A Few More Animals

Elephant on July 5:

Zebra, July 7:

Soccer City

On July 2 we went to Soccer City Stadium for our final game: Ghana v. Uruguay. Even though there were only 84,017 people there, it seemed much more crowded than that. Here is the scene at Park Station as we boarded the Metrorail to the stadium:

A quick glimpse of the beautiful stadium:

Here's the crowd inside the stadium:

Finally, getting out was a madhouse.Here are three short clips. In #1, we've finally made it to the concourse, but nobody is moving. In #2 we've started to move. In #3, we're finally headed down the ramp... Once we got outside we had to follow this heard all the way back to the train station. I believe it took more than an hour.

And now you know why, when we finally got on the train, Gywen asked the woman not to blow the vuvuzela...

Things You See on the Road

On July 7, on the road to Sirheni Camp, we came across this chameleon crossing the road. It took him a while; he was a slow walker with a really funny stutter-step. Each step took about three strokes.

Later that night, on our night drive with the ranger, we finally saw what we had been waiting for. We counted 7:

Walking in Kruger

On July 6, Barry and I took both a morning and an evening guided walk in Kruger National Park, with our rangers Matthew and Bishop. On the walks, we had to go single file behind the rangers, and keep quiet so the rangers could listen for rustling leaves, breaking branches, grunting or growling animals, etc. Here's a little taste of what it's like:

One of the highlights of our morning walk was when we came across two rhinos, including a young one. We got to watch them for a while and take pictures before they wandered off and we moved on. I couldn't get very good video, but here it is. Remember - there is nothing but a few shrubs between the rhinos and us!

Headed to Soccer City

OK... these blog posts can be categorized as "videos in no particular order." On June 20 we took the Metrorail to Soccer City for the Brazil v. Cote d'Ivoire match. The train was crowded, and once we actually started moving it only took 25 minutes or so to get there.

Germany Goal

June 27, 2010: The crowd was dancing, so I switched on the video camera - and ended up catching Thomas Mueller's second goal (Germany's fourth) in the game that knocked England out of the tournament. Celebration ensued. (Of course, as far as FIFA is concerned this video is for my own personal use and you are not watching it.)

Final Albums Posted

We've been back from South Africa exactly one week now. I've finally posted all the worthwhile photos from the trip. Today's albums include one of our excursion to Cape Town and Bloemfontein, and one of various pictures from around Johannesburg and other places throughout the rest of our trip. Now that I'm done with the photos I can start working on video. I'm sure we've got at least a few great clips, and I'll post those here soon.

Soccer Photos Online

I've just posted an album of FIFA World Cup photos. That was, after all, what took us to South Africa at this particular time. I'll try to get another album up yet tonight, although it does take a long time to upload and label all the photos.  This is me with Barry, Gywen, and our BBC Bagel at Soccer City in Joburg.

Safari Photos

I've now got an album of safari photos online! View them here. This is the leopard we saw in Kruger National Park on the fourth day of our trip.

Going Home

Our trip comes to an end, as we leave for the airport in half an hour. But the blog will go on: we have a lot of videos to sort through and hundreds of pictures to upload. I'll offer a quick recap of our last three days here.

In Kruger Park, we left Shingwedzi and moved to Sirheni Bushveld Camp for two nights. Much smaller accommodations, for sure, but pleasant and workable. Our patio had a view of a small lake, and the whole time we were there we had a lone buffalo and an egret across the way. We could hear Fish Eagles calling and hippos making some moans and grunts, but didn't see them. Barry did see the hippos when he walked further down the dam. Our first night there, we took a sunset drive with the ranger, and it was wonderful. It was only the five of us and the ranger. The weather was not too cold. We saw a large herd of buffalo and several beautiful kudu bucks. We didn't see a lot after sundown, except we saw a giant eagle owl very close to the road. Then, on the last bit of road before returning to camp, we came across seven lionesses in the road. I got some video of them as they got up, yawned, stretched, and sauntered off the road. After a quick supper, we went up to the common room of the staff compound to watch Spain v. Germany. I couldn't believe that Germany played so poorly.

The next day Barry, Gywen, and I went for a morning ride and didn't see much. We got back to the camp, and Peter and Marty were out on a ride of their own. Soon they returned to tell us they had seen a leopard, so we all jumped back in the car and rushed (as much as you can on the gravel roads in the park) 18 km back to the spot of the sighting. We were thrilled to discover that the leopard was still there, resting peacefully in a tree. We watched it for quite some time before returning to camp for lunch. We took another quiet drive that afternoon and had a wonderful braai that night.

Yesterday we got up early and drove north to the Punda Maria gate. Not much game sighted. Of course, we did see some, but the animals were sparse. We stopped for coffee before leaving the park, then had a long but very interesting drive through Limpopo province and Gauteng back to Joburg. The drive at first was slow, but fascinating (a lot of small villages). It was also beautiful, with nearby mountains, acres of banana trees, and a lot of orchards. Once we got on the N1 highway, things weren't as interesting, but we did pass right by the FIFA stadium in Polokwane. We made it back home about 6:30 and ordered pizza from Renato's before turning in early.

Today we went back to Rosebank to get a couple more items at the craft market, then had a great lunch at Fresh Earth, and packed up. OK - we're leaving in 5 minutes. Our flight leaves in 4 hours, then it's something like 15.5 hours on the plane to Atlanta. We will make it back home in time to see the World Cup final match between Netherlands and Spain. Who to root for???

Kruger Park

I forgot about Peter's wireless modem! Happily, I'm posting from Kruger Park, although it's a slow connection so I won't upload pictures. Our camp for the next two nights likely won't have any service, so this may be the only post from Kruger.

We left right on time at 7:30 Sunday morning, and we made it to our B&B (Daan & Zena's) in Phalaborwa by 3:00 in spite of making five stops on the way. The most substantial stop was in Dullstroom, where we visited a shop and sat down for coffee and pancakes (crepes). The drive started off with a lot of smog and smoke, partially from people burning coal and wood fires for warmth, but also perhaps from extensive grass fires in the area. But by the time we reached Mpumulanga the sky had cleared somewhat and we enjoyed a beautiful drive through the escarpment to the lowveld.

The B&B was funky, as promised, with wild decorations and bright colors throughout. They did have some nice artwork. We had dinner that night at an American-themed chain steakhouse, Spur's Steak Ranch.

Yesterday we entered Kruger Park after breakfast and worked our way east and north until we reached Shingwedzi Restcamp mid-afternoon. Along the way we saw these animals:

Buffalo
Bushbuck
Crocodile
Dassie
Dwarf Mongoose
Elephant
Giraffe
Hippopotamus
Impala
Klipspringer
Steenbok
Squirrel
Terrapin
Vervet Monkey
Warthog
Waterbuck
Water Monitor
Wildebeest
Zebra

And these birds, among others:

Bateleur
Fish Eagle
Franklin
Egyptian Goose
Guineafowl
Heron
Yellow, Red, and Grey hornbills
Ground Hornbill
Blacksmith Lapwing
Oxpecker
Roller
Long Tail Shrike
Cape Glossy Starling
Black Stork
Marabou Stork
Saddle Bill Stork
Yellow Bill Stork
Sunbird
Vulture

Upon reaching Shingwedzi, we checked into the largest guest accommodation I've ever seen, the "Guest House." (Everyone else camps or stays in a bungalow.) We've got three bedrooms, three baths, a large kitchen, dining area, lounge with bar, satellite television, outdoor patio, covered carport, and benches overlooking the river. (The only drawback is the squirrel in the thatched roof.) Last night as we sat and watched over the river at sunset, we watched two elephant and two buffalo wander about, as bats flitted about and about 30 guineas ran down the riverbed. We had dinner and played dominoes before bed.

This morning began early as Barry and I left for our guided morning walk at 5:45. During the three-hour excursion we learned a lot. On the drive we saw a herd of buffalo, a dozen ostrich, and some impala. On the walk, we came across an elephant and two rhino: a cow with a youngster. Meanwhile, Peter, Marty, and Gywen went for a drive where they saw a male and female lion in the riverbed. Back at the guesthouse, they say baboons pass by before Barry and I returned. When we got back, we all took another ride. We drove down the river to the dam, so we saw a lot of hippos, crocs, impala, and elephants. We stopped at a bird hide, and across the water was a lively herd of impala, which included a two-year-old white buck. Obviously white fur on an impala is quite rare - but he was beautiful. The herd entertained us for a while by running in circles, leaping, and kicking.

After lunch we rested a while, then Barry and I took another guided walk that ended at sundown. We learned a lot, but didn't see a whole lot. We saw woolly-necked storks, a brown snake eagle, and a pair of bataleur. The male bataleur had an unusual white spot on his back. The most exciting sight was a very large herd of buffalo, which was crossing through a water hole.

Tonight we had a steak braai, and we are now watching Uruguay v. Netherlands in the semifinal. Currently tied 1-1, but I hope Netherlands wins!

Photos - at last

Colesberg street scene, with Torverberg reception on the left.

Barry pets a Bengal Tiger at the Cheetah Experience in Bloemfontein.

Jim pets a Cheetah at the Cheetah Experience.

Barry at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein, prior to the England v. Germany match.

Lukas Podolski. I do believe the German team is unstoppable.

We met up with IU alum Vamsi in Bloemfontein.

Once back in Joburg, we were able to take a look at all of our wine purchases.

Howard Webb at work: giving a card to Kaka at Ellis Park.

The diamond mine in Cullinan.

Approaching the entrance to the Apartheid Museum.

View of the Newtown area from the World of Beer tasting room.

Soccer City during the Ghana v. Uruguay match. That small spot of blue on the left, lower level (far end) are the Uruguay supporters.

This is the missed penalty kick that cost Ghana the game. What a downer! 

In the front garden after lunch: Marty, Barry, Lyn (Peter's mother), Gywen, Jim.

Joburg Updates

Monday evening we went to the Brazil v. Chile match at Ellis Park. We took the train again, although it was a very short ride followed by a several block walk. Similar to the stadium in Bloemfontein, Ellis Park is right in the city. However, unlike in other stadiums, the security took a long time. By the time we finally got through, then past the turn-styles and up the ramp to our seats, the national anthems were beginning. Ellis Park is a much older stadium, with old seats and poor lighting in the public areas, but the stadium has some history and it was neat to be there. The crowd was mostly Brazil fans, so everyone seemed pleased with the result of the match.

On Tuesday, we visited the historic diamond-mining town of Cullinan. Our timing was off, so we didn’t get to take a tour of the mine, which is still active and quite profitable. We visited the historical society, where a man told us the story of a town and showed us a video of the town’s history. We had lunch and visited some shops before touring the home of the mine’s first general manager. The two youngest daughters lived in the house for life, so the home was occupied by the same family for more than 80 years.

After returning to Johannesburg and having dinner at home, Barry and I ventured out to experience the FIFA Fan Fest in Sandton for the Spain v. Portugal game. It must have taken us nearly an hour to park! We were confident when we set out, because we had already seen the parking signs for the park. But when we tried to follow the signs we always found about two signs, and never any subsequent signs directing us to the actual parking. We first ended up at a roundabout that directed us back to a one-way street coming at us. We then drove through an industrial park. Next we headed back to the park, but found more signs which led us directly into the heart of Alexandra. Sure that the parking wasn’t in a township, we again headed back to the park. At the entrance, an attendant told us there was a lot on site, but you had to have a voucher. The vouchers were sold out, he didn’t know who had been selling them, and he didn’t know where the signs were supposed to take us. We set out again, and soon found a spot on the street where a policeman was monitoring the area. We were a little unsure about the situation, but we took a chance and left the car there without incident.

The Fan Fest itself was not what we had hoped for. It was set up for thousands, but there were only a couple hundred people there this night. We expected more, due to the interesting match and the fact that the game itself was in Cape Town. There were huge areas for vendors and food vendors, but nearly all of them were closed. In any case, it was a beautiful evening and we sat on a blanket to watch the game on the big screen. It was fun to watch the game with other people around and vuvuzelas in use.

On Wednesday we went to the Apartheid Museum, which is new since our last visit. The museum is supposed to take 1.5-3 hours, but there was so much to see, and so much information to read, that we took about 5 hours to go through the place. It’s a very well done museum, with significant architecture, multimedia displays, and artifacts. There was a large, wonderful temporary exhibit about Nelson Mandela, which took a lot of our time. The story of Apartheid is of course tragic, and its affects are ongoing, but it’s truly amazing how the country emerged as a “non-racial,” democratic country with a constitution guaranteeing human rights for all.

After the Apartheid Museum, we headed to Newtown and visited the South African Brewing Company’s World of Beer. We didn’t have time for the full tour, so an employee gave us an expedited tour. The World of Beer is billed as South Africa’s #1 tourist destination. It was a really nice multimedia tour, which included three complimentary drinks and souvenir glasses. The tour ends in a very nice tasting room, where we sat on the outdoor patio in the late afternoon sun.

That evening, we took Marty and Peter to dinner at one of their favorite neighborhood restaurant, Trattoria Renato Pizzaria. (Funny, the review site I've linked here has a photo with my aunts and uncles in it!) The rest of the evening was spent socializing and sharing photos.

It's now 11:30 pm on Saturday, meaning I've still got 3 days-worth of blogging to catch up with.  Details will just have to wait, because we're leaving at 7:30 tomorrow morning for Kruger National Park. I don't think I'll have any web access, so at the most I might be able to send one or two email updates. But here's a very brief summary of the past few days:


Thursday:

• Museum Africa - geology, contemporary African art, photography museum, and a great exhibit about LGBT people in Johannesburg.
• Craft Market by the Market Theatre
• Market Photo Workshop - check out the World Cup Rural and Urban Photo Diary.
• The "Brazil Sensational Experience" at the Sandton Convention Center - gearing up for the next World Cup!
• Dinner at home
• The Boys in the Photograph - an Andrew Lloyd Weber musical at the Joberg Theatre Complex, with a talented South African cast and outstanding (huge!) sets. (more)

Friday:

• Returned rental car
• Rosebank Craft Market and lunch at Rosebank - lots of souvenirs purchased.
• Dinner at home
• Ghana v. Uruguay at Soccer City - what an exciting game, and what a disappointment that Ghana lost in a shoot-out. Huge crowds, lots of traffic. We had some excitement on the way home, when two drunk obnoxious South Africans started shouting obscenities at the three of us, to the dismay and embarrassment of everyone else on the train. Some police appeared to pull the man off the train (to the cheers of everyone) and Gywen pushed the woman out the door behind him, just before the train pulled away from the platform. A classic moment, for sure! BTW - everyone ELSE in South Africa has been incredibly nice, helpful, and appreciative of the tourists.

Saturday:

• Lunch at home with Peter's mother Lyn - a wonderful woman who turns 92 next week!
• Kruger Park prep and blogging
• Dinner at a wonderful restaurant in Newtown, Gramadoelas. The owner sat with us during the meal, ensuring our service was in order and providing some great dinner conversation.
• Dropped in at the FIFA Fan Park at Mary Fitzgerald Square, long enough to see Spain score against Paraguay and advance to the semi-finals.