With the Explorer in Africa.

[drron]

The battle of Rorke's drift was fought on 22/1/1879.It was 42C and had been raining for 10 days.The battle raged fiercely for 11 hours.With the heat,humidity and 100s of dead zulus around the defences the conditions must have been horrendous.Less than 150 men managed to hold off more than 4000 Zulus.11 VCs were awarded,17 died.Their are conflicting accounts of the Zulu dead but after the battle any Zulu found still alive was executed so maybe a thousand died.
From these caves Zulu riflemen caused problems causing at least 5 of the deaths-

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The memorial is simple.The walls are the height of the makeshift defences-

In 2005 a memorial to the zulu dead was commissioned-

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I found this a powerful statement with the leopard representing the Zulu king sitting on the shields of the dead warriors surrounded by timber from Royal Kraals.However it also symbolises the problems of South Africa past and present.Shameful that it took until 2005 for it to be thought of.Then this memorial has not been officially celebrated as the Zulu government of Kwa-Zulu Natal think they should do it but the ANC and President Zuma(himself a Zulu) feel they should be the ones.

The story of Rorke's Drift is well known as most defenders survived and gave eyewitness accounts.One of the tragedies of modern history is that in 1936 the BBC taped an interview with one of the true heroes that was not decorated-Colour Sgt. Bourne.In the 1950s though this tape was destroyed in a clearance.

There was nothing more to do now but go back to the Lodge and enjoy our last Kwa-Zulu Natal sunset.

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The cattle herders were bringing their beasts home-

And then the sun finally set on an emotional but unforgettable day-

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But as you can gather mrsdrron is not in agreement with my sentiments.

 

[Grooba]

Wonderful report drron, loving the fauna and flora, keep it up!

... Only 1 restaurant meal.Again at the Rhodes Yum cha restaurant which was very good again but also offers QF points-now to see if they post!

I've had many meals there (also that the Castle Towers one, same chain) and have always had point post correctly. Sometimes have had to wait up to 6 weeks but normally after a week or so.

 

[drron]

Well finally back to a place where the internet is reliable and free although slow.Beyond time to get this TR restarted.I will in a couple of days start part 2 of the TR-the safari camps as if I just do 1 TR it will be unweildy and way too long.

Thursday and we were up early for the drive to DUR.Have a light breakfast and leave at 0730.There was a fog but reasonable visibility.The manager said by the time we reach the tar the fog will have lifted.However when we did reach the tar it was a pea souper.Visibility 5 metres or less.On a road with potholles,wandering animals and pedestrians this made for a slow trip.Mrsdrron was not happy.The fog lifted for a short while when we went through the first small town.People seemed jumpy-we found out later that the previous day the taxi drivers had had a shoot out.On the edge were the workers homes-

About a 100 kms down the road the fog finally lifted.We had passed massive eucalypt plantations.By the time the fog was gone we were in sugar cane country.As said before one of the reasons we visited KZN was to see Tugela Falls.The road selected followed the course of the Tugela River and here is the country near the coast and the River's mouth.

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Now we were on the Tollway and DUR is to the north of Durban itself so no worries.However no petrol stations at the airport or the road into it so resigned to paying the high airport rental price.I tipped the fellow who checked us in 20ZAR and had no problems-no extra charges-a win for both of us.

Entering the terminal there was this huge crowd of Indians and it was hard to move with a baggage cart.Read in the paper later that some Bollywood star was due to arrive in Durban.Checked in 2 hours before flight,no queue at security.No BA lounge but there was a DC lounge.Mrsdrron hadn't brought her DC along so there was going to be a charge.MrsD on principal wouldn't pay.For virtually the same price we had a light lunch and a carafe of SB at a cafe and they had free wifi so no problems.
Whilst we were there the Kulula plane left-

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We saw it again at JNB a bit later.The other no frills airline Mango also has bright planes-

Whilst we were in the terminal there were frequent announcements warning against making comments about terrorism,firearms or explosives as you would be arrested.
No priority boarding here.Even before the announcement of the flight there was a bun rush for the gate so we were nearly last to board.No problems as we were the only 2 pax in the 3 J rows.Typical European style Club World.Also suffers from the LOTFAP foibles with several pax from Y putting their carryons in the J bins.

BA6323.DUR-CPT. ETD-1440. Push back-1440. Take off-1446.
ETA-1645. Landed-1644. At gate-1650. Seats 3A.C.

Snack served with corned beef which I made into a sandwhich.Nice SB to wash it down.

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Uneventful flight.Country looked dry and barren.Long walk to the baggage carousel arriving as our bags came out 1 and 2.Then a long walk back in the direction we had come to get to the exit.The Westin rep was there to meet us.Capetown next.

 

[drron]

For a review of the Westin Capetown see here-
http://www.australianfrequentflyer....iences-and-reviews/westin-capetown-49293.html

On the first night there we went down to their restaurant.Mrsdrron had the lobster and coconut soup with Pad Thai noodles-but they left out the noodles.She called for the F&B manager and had the dish comped-you dont mess with her.I had the salmon with a chorizo,scallop and butternut broth which was nice.We both slept well.
Breakfast was in the lounge and it was an impressive spread and you can order a la carte for the hor dishes.Their eggs benedict were very good.
We then got the Westin free shuttle to the V&A waterfront where we spent the morning.Quite disappointed with the first shop we saw-

You could get items from any animal hide.The shop was boycotted.The views however are fantastic-

Some of the craft items from the townships demonstrated a true creativity such as these guitars-

We had lunch at the De Anker Belgian restaurant.It was really good.Foie Gras,bone marrow,2 kg of mussels with fries,2 glasses of the dearest SB and a bottle of Belgian Orval beer set us back $A56.Then back to the Westin for a freshen up before a trip to the Cape.We went with a friend of the scientist I work with in Bundy.Certainly a scenic road-

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From the lookout that the last 2 pictures were taken we noticed a disturbance in the water-

Literally hundreds of dolphins-

And we could see the road ahead-

 

[turtlemichael]

Thanks for the pictures and commentary on the Drakensbergs. We are looking to build a drive from Johannesburg to Durban into our itinerary for next February. Our objective will be to go to the Choir School which is an hour or so from the Cathedral Peak Hotel, though there are others nearer. You've inspired us!

 

[drron]

Turtlemichael just make sure they are performing on the dates you choose-were having holidays when we were there.But there is so much more to KZN.If I were planning it again I probably would have added the Rhino rescue place in the north of KZN.And the Drakensbergs themselves are definitely worth a visit.

Now back to Capetown.The road down to Cape Point certainly was amazing-

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At the turnoff to the Cape Reserve there are ostrich farms as well as baboons-just have all your doors locked as we heard eyewitness accounts from 2 people at different times of baboons opening the car door and sitting in the backseat.
We went to the main tourist area first although this is not the true cape.A lighthouse and the shoals offshore-

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Lots of birds and evidence of their presence-

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Having mobility problems we took the funicular rather than walked to the top-

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There were good views to False Bay as well as the Cape-

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[drron]

We returned from the Cape via False Bay.here you can see the penguins.You can go to the commercial viewing if you like but just like Tassie they come ashore in many places.We stopped at a car park which said penguins were present and indeed they were-

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In fact they came right to you-

We then stopped at a pub on the beach at Glencairn and watched the sunset whilst downing a couple of Windhoeks-

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We had got a car and driver-he was a licensed guide-and asked to be dropped off at the V&A where we had dinner at Klugman's grill.The dearest bottle of SB,lamb chops,a large rump + tip= $A50.OK but not great.
Got the shuttle back to the Westin and noted that 50% of pax did not go into the Westin.
Saturday-once again wind had shut down the cable cars to the top of Table Mountain and did again on the Sunday so didn't make it to the top.so started the day with a quick tour of capetown and the colourful old sections with their cobblestone streets-

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Then headed off to the Wine district.passing first Elegant hotels-

And then the township basically built on swampland.Definitely a country of contrasts.
Next-we go tasting.

 

[jetlagger]

Enjoying this.. in collaboration with a lovely Chardonnay on hand.
Looking forward to the tasting instalment..

 

[drron]

Before getting to the wineries we visited an interesting fruit store also selling biltong,wines and sweets and jams of all descriptions-

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The first winery we visited was Hidden Valley,unfortunately they were having a day off but a beautiful place-

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It is just next to Ernie Els vineyard.The next one was Uva Lumi.Just spectacular with views to False Bay.The wines were OK-

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The next place was also immaculate and if you enjoy your reds this place is a must-

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They only have reds and they are amongst the dearest in South Africa.However you can taste their 3 best wines for 30 rand-a real bargain.
After that we drove through the town of Stellenbosch-

 

[drron]

More of the buildings of Stellenbosch-

As you drive out you get a preview of the majestic views ahead-

We were on our way to Franshoek-

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We stopped at the The Graaf vineyards-owned by a diamond merchant with more money than he knows what to do with it.Very OTT but beautiful.

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Also it was a bit pretentious with a wine guide to explain the wines to you.As usual the tasting was 30 rand.The wines were good but not great.They did their bit for the environment with unusual flooring-

those are stone fruit pips.We then discovered we were here on the wrong day.a major mountain bike race was ending in the vineyards today.helicopters were buzzing but it also meant large crowds so impossible to eat at any of the vineyards.We did go across the road to the Tokala vineyard-wines just as good but also a very good deli there.This is a view of the Tokala estate-

We therefore kept driving and had lunch at a pretty ordinary italian cafe in Franshoek.The town again is beautiful-

 

[drron]

Some more of Franshoek-

There was a little arts and craft market so mrsdrron could at least pretend she was shopping-

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then it was a last look at the mountains before heading back to Capetown passing some white flamingoes on the way-

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We then went to the Kirstenbosch botanic gardens-gifted to the country by Cecil Rhodes on his death.A soothing place to spend an hour or two with magnificent views,splendid old trees and a path in a creek-

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An Indian bridal party added to the colour-

But we knew when to leave-

 

[drron]

The clouds soon rolled by so we were able to go past a few more Capetown sights before being dropped at the V&A again.First the old dutch fort-

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Then the spot where Nelson Mandela spoke on his release-

and Capetown's Parliament House-

At the V&A we went back to Den Anker.We both started with foie gras then i had the mussells.Mrsdrron had the garlic prawns.On the menu it came with Chilli so she asked for it without.However was served with chilli.The waitress though owned up to making a mistake so it went back and replaced with the dish minus the chilli.The waitress was obviously upset so i told her that I appreciated honesty and she got a 10% tip.Obviously more than most give as she came back beaming and thanking us profusely.
So I will finish off this post with the Den Anker lunch we had.I really do like moules et frittes which the Belgians do so well-

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[drron]

Sunday and still windy so no last minute trip to Table mountain.Late brekkie.Unfortunately that morning the internet was down.checked out at 12 and got a taxi to the wharf.very salubrious at the Cold storage wharf.Checkin and board.Then lunch until our room is ready.It is really comfortable-

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Plenty of space with a separate dressing room with hanging space for each of us.love the bathroom with separate tub and shower-

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The berth itself was not impressive-

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a very busy port and as nearly always in Africa a Chinese presence-

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But from the ship a great view of Table Mountain-

 

[drron]

On this cruise we are joined by part of our surrogate family-my former medical partner,his wife and 2 of our"grandkids'-13 and 9.Now children on Silverseas can be a problem but these 2 soon became the favourites of many of the crew and other passengers.the 6 of us became known as "The Family".We were able to entertain 2 members of their real family before Sailaway.Champagne,canapes and butler service.
Before sailing we had to go through South African departure.This was done on board.Our deck was called up first.We wait at least 10 minutes whilst the Immigration officers are having a heated discussion.I am third to get to the desk but wait as 2 officers argue whether they should put the exit stamp on the same page as the arrivals stamp or use a new page.Reaaly?Haven't they done this before.Also shows up the absurdity of needing 2 empty pages in your passport when you arrive in South africa-the 2 stamps take up less than a third of a page.

Next is the lifeboat drill before we can get to the real cruising-champagne on the stern deck as we sail away.A couple of women say they saw 2 whales as we departed.I only saw a dolphin.Certainly leaving Capetown by sea is impressive.Table mountain and all the other peaks as well as getting a last look at the Westin-

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We pass Robben Island-

The seas are the highest we will experience on this cruise with a swell to 2 metres.some think it rough but really very easy cruising.We have the crew Introduction with yet more champagne before our first sunset-

Funnily we are not very hungry when it comes to dinner.I go vegetarian and have the vegetable canneloni and then the vegetable ragout-both very tasty.
Next-2 sea days.

 

[drron]

Day 2 was a sea day and what did we see,we saw the sea-

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As you can see there was a moderate swell but was coming from the stern so no problems.We had lectures on the history of the sea and Ethnobotany.This was more enjoyable than it sounds.That night was the Captain's reception and dinner and we dined with Toby the botanist who not only is a good speaker but a great dinner guest.
The next day was an early arrival at Luderitz.

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There was quite a delay in getting the the ship cleared but when we did Immigration the Namibian officials where much more efficient than their South African brothers.So soon it was off to our first expedition,the ghost town-

We started in the community hall which is now a small museum with a shop and cafe.

Here are the ovens used for catering-

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This place was the site of the first diamond discovery in Namibia.It was quite a place at the turn of the 20th century before the diamonds ran out.Some of the buildings have deteriorated a lot,others appear an easy renovation-

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[drron]

There was the old sign from mining days-

Naturally they sold diamonds.

Next was the single men's entertainment with skittles and naturally a beer fridge-

Next was the iceworks-

and the German sausage making room-

As well as restored houses-

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Outside the desert was reclaiming the single men's quarters-

The hospital though was surviving a bit better-

 

[drron]

This place is surrounded by desert.Yet life goes on.In the air-

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And on the ground-

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However this place had a tramway to distribute water-

But this lack of water didn't deter Drron and his shadow from making sure no diamonds were left behind-

On the way back to town I saw an Impala.No photo as the bus was going too fast.So it was goodbye to Kolmanskop and through the barren country to Luderitz.The company obviously takes its toll-

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[drron]

Next we had a walking tour of Luderitz.Luderitz had some ordinary buildings,impressive historical buildings and even a new waterfront hotel-

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The Lutheran church was on the highest point in town with windows given by Kaiser Wilhelm-

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It had an interesting stone garden-

There were many colourful buildings-

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But the pride of Luderitz was the Goerke house-

That is next

 

[drron]

The Goerke house was built by a German who was desperate to get his wife to live in Luderitz so it is grand.A lot of the furnishings are still there-

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The views are great-

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It is one of the few places with an European style garden so it attracts some pretty healthy wildlife-

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The train line into Luderitz was torn up in the early nineties and according to our local guide has been promised to be restored each year since-

Though the speed limits for the train crossing still exist-

And here is the first diamond exchange,now a bank-

But sometimes nature has just as good a design-

 

[drron]

And the final shots in Luderitz-

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These 2 vehicles were parked next to each other-

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And some more buildings-

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But as will become a theme of this trip it is the people who are the stars.always smiling,appearing happy.The mother wanted mrsdrron to take this picture-