The last update of our wonderful trip to South Africa.

We ended this trip with a week in the most beautiful city in South Africa: Capetown. What a magnificent place. The city is beautiful and the beaches and ocean water are divine. We flew in Friday morning, the 29th of July. We picked up our rental car, this time an automatic straight off the bat, and drove directly to the city center to the Strand Tower Hotel at the intersections of Strand/Loop/Long St.'s. Larry Gould, a friend of Jimmy's father, greeted us, as he was the one to obtain the four star hotel accommodation at a rate we could afford. After we dropped our belongings in our room, Larry took us on a quick tour around the city.

We drove up to Signal hill, down into Camps Bay, around through Sea Point, past his home in Mouille Point, by the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, and dropped us off at Gourmet Burger in Heritage Square (a courtyard surrounded by several different restaurants, which Larry claims only Capetonians know about.) We instantly knew who to trust when it came to asking advice on where to go around the city because Larry has currently published a tourist guide. After lunch, we snoozed and prepared to meet up with Jackie (the other Jackie Freer, who happened to get Jimmy his gig.) We had been expecting to see Far Too Loud (a DJ) that evening, but come to find out, he was due to play the 30th, the same night as Jimmy's gig. Instead, we had dinner at Royale Cafe with Jackie, Paul (her boyfriend), Angie (a fellow DJ), and Jo (apart of the event Jimmy would be participating in). They had printed out handfuls of flyers and once we had eaten we headed to Long Street to pass them out to innocent bystanders and hopped to a few bars as well, enjoying ourselves along the way.

Saturday, Jimmy and I wanted to get some exercise. We decided to walk from our hotel to the Waterfront and explore a little. We weren't there long because we realized that the waterfront, mall and all, would be a good rainy day trip. Once we were back at the hotel, we zoomed in our car down to Camps bay. We enjoyed a nice seafood lunch with a fantastic view of the ocean. Our leisurely lunch ended and we walked over to the beach and soaked up some rays for a few minutes. We had to then head back to the hotel so Jimmy could prepare for his gig that night. We left on our two block trek from out hotel to Club Voom Voom at seven. We arrived before the others and decided to hop across the street for a quick cup of coffee. What was supposed to be quick took longer than expected. A random Bulgarian man couldn't help telling us all about religion, inter connectivity, plasma, and other things that he seemed to be all tying together to make one big point. Of course, the cafe was quite loud and he spoke too softly and with an accent for us to accurately follow his story.

We inched ourselves away, saying goodbye five times before the guy finally let us go. We walked across the street and began to prepare for the evenings event. There were tons of people on the guest list, but only about 30 total showed all evening. We chop this up to the Far Too Loud show that was going on simultaneously. With or without the people, Jimmy still did an amazing job. Those that were there loved every minute of his set.

Sunday was a rather busy day, much more than expected. We decided to go back up to Signal Hill and take photos and then head to Cape Point. I had no idea how long these adventures would take and I definitely underestimated. After Signal Hill, we headed down the Cape. We stopped for lunch in Simon's town. On our way out of Simon's town, we made an abrupt left at the first spotting of a sign directing us in the direction of penguins. Moving along, we drove a small cliff side rode with an ocean view unlike any I've seen. The water was every shade of blue and green, lapping against the charcoal colored rocks at the base of the hills. We winded our way to the entrance of the national park, paid R160, and continued our adventure to the end of the cape. After a day filled with many stops and several pictures, we finally made our last stop. We parked our car and began our trek up the steep hill to the lighthouse that would allow us to view both sides of the cape. Exhausted, we spent very little time at the top. We were in a race against the sun. We felt it would be unsafe driving on such windy roads, in unfamiliar land, at night and headed home quickly.

Monday was a relaxing day. It was beautiful weather and we couldn't keep ourselves from wanting to lounge on the beach. We headed to Camps Bay, bought straw beach mats, and lounged on the soft sand and listened to the crashing waves as a cool breeze kept the sun from being too hot on our skin. We broke for lunch at a beach side cafe. After lunch we helped ourselves to a tasty icecream cone on the beach. We played with the birds that were all around, throwing them pieces of our cones and offering pieces in our hands for those birds that were brave enough. Many men carrying painting and artwork of sorts solicited us as we sat on the beach. We succumbed to one man. We bought a nice sized canvas with a black, gray, and white painting of a village. We continued to bath in the sun, soaking in every single blissful moment before we went back to the hotel. We took our routine nap and prepared for a dinner with Jeff Clause, Freer family friend, and Larry Gould. Dinner was delicious and dessert was better. I enjoyed a delicious Amarula Don Pedro, specific to South Africa. What a tasty way to end a day.

Tuesday we zoomed off to Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. We had reserved a one bedroom villa and had luckily been upgraded to a nicer two bedroom villa. Although it was really of no more use than the first, it was still a nice luxury. We spent the majority of the day in Franschhoek. We had lunch at La Petite Ferme, a recommendation of Larry. We then ventured to two different wine estates for wine tastings: Diene Donne and Moreson. We bought ourselves a nice bottle of Champagne and ended our day trip with a lovely evening in Stellenbosch. Although we were both not fond of the vi be in Stellenbosch, we still had an enjoyable time.

Wednesday it was back to Capetown and back to the Strand. As soon as we got back, we found a place at the waterfront to have brunch. We then planned to make it to the top of Table Mountain before the weather went sour, as it had been forecasted. We had gotten to the bottom of the lift just in time. The parking attendant warned us that it might be closing soon because of high winds. We scurried to purchase our tickets and caught a ride to the top. Clouds had already been whipping over the far edge of the mountain and the air was too chilly for comfort. The wind was increasing speed at a furious rate and we made this excursion a short one. Even with the cloud coverage, a peak of sun kept our spirits up and we headed to the beach for one last lounge session before the rain would arrive that afternoon. We left at the perfect time, pulling into the parking garage at the hotel only minutes after it began to rain. We rested the remainder of the afternoon, and this was the day Jimmy began to feel under the weather. He began to run a temperature after his nap and before we planned to go out. He decided he would trooper through and we made it out to Trinity restaurant and night club. He felt much better after his first beer. We had the pleasure of seeing Dean Fuel rock the hose before fellow Capetonian, Haezer, came on. We weren't feeling Haezer's groove and decided to bounce after two songs.

Thursday was drab. It was rain y and cold. We returned to the Waterfront to continue our adventure through the massive mall. It was a short day, filled with rest after the waterfront. Jimmy was still experiencing spikes in his temperature. At this point, we began to be ready for our homeward bound voyage.

Friday, we ventured back to Joburg. Mooks picked us up from the airport and we spent the afternoon packing and resting. That night Pippa put together a wonderful meal. Guests included: Jimmy, I, Mooks, Pippa, Guy, Chris, Bev, Devon, Jeremy + his kids, Izzy, and Margie. We then spent that night with Izzy.

Saturday morning we woke up and went to the hospital. We spent most of the morning there. Jimmy was tested for Malaria and it came back negative. In turn, he was treated for Tic Bite Fever. We left the hospital and went to Rosebank mall to meet Mooks, Pippa, Jeremy and his kids for lunch. By the time we got back to Izzy's that afternoon, we had only two hours in counting til our trip to the airport. Jimmy and I were more than thrilled.

We finally began and completed our long voyage home safely. Jimmy still wasn't and is not feeling fantastic, but at least we have him on meds and better health is in sight.

Thanks to everyone in South Africa for your support and familiarity in a land so foreign. We appreciate the adventures, the laughs, and the companionship during so memorable an experience. This has truly been a trip unlike any other. The knowledge gained is irreplaceable and the friends acquired are graciously appreciated. Travel offers wisdom, accepted or rejected by participants or not, that may not be found through or by any other means.

Last, but certainly not least, thanks to Billy and Lori for making this trip possible.

Cheers South Africa! Cheers world travel, until next time! :)

Ntafufu.

Our travels to the deepest, darkest parts of South Africa began at 3:45 in the morning on Wednesday the 20th. We were officially on the road by 4:15am. Jimmy, Pippa, and I travelled in the Nissan X-trail. Jackie and Mooks travelled in the Izuzu buckie (truck), leading the way. The air was cold, yet the sky was clear and a beautiful day followed as the sun began to break on the horizon. We moseyed on south through the Drakensberg mountain range and experienced South African townships in their various forms. A few kilometers before Port St. John's, we exited onto a dirt road that led us down to the Ntafufu river. Here we had planned to meet Sollie, the care take of Toucan Tango Cottage and the deliverer of the hidden oasis that would be home for the next days. By the time we had packed everything on the small boat, including ourselves, and ventured down river two kilometers to a dock within clear sight of breaking ocean waves, the sun had begun its decent on this group of weary travelers.

Thursday was our first official day in paradise. The sun shined bright and the air warmed as the noon hour neared. We headed to South rocks to grab our feel for the place and settle into our surroundings. Mooks took a fishing pole to try his hand at fishing before the real games began the following day. Jimmy and I relaxed on the beach, dabbled our feet in the chilly winter waters, and awed at the absolute pure beauty that enveloped our senses.


The next day, Guy, Pippa's son, headed down to spend his birthday weekend with us. We rose early and headed into Port St. John's to pick up a few remaining supplies and then waited at the Seaview store where Guy would leave his car for the next few days. Upon his arrival, we packed up and headed back to camp to enjoy a fresh crayfish lunch. Now the crew was complete and the real fishing adventures were to begin. The guys prepared the fishing rods, we packed up the snake bite kit (refreshments), grabbed the master fisher (Sollie) and headed to Ntafufu beach for an afternoon/evening escapade. As we fumbled our way through the lush tropical forest, on a path well worn, smiles were contagious and happiness inevitable. We approached the dunes and began to see the waves clapping against the shoreline. A wave of breathlessness washed over me and I couldn't help but laugh. Sollies dogs followed us out, playing and running in the dunes. A euphoric air seeped from the over all sight of the happy dogs, the magnificent isolated beach surrounded by majestic hills, and a group of people over joyed by each others company. Jimmy, Guy, Mooks, Jackie, and Sol prepared their bait and went straight to fishing from the surf. I laid out my beach towel and basked in the beauty of the moment. At no other point in my life have I experienced nature in this form, surrounded only by people that I know and trust. The feelings intensified as the sun began to set and a barrage of colors swept over the hills. The scene was so stimulating that it almost felt fake. For a split moment, I almost felt like The Truman Show, as if it were all a stage, a theatrical event. That thought quickly passed and I continued to glow in the momentousness of the experience. Darkness quickly arrived. Out in these parts of Africa, dark really is dark. No lights means no lights. No lights means no sight. What a great day it was.

Saturday was Guy's birthday. The Freer tradition of pots and pans occurred followed by a delicious breakfast and present opening. Then, the fishing gear was gathered, snake bite kit prepared, snacks/lunch collected and we headed to the north rocks for a leisurely day of fishing, laying, and overall enjoyment of nature. At the start of the day, the ocean was calm and the sun was warm in contrast to the cool breeze. After lunch, the wind began to pick up and the sun had no warming power any longer. Unfortunately, it became too uncomfortable, so we packed up and headed back.
The next day was much of the same: fishing and lounging. It was Guy's last day and the last day we would experience beautiful weather down at the Ntafufu camp. That afternoon, a thunderstorm rolled in, pitched a tent, and settled down for the next several days. Luckily, we were to leave on Tuesday. We hoped and prayed there would be a break in the rain (which there hadn't been since it started Sunday night) long enough for us to return up river with all of our belongings and head back to Joburg. Tuesday morning started out rain free the first few hours of day break, but as we neared time to load the boat the drizzle reared its ugly face one last time. We said our goodbyes and made a miserable trip upriver, against a current strong and heavy with the rains of the previous days. Although it had been raining on the coast, it had snowed inland causing both routes back to Joburg to be closed. We headed to San Lameer, Pippa and Mooks' friends vacation home, for the night. Jimmy and I missed our flight to Port Elizabeth booked for Wednesday morning and had to quickly rework a new plan. We no longer would get to experience the garden route. With everyone's help, we settled with a flight to Capetown on Friday morning and focused on returning to Joburg in the mean time. Wednesday, we packed up after we woke and hit the road. We returned about 8:30pm last night, very thankful to be back at our home away from home.

Today, we have relaxed and took care of all that needed caring for. Tonight we will have our last dinner with Jax before she heads home to Dubai tomorrow and before we head to Capetown in the morning for the last leg of our South African adventures.

We survive the Kruger.

Back to civilization after three days of fantastic animal viewing. The list of animals we saw, especially the first day, seems endless.

Friday, we ended up with a later start than expected. Jackie got bumped off her flight and was delayed until 4:50pm. We finally hit the road at about 6:00pm. Jimmy and I had our first Steers burger, a South African burger joint. It was good, but it wasn't a Texas burger (or P Terry's). I must admit, though, the meat here is fantastic in comparison. What's better than a country filled with wild meat? With our bellies full, we drove as far as we could until we were tired. We stopped just past Nelspruit at a bed and breakfast lodge called Duma. We must have picked a good spot because it happened to be Afrikaans karaoke night. It was the happening spot for locals, clearly. We joined the fun for a limited time but had to head to bed early.

Saturday, we awoke before the sun and headed to Kruger. Once inside the park, on our way to our camp, Berg-en Dal, we made our first sighting: Rhinos! Throughout the first day, Jackie, who wonderfully volunteered to drive, drove at a top speed of 20km/h. We spotted almost all of the big five, including two leopard sightings in one day! After our exhausting adventure throughout the day, we made it back to camp by 5:30pm and then ventured on our night drive with a guide named Rasta. Feeling rather successful (and maybe a little too full of ourselves because of our luck), headed home to catch some Zzz's before our second early rise.

Sunday, we weren't as lucky, yet we still spotted quite a large amount of animals, mostly repeats from the day before. As Jackie would like to say, "We are spoiled: 'Just another rhino, just another Kudu.'" Our eyes were weary from their almost over use from the previous day and we zoomed along at a higher speed, seeking out lions to complete our big five sightings. We drove to a near by camp, Skukuza. We had to make a necessary visit to the doctor because Izzy had apparently caught a tummy bug or food poisoning from the food we had at the Afsaal rest stop the day before. Although she had to sleep the whole tour that day, Jackie, Jimmy, and I kept our eyes peeled. We were only able to add a few more animals to our list, such as: hippos, crocodiles, babboons and different kinds of buck. That night Jackie, Jimmy and I had a nice dinner at the camp restaurant. We three ordered the burger. This one was not as good as the one at steers. In fact, it tasted just like boerwors (a South African sausage). The night ended with a conversation with a man and his son that Jimmy initiated and then quickly wanted to end. Jacki and I were continuing to talk with him, as there seemed no appropriate time to end the conversation yet, and the initiator took it upon himself to become quite restless. He jumped up to pay our bill, walked around looking as if some one were telling him to leave, constantly motioning his desire to leave, and pretending that the area was already closed and that the wait staff was merely waiting on us. Eventually we left when Jimmy declared, "Yea, I think they are ready to close. They are just standing back, not really wanting to tell us to leave." But in reality, it was hardly 9:30pm and the area closed at 10:00pm. Poor Jimmy. He was so tired and knew not what he was getting himself into, when all he wanted to do was give the man some simple advice on where to view a particular animal.

Monday was much of the same. We drove outside the gate to quickly hop over to Crocodile Bridge camp area and to drive up to the Lower Sabie camp. In order to start here, we had to drive through a small town (the last town before Mozambique) named Komatipoort. Funny enough, Jimmy's dad used to get on to him when he was little, saying, "Jimmy, if you don't stop, we are going to drop you off in Komatipoort." Jimmy never knew this was a real place, or what it was, until now. So, Jimmy has finally been to Komatipoort and decided that it's not so bad. :) So, on with our day, we had one thing on our minds: lions. We found no lions, but plenty of hippos and crocs. That evening we had a braai for dinner with some traditional South African food to go along. The night ended early. Although it may not seem like it, searching for animals all day is quite exhausting.

Today, we woke up, packed up, and headed to Wimpy's. If Jackie is to have breakfast, she prefers Wimpy's breakfast. It was alright, similar to a fast food Ihop with less options and no pancakes. The drive back to Joburg was enjoyable, especially since it was daylight and we had the opportunity to view the beautiful landscape. The mountains were gorgeous. The many plantations and farms were bursting with oranges, bananas, papaya, and sugar cane. The closer to Joburg we got, the flatter the land and the more smog filled the sky. It was a nice getaway.

Now we've been back to Joburg and will not even spend 24 hours here before head off to another nature lover's paradise: the Wild Coast (their families camp at Ntafufu). We will be on the road by 4:00am and hopefully arriving there approximately 10 to 12 hours later. The next update will be on the 25th or 26th.


Cheers for now! :)

First Days of Our Adventure.

Greetings from the southern hemisphere.

Our trip to South Africa has been long expected and a joy to finally embark upon. Our flight over was as fine as a flight can be, although I am sure Jimmy feels otherwise. He stuck his foot in his mouth a quarter of the way into the flight. After he explained that he would not be that guy that leans his chair all the way back to the gentlemen behind him, he was unlucky enough to have the man in front of him recline to the chairs full capacity and then some. Seven hours later, a bitter Jimmy and confused Paula arrived at Heathrow airport, in London. Between our confusion over whether our luggage would be checked all the way through and the news of our delayed flight, Jimmy and I awkwardly made our way across the airport to a set of benches that became home for a good 10 hours. Luckily, we shared the seat with fellow delayed South African flight mates. Much conversation ensued and uncomfortable intermittent sleeping as well. Finally, we successfully load the plane to Johannesburg. This flight went over far smoother, as the man in front of Jimmy did not recline one inch.

Upon arrival in Joburg, Mike, Jimmy's uncle, was their to greet us and for us to follow him in our rental car. Unexpectedly, we received a manual vehicle. My heart was pounding when we took off from the Avis depot. It had been three years since I had driven a manual and the first time I had driven on the left side of the road. Scared out of our minds, we made it safely to Mike and Pippa's flat in the outskirts of Joburg. We rested and had a wonderful meal with Jimmy's aunt and uncle.

The next day, we sorted out our Kruger park reservation and called around in hope of returning our manual for an automatic. We decided to take it to the airport on Thursday, before we headed to Pretoria. In the mean time, Pippa so kindly took us out to lunch, to visit the World Cup Stadium (Pippa is directing the establishment of the hall of fame museum that is being built in the stadium) and to the Apartheid museum in Gold Reef City. We were unable to spend as much time as we would have liked at the museum, but we experienced enough to grasp the horrors of the situation. On our drive back, we became aware of the increasing tensions developed by workers on strike. Petrol was now not being delivered to the "garages" (gas stations). Pippa drove around looking for gas because she only had a quarter tank. Unsure of what to do, we headed back to the flat to regroup. After cleaning up, we decided there was not much we could do, so Pippa says, "So let us drive while we still have gas" and we headed to Hyde park to have a drink at the Island bar. On our way, we saw a garage that had cars filling up. We make a quick u-turn and struck gold. We celebrated with a delicious drink and a spectacular view of the city. Pippa then drove us to Chris and Guy's house (her sons, Jimmy's cousins), where we braaied (South African barbecue) and ended our wonderful day.

Today, Jimmy and I gathered our courage and followed Pippa's wonderful directions back to the airport (the only Avis with an automatic in Joburg) and exchanged our vehicles. We were so relieved to be driving an automatic car. We hopped on the R21 and drove straight to Pretoria, the capital of South Africa, and visited the Union Buildings. It was a short, but necessary visit. What a spectacular building and garden. By about 1:00pm, we were headed home for a rest and a fantastic meal with the family. Pippa cooked a wonderful Indonesian meal for Jimmy, myself, Jeremy (her brother), Mike, Beverley (Jimmy's aunt, Mike and Billy's sister), Devon (Jimmy's new found cousin), and Chris. After many laughs and a rather delicious meal, we are now settling down for the evening and preparing for our next adventure - THE KRUGER!

Tomorrow, we start out early to return our rental car and pick up Jackie (Jimmy's cousin who is flying in from Dubai) from the airport with Isabella (her mother), who are both accompanying us throughout our time in the bush. The next two weeks will be filled with nature adventures and so my ability to correspond electronically will be severely limited, but attempts will be made to keep my new blog fresh and up-to-date.

For now, cheers from Johannesburg, South Africa!