Monday 20th August 2018
We didn't have a lot of time to think about our African adventure. Alaska wasn't that distant a memory and we had booked this TripaDeal holiday not long before that on an impulse. It was somewhere I had always wanted to go, but John not so keen. So I just must have got him at a weak moment and when he said that it would be OK, I pounced.
So at 5.30pm on Monday 20th August we headed to the airport for our flight to Perth. We had free wifi on the plane which made the journey bearable as it was absolutely freezing and Virgin didn't have any blankets to offer us. Fortunately I always travel with a warm jacket - and didn't I need it!
After arriving in Perth we didn't have too long to wait for our South Africa Airways flight to Johannesburg. As we had been awake for a long time, we did manage to sleep pretty much the whole way which was a blessing.
Tuesday 21st August 2018
It was quite a 'pinch me' moment when we arrived in Johannesburg, somewhere I never dreamed I would be. The wait in Johannesburg airport for our flight to Livingstone was boring and five hours seemed like 55 hours. When we arrived in Livingstone, the wait at Customs to get over the border from Zambia to Zimbabwe was excruciating!
On the way to our hotel in Zimbabwe, the Cresta Sprayview, we passed a herd of elephants. The first tick on The Big Five and we weren't even in a safari park! For the remainder of our day we settled into our lovely room, booked a couple of activities for the next few days, enjoyed a drink by the pool and then a gorgeous shower before an early night.
Wednesday 22nd August 2018
After an absolutely wonderful sleep last night, we were up at 6am to be ready for breakfast by 6.30am and then pickup at 8am for Victoria Falls. What an amazing spectacle - HUGE and awe-inspiring.
We arrived back at the hotel at lunchtime for a freshen-up and a light lunch before being picked up and taken to the Elephant Sanctuary for what was a truly unforgettable experience. We got to walk with the elephants, touch them, and even feed them. We also saw crocodiles, loads of birds, wildebeests, impalas and warthogs
We arrived back at the hotel around 6pm for a welcome shower and had room service for dinner.
Thursday 23rd August 2018
Today we took a tram ride to Victoria Falls with our tour companions Mike and Trudy. This gorgeous old tram had been wonderfully restored and they bunged on drinks and snacks for us for the journey. When the tram reached the bridge we walked across and were then taken up for an excellent presentation by the 'architect' of the bridge.
After arriving back at the hotel we had a bludge for a few hours before being picked up for our sunset cruise on the Zambezi River. Another 'pinch me' moment where we saw loads of hippos, birds, crocodiles and even a couple of elephants. The sunset was just spectacular.
We arrived back at the hotel in time for a lovely dinner by the pool.
Friday 24th August 2018
Farewell Zimbabwe - what an experience! After breakfast we were collected and taken to the Victoria Falls airport for our 3 hour flight to Capetown. Our hotel, The Portswood, was just gorgeous and super close to the waterfront. On our way to the hotel however we saw our first shanty towns - very upsetting. The division between the whites, blacks and 'coloureds' in South Africa is horrible.
After setting up in our room we walked across the road to the Waterfront and ended up going on a sunset cruise. Table Mountain is just spectacular, especially in the sunset.
When we returned to the wharf it was quite chilly so we found a nice warm eating place and enjoyed a Thai meal before returning to the hotel for a nice warm shower.
Saturday 25th August 2018
Well thank heavens we went on our sunset cruise last night, because today was rainy and freezing. But, we soldiered on with a city tour of Capetown - the six of us in our little TripaDeal group.
The cablecar to the top of Table Mountain was fogged in and wasn't running, but we had a reasonable view from the first station...and John bought a cap
We also visited some of the more affluent suburbs, paid a visit to the Castle and the Museum
as well as the Bo-Kaap district with its lovely coloured houses.
When we arrived back at the hotel around 2pm with just dumped our gear in our room and headed back down to the wharf for some retail therapy. By this stage however the wind had picked up and the rain was bucketing down so we decided to call it quits, retreating to our room where we stayed for the remainder of the day. We watched a movie and ordered room service and were happy little Vegemites.
Sunday 26th August 2018
Today we went on full day trip all the way down the Peninsula to Cape Point, The Cape of Good Hope
And as if this wasn't amazing enough, we also got to call in at Simon's Town for lunch
visit a Penguin Colony in Boulders
and the magnificent Kirstenbosch Gardens, over 5000 acres set in the most amazing part of Capetown with the backdrop of mountains.
After arriving back at the hotel, we went down to the Harbour for a curry dinner and then back to our room ahead of another big day tomorrow.
Monday 27th August 2018
And yet another fantastic day tour - this time to the wine country. During the course of the day we stopped at three wineries. The first one paired different cheeses with the wines (I tossed out the red wines, drank the whites and ate all of the cheese!).
The second winery served just wine, but the highlight for us was that we got to visit the Cheetah Outreach Centre which was on the property. Despite the bitterly cold weather (2 degrees) we were in awe of these magnificent animals and the marvellous work that is being done by the Centre
Our third winery was the best winery, not because of the wine, but because of the pairing with CHOCOLATE....delicious chocolate
On the return to Capetown we had a stop at the Victor Verster Prison, where Nelson Mandela took his "Long Walk to Freedom" in 1990
By the time we returned to our Capetown hotel it was raining and absolutely freezing so we just bunkered down in our room, turned on the heater and ordered room service.
Tuesday 28th August 2018
After breakfast it was time to farewell Capetown and take a flight to Johannesburg, where we were transported by mini bus to Mabula Game Reserve. Our accommodation was amazing
and the best part was that we were on time to go on the 3.30pm afternoon safari. There were many other opportunities to go on safari over the next few days, but we just couldn't wait...and it was worth it!
We were very fortunate that we were assigned the most wonderful guide, George, for the duration of our stay. He was so sweet and very knowledgeable - nothing was too much trouble for him in our quest for wildlife
Wednesday 29th August 2018
Thursday 30th August 2018
Friday 31st August 2018
These three days at Mabula were definitely the highlight of our trip to Africa.
Up at 4.30am for the sunrise safari, back by 10am for breakfast followed by a bludge around the lodge, then a late lunch followed by an afternoon safari which got us back around 7pm in time for dinner.
We saw elephants, lions, giraffes, zebras, cheetahs, baboons, jackals, so many birds, hedgehogs...you name it we spotted it and photographed it.
We both agreed that the giraffes were our favourite animals but the most memorable animal sightings were the mother cheetah and her four baby cubs
and the pride of lions who had not long finished feasting on their latest kill. They were so full we thought they were dead as they just lay there comatose
Saturday 1st September 2018
Alas our African adventure was coming to an end and after the morning safari and breakfast it was time to say farewell. Our very interesting guide, Natasha, from AfriFriends picked the six of us up at 11am for the drive to Johannesburg.
It was a long drive and we got to spend a few hours in Soweto, an incredibly depressing and disturbing place, but one that I would have been sorry to miss. We walked the length of Vilakazi Street, where Nobel Peace Prize winners Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu grew up
We also learned about the 1976 youth uprising against apartheid which led to the death of 176 students and went through the Apartheid Museum - very confronting
Around 6pm we arrived at the Johannesburg Airport...and so began the long journey home.
Sunday 2nd September 2018
After a 9 hour flight we arrived in Perth around 12.20pm and our flight back to Brisbane wasn't until 10.45pm. So not to be deterred, we decided to check our luggage in, store our hand luggage in a storage box and head off to explore Perth. We farewell our travelling companions Trudy & Michael and Debbie & Richard and thanked them for their fabulous company over the past few weeks.
We had never been to Perth and the hop-on hop-off bus was a great way to explore this lovely city. We ended up down at the waterfront on what was a gorgeous warm sunny day. It felt great to be back in Oz and we enjoyed a coffee and a lovely long walk in the sunshine.
At the end of the day we made our way back to the airport and waited it out with free wifi until our flight boarded.
Monday 3rd September 2018
Brrr! The flight home from Perth was FREEZING and again Virgin provided no blankets. Even my warm coat didn't make me snug enough to get any sleep. We arrived home around 5.30am, had a shower, set the alarm for 1pm and got into our gorgeous comfy bed and slept. Once we woke up and felt much better, we had some 'brunch' and then headed off to do some grocery shopping.
Back to bed around 10pm and the body clocks went back into sync. Another epic adventure for Team John & Sue.
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