scotland."  It gives you an appreciation of its violent history and its relationship with England.  In 2014, the Scots will have a referendum on their independence.  Regardless of its political future, the Scots are one of the friendliest people in the world and the country is definitely one of the most beautiful.  Hope you get a chance visit the country.