My recent trip to South Africa
NOTE: All photos and written material Copyrighted 1/06
I returned on Dec 9 from a 12 day trip to South Africa with Rae-ann and thought it might be fun (at least for me) to fill you in on some of what we saw and did and of course ate along the way. There has been a clamoring, albeit perhaps only in my own mind, for one of my trip e mails filled with descriptions of interesting sights and experiences so I shall try not to disappoint.
The flight to South Africa is a long one-after all it is 6000 miles away. We flew for 8 hours to Dakar, Senegal where we stopped for an hour, refueled, changed crews, off-loaded and took on some passengers, and had the cabin sprayed by an aerosol disinfectant so that no (?) germs could be brought in to South Africa that might adversely affect the local plants or crops. This spraying also took place on the trip home so that no harmful, unseen airborne "things" would find their way back here to affect our crops or plant-life. We left Dakar and then flew another 8 hours to Johannesburg, where we encountered a real African thunderstorm. What, you ask, could possibly be different about an African thunderstorm as opposed to a good old American one? Well, imagine torrential rain that comes down with amazing intensity and bolts of lightning that flash with brilliance and are seemingly very, very close by. Mix in dark clouds, some wind that occasionally turns the vertical deluge to a horizontal one, and you have a pretty good idea of what takes place. Fortunately, we were staying at a hotel right at the airport, but unfortunately the bus to get to the hotel was 50 feet from the shelter of the covered roadway. Having easily accessible rain gear was a great idea, but that didn't prevent us from getting soaked from our waists down as we made our way through the puddles to the bus.
TO TANDA TULA for 3 DAYS and LESSONS LEARNED:
We had Shabbat dinner that night with Ann and Dennis, who had picked us up at the hotel and took us back to their house. (Thank you both for that lovely evening and for letting us stay in your house when we returned to Jo'burg a week later!!) The next morning, we got up and went back to the airport for our flight to the Tanda Tula game reserve, which is part of a privately owned 200,000 acre reserve adjacent to the public and very famous Kruger National Park, which is 6,000,000 acres in size (or about the size of either New Jersey or the State of Israel). Did I say flight to Tanda Tula? Well, let me put some things into perspective. Yes, we flew on a plane (prop-not jet), and yes it was a scheduled flight, but needless to say this was the smallest airplane I'd ever been on. How small was the plane? Well, let's just say I stood taller than the aircraft! The aircraft was a 6-seater--pilot, co-pilot or passenger, and 4 seats in the "cabin" area. We were the only 2 passengers on this flight and had to sit diagonally opposite each other for weight distribution purposes. (Please keep those weight comments to yourselves!) We had pretty smooth weather at 11,000 feet, but that didn't stop Rae-ann from frequently squeezing my hand at every slight movement of the aircraft, such that I wasn't sure whether my fingers would ever become unstuck! Our landing strip materialized out of nowhere, it seemed, and consisted of very short and some not-so smooth asphalt in the middle of the bush. We learned shortly after we arrived that a pride of lions had been napping on the "runway" shortly before we landed, but had thankfully gone off hunting in time for us to land.
Our "taxi" from the airport to Tanda Tula was also to be our transportation for the next 3 days. It was a Range Rover, sans roof and doors, had 3 rows of seats behind the 2 front seats. There was a rifle situated on a rack across the front dashboard (hopefully never to be needed), a CB radio, and the steering wheel on the right side of the vehicle, along with the gearshift to the left of the driver's seat. (Note here--pay the extra money, as I did, when renting a car in South Africa to get automatic transmission. It is bad enough to be driving on the "wrong" side of the road and to have to seriously concentrate on turns and traffic direction, but to throw in shifting gears with your left hand is almost too much for average mortals, aka Americans, to have to deal with.)
Tanda Tula is a camp unlike others I have stayed at in previous trips to the bush, something I purposely wanted on this maiden voyage to Africa with Rae-ann. The "rooms" are luxurious tents, resting underneath thatched roofs, and have wooden decks, concrete floors, queen sized beds, and indoor plumbing, as do almost all the facilities the average tourist would want to stay in! There is an old-fashioned claw-foot bathtub and sliding glass doors leading to an outdoor shower (the best!), surrounded by a 6 foot high wall, but open to the sky. There is nothing like an open-air shower for ambiance or romance! (Enough said on that subject, as I am sure my kids and Rae-ann's would agree.) Since the camps are relatively isolated in the bush, all your meals are included, as are unlimited drinks and wine (varies with each camp), and 2 game drives each day consisting of a 2 1/2 hour drive at dawn and another one of the same length at dusk.
We learned 2 lessons upon our arrival, compliments of other guests. The first, was that we should take the breakfast trays inside the tent that get delivered at 5am as part of the wakeup ritual. The cervet monkeys (grey with black masks) have grown accustomed to the schedule and will quickly snatch the muffins or rusks on the tray. (Rusks are similar to, but much better than biscotti, usually made from buttermilk and may be with or without raisins or a muesli mixture of grains--must be DUNKED in hot coffee or tea to be appreciated!!!) The second lesson also involved the monkeys. When advised to put your malaria tablets in your suitcase so they are out of sight, do so. (Malaria pills are necessary in the reserves during summertime, the current season, when the mosquitoes are most prevalent.) It seems the monkeys have a liking for the sugar-coating on the pills. We learned the hard way that these "guys" are very smart. They managed to get into our tent, even with the zippers to the entrance locked, by way of the velcro that sealed the canvas walls. They left no trace of their having been there, unlike the absolute shambles that would have been left had baboons gotten in. They took Rae-ann's pill bottle; it was only after calling back to Johannesburg to the airport hotel to try and locate it, that we got the bottle back, missing most of the label. It seems that Stop N' Shop pharmacy will soon be able to add to the tops of their pill bottles the phrase--"Childproof and MONKEY proof."
GAME DRIVES
The game drives and what you see on them are what the visits to the reserves, public or private, are all about. Each drive is different, to say the least. The animals aren’t exactly waiting to be seen, though sometimes it almost seems that they are. The advantage to the private reserve is being able to go “off road”, from the dirt road to the bush itself, whereas being in Kruger itself means staying on the paved road. Even in the summer, the first few hours of the morning drive can be chilly (all the more so during the winter months corresponding to our June/July) so wearing long sleeves, a jacket, and a hat are good ideas. Sometimes, as happened on one of our morning drives, there was a light, but steady drizzle for most of the time. The drive takes place regardless of the weather, except in torrential downpours. The animals usually try to get under some sort of cover during the rains, so the viewing can be, and was, on our first drive, very spotty--mostly birds, no big animals. The driver of the vehicle or ranger will stop whenever someone sees, or thinks they see, something of interest. He will point out an animal or a type of plant, tell you all sorts of fascinating details about what you are seeing and give you plenty of time for a photo. The 2 1/2 hours of each drive are spent looking for game, and there are lots of mistaken calls by the visitors who think rocks or fallen trees look like elephants or lions. A native tracker sits on a chair located on the left side of the hood of the Range Rover, and with the slightest movement of his hand or head, helps the ranger point out the real animals and not the phantoms. It’s incredible to see these guys work—they are able to spot tracks from about 5 feet off the ground, traveling at 10-15 mph, in soft sand or hard ground, and tell you what made the paw or hoof print, how old the track is, and often whether the animal is a male or female. (The males are almost always bigger and heavier.) They can also tell you the same information from the dried or fresh dung that dots the landscape. These ranger/tracker teams are simply amazing and their knowledge is almost encyclopedic; there are stringent tests that must be passed over a period of months or years in order for them to be certified in their field.
After the morning drive, you come back to camp for breakfast and free time, which may include lounging around the pool or reading by the fire (I said it was chilly!) in the open air lounge area. Then there is lunch, some more free time, and another drive that begins about 4:30pm. The morning and afternoon/dusk drives are different—rarely repeating the same territory covered and often with different game in mind as the objective of the “hunt”. The intent is to see as much different game as possible, though you usually have little choice in what you see, since it is all random anyway. In our six drives, we saw elephant, leopard, cape buffalo, and lion (4 of the proverbial Big Five—missed rhino), as well as impala, kudu, waterbuck, eagles, vultures, hyena, monitor lizard, steenbok, lots of birds, tortoises, termite mounds, etc.
On our first evening drive, we rounded a curve and the light that the tracker was quickly swaying from side to side (so as not to blind any of the nocturnal animals) suddenly landed on a foraging bull elephant. The ranger quickly killed the engine and we sat watching, while the light was shining down at the bull’s feet. All of a sudden he started to move toward the vehicle. Usually, the animals are simply inquisitive, but rarely threatening. They don’t see or distinguish shapes like we do, seeing only the mass of the Rover. If someone were to stand up or move away from the vehicle, the animal’s perspective would change immediately. Anyway, this massive creature started moving to my side. I swore, a few minutes later, that he was 8-10 feet away from me. The ranger, sitting in front of me, countered with a distance of 3-5 feet. I can tell you that I could feel the heat of his breath and thought for sure that his trunk would be in my lap any second. I do know that both my breathing and my heart stopped until the tracker, recognizing that the elephant was a bit close, actually moved the light from his feet to near his eyes. At that point, he moved away and continued his foraging and my breathing and heart rate resumed. We saw this “guy” again the next day, recognizable by one tusk that had been damaged in a fight. It turns out, he was huge—standing about 10 feet tall and weighing in at around 6 1/2 tons or about 13,000 lbs for those of you who are a bit slow in the math department. Seems he is about 35 years old, in musk, and looking for a hot 25 year old female in estrus. (Okay, here comes the older man, younger woman comments but this is what the ranger said. The bulls don’t mate until they are about 35, and the cows generally don’t have any calves until they are at least 25 years old. The elephants can live to be 50 or 60, so there is still plenty of time to “fool around”.)
FOOD AT TANDA TULA GAME RESERVE
I think I need to change the subject here, so let’s talk about the food at Tanda Tula. The lunches tended to be cold dishes, with various salads, cold meats, vegetables, and cheeses making up most of the offerings, though one afternoon was mostly Indian fare; there are a lot of Indians in the country and their influence is very strong in many locales. At night, we had such delicacies as butternut squash soup with feta, ostrich steak (very lean and tasty!), leg of lamb, gazpacho, fillet of beef—all washed down with white or red wine or assorted beers. Desserts consisted of crème brulee, fruit, and the obligatory chocolate something or other, but I can’t remember what it was. Needless to say, it’s not hard to eat and drink well in the private reserves; perhaps that is why guests usually stay for 3 or 4 days at most.
One last highlight at Tanda Tula occurred on our last game drive and it was, perhaps the most memorable experience of any of my trips to the bush. We had spotted a leopard in a tree on a previous drive, but as we saw her, she saw us and immediately ran down from her perch and into some dense brush. The image of a leopard lying on a branch is perhaps hard to imagine if you haven’t seen it, but if you have it lingers long after the sighting is history. So, I was very upset that the female we spotted hadn’t stayed around long enough for me to get some photos. We had barely 30 minutes left on this last drive before we would be heading back for breakfast and then our pickup for the ride to the local (2 1/2 hours away) airport and our flight to Cape Town. There was some CB radio chatter between the ranger and his friends, but they often speak in Africaans so it was impossible to understand what they were talking about. I do remember turning to Rae-ann and telling her I thought they were talking about a kill (something I’d not seen in any of my previous trips to the bush), and that I hoped if it wasn’t, maybe they were talking about seeing a leopard in a tree. Imagine my total disbelief and glee at arriving at a sighting that gave me both of my wishes. We found a large tree with 2 hyenas circling it and in the tree itself there were 2 young leopards (about 1 year old), one of whom (the male) was tearing at an impala carcass. The leopards are the best climbers amongst the big cats and they often take their kills up into trees to keep them from being taken away by either lions or hyenas. Well, we sat about 20 feet from the tree and watched and listened for about 15 minutes; I shot about 60 photos of the action and I am very pleased to say that I got some breath-taking pictures. We also were close enough to hear the actual crunching of bones being chewed by the male and that is not a sound easily forgotten. What an amazing ending to our stay in the bush!
CAPE TOWN
South Africa, like so many countries, is a land of many contrasts. We left the bush—which was colored in the green and grey and occasional orange or purple of the flora, and the grey, brown, yellow, and tan of most of the fauna—and flew to Cape Town, which, in my humble opinion, is one of the prettiest cities in the world. It is quite a culture shock to go from one end of the country to the other, from the wildness and relative solitude of the bush, to the bustle and vibrancy of a major port and travel destination. We stayed in a lovely cottage that belonged to a dear friend’s father (thank you Sharon!). The cottage was in the suburb of Newlands, not far from the University of Cape Town. We walked a couple of blocks from our cottage and shared dinner with Leonard and Ernette at a local restaurant called Barrister’s Seafood. The kingklip (a white, meaty, local fish that is superb) was grilled in butter and lightly seasoned, while the cobo (another white, meaty fish) was done in a pesto sauce. Both dishes were very good and taste even better when shared!
During one our 3 days there we took the very beautiful drive along Chapman’s Peak to Cape Pointe. This is just a bit north of the Cape of Good Hope (the southernmost tip of the African continent; it is part of a national park and a major tourist attraction. The climb from the parking lot to the lighthouse at the top of the mountain is strenuous, but the view is worth the trek. On a former trip in 1998 with Grant and Pam, I couldn’t make it to the top—too much pain from my knee. This time, “armed” (or should I say “legged”) with my new prosthesis, it was much easier. (Note—watch out for the birds in the outdoor dining area at the beginning of the climb. Rae-ann can tell you about her run-in with one of these creatures who swooped in, knocked off a piece of her sandwich to the floor, and then ate just the cheese; he didn’t seem to like the multi-grain bread very much.). We stopped on the way back to town for dinner at Haut Bay and ate at the Fisherman’s Wharf restaurant. I recommend the swordfish in a beurre blanc sauce and the cobo in the papaya salsa sauce
KIRSTENBOSCH and SHOPPING
On another day, we spent most of an afternoon at Kirstenbosch, a botanical garden, admiring the many varieties of protea (the national flower) and the wonderful African sculpture placed so magically throughout the space. We had perfect weather—clear blue skies and low 80’s for temperature, with only a slight wind blowing. You should take your time and enjoy the colors, as they are beautiful. The gift shop at the entrance to the garden is actually one of the nicer ones you’ll find anywhere; prices are not cheap but the selection and quality is really good. Speaking of gifts, let me remind you to bring an extra suitcase for all those goodies you decide you can’t live without. There are outdoor markets everywhere and the selection of craft items is huge. Wood and stone carvings abound, as do hand-woven “basket” items, beaded jewelry, new and old wooden masks, wire sculpture of all sizes and shapes, ethnic dolls and musical instruments, hand woven and painted fabrics, unique leather, kudu (antelope) or crocodile wallets or pocketbooks and so much more. Haggling is definitely expected and you’ll be much the poorer monetarily and emotionally if you don’t engage the sellers in some sort of “buyer's” dialogue.
Our last day in Cape Town was spent at the Victoria and Albert mall, located on the water, in the harbor area. The mall is filled with shops (containing many familiar names) and restaurants galore (one of which has live jazz and another that features local musicians playing a variety of wooden xylophone-type instruments). If you are really adventurous you can even get a haircut and a shave (guys only!) in a barber shop. I do suggest being very specific in the shop, as I got shorn more than I anticipated but could do little about it once the barber started in on me with the electric shears. It seems you have to ask for a scissor cut if you want it short but not too short! The shave with the straight razor was also an experience, but made all the better when a big hot towel was placed on my face afterwards.
STELLENBOSCH
After 3 days in Cape Town, we drove about 45 minutes to the wine district called Stellenbosch. This part of the country is quite beautiful and from what I have been told, having never been to Sonoma in California, very different in terms of topography from the US wine lands. There are mountains in Stellenbosch that are apparently missing in CA. The area is full of vineyards and fine restaurants and from what I was told, boasts some of the most expensive land devoted to vine production in the world. Land is measured in hectares, not acres, and one hectare is equivalent to 2.471 acres; I think I heard the figure of about $250,000-350,000 an acre in the prime wine growing locations.
Prior to arriving in the town of Stellenbosch itself, we stopped at the Spier winery outside of town, where we visited the raptor conservancy, but passed up the chance to spend time with the cheetahs at their conservancy. Both are terrific experiences, but we didn’t want to lose the whole day doing both and the raptors won the coin-toss. The raptors, consisting of various types of eagles and falcons, have either been wounded or abandoned. If they can be healed and released back to the wild, that is the primary goal; if not, at least they are safe from other predators. The cheetahs, on the other hand, are raised to be used in schools to teach kids about conservation and to provide a place to promote studies that can help reverse the decline in their population.
Stellenbosch has a very small town feel to it, though it hosts the campus of a fine university, appropriately named the University of Stellenbosch. It also has a very sophisticated atmosphere. Outdoor cafes abound everywhere and most, not surprisingly, have a pretty good local wine list. There are lovely stores throughout the town and some very upscale shopping is available, along with the requisite craft shops and stalls. Our first day in Stellenbosh was a Friday and we chose to eat a late lunch, thinking we’d have a bigger dinner; we had an excellent, light sushi snacking experience at Cape Town Seafood Market.
Both Rae-ann and I enjoy trying to find local synagogues to attend while we are traveling, so it should not come as a surprise to anyone that we were able to locate a place to daven in Stellenbosch. Our host in Cape Town learned of our interest and suggested we contact a medical school classmate of his who had retired to the Stellenbosch area. I made a quick phone call upon our arrival and learned that Friday evening services were held in a shul a few blocks away from our B&B. The synagogue has a very small congregation, but holds services every Friday evening. It is an orthodox service, with men and women seated separately, and lay led; there isn’t a conservative movement in South Africa, so most services (85%) are Orthodox, with the balance being Reform. It never ceases to amaze me how comforting it is to be able to walk into a service anywhere in the world and feel relatively at home. The melodies may be different, and sometimes the prayer-books are as well, but a service is still a service and it doesn’t take much effort to locate the right page and get involved, even if in silence. Following the service, we were invited to a small Kiddush and then found ourselves being asked if we had plans for dinner. Upon responding “no”, we were promptly invited to dinner at the home of one of the congregants. Jeff and his 4 brothers are the primary financial supporters of the congregation and the family is the largest grower and exporter of strawberries in the country. Dinner with Jeff, his wife Beverly, and 4 other guests was both delicious and very “homey”!
Jeff and Jonathan, another of the dinner guests, made some suggestions on which wineries to visit and the restaurants in the area worth eating at. Boy, there is nothing like a “local” to steer you in the right direction. Just outside of Stellenbosch, on the way to Franchhoek, is a relatively new, small winery called Thelema. It’s a bit off the main road, but worth the trouble to locate. The tastings there are still free; at a few of the others it costs 15 rand, or a little less than $3 at current exchange rates, for 5 different samples. Assuming you are traveling with your spouse or significant other, spring for the 30 rand—that way you can try 10 wines (assuming the winery produces that many different ones). The reds at Thelema have a lot of promise—some are drinkable now (Shiraz and Cabernet) and a few, like the Pinotage, need a bit more aging. The Chardonnay (reserve?) is fine right now as well.
FRANCHHOEK
Our local host had suggested lunch at Boschendal Estates, but we passed by a bit early and decided to head into Franchhoek for a quick visit, figuring we could always come back if nothing else struck our fancy. The town is small and quite charming, though I prefer Stellenbosch’s ambience. We drove through Franchhoek and made our way along the main road to an area just outside of town that was home to a couple of wineries and restaurants. We stopped at one, primarily because the shape of the structure is so unusual. The winery and restaurant is called Cabriere Estate. (I just learned by coincidence it is the 2006 South African Best of Wine Tourism winner for the best Winery Restaurant.) The entrance to the cellar and the adjacent restaurant are both built into the side of the mountain—a very different look than the more elegant and traditional wine estates in the rest of the area. I didn’t think we were going to stay for a tasting, as they seemed to be showcasing sparkling wines and that is just not one of my top choices for wine drinking. We happened to manage a tasting while listening to and watching the owner make a presentation. It wasn’t the way he opened the bottles with the saber that caught my attention, or the pretty girls enlisted to help with the demonstration, but rather the very tasty sparkling pinot noir that was being served. Rae-ann and I agreed to try out the attached restaurant for lunch and boy, was that a terrific decision. We wound up with the finest meal of our trip and one of the most enjoyable and delicious meals I can remember eating anywhere.
Imagine a fine dining room where the conversation is subdued but not totally silent, the doors and windows are open to the outside, a gentle breeze is blowing, the view out the window is of the distant mountain, the tables are set with white linen, each diner has a somewhat oversized silverware place-setting, there is a water glass, and 2 wine goblets—one of which is tall and wide-mouthed for red wines and the other about an inch shorter and slightly more tapered at the mouth for white wines. The menu and wine list are leather bound as I recall. Each of the winery’s selections are listed with a description about the bouquet of the wine and it’s taste (whether of vanilla or a fruit or buttery texture or the like). (Can I really distinguish the aromas of chocolate or various berries? In truth, no, but I do enjoy trying to learn how!) Someone, probably the chef or perhaps the winery owner, has paired the wine selections with various dishes on the menu trying to enhance the flavors of the food with the wine and vice versa, but feel free to mix and match at your own risk or expertise. I don’t doubt that pairing wine and food is probably one of the better ways to go to enhance the overall dining experience, but I am just as prone to mix reds with fish and whites with meat as not.
I ordered a glass of the sparkling pinot noir, having enjoyed the first tasting so much! Rae-ann, who, shall we say, does not have a high threshold for alcohol, chose a white with 11% alcohol rather than the usual 13-14%. (The wine was called Tranquille and was too light for my taste.) We chose 3 dishes—all vegetarian from the menu (but could have had meat, game, or seafood had we been so inclined)—and ordered half portions of each. Since we were sharing, the waitress placed a spoon and a fork in an X so that the servers would know to place the dishes between us and to give us smaller plates to hold the shared portions. Our first dish was a cold salmon trout (pink inside instead of the normal white trout color), covered in olive tapenade (finely chopped olives) and resting on perfectly grilled vegetables drizzled with a touch of balsamic vinegar. The second dish was a butternut squash tart, where again the vegetable was cooked to perfection and the pastry tart was flaky and buttery, and the butternut was infused with a wonderful molasses flavor (?). I had, by this time finished my glass of sparkling wine and opted for a traditional, by my standards, glass of regular pinot noir that was even better than it’s sparkling sibling. Our last dish went very well with the big red wine. It was a spicy lentil selection that left a definite, but not unpleasant, lingering feeling of heat after swallowing and which mixed very nicely with the smoothness of the wine. Needless to say, the service was attentive but not overly so, the food and wine outstanding, the company even better, the coffee very good (a real must for me as most of you know), and the total bill considered very reasonable (about $75 dollars with tip) by US standards. A phenomenal way to spend an afternoon!!
BACK TO STELLENBOSCH
We were definitely feeling no pain when we left the winery restaurant and headed back to Stellenbosch. A respite was definitely in order, so we sat in the lovely garden of our B&B and read for the next few hours. Much to our surprise, we were actually hungry later in the evening. Our luncheon was superb, but thankfully had not left us feeling stuffed. We again wound up following the advice of our Shabbat evening hosts; this time ending up at the Fishmonger restaurant a couple of short blocks away from our hotel. The obligatory wine at dinner was nothing special, especially after the afternoon’s selections, and the dinner, while very good, simply couldn’t compare with our luncheon feast. We enjoyed our tuna roll (tekka maki) appetizer, finding that it was surprisingly fresh, and the stuffed kingklip with mozzarella and the yellowtail with crumbled feta cheese were very well done. Taken out of context, by themselves, the dinner dishes were delicious. They were simply overshadowed by the lingering tastes from the afternoon delights.
JOHANNESBURG
We left the wine country after our short 2 day stay and flew back to Johannesburg for the wedding festivities surrounding Darren and Bev’s nuptials. It was very very special and important for me to be there with the family for this event, just as it was for me to ask Rae-ann to join me on this trip. For her to have willingly put herself in this delicate situation says a lot about the type of person she is, as well as our feelings for each other. I know that there was a lot of warmth and love being shown by everyone to us, and that it was not easy to keep the pain from overshadowing our time together. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to Steve and Linda, Bev, Tony and Monique, Darren and Bev, Len and Merle, for allowing Pam’s presence to be so strongly felt and acknowledged by all, yet not to have allowed her absence to have detracted from the joy of the simcha. I love you all very much and am forever grateful to be a part of such an amazing family.
I’ve gone on far too long, I fear, so I’ll end in a moment. Hopefully, my little “tasting” of South Africa will whet your appetites for a trip of your own that I will gladly help you arrange.
Love to all and Happy New Year…Scott
I returned on Dec 9 from a 12 day trip to South Africa with Rae-ann and thought it might be fun (at least for me) to fill you in on some of what we saw and did and of course ate along the way. There has been a clamoring, albeit perhaps only in my own mind, for one of my trip e mails filled with descriptions of interesting sights and experiences so I shall try not to disappoint.
The flight to South Africa is a long one-after all it is 6000 miles away. We flew for 8 hours to Dakar, Senegal where we stopped for an hour, refueled, changed crews, off-loaded and took on some passengers, and had the cabin sprayed by an aerosol disinfectant so that no (?) germs could be brought in to South Africa that might adversely affect the local plants or crops. This spraying also took place on the trip home so that no harmful, unseen airborne "things" would find their way back here to affect our crops or plant-life. We left Dakar and then flew another 8 hours to Johannesburg, where we encountered a real African thunderstorm. What, you ask, could possibly be different about an African thunderstorm as opposed to a good old American one? Well, imagine torrential rain that comes down with amazing intensity and bolts of lightning that flash with brilliance and are seemingly very, very close by. Mix in dark clouds, some wind that occasionally turns the vertical deluge to a horizontal one, and you have a pretty good idea of what takes place. Fortunately, we were staying at a hotel right at the airport, but unfortunately the bus to get to the hotel was 50 feet from the shelter of the covered roadway. Having easily accessible rain gear was a great idea, but that didn't prevent us from getting soaked from our waists down as we made our way through the puddles to the bus.
TO TANDA TULA for 3 DAYS and LESSONS LEARNED:
We had Shabbat dinner that night with Ann and Dennis, who had picked us up at the hotel and took us back to their house. (Thank you both for that lovely evening and for letting us stay in your house when we returned to Jo'burg a week later!!) The next morning, we got up and went back to the airport for our flight to the Tanda Tula game reserve, which is part of a privately owned 200,000 acre reserve adjacent to the public and very famous Kruger National Park, which is 6,000,000 acres in size (or about the size of either New Jersey or the State of Israel). Did I say flight to Tanda Tula? Well, let me put some things into perspective. Yes, we flew on a plane (prop-not jet), and yes it was a scheduled flight, but needless to say this was the smallest airplane I'd ever been on. How small was the plane? Well, let's just say I stood taller than the aircraft! The aircraft was a 6-seater--pilot, co-pilot or passenger, and 4 seats in the "cabin" area. We were the only 2 passengers on this flight and had to sit diagonally opposite each other for weight distribution purposes. (Please keep those weight comments to yourselves!) We had pretty smooth weather at 11,000 feet, but that didn't stop Rae-ann from frequently squeezing my hand at every slight movement of the aircraft, such that I wasn't sure whether my fingers would ever become unstuck! Our landing strip materialized out of nowhere, it seemed, and consisted of very short and some not-so smooth asphalt in the middle of the bush. We learned shortly after we arrived that a pride of lions had been napping on the "runway" shortly before we landed, but had thankfully gone off hunting in time for us to land.
Our "taxi" from the airport to Tanda Tula was also to be our transportation for the next 3 days. It was a Range Rover, sans roof and doors, had 3 rows of seats behind the 2 front seats. There was a rifle situated on a rack across the front dashboard (hopefully never to be needed), a CB radio, and the steering wheel on the right side of the vehicle, along with the gearshift to the left of the driver's seat. (Note here--pay the extra money, as I did, when renting a car in South Africa to get automatic transmission. It is bad enough to be driving on the "wrong" side of the road and to have to seriously concentrate on turns and traffic direction, but to throw in shifting gears with your left hand is almost too much for average mortals, aka Americans, to have to deal with.)
Tanda Tula is a camp unlike others I have stayed at in previous trips to the bush, something I purposely wanted on this maiden voyage to Africa with Rae-ann. The "rooms" are luxurious tents, resting underneath thatched roofs, and have wooden decks, concrete floors, queen sized beds, and indoor plumbing, as do almost all the facilities the average tourist would want to stay in! There is an old-fashioned claw-foot bathtub and sliding glass doors leading to an outdoor shower (the best!), surrounded by a 6 foot high wall, but open to the sky. There is nothing like an open-air shower for ambiance or romance! (Enough said on that subject, as I am sure my kids and Rae-ann's would agree.) Since the camps are relatively isolated in the bush, all your meals are included, as are unlimited drinks and wine (varies with each camp), and 2 game drives each day consisting of a 2 1/2 hour drive at dawn and another one of the same length at dusk.
We learned 2 lessons upon our arrival, compliments of other guests. The first, was that we should take the breakfast trays inside the tent that get delivered at 5am as part of the wakeup ritual. The cervet monkeys (grey with black masks) have grown accustomed to the schedule and will quickly snatch the muffins or rusks on the tray. (Rusks are similar to, but much better than biscotti, usually made from buttermilk and may be with or without raisins or a muesli mixture of grains--must be DUNKED in hot coffee or tea to be appreciated!!!) The second lesson also involved the monkeys. When advised to put your malaria tablets in your suitcase so they are out of sight, do so. (Malaria pills are necessary in the reserves during summertime, the current season, when the mosquitoes are most prevalent.) It seems the monkeys have a liking for the sugar-coating on the pills. We learned the hard way that these "guys" are very smart. They managed to get into our tent, even with the zippers to the entrance locked, by way of the velcro that sealed the canvas walls. They left no trace of their having been there, unlike the absolute shambles that would have been left had baboons gotten in. They took Rae-ann's pill bottle; it was only after calling back to Johannesburg to the airport hotel to try and locate it, that we got the bottle back, missing most of the label. It seems that Stop N' Shop pharmacy will soon be able to add to the tops of their pill bottles the phrase--"Childproof and MONKEY proof."
GAME DRIVES
The game drives and what you see on them are what the visits to the reserves, public or private, are all about. Each drive is different, to say the least. The animals aren’t exactly waiting to be seen, though sometimes it almost seems that they are. The advantage to the private reserve is being able to go “off road”, from the dirt road to the bush itself, whereas being in Kruger itself means staying on the paved road. Even in the summer, the first few hours of the morning drive can be chilly (all the more so during the winter months corresponding to our June/July) so wearing long sleeves, a jacket, and a hat are good ideas. Sometimes, as happened on one of our morning drives, there was a light, but steady drizzle for most of the time. The drive takes place regardless of the weather, except in torrential downpours. The animals usually try to get under some sort of cover during the rains, so the viewing can be, and was, on our first drive, very spotty--mostly birds, no big animals. The driver of the vehicle or ranger will stop whenever someone sees, or thinks they see, something of interest. He will point out an animal or a type of plant, tell you all sorts of fascinating details about what you are seeing and give you plenty of time for a photo. The 2 1/2 hours of each drive are spent looking for game, and there are lots of mistaken calls by the visitors who think rocks or fallen trees look like elephants or lions. A native tracker sits on a chair located on the left side of the hood of the Range Rover, and with the slightest movement of his hand or head, helps the ranger point out the real animals and not the phantoms. It’s incredible to see these guys work—they are able to spot tracks from about 5 feet off the ground, traveling at 10-15 mph, in soft sand or hard ground, and tell you what made the paw or hoof print, how old the track is, and often whether the animal is a male or female. (The males are almost always bigger and heavier.) They can also tell you the same information from the dried or fresh dung that dots the landscape. These ranger/tracker teams are simply amazing and their knowledge is almost encyclopedic; there are stringent tests that must be passed over a period of months or years in order for them to be certified in their field.
After the morning drive, you come back to camp for breakfast and free time, which may include lounging around the pool or reading by the fire (I said it was chilly!) in the open air lounge area. Then there is lunch, some more free time, and another drive that begins about 4:30pm. The morning and afternoon/dusk drives are different—rarely repeating the same territory covered and often with different game in mind as the objective of the “hunt”. The intent is to see as much different game as possible, though you usually have little choice in what you see, since it is all random anyway. In our six drives, we saw elephant, leopard, cape buffalo, and lion (4 of the proverbial Big Five—missed rhino), as well as impala, kudu, waterbuck, eagles, vultures, hyena, monitor lizard, steenbok, lots of birds, tortoises, termite mounds, etc.
On our first evening drive, we rounded a curve and the light that the tracker was quickly swaying from side to side (so as not to blind any of the nocturnal animals) suddenly landed on a foraging bull elephant. The ranger quickly killed the engine and we sat watching, while the light was shining down at the bull’s feet. All of a sudden he started to move toward the vehicle. Usually, the animals are simply inquisitive, but rarely threatening. They don’t see or distinguish shapes like we do, seeing only the mass of the Rover. If someone were to stand up or move away from the vehicle, the animal’s perspective would change immediately. Anyway, this massive creature started moving to my side. I swore, a few minutes later, that he was 8-10 feet away from me. The ranger, sitting in front of me, countered with a distance of 3-5 feet. I can tell you that I could feel the heat of his breath and thought for sure that his trunk would be in my lap any second. I do know that both my breathing and my heart stopped until the tracker, recognizing that the elephant was a bit close, actually moved the light from his feet to near his eyes. At that point, he moved away and continued his foraging and my breathing and heart rate resumed. We saw this “guy” again the next day, recognizable by one tusk that had been damaged in a fight. It turns out, he was huge—standing about 10 feet tall and weighing in at around 6 1/2 tons or about 13,000 lbs for those of you who are a bit slow in the math department. Seems he is about 35 years old, in musk, and looking for a hot 25 year old female in estrus. (Okay, here comes the older man, younger woman comments but this is what the ranger said. The bulls don’t mate until they are about 35, and the cows generally don’t have any calves until they are at least 25 years old. The elephants can live to be 50 or 60, so there is still plenty of time to “fool around”.)
FOOD AT TANDA TULA GAME RESERVE
I think I need to change the subject here, so let’s talk about the food at Tanda Tula. The lunches tended to be cold dishes, with various salads, cold meats, vegetables, and cheeses making up most of the offerings, though one afternoon was mostly Indian fare; there are a lot of Indians in the country and their influence is very strong in many locales. At night, we had such delicacies as butternut squash soup with feta, ostrich steak (very lean and tasty!), leg of lamb, gazpacho, fillet of beef—all washed down with white or red wine or assorted beers. Desserts consisted of crème brulee, fruit, and the obligatory chocolate something or other, but I can’t remember what it was. Needless to say, it’s not hard to eat and drink well in the private reserves; perhaps that is why guests usually stay for 3 or 4 days at most.
One last highlight at Tanda Tula occurred on our last game drive and it was, perhaps the most memorable experience of any of my trips to the bush. We had spotted a leopard in a tree on a previous drive, but as we saw her, she saw us and immediately ran down from her perch and into some dense brush. The image of a leopard lying on a branch is perhaps hard to imagine if you haven’t seen it, but if you have it lingers long after the sighting is history. So, I was very upset that the female we spotted hadn’t stayed around long enough for me to get some photos. We had barely 30 minutes left on this last drive before we would be heading back for breakfast and then our pickup for the ride to the local (2 1/2 hours away) airport and our flight to Cape Town. There was some CB radio chatter between the ranger and his friends, but they often speak in Africaans so it was impossible to understand what they were talking about. I do remember turning to Rae-ann and telling her I thought they were talking about a kill (something I’d not seen in any of my previous trips to the bush), and that I hoped if it wasn’t, maybe they were talking about seeing a leopard in a tree. Imagine my total disbelief and glee at arriving at a sighting that gave me both of my wishes. We found a large tree with 2 hyenas circling it and in the tree itself there were 2 young leopards (about 1 year old), one of whom (the male) was tearing at an impala carcass. The leopards are the best climbers amongst the big cats and they often take their kills up into trees to keep them from being taken away by either lions or hyenas. Well, we sat about 20 feet from the tree and watched and listened for about 15 minutes; I shot about 60 photos of the action and I am very pleased to say that I got some breath-taking pictures. We also were close enough to hear the actual crunching of bones being chewed by the male and that is not a sound easily forgotten. What an amazing ending to our stay in the bush!
CAPE TOWN
South Africa, like so many countries, is a land of many contrasts. We left the bush—which was colored in the green and grey and occasional orange or purple of the flora, and the grey, brown, yellow, and tan of most of the fauna—and flew to Cape Town, which, in my humble opinion, is one of the prettiest cities in the world. It is quite a culture shock to go from one end of the country to the other, from the wildness and relative solitude of the bush, to the bustle and vibrancy of a major port and travel destination. We stayed in a lovely cottage that belonged to a dear friend’s father (thank you Sharon!). The cottage was in the suburb of Newlands, not far from the University of Cape Town. We walked a couple of blocks from our cottage and shared dinner with Leonard and Ernette at a local restaurant called Barrister’s Seafood. The kingklip (a white, meaty, local fish that is superb) was grilled in butter and lightly seasoned, while the cobo (another white, meaty fish) was done in a pesto sauce. Both dishes were very good and taste even better when shared!
During one our 3 days there we took the very beautiful drive along Chapman’s Peak to Cape Pointe. This is just a bit north of the Cape of Good Hope (the southernmost tip of the African continent; it is part of a national park and a major tourist attraction. The climb from the parking lot to the lighthouse at the top of the mountain is strenuous, but the view is worth the trek. On a former trip in 1998 with Grant and Pam, I couldn’t make it to the top—too much pain from my knee. This time, “armed” (or should I say “legged”) with my new prosthesis, it was much easier. (Note—watch out for the birds in the outdoor dining area at the beginning of the climb. Rae-ann can tell you about her run-in with one of these creatures who swooped in, knocked off a piece of her sandwich to the floor, and then ate just the cheese; he didn’t seem to like the multi-grain bread very much.). We stopped on the way back to town for dinner at Haut Bay and ate at the Fisherman’s Wharf restaurant. I recommend the swordfish in a beurre blanc sauce and the cobo in the papaya salsa sauce
KIRSTENBOSCH and SHOPPING
On another day, we spent most of an afternoon at Kirstenbosch, a botanical garden, admiring the many varieties of protea (the national flower) and the wonderful African sculpture placed so magically throughout the space. We had perfect weather—clear blue skies and low 80’s for temperature, with only a slight wind blowing. You should take your time and enjoy the colors, as they are beautiful. The gift shop at the entrance to the garden is actually one of the nicer ones you’ll find anywhere; prices are not cheap but the selection and quality is really good. Speaking of gifts, let me remind you to bring an extra suitcase for all those goodies you decide you can’t live without. There are outdoor markets everywhere and the selection of craft items is huge. Wood and stone carvings abound, as do hand-woven “basket” items, beaded jewelry, new and old wooden masks, wire sculpture of all sizes and shapes, ethnic dolls and musical instruments, hand woven and painted fabrics, unique leather, kudu (antelope) or crocodile wallets or pocketbooks and so much more. Haggling is definitely expected and you’ll be much the poorer monetarily and emotionally if you don’t engage the sellers in some sort of “buyer's” dialogue.
Our last day in Cape Town was spent at the Victoria and Albert mall, located on the water, in the harbor area. The mall is filled with shops (containing many familiar names) and restaurants galore (one of which has live jazz and another that features local musicians playing a variety of wooden xylophone-type instruments). If you are really adventurous you can even get a haircut and a shave (guys only!) in a barber shop. I do suggest being very specific in the shop, as I got shorn more than I anticipated but could do little about it once the barber started in on me with the electric shears. It seems you have to ask for a scissor cut if you want it short but not too short! The shave with the straight razor was also an experience, but made all the better when a big hot towel was placed on my face afterwards.
STELLENBOSCH
After 3 days in Cape Town, we drove about 45 minutes to the wine district called Stellenbosch. This part of the country is quite beautiful and from what I have been told, having never been to Sonoma in California, very different in terms of topography from the US wine lands. There are mountains in Stellenbosch that are apparently missing in CA. The area is full of vineyards and fine restaurants and from what I was told, boasts some of the most expensive land devoted to vine production in the world. Land is measured in hectares, not acres, and one hectare is equivalent to 2.471 acres; I think I heard the figure of about $250,000-350,000 an acre in the prime wine growing locations.
Prior to arriving in the town of Stellenbosch itself, we stopped at the Spier winery outside of town, where we visited the raptor conservancy, but passed up the chance to spend time with the cheetahs at their conservancy. Both are terrific experiences, but we didn’t want to lose the whole day doing both and the raptors won the coin-toss. The raptors, consisting of various types of eagles and falcons, have either been wounded or abandoned. If they can be healed and released back to the wild, that is the primary goal; if not, at least they are safe from other predators. The cheetahs, on the other hand, are raised to be used in schools to teach kids about conservation and to provide a place to promote studies that can help reverse the decline in their population.
Stellenbosch has a very small town feel to it, though it hosts the campus of a fine university, appropriately named the University of Stellenbosch. It also has a very sophisticated atmosphere. Outdoor cafes abound everywhere and most, not surprisingly, have a pretty good local wine list. There are lovely stores throughout the town and some very upscale shopping is available, along with the requisite craft shops and stalls. Our first day in Stellenbosh was a Friday and we chose to eat a late lunch, thinking we’d have a bigger dinner; we had an excellent, light sushi snacking experience at Cape Town Seafood Market.
Both Rae-ann and I enjoy trying to find local synagogues to attend while we are traveling, so it should not come as a surprise to anyone that we were able to locate a place to daven in Stellenbosch. Our host in Cape Town learned of our interest and suggested we contact a medical school classmate of his who had retired to the Stellenbosch area. I made a quick phone call upon our arrival and learned that Friday evening services were held in a shul a few blocks away from our B&B. The synagogue has a very small congregation, but holds services every Friday evening. It is an orthodox service, with men and women seated separately, and lay led; there isn’t a conservative movement in South Africa, so most services (85%) are Orthodox, with the balance being Reform. It never ceases to amaze me how comforting it is to be able to walk into a service anywhere in the world and feel relatively at home. The melodies may be different, and sometimes the prayer-books are as well, but a service is still a service and it doesn’t take much effort to locate the right page and get involved, even if in silence. Following the service, we were invited to a small Kiddush and then found ourselves being asked if we had plans for dinner. Upon responding “no”, we were promptly invited to dinner at the home of one of the congregants. Jeff and his 4 brothers are the primary financial supporters of the congregation and the family is the largest grower and exporter of strawberries in the country. Dinner with Jeff, his wife Beverly, and 4 other guests was both delicious and very “homey”!
Jeff and Jonathan, another of the dinner guests, made some suggestions on which wineries to visit and the restaurants in the area worth eating at. Boy, there is nothing like a “local” to steer you in the right direction. Just outside of Stellenbosch, on the way to Franchhoek, is a relatively new, small winery called Thelema. It’s a bit off the main road, but worth the trouble to locate. The tastings there are still free; at a few of the others it costs 15 rand, or a little less than $3 at current exchange rates, for 5 different samples. Assuming you are traveling with your spouse or significant other, spring for the 30 rand—that way you can try 10 wines (assuming the winery produces that many different ones). The reds at Thelema have a lot of promise—some are drinkable now (Shiraz and Cabernet) and a few, like the Pinotage, need a bit more aging. The Chardonnay (reserve?) is fine right now as well.
FRANCHHOEK
Our local host had suggested lunch at Boschendal Estates, but we passed by a bit early and decided to head into Franchhoek for a quick visit, figuring we could always come back if nothing else struck our fancy. The town is small and quite charming, though I prefer Stellenbosch’s ambience. We drove through Franchhoek and made our way along the main road to an area just outside of town that was home to a couple of wineries and restaurants. We stopped at one, primarily because the shape of the structure is so unusual. The winery and restaurant is called Cabriere Estate. (I just learned by coincidence it is the 2006 South African Best of Wine Tourism winner for the best Winery Restaurant.) The entrance to the cellar and the adjacent restaurant are both built into the side of the mountain—a very different look than the more elegant and traditional wine estates in the rest of the area. I didn’t think we were going to stay for a tasting, as they seemed to be showcasing sparkling wines and that is just not one of my top choices for wine drinking. We happened to manage a tasting while listening to and watching the owner make a presentation. It wasn’t the way he opened the bottles with the saber that caught my attention, or the pretty girls enlisted to help with the demonstration, but rather the very tasty sparkling pinot noir that was being served. Rae-ann and I agreed to try out the attached restaurant for lunch and boy, was that a terrific decision. We wound up with the finest meal of our trip and one of the most enjoyable and delicious meals I can remember eating anywhere.
Imagine a fine dining room where the conversation is subdued but not totally silent, the doors and windows are open to the outside, a gentle breeze is blowing, the view out the window is of the distant mountain, the tables are set with white linen, each diner has a somewhat oversized silverware place-setting, there is a water glass, and 2 wine goblets—one of which is tall and wide-mouthed for red wines and the other about an inch shorter and slightly more tapered at the mouth for white wines. The menu and wine list are leather bound as I recall. Each of the winery’s selections are listed with a description about the bouquet of the wine and it’s taste (whether of vanilla or a fruit or buttery texture or the like). (Can I really distinguish the aromas of chocolate or various berries? In truth, no, but I do enjoy trying to learn how!) Someone, probably the chef or perhaps the winery owner, has paired the wine selections with various dishes on the menu trying to enhance the flavors of the food with the wine and vice versa, but feel free to mix and match at your own risk or expertise. I don’t doubt that pairing wine and food is probably one of the better ways to go to enhance the overall dining experience, but I am just as prone to mix reds with fish and whites with meat as not.
I ordered a glass of the sparkling pinot noir, having enjoyed the first tasting so much! Rae-ann, who, shall we say, does not have a high threshold for alcohol, chose a white with 11% alcohol rather than the usual 13-14%. (The wine was called Tranquille and was too light for my taste.) We chose 3 dishes—all vegetarian from the menu (but could have had meat, game, or seafood had we been so inclined)—and ordered half portions of each. Since we were sharing, the waitress placed a spoon and a fork in an X so that the servers would know to place the dishes between us and to give us smaller plates to hold the shared portions. Our first dish was a cold salmon trout (pink inside instead of the normal white trout color), covered in olive tapenade (finely chopped olives) and resting on perfectly grilled vegetables drizzled with a touch of balsamic vinegar. The second dish was a butternut squash tart, where again the vegetable was cooked to perfection and the pastry tart was flaky and buttery, and the butternut was infused with a wonderful molasses flavor (?). I had, by this time finished my glass of sparkling wine and opted for a traditional, by my standards, glass of regular pinot noir that was even better than it’s sparkling sibling. Our last dish went very well with the big red wine. It was a spicy lentil selection that left a definite, but not unpleasant, lingering feeling of heat after swallowing and which mixed very nicely with the smoothness of the wine. Needless to say, the service was attentive but not overly so, the food and wine outstanding, the company even better, the coffee very good (a real must for me as most of you know), and the total bill considered very reasonable (about $75 dollars with tip) by US standards. A phenomenal way to spend an afternoon!!
BACK TO STELLENBOSCH
We were definitely feeling no pain when we left the winery restaurant and headed back to Stellenbosch. A respite was definitely in order, so we sat in the lovely garden of our B&B and read for the next few hours. Much to our surprise, we were actually hungry later in the evening. Our luncheon was superb, but thankfully had not left us feeling stuffed. We again wound up following the advice of our Shabbat evening hosts; this time ending up at the Fishmonger restaurant a couple of short blocks away from our hotel. The obligatory wine at dinner was nothing special, especially after the afternoon’s selections, and the dinner, while very good, simply couldn’t compare with our luncheon feast. We enjoyed our tuna roll (tekka maki) appetizer, finding that it was surprisingly fresh, and the stuffed kingklip with mozzarella and the yellowtail with crumbled feta cheese were very well done. Taken out of context, by themselves, the dinner dishes were delicious. They were simply overshadowed by the lingering tastes from the afternoon delights.
JOHANNESBURG
We left the wine country after our short 2 day stay and flew back to Johannesburg for the wedding festivities surrounding Darren and Bev’s nuptials. It was very very special and important for me to be there with the family for this event, just as it was for me to ask Rae-ann to join me on this trip. For her to have willingly put herself in this delicate situation says a lot about the type of person she is, as well as our feelings for each other. I know that there was a lot of warmth and love being shown by everyone to us, and that it was not easy to keep the pain from overshadowing our time together. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to Steve and Linda, Bev, Tony and Monique, Darren and Bev, Len and Merle, for allowing Pam’s presence to be so strongly felt and acknowledged by all, yet not to have allowed her absence to have detracted from the joy of the simcha. I love you all very much and am forever grateful to be a part of such an amazing family.
I’ve gone on far too long, I fear, so I’ll end in a moment. Hopefully, my little “tasting” of South Africa will whet your appetites for a trip of your own that I will gladly help you arrange.
Love to all and Happy New Year…Scott
posted by Scottland at 11:50 PM
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