It was wild at Heathrow where we arrived around
Today we visited
The area has also spawned many political, sporting and social luminaries, including Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu – two Nobel peace prize laureates, who once lived in the now famous
Bought a few items in the hotel. Left hotel at
Another very hot day today with rain in the morning. Happy Birthday to me! I was serenaded with a Happy Birthday song on the bus! Very nice! Henriette went out of her way to give me a big hug and Stuart kissed me on the cheek. We left the hotel at
Throughout the
Our wake-up call came at
today. It is 38 C!! We saw more elephants, impala, kudu, dwarf mongoose, giraffes, steenbok antelope, warthog, white rhino, black rhino, marabou storks, chikma baboons, verbet monkeys,
We left the hotel at
The Swazi people descent from the southern Bantu who migrated from central
We awoke to bright blue sky and warm sun but within an hour or so it had clouded over but remained warm. We had breakfast with Carol, Sherry and her husband Bruce – lots of breakfast choices, especially the wonderful local pineapple. Bruce went for a swim this morning, as did a few of our fellow travelers. The trees at the hotel were covered with small nests made by the yellow weaver birds that use palms from the palm trees to weave their nests. Our relaxed morning saw many walking around the beautiful hotel grounds. At
We had to start taking our malaria pills today. We have a new driver in Preggie for the remainder of our trip on a comfortable coach. Under cloudy skies we headed north and east to
The
A nice sunny warm day to start, but turned very breezy by afternoon. Our hotel rooms opened onto the Knysna Bay Marina. Bruce took some of our laundry to the ‘laundromat’ where the owners wash, dry and fold your laundry and return it to your hotel – not too expensive, either! I bought two tablecloths being sold by the locals, right across the street from the hotel – they all had at least 20 or more of them piled on their heads! We took the ferry to the Featherbed Reserve which is located on an island and is privately owned and used for the sole purpose of conservation. Our guide on the ferry, Martin, was very entertaining. Then we piled onto a vehicle with two trailers and climbed to the very highest point on the island. It was a beautiful location. We had a delicious buffet meal there before leaving and returning to Knysna, getting onto our coach and going to see the elephants at the
The Featherbed Reserve is only accessible by ferry and is situated near the Knysna Lagoon. Featherbed Nature Reserve is a coastal reserve that is surrounded by lush vegetation and superb views of Knysna. Local attractions, within close proximity include the Knysna Heads and the Beachcomber caves. The reserve is located in one of
The
Bruce was not feeling very well today. We drove through countryside with ostrich, springbok farms. We traveled to the
It was a very hot day, up to 34 C. We were told to drink lots and lots of water. I loved the ostrich steak! Bruce started feeling better by the end of the day. We stayed two nights at the Knysna Quays Hotel on the harbour – beautiful hotel!
We had an early start today (
We traveled along the coat by
We were allowed to sleep in today – very nice and needed rest! Joan and Kay and I went shopping at the Waterfront from
Here we met Kgotso (which means peace). He was a political prisoner at
After our visit we ferried back to
Since the Dutch settled at the Cape, in the mid 1600’s, Robben Island, 12 kilometers from Cape Town, was a place of banishment, exile, isolation and imprisonment where rulers sent those they regarded as political troublemakers, social outcasts and the unwanted of society. During the Second World War, it was a training and defense station. It has also been a hospital for leprosy patients and for the mentally ill. During the apartheid years,
The Stellenbosch wine route has 106 cellars. The
Our wake up call was at
Cecil Rhodes was born in 1853 and came to
We arrived in
About
But the Portuguese were by no means the first to set foot in
We boarded the plane at