Of black maned lions and rampaging hippos

[bPeteb]

Onwards towards the Cape. The sky is clearing!


it was cold!


beach ostrich


finally another new animal to add to our list, Eland

 

[bPeteb]

The Cape of Good Hope, and lighthouse. I spotted a whale but no-one else did so it couldn't be added to our list. More of the eland and another ostrich had joined the visit to the ocean

 

[RooFlyer]

Chapman's Peak road. Scary!

I think that's where I drove a few years ago, with some mates and I damn near froze at the wheel. Slowed to a crawl, up the middle of the road when there was no traffic.

 

[bPeteb]

Because the trip on the cable car at Table Mountain couldn't happen, Misheck had guaranteed us penguins, and that's what we got at Boulders Beach. Lunch at a Harbourview Restaurant at Simon's Town, well, except for the hlos of course. It was ok, and like everywhere, splitting a bill was no problem. We followed the road along the coast and then turned across the peninsula coming into the city on the freeway.

 

[bPeteb]

Dinner for the whole group (hlos included) was at Gold Home - GOLD Restaurant. One of the group had a major allergy issue that was managed amazingly the whole time, including here, where dinner was a multi course tasting menu.

This place could have been a bit of a circus but it was bloody excellent. Food and entertainment. The staff were all really great and coped well with the huge numbers of people squeezed into the multi level space.

menus


the coughtails took forever but at least we knew they weren't just being poured


the gang


the food was excellent


as was the entertainment. Singing, dancing, drumming

 

[bPeteb]

Thu, 22 Aug, Cape Town

The group started heading home today. For those who were having breakfast at the same time lots of goodbyes.

early morning hotel shots


our room 1025 is the two windows to the right of the doors


We had originally booked a wine tour for this day but when some last minute Robben island tours became available (ZAR600 each, bargain) we jumped on the 3pm tour for this afternoon.

Plan became - Bo-Kaap walk, wander around city, Robben Island and that’s how it kind of worked out.

Uber up to bo-Kaap where the driver told us to be careful and keep stuff out of sight where possible as there were boys around who might take advantage of you if you didn’t.

We were dropped off outside the museum and went straight in. Bo-Kaap Museum - Iziko Museums It is a house once owned by a Muslim family who were forcibly removed. Sad and moving. In the community centre above a harrowing exhibition about what is going on in Palestine. I was in tears as I walked out.


We then wandered around in Bo-Kaap for a while. bAlt had the idea we would do our own ‘food tour’ but it was morning and we had no idea what to look far apart from following a walking tour he’d found online that had zero information. It also didn’t help that I had no ZAR with me and the places we saw, including some street vendors, were cash only.

 

[bPeteb]

After some ‘discussion’, we walked down into town to take a walking tour with Cape Town free walking tours Free Walking Tours in Cape Town – NEW! Best of Bo Kaap Tour We chose the Apartheid Tour and our guide was Reinette. It was interesting taking this tour and seeing it through the eyes of someone who freely admitted had lived a very privileged and sheltered life through the horror that was the era of apartheid.




How did the world just let this happen? How are we letting it happen again in Palestine? I hold no hope for the world.

The tour ended down near the bus station where we were told in no uncertain terms to not get phones or wallets out. I think maybe an overreaction but maybe not.

Reinette walked us through the Eastern Food Bazaar and we decided to stay and have lunch. Crazy gigantic serves of food.


Grabbed another Uber back to the hotel so that we could dump stuff and then walk across to the ferry terminal for our Robben Island tour.

 

[bPeteb]

Ticket said to get there at 2.15 for the 3pm departure so we did. At 3.10, after standing in the line for nearly an hour they announced that the ferry was late and would not depart until 4. AL wanted to leave the line but I said no and just sat on the ground, with lots of others (we were inside the building).

I think we departed at 4.10, for a three hour tour (like the SS Minnow?). The fast ferry was out of action so it is a 40+ minute ride out to Robben Island.


You then get off the ferry and onto buses and get a guided tour of the island. By this stage it’s 5ish and the sun is getting low. A lot of the commentary covered detail that we had been provided with on our tour with Reinette and being their put it in context.

I just wanted to go back in time, be invisible, and do very bad things to those guards.

We had a loo break at a point where there were some penguins


and then proceeded to the prison blocks and Mandela’s cell




Our bus was guided at the prison by Sipho



who was imprisoned for nearly six years. Just so so sad while at the same time inspiring, listening to his stories of resilience, support and solidarity.

 

[bPeteb]

Mandela’s cell was to be honest an anti-climax. A whole bunch of people jostling to take a picture of a small brightly lit room where an incredibly important man not just to Africa, but the world, spent decades remaining calm.

It was nearly dark by the time we walked out of the prison block and down to the ferry. It was bloody cold on the slow boat back to V&A.



loved the light features around V&A


The last of the group was having dinner and drinks at Time Out Market at V&A Home - Time Out Market Cape Town and we met them there. Great venue with lots of interesting food and drink on offer


After everyone left we had some more drinks and of course, dessert


Our last night in Cape Town, and I suppose the tour, had come to and end

 

[bPeteb]

Fri, 23 Aug, Cape Town - Johannesburg

Our tour included an airport transfer. It was 12.30 for a 4pm flight Not having been to CPT we thought maybe it had difficult security so didn’t consider asking to push it back.

This gave us a few hours in the morning to do one last thing. We maybe should have gone to the District Six Museum (we should have done that instead of Robben Island to be honest) https://www.districtsix.co.za/

If we just rocked up though we would not do it justice as it needed a guided tour and we had not booked one.

Instead we decided on MOCAA

We went and had breakfast and said goodbye to the last of the group staying at the hotel. Despite our initial reservations, it was an excellent group of fellow travellers.

birds having breakfast at the hotel


Checked out and put our bags into storage. For the first time I was carrying our passports and all of our remaining cash. Until today we had a safe to rely on.

As I’ve already said, gee CT is a beautiful city. Of course it helped that it was clear blue skies every moment we were there.




I kept looking up at a building that I was sure I had seen before and as soon as we got to MOCAA I knew why. It is housed inside the same structure as the Silo Hotel. I’d seen a show about the construction of it on an engineering series on tv.



Just wow! I think one of my favourite buildings ever

 

[bPeteb]

And then the collection. Not necessarily a huge fan of modern art but I loved this place. Some beautiful/thought provoking/alarming sound and video installations. I should have spent much more time strolling around instead of the dashing around that we did. Next time, and as I kept saying to people, there will definitely be a next time.


rhinos on the waterfront


Our ride was waiting for us when we got back to the hotel. A Mercedes van just for us. It took all of 20 minutes to get to the airport and we were checked in, beside Pepper Pig (!!)


a couple of minutes later. We flew with Lift https://www.lift.co.za/en

We were sat up against the windows in Spur about 10 minutes after that Soaring Hawk Spur | Cape Town South Africa


The BEST plane spotting seats

 

[bPeteb]

Too much food but it was delicious, as were the drinks. Service was also excellent.


I’d booked exit row seats but when I checked in the night before we’d been moved to centre seats in different rows but the exit seats were still there so I moved us back.

Flight was on a plain white, as in no livery, 737-300 or 500


All I know is it looked very odd, and old, with no winglets!

My exit row seat was, unusual. I had no seat in front of me meaning I also had no tray table, at all. The same went for the person on the other side of the plane. How odd!


Departure was 4pm but we were pushed back from the gate at 3:49.

Again, really lovely crew. Snack


and gin and tonic, for the two hour flight. I bet we could have asked for another.


Scheduled arrival time was 6pm but we were at the gate at 5:34!

 

[bPeteb]

We caught the Gautrain to Sandton Gautrain | For people on the move

No need to buy a train card, or tickets from the machine, we just used our Suncorp visa cards (no paywave on soon to be closed 28 degrees cards) to enter and leave the platforms. For our next two train rides we used our phones as the 28 Degrees cards worked that way.

We stayed at our second Radisson Blu https://www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-blu-johannesburg-sandton-gautrain

I’d joined Radisson Rewards as soon as we’d decided we’d stay at the hotel in Livingstone. You get an instant upgrade and we got another here. Basic room was booked and we were upgraded to this giant room with a view across the city. A bottle of water and chocolate block waiting on the table with a card from the manager.




Just a single towel in the room so I called past reception to ask for another then went and had dinner in the vast hotel restaurant.


I wish I'd had the heart to say this wasn't what I ordered but the person serving us was just so lovely. I'd ordered the brut rose. This was sooooooooooooooooooo sweet


Finished the night off with a coughtail, made by a barman with the biggest, happiest smile I think I’ve ever seen. Could the people of Southern Africa be any nicer?

 

[bPeteb]

Sat, 24 Aug, Johannesburg and flight home

Oh no! Our amazing holiday had reached its final day. Time had literally flown. Down to a very good breakfast in the pretty much empty restaurant.

 

[bPeteb]

Another day with money and passports in a bag under my jacket. The hotel had signs in the room and the lifts telling you to be careful.

We did the City Sightseeing bus round trip, sadly without the Soweto extension due to lack of time. Just as with the Robben Island tour, in hindsight we could have just gone to two places and missed the rest of the ride.


Gautrain up to Rosebank where we saw that the Radisson Red was a very short walk from the station exit.

We did not enjoy the bus ride. The first part of the tour went through areas with such obscene displays of wealth


I think we both wanted to close our eyes. We drove into some horrible gated community (maybe not the right word) called Melrose Arch that had a Lamborghini dealership at the entrance


I suppose some people might have been impressed and loved the place but it just wanted to make us vomit.

We got off at Constitution Hill and realised that what we should have done was get an Uber straight there. We had to be back on in 40 minutes to get to our next stop and we needed at least twice as long there.

 

[bPeteb]

more at Constitution Hill

 

[bPeteb]

We then finally drove through what to us was the 'real Johannesburg', the part of the city that the majority of the population lives around, and in


Our main destination was the Apartheid Museum and again, we spent hours less than we should have. What a sad, sad place. What an amazing museum. Zero punches pulled. We need to go back to both and spend the amount of time that does them both justice.

 

[bPeteb]

We took an uber back to the hotel and then Gautrain to JNB. We were dropping our bags nearly four hours before the flight, concerned about what had happened last time we were there, but immigration and security were done in maybe 20 minutes.

We bought some South African gin and a wine or two duty free, then it was up to the BA lounge cave. I hate spaces with no windows. Cinemas and museums are exceptions.

Decent food selection although we knew we would soon be fed on the flight, good drink selection as well and super lovely staff in the lounge. Had a couple of excellent SA reds, the best we’d had on the trip.



Check-in was business first. We were in 3 and 7A. I wanted us both to have seats away from the aisle. The night before both 2 and 4 A, plus one pair in the middle were available to change to. We ummed and ahhed and eventually decided to stick with what we had. Considering it was a ‘sleep’ flight it was the right choice.


amenities bag label


The CSM was ok but Tim the fa who looked after us both was exceptional. Nothing was too much trouble.

Menus


pull back and take off



Our dinners. We both enjoyed them.

Riesling. yum



I managed about six hours sleep in two lots after requesting to be woken up to check on Colin. He behaved very well. bAlt said he had maybe four in total.

Breakfast


We landed 40 minutes early. Straight through immigration, bags out pretty quickly, when we told the biosecurity people we’d scrubbed our shoes we were sent straight through.

 

[bPeteb]

We’d changed our SYD-BNE flight due to the 85 minute connection but it would have been 130 minutes. One of the guys on transfer security even commented on how early we were. Transfer bus pulled up not long after we sat down.

We had hours to burn in a very busy SYD J lounge.

Another nice crew on the flight up to BNE. The CSM said there were three couples in J who had come in from JNB.


Carousel at BNE was a shemozzle. No indication what carousel our bags were on and when ours did come out they were definitely not prioritised. Whatevs

So that is it. As clearly expressed multiple times we had the most amazing experience. Literally nothing went even the slightest bit wrong. We saw more than we could ever have imagined.

We stayed in great places with people who turned out to be great people. Ate great food, drank great beer and some ok wine.

Our long days on the truck were sometimes uncomfortable, but we didn’t ever stop looking out of the windows at the ever changing landscapes.

Would we travel with Kiboko again? Despite how much we loved the trip we’d say no, not until we’re much older. Even if I am now over 60, we want to travel with a group whose average age is closer to 50 and not 75-80. We knew the trip was not active and we kind of regret that part of it.

World Expeditions, who we booked through, were easy to deal with and managed the add ons we requested with no hiccups.

We loved the two Radisson’s that we stayed at and will now book them if they are one of the choices at a destination.

Qantas did well by us. Great crew going over when we sat in Y in 59, and great crew coming back when we were in J.

Planning is already underway for next year. Like RooFlyer we’re considering Madagascar, or maybe it’ll be Mozambique. It’ll be south eastern Africa wherever it is.

To the title of the blog. We saw neither black maned lions or rampaging hippos, but we saw so, so, so, much more

 

[RooFlyer]

Very, very nice and interesting TR. For me, it was interesting experiences for the places I was doing about a week or so later. Same, same but different.

You've turned me to visiting Botswana next year.

How come the Y on the way over and J back? Two sep tickets?